CHAPTER 76 - SHEDDING UNNECESSARY WEIGHTS

As Arthur stepped into the luxurious conference room of the Brown Company building, he took in the

sight of the dozens of people already seated in neat executive suits.

Questions and suspicions immediately filled the room, their astonishment at Arthur's identity and

background palpable. After all, just a few months earlier Arthur had been a janitor in the company, and

now, due to his immense wealth and prestige, he had acquired the company completely.

"Who is this Arthur Gardner?" one of the executives muttered suspiciously under his breath.

"I've never heard of him in either the affluent or business circles," another one said, his brow furrowing

in suspicion.

"Could it be that he's concealing his true identity? Is he part of the underworld?" He paused, his

expression growing more serious. "No one would dare take control of the Brown Company, which is

deeply entrenched in the underworld, unless they're a part of it."

The others murmured in awe, their eyes filled with admiration. "He looks so manly and dignified," one

said.

"It's the kind of look that truly befits a wealthy man. And it looks like he's got a personal assistant and

bodyguard, both of them so beautiful they could be celebrities. Mr. Gardner must have spent a fortune

to get them working for him."

The executive members in the room rose from their seats, respectfully bowing their heads in greeting

as Arthur entered.

"Welcome, Mr. Arthur Gardner, the new owner of the Brown Company," they said in unison.

Arthur walked to his chair, followed by Edna and Alicia, who sat on either side of him.

"Good afternoon, Brown Company executive members," Arthur said in an even and firm tone. "Thank

you for attending today's important meeting. Please take your seats." He then motioned for everyone to

be seated.

All the Brown Company employees watched the video from the meeting room with myriad emotions,

ranging from worry to fear, with some of them even feeling a newfound hope rising within the grand

organization.

“To think, Arthur actually became the owner of this company!” one of the employees mused in disbelief,

“This is a fact that is truly beyond everyone's expectations. Who would have thought that a janitor could

suddenly acquire the company that had kicked him out of this place?” he muttered, his gaze fixed on

the large screen stuck to the cold wall.

"Man, what am I going to do?" someone said, trembling with fear. "I'm terrified of being fired and I was

part of the group that had been tormenting Mr. Gardner. I knew it was all because of Marco; that

scoundrel had persuaded us to do it, and it was all his fault."

"Mr. Gardner is incredibly handsome," the young woman sighed in admiration. "He's so dashing too.

Even when he was a janitor, his handsomeness was already apparent. But this time, he looked so

dazzling - I fell in love with my new boss instantly. I didn't expect such a transformation. I hope he can

bring a positive change to this company."

"Are you crazy? He appeared so callous - he even fired Linda, the one who was carrying his baby! Do

you honestly think this company can flourish under the control of someone as inexperienced as him?"

"Wait, it wasn't actually Mr. Gardner who got Linda pregnant - it was Marco. Can't you see how many

women have been wrongfully dismissed from this company after they became pregnant due to Marco's

actions? If you can still defend him after all the harm he has caused, you must be blind!" she

exclaimed.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was incredibly tense and uncomfortable; the Brown Company

executives were feeling extremely insecure about their positions, unsure of what would become of

them if Arthur's policies weren't profitable.

In an effort to protect themselves, they devised a plan to have Arthur merely serve as a shareholder

and to hide any fraudulent activities they had taken part in, continuing their deceitful practices.

Arthur rose from his chair, and Edna followed suit, quickly plugging the flash drive into the laptop at the

desk. Instantly, the large screen in the room lit up with the data that Edna had prepared in accordance

with Arthur's request.

With a desire to further strengthen and modernize the Brown Company, Arthur wanted to rid the

premises of any useless clutter and ensure that the company could run at a more rapid pace without

being weighed down by it.

"Brown Company has enormous potential for growth," he declared. "It has a major role to play in the

development of this city and our country, and if we make the right decisions when it comes to our

projects, ensuring that there is no corruption, we could become the biggest company in this country or Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

even the world in a short amount of time."

Arthur explained firmly and authoritatively, making some people think that what he said was just

nonsense and deceit. It seemed impossible to bring the company to success and prosperity, as Arthur

had suggested, and they knew that it could take decades to accomplish.

Despite the annoyance and contempt they felt towards Arthur's words, the attendees remained silent,

trying to maintain their respectability in front of Arthur, the new owner of the company.

“And that can only be achieved if we eliminate all the bad elements from this company. I think this will

have to be my first action here today," Arthur declared.

When Arthur uttered his final words, everyone in the room and the entire building experienced a chill as

the hairs on their necks stood up in unison. Though some felt a sense of apprehension, others were

filled with a glimmer of hope.

However, the one who felt the strongest emotion was Cody Hart, a 39-year-old man seated nearby. As

the CEO of Brown Company, his anger was especially heightened.

Though Cody Hart had only a small ownership stake in the company, he acted as CEO. However, the

jumble of people from The Underworld had enabled him to occupy this position. With Arthur's arrival,

Cody felt a sense of unease that threatened his position.

He stood, clapping his hands softly and smiling at Arthur's greeting.

“Excellent! I'm impressed with your vision and your way of thinking, Mr. Gardner,” Cody said, his calm

and proud facade masking his simmering anger.

The entire room erupted into a slow clapping in unison with Cody.

"What an amazing speech, Mr. Gardner!" several people exclaimed in unison.

"Thank you, Cody," Arthur replied with a grateful smile.

Arthur paused for a moment, allowing the audience to show him praises. When the room had gone

silent again, he carried on.

“As for the burden of this company, I am confident I know what needs to be done,” he continued.

Arthur slowly swiveled his head to look at Cody, causing the latter to tense up and clench his fists.

“What is this fool going to say?” Cody thought to himself. “If he really wants to get rid of me, I'll make

sure he won't live long. I'll kill him.”

"Yes," Arthur continued. "I believe the company will be able to progress even further if we change the

head of this organization."

Cody slammed his fist on the table and jumped to his feet, pointing at Arthur.

"What kind of joke are you telling? Do you think you can do whatever you want because you own the

company's stock? What's your reasoning for such a claim? I have worked hard to lead this company

with all my heart and dedication. Without me, this company wouldn't have achieved such success! Do

you think you can run this company better than me just because you have money?!"

Arthur simply smiled in response to Cody's outburst. Shaking his head, he said, "Looks like I don't need

to come up with any excuses to get rid of you from this place, Mr. Cody. You have just exposed yourself

to inappropriate behavior as a leader."

The atmosphere in the room had been eerily silent, but it suddenly exploded when their own CEO

sparked the first dissension.