Chapter 111 He Will Definitely Get What He Wants
"What do you think you're doing? I'm warning you, Zachary—we live in a civilized society. If you try anything, I'll..." Landon backed away, his earlier arrogance completely gone.
Zachary's presence hit like a violent storm. His dark expression, those penetrating eyes—they swallowed up Landon's panic bit by bit.
"If you're so scared of me, why'd you come after me? Got a death wish?"
Those last three words came out louder, sharper.
Landon couldn't handle the intimidation. His legs gave out, and he dropped straight onto his ass.
"Zachary, Landon is your brother! Don't go too far!" Emily's maternal instincts flared, but she didn't dare approach. She stayed rooted to the spot, hurling insults from a safe distance.
Playing the victim after starting the fight.
Zachary let out a cold laugh, his eyes dark and menacing. "So what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?"
Emily's face went deathly pale. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
The next morning, everything changed at Apex Global Group.
Lucas and Adela worked with ruthless efficiency, calling an emergency board meeting that ran through the night. By eight AM, every board member had assembled in the conference room.
The room was dead silent. Zachary sat at the head of the table, a tall stack of documents in front of him. Each board member had their own pile. He leaned back in his chair, cold eyes fixed on the doorway.
The only sound was the rustle of papers being flipped through. No one spoke. Everyone's brows were furrowed, their expressions grave.
Time crawled by. Finally, at nine-thirty, Landon strolled in fashionably late. He yawned continuously, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed after a bender. When he reached the office door, he tried to push it open, only to find it locked.
"Brian, open up." He kicked the door hard, misjudging the force. Pain shot through his big toe.
Brian poked his head out from the secretary's office but didn't dare come closer.
Landon hopped around, clutching his foot. "Are you deaf? I said open the damn door!"
The CEO's office was on the same floor as the conference room. Landon's cursing echoed down the hall, grating on everyone's nerves.
"Good grief." The board members shook their heads and sighed.
Adela walked from behind Zachary to the conference room door. "Mr. Jennings, please come to the conference room."
Adela looked every inch the professional. Landon recognized her and immediately went on the attack. "Didn't I tell you to pack your shit and get lost? Why the hell are you still here?"
Adela was Zachary's person, and Landon hated her for it. The fact that she was a woman didn't earn her any courtesy from him.
Reginald Preston, the oldest member of the board, rose to his feet. He stormed toward the conference room door and barked, "That's enough! This isn't your playground!"
Landon squinted in that direction, then his face split into a grin. "Mr. Preston, what brings you here again? Didn't I tell you last time? You're getting up there in years. Leave the company stuff to us youngsters. You should be home enjoying retirement. I'm the CEO, you know. When people don't know how to do their jobs, naturally I have to teach them."
As he spoke, he started walking toward the door. The moment he reached it, Landon sensed something was off. Everyone inside sat ramrod straight, glaring at him with fury in their eyes.
"Who told you to sit in that seat?" Landon spotted Zachary immediately. He was sitting at the head of the table—Landon's spot.
But fear of Zachary kept him from getting any closer. He could only stand in the doorway, pointing with a shaking finger.
"We did."
Before Landon could launch into his complaint in front of the board members, they responded in perfect unison.
Landon stood there stunned. He realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Last night, Emily had warned him that if Zachary returned safely, he'd definitely make a power play at Apex Global Group. But Landon hadn't taken it seriously. When his buddies invited him out to party, he couldn't resist another night of debauchery. This morning, he'd only come to Apex Global Group after Emily's relentless phone calls.
He hadn't expected Zachary to move so fast, flipping everything upside down in the blink of an eye.
"You... all of you..."
Landon was speechless.
"I'm the CEO of Apex Global Group. Have you all lost your minds?"
With one sentence, Landon managed to offend everyone in the room.
Reginald couldn't hold back. He raised his hand and smacked Landon's shoulder. "You little punk! When your father and I were building this empire, you weren't even a twinkle in anyone's eye."
Zachary remained seated at the head of the table, his gaze sharp as a blade, stabbing straight into Landon's heart.
"Mr. Carter, please, stop! I just took over recently. Even if I haven't accomplished anything, I've been putting in the work. Can't you give me a little more time? I promise I can take Apex Global Group to new heights."
Landon's shamelessness knew no bounds. Reginald lowered his hand and let out a cold snort. He walked to the conference table, grabbed a stack of documents, and threw them at Landon. "Take a look at the mess you've made since you took over."
Black ink on white paper, page after page of damning evidence. Landon glanced at it and immediately felt a headache coming on. He tossed it back onto the table without really reading it.
"You're all ganging up on me!"
He let out a sinister laugh.
Zachary, who'd been silent until now, finally spoke. "Ms. Gomez, read it to him."
Adela nodded, picked up the top document, and began listing Landon's absurd behavior over the past few weeks. String after string of numbers left her lips. Anyone with industry knowledge would've been horrified, their brows knitting together in concern. But Landon just stood there with an indifferent expression.
"So what? Apex Global Group belongs to the Jennings family. What's it to you? If I respect you, I let you sit here. If I don't, you can all get the hell out."
He'd devolved into throwing a tantrum.
Zachary gave a subtle signal. Lucas stepped forward, grabbed Landon's arm, and forced him to the ground.
"You disgrace! You've completely destroyed your father's legacy."
The board members were outraged. Despite their age, they couldn't help but stand up, and one by one, they took turns kicking him. Lucas held Landon down so he couldn't move, and he took the beating without being able to defend himself.
"Gentlemen."
After everyone had gotten their licks in, Zachary stood up. He gestured for everyone to return to their seats. "From this day forward, I will resume my position as CEO of Apex Global Group. Do I have your support?"
"Absolutely! One hundred percent!"
The board members raised their hands in agreement.
This whole performance hadn't needed to be so elaborate. Zachary had his own ways of reclaiming the CEO position at Apex Global Group. But only someone who wins hearts can rule the world. If he wanted to secure his place as CEO, he needed every person in this room to support him wholeheartedly.
Landon's arrogance and recklessness had been his downfall. He didn't realize Zachary had set the stage for him, and he'd played his part perfectly, losing everyone's trust and support.
"Landon, from now on, you can't set foot in Apex Global Group without the boss's permission."
Lucas gripped Landon's arm and barked the order.
Soon, security arrived. They grabbed Landon by the arms and forcibly dragged him out.
"Zachary, you'll get what's coming to you!"
Landon screamed all the way down the hall, but his mouth was quickly covered.
He'd arrived at Apex Global Group in glory—now he was leaving in disgrace.
News of Zachary's return to Apex Global Group spread quickly through the media. Public opinion was overwhelmingly in his favor, full of praise and support. As for Landon, Zachary left him some dignity, only saying he'd stepped down due to health issues.
Quinley was scrolling through her phone on the way back from the supermarket to the Elikin family home when she saw the news. She wasn't surprised at all. This was Zachary—if he wanted something, he'd get it.
The moment she got home, Marlee handed her a package. "Quinny, this came for you. I signed for it."
Quinley looked at it suspiciously. There was no return address on the package. She'd quit her job and just moved back to the Elikin family home—most people wouldn't know this address.
Back in her bedroom, Quinley locked the door behind her. She carefully opened the package.
Suddenly, a document fell out.