Chapter 63
Lucinda stepped off the elevator and walked straight toward the conference room.
Both sides of the long table were filled. The head of the tech department was presenting. Data slides flipped across the projection screen. No one whispered. No one scrolled on their phones.
Ever since Kaida's faction had been cleared out, everyone left behind understood the situation perfectly.
This new young president wasn't here to go through the motions.
Lucinda sat at the head of the table, twirling a pen between her fingers.
She looked focused as she listened, her eyes downcast, making it impossible to read her expression.
Halfway through the meeting, the door swung open.
It slammed against the wall. Joseph walked in, followed by three others—his trusted subordinates.
His suit jacket was unbuttoned, his tie crooked, like he'd just strolled back from chatting in the break room.
He wore a breezy, careless smile, the upturned corners of his mouth tinged with disdain.
"Sorry about that, Ms. Wipere. Had some things to deal with. Running a bit late."
His tone was casual, like he was making small talk. His gaze skimmed over Lucinda's face as he headed straight for an empty seat at the conference table.
The people around the table straightened instinctively. Their eyes darted between Joseph and Lucinda before quickly looking away.
The pen in Lucinda's hand stopped spinning.
She lifted her gaze and let it settle on Joseph's face. "Go back outside. Knock."
Joseph's hand froze mid-reach for the chair. The smile on his face hadn't had time to fade. It hung there awkwardly, turning into something far less pleasant.
He straightened up, cleared his throat, and let out a light laugh. "Ms. Wipere, we're already inside—"
"I told you to go outside."
The air in the room thinned. Everyone held their breath.
The smile finally slipped from Joseph's face. He stood there, hand still resting on the back of the chair, his knuckles slowly tightening. The cuff of his suit trembled slightly.
The three people behind him exchanged uncertain glances. They shuffled their feet but didn't dare be the first to step out.
Lucinda turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on the young girl taking notes by the door.
The girl had only been here a short while. Under Lucinda's stare, she jumped up like someone had flipped a switch, grabbed the office phone, and hovered her finger over the call button. Her voice wavered. "Security—"
"Call security." Lucinda finished the sentence for her.
Joseph's face went from red to white. He released the chair and stormed out.
The three others scrambled after him. The door slammed shut behind them with a heavy thud that made the frame rattle.
Then, a knock sounded.
Three polite, measured taps. The force was neither too light nor too heavy. A stark contrast to the way he'd barged in moments before.
Every eye at the table turned toward Lucinda.
She kept her head down, flipping to the next page of the document in front of her. She didn't even bother to lift her eyes.
"Don't let them in."
That was all she said. Her tone was flat.
The knocking outside stopped. The hallway went quiet for a few seconds. Then the door was shoved open again—harder this time, more than twice as forceful as before.
Joseph stood in the doorway. His expression was beyond ugly.
His entire face was flushed red. The three people behind him hunched their shoulders, their faces twisted like they'd swallowed flies.
"Lucinda!" His voice shot up a full octave. "I knocked! What right do you have to keep me out? I'm a vice president of this company. I've been in this building for over a decade. You're just some parachuted-in brat—do you really think you're somebody?"
Every gaze in the conference room locked onto his face, then quickly looked away. No one dared stare.
Lucinda set down the document.
She lifted her head slowly, her gaze moving from the paper to Joseph's face.
Her eyes were clear—so clear they were almost cold, like the surface of a frozen lake in deep winter. No bottom. No ripples.
"Mr. Miller." Her voice was calm, unhurried. "If you knock, does that mean I'm obligated to let you in?"
Joseph opened his mouth. A muffled sound escaped his throat, but before he could form a full sentence, Lucinda's voice cut through again.
"People like you—late to meetings, barging in without knocking, no posture when you sit, no presence when you stand. You've been at this company for over a decade. Aside from a business card that says 'Vice President' and a position where you collect a paycheck for doing nothing, what have you actually contributed to this building?"
She paused. Her gaze slid from his face to the three people behind him, then back again. "Do you think you deserve to sit in this conference room? Do you think you deserve my respect?"
Joseph trembled with rage. The red drained from his face, leaving only his ears burning crimson, as if they might bleed.
"Now. Get out."
When the final words fell, even the hum of the air conditioner seemed to stop.
Joseph's chest heaved violently twice. He spun around and practically crashed out of the room.
A dull thud echoed from the hallway—something being kicked over hard. Then the sound of retreating footsteps. Finally, the elevator doors closing, swallowing it all.
The conference room stayed silent for a long time.
Lucinda pulled her gaze back and flipped the document back to the previous page.
"Continue."
Her voice was exactly the same as before, as if the interruption had never happened.
The marketing manager snapped out of his daze. He glanced down at his report, cleared his throat, and resumed. His voice was still a little hoarse, a little unsteady.
The data on the projection began flipping again. The air in the conference room slowly started moving once more.
Lucinda listened while picking up her phone from the table.
The screen lit up, casting a faint glow in her cool eyes.
Her fingers danced across the screen. She typed out a line and hit send.
[Pull all the financial records Joseph has touched. Everything.]