Chapter 103 103
Xavier's pov
It'd been barely one year since I get back my company and everything was collapsing.
I watched the TV on the office wall, my jaw so tight it hurt. Light from screen glinted in my exhausted eyes, accentuating the dark circles. I hadn't slept in days. Whenever my eyes closed, numbers, lost profits, debt, failed ventures, and disappointed faces flashed before my eyes.
A middle-aged woman sat on the TV in front of a reporter, holding up one of my new e-goggles.
“This thing does not work."
My fingers clenched in the armrest of my chair.
"I bought this because Alpha Xavier's company always had the best," she continued, shaking her head. "But this? The battery lasts two hours tops and when it does turn on the visuals are glitching it's fake. Everything about this is fake."
The reporter nodded sympathetically. "So you believe Alpha Xavier has misled the public?"
"I don't believe it, I know it. He's a con man now."
That was it.
I shot up and grabbed the remote, hurling it across the room and watched it bounce off the wall. Not enough.
I grabbed the heavy paperweight from my desk, and threw it right at the TV. The glass shattered instantly, the screen cracked, distorted, then black.
Rayes flinched by the window. "Sir... Calm down."
I turned on him, blazing eyes. "Calm down? You expect me to calm down when my whole world is crashing down around me?!"
Rayes opened his mouth then closed it. There was nothing to say.
I let out a huff and fell back in my chair, dragging my hands through my hair as frustration built. The healer wristbands failed; I had rushed the production to regain losses without the original formulas, without the original design... They barely worked. Customers returned them, my refund accounts swelled, and the bank accounts of my company dwindled. The e-goggles had been my only other product so far this year and they already had bad reviews about their battery life, and glitching visuals.
I sank back in my chair, my gaze fixed on the broken TV.
Three months ago, Clyde had withdrawn from our partnership. He just left, no warning, no negotiation, no loyalty whatsoever. And things have been getting worse ever since.
No one wanted to invest in my company anymore, and the banks would laugh me out of the building whenever I asked for a loan. I was drowned in debt, back at square one. No... Worse than square one. Before at least I still had dignity, but now not even that was left.
Knock, knock. My new secretary opened the door cautiously, "Alpha..."
"What?!" I barked.
"The press conference is in an hour."
I rubbed my forehead. "Fine."
The venue was far too quiet when we arrived.
I entered and the door echoed, rows of empty chairs, microphones set up at the front, banners showing the company logo hung behind the podium. There were no reporters or journalists, and not a single camera.
"Where the fuck is everyone?!"
One of the workers looking uneasy explained, "They..left."
"They what?"
"Yes Alpha"
"Why the fuck would they leave?!"
"They heard the CEO of MW Global had arrived."
"What?"
"The CEO of MW Global."
I scoffed. "So all the reporters left just because Clyde showed up?"
"No Alpha, Mr. Clyde was never the true CEO of MW Global."
I stared at her like she'd just revealed she spoke in a foreign language. "What are you talking about?"
She looked perplexed, "Mr. Clyde was merely a placeholder for this duration of three years, the real owner has been abroad."
My stomach churned. "Everyone knew?"
"Yes sir"
"Jesus fucking Christ!" I spun around and walked out of the room.
By the time I had gotten home, I felt an intense burden within my chest.
Kylie was in the living room. "I heard."
"Heard what?" I asked, looking up.
She smirked, "I heard the real owner of MW Global is back."
I rubbed my temples, "So Clyde was never the real owner?"
She seemed perplexed. "Of course he wasn't. Duh"
"You knew?"
"Everyone knows Xavier"
I stared blankly at her. "And you didn't tell me?"
Kylie furrowed her brows. "I thought you already knew"
"Who is she?"
"They say it's a woman but nobody knows who she is."
"Nobody knows?" I inquired carefully.
"No."
I turned to Rayes. "Find out who the true owner of MW Global is."
Rayes nodded and was off.
Hours later, when I was getting ready for bed Rayes came back with a negative response, "There's nothing".
I flung off my covers, "What do you mean nothing?!"
"There are no papers, no appearances, and no interviews about this woman; it's like she's a ghost."
I slammed my fist against the bedstand. "That's impossible!"
Before I could say another word, my phone rang. I looked down to see it was my manager calling. I answered it, "Hello-"
"Alpha," the man said tiredly, interrupting me, "I am calling to inform you that I along with my team will be resigning."
I froze. "What?"
"We haven't been paid for a year."
I swallowed, "I know...but-"
"We can't keep doing this."
"Wait," I pleaded, "I'll pay soon. Please give me a little more time."
"I'm sorry Alpha"
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone slowly. It was over. My staff, my team... Gone. All that's left is a handful of employees; I was losing everything - my company, my dignity, my power.
I placed my elbows on the counter and buried my face in my hands.
For the first time in many years, I cried.