Carlton Abbott’s desk was a mess of files, folders, and other extremely important documents. As acting CEO of the Atlas Group of Companies his every decision affected the lives of thousands of employees, good men and women doing their best to deal with all the challenges life had to offer. It was a burden and responsibility that he did not take lightly. Carlton, possessing an abundance of skill, education, and experience, had the utmost confidence in his abilities as a CEO. Acting or otherwise. The papers on his desk were no worry. No, they were nothing compared to the problem lounging on the floor.

Oliver ‘Cash’ Braxton, the founder of the Atlas Group and former CEO was laying spread eagle on the plush carpet staring at the ceiling tiles. 

“Ousted from my own company,” Cash said. “Can you believe it?”

“You’re still chairman of the board and the majority shareholder,” Carlton sighed. “No one has ousted you from anywhere. If anything, you ousted yourself.”

“Lies and slander,” Cash said. “That’s all it is.”

Carlton took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Cleaning up the mess Cash had created would require a substantial amount of work. Work that he would rather do in peace and quiet without having to deal with a bratty billionaire. He took out his phone and quickly navigated to a celebrity gossip site.

“Take a look at this picture, Ollie. What do you see?” 

Cash turned his head, squinting to make out the image on Carlton’s phone. “A cracked iPhone. Really, Carl, you get paid more than enough to have that thing repaired.”

“Don’t play smart with me, shithead,” Carlton said. “What is happening in this picture?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I can’t really make it out too well from down here, but it seems to be a rather attractive gentleman partaking in some liquor.”

“What kind of liquor?”

“Seems to be fireball.”

“And do you notice anything else about this so-called attractive gentleman?”

“Well, his wang seems to be on full display.”

Carlton threw the phone as hard as he could. It bounced off of Cash’s head with a satisfying thud and a snap that signalled another crack being added to the already abused screen.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“For asking stupid questions,” Carlton huffed. “This single picture of you exposing yourself caused our stock price to plummet by nearly twenty percent!”

“A reactionary dip,” Cash said, waving away Carlton’s remarks. “We both know that stock prices depend as much on investor confidence as they do actual facts, figures, and performance.”

“Yes, but these reactions are happening a bit too frequently. You can’t blame the board for wanting to have someone a bit less volatile representing the company.”

“It seems to me that my colleagues on the board of directors need a reminder about exactly who’s in charge around here.”

Carlton took a sharp breath. The change in Cash’s tone was subtle, but he noticed it all the same. No one knew Cash Braxton better than Carlton, the man who had been by Cash’s side since the very beginning. No one else knew what kind of monster Cash truly was. The dreams he had shattered, the souls he had crushed, and the blood he had spilled to get to achieve his goals. 

“It’s not worth it, Oliver,” Carlton’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Think before you act. The board knows that you and I are basically brothers. Appointing me as acting CEO means that you’re the one pulling the strings. I’m just a pretty face for the pictures.”

“I suppose I do have more to lose now than I did back in the bad old days, huh? Whatever, I’m heading home. See you when I see you, Carl.”

Cash sprang to his feet, smoothing out his wrinkled t-shirt as he made his exit. Carlton’s eyes stayed glued to Cash’s wide back until the door slammed shut behind him. He set about organizing the various documents on his desk into some semblance of order, but his mind was elsewhere. A storm was coming. Those who thought that Cash Braxton was nothing more than some trust fund having, old money brat would have hell to pay. That, however, was a problem for another day. Right now he had a company to run. Carlton took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and got to work.