Chapter 29 A Voluntary Exit
Alexander nodded approvingly at Roman, his movements stiff and mechanical. "I'm glad you understand, my son. This meeting is adjourned."
The dismissal came abruptly, even as several elders continued their heated murmurs of protest. Alexander stood and walked away with that same vacant expression, leaving the family in stunned disbelief.
Roman remained seated, quietly observing his father's retreating figure.
As he finally stood up, ready to leave, Marcus approached with that familiar taunting smile stretching across his face.
"It's been far too long since I last saw you, little brother," Marcus said, with a false warmth. “Perhaps you should introduce me to your wife someday. I'm quite curious about the woman who could tame the great Roman Sinclair.”
Roman looked at him directly, nodded once as if acknowledging his words, then turned and walked out without uttering a single word.
\---
The moment Roman left, Marcus's hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white, teeth grinding audibly. The casual dismissal from his younger brother ignited a rage that threatened to consume him.
His phone buzzed. Composing himself quickly, he answered on the second ring.
"Hello, boss," came the voice on the other end. "The girls have contacted me for help uploading their videos and evidence to the net. Should I go ahead?"
Marcus' rage transformed into a cold, satisfied smile. "Yes, you can go ahead. You did a great job stalling the uploads. Make sure they don't find out you were the one blocking them from uploading."
"Understood, boss."
As the call ended, Marcus smirked to himself. "Quite the perfect little brother. He even got himself a worthy opponent as a wife. But too bad—I'd like to see how long this marriage is going to last and how you can keep up your facade, Roman."
A gentle touch on his arm brought him from his thoughts. He turned to find Isabella standing there, smiling but trembling slightly. Despite her attempt at composure, fear was still apparent in her eyes.
"Brother-in-law," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "I would like to speak with you."
Marcus's brows rose in interest. "My pleasure, Isabella."
\---
Meanwhile, as soon as Roman stepped outside, Leo quickly went to open the car door for his boss. He could feel the cold aura emanating from Roman and could tell that whatever the meeting was about, it meant nothing good for them.
Roman sat in the car deep in thought. Something was wrong with his father—it almost felt like someone else had been there, not the Alexander he knew. It felt like someone had been speaking through him. His eyes had looked listless, as if he was a puppet being controlled. Not only that, but his eyes... they were bloodshot.
Roman began tapping his fingers on his thighs consistently, lost in thought. An ominous feeling settled in his chest, as if something catastrophic was approaching.
"Boss?" Leo called out from the front. "Are you okay?"
Roman hummed absent mindedly.
Leo pressed further. "You seem lost in thoughts. Should we make a move on our end?"
Leo knew his boss better than most people. Having been with him for a very long time, he wasn't just an ordinary assistant—he was trained and experienced enough to recognize when his boss was definitely not okay.
"No need," Roman replied almost immediately. "Is there any update on the issue concerning my wife?"
"No sir, still nothing."
Roman nodded. "You know what to do once it's midnight."
"Yes sir," Leo replied curtly. He asked again, "Sir, are we going straight to the company or somewhere else?"
"Let's go back to the company to settle some things. We'll be going on a long break."
Leo almost slammed the brakes when he heard that, but quickly composed himself. His boss of all people, going on a long break? Impossible. He knew something was wrong. It must be related to the meeting he'd just left. That elder brother was really up to no good, he thought inwardly, before bracing himself to ask the question on his mind.
"Erhm—boss, why are we going on a long break?"
To his surprise, his boss actually answered instead of leaving him in cold silence or frightening him with that intimidating aura.
"I'm on sabbatical."
This time, Leo did slam the brakes hard.
"Leo! Drive properly" Roman's warning tone cut through the car.
"Sorry, boss!" Leo laughed nervously, quickly accelerating again.
After a moment of silence in the vehicle, Leo swallowed hard and braced himself again. "Boss, forgive me, but… may I ask what you mean by sabbatical?"
Roman rubbed his temples as if fighting a headache. "Is there water in your brain that you're too dumb to understand the literal meaning?"
"Boss, are you serious? You're really going on a long leave? Is it related to your brother? Should I make a move on our end? Boss, although I'm your assistant, we've been together for years, and I've watched you single-handedly raise that company to impeccable heights. You can't just abdicate your position—you're the CEO!"
Roman sighed. "I've told you, don't make any moves yet, and keep calm. Whether it's related to my brother or not, this is perfect timing for a leisure break. Besides, I just got married. I need to take my wife on a honeymoon trip—I at least owe her that." A slight smile crossed his face. “You'll help me research beautiful destinations. Bring magazines for my wife to choose from, and handle all the arrangements.”
Leo glanced at his boss through the rearview mirror. Although he felt indignant, he couldn't help noticing that slight smile on his boss's face when mentioning the honeymoon—like he genuinely looked forward to it. For the past few days since getting married, he'd seen his boss become incredibly more relaxed, no longer staying late at the company like before, always looking forward to going home. No one had known he was married until the drama started circulating online. It had been quite shocking to everyone and became the major gossip in the company. But only him had witnessed how happy his boss had been these past few days.
He reluctantly agreed. "Okay, sir." His boss's happiness came first.
But he had one more thing to say. "Boss, if you're going on a long break, I'm resigning my position in the company. I can't work for anyone else except you."
Roman's eyebrow arched. "Are you becoming more dense by the day? Didn't I say “we” are going on break?”
Leo's hands shook with anticipation. "Oh, so that means..."
Roman replied with a smile, his hand resting on his forehead lazily. "Anyone who wants to accompany me on this extended vacation is welcome. They don't need to worry—their salaries will still be paid in full, and I'll cover the cost of their vacation. They can also bring their families."
"Okay, boss!" Leo said, practically bouncing in his seat, wildly grinning from ear to ear. Other than the free vacation and being paid salary without working, he was more happy about his boss's strategy.
‘Let's see how the new acting CEO will be able to work with all the executives gone.’