Hollywood Zenith

" Okay. Is everything ready for the opening?" Samuel asked Abigail.

" Yes. Will you be there?" She asked.

" No, I don't think they would appreciate my presence. And I have to maintain my current appearance for the role."

" Ah, yes. Harry Potter selling them Fund lot will be a dead giveaway." Alastair made a snide remark.

" Moving on. As you instructed, I put together three categories. But we are still going over what to name them."

" How about Amazon, Barbarian and Necromancer? they are basic factions." Manan said with a straight face.

" Not you too! I never pegged you for a guy who liked these games." Abigail said with frustration.

" It's funny you got that reference." Manan's statement stunned her. She immediately understood her mistake.

" N-no, It's my nephew. He plays that game all the time."

" You should admit defeat already."

" Ok, ok. No more fighting." It was odd that Samuel, the youngest, was resolving their argument.

" We should skip it and go with some generic name like fund I, fund II etc. What matters is that we set the price tag in front of it, which will automatically separate the clients by their capital. Abigail, take care of the rest. You will be in charge of the event. Utilize the newly hired corporate division along with any resources necessary. I want it done fast."

" Ok, boss." She replied.

" Boss, I don't get it; why separate it. Shouldn't it be better if we piled it up in one place? In that way, the profit will be even across the board." Alastair asked.

" That is true, but what's fun in that? Manan would become responsible for everything, while rich people would avoid putting money in our firm."

" Sir, I can handle it! You don't have to worry about it." Manan said. He was a little afraid that his title as the head of the funds was being challenged in real time with the arrival of new blood.

" I know, but by dividing it, we ensure that our portfolio remains diverse as different people will be responsible for different funds. In that way, we could encourage some rivalry. I want my people to be confident. What we did up until now was an isolated event. And going forward will be the real test for your capabilities."

" As you wish, sir. I will not let you down."

" Relax, I want everyone to work together. Ultimately, everyone in the company is working toward the same goal. Just set some minimum return, a few per cent higher than what the current leader in this field is offering, and we will be set."

" Ok. I will do that; it sounds like you would not visit the firm regularly." Abigail asked.

" You are right. After this, I will meet with a few people, marking the end of my guidance. I will leave it all the Frederick for the time being. The director is already hounding me for missing my shoots."

" I can understand."

" Don't worry. I will leave a few instructions for the future, and of course, if something dire happens, you can always reach my cell."

" Alright. You could head toward the meeting room. They are already waiting for you." Marilyn said, informing Samuel about the meeting.

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" Good Evening, everyone. I am sorry for calling you on such short notice." Samuel said while entering the room.

Five people stood up, welcoming their boss. It was their first time meeting him, which made a few of them a little nervous. They were meeting a member of the legendary Rothschild family, which was a big deal.

They greeted each other, but few were not very cordial about it. Jared, the head of the Technology company, was not happy seeing Samuel.

" Why is a kid here? I thought we were meeting the boss of the company." He said.

" I am the boss. I believe that the firm informed you about me in advance."

" Yes, but I thought they were joking about it."

" Well, now that you know. Please sit down, we have to discuss an important matter, and I don't have much time." Samuel overlooked his rude attitude. He understood the fact that most people would react the same way. Just in the case of Jared, he was showing it openly.

Jared obliged, but he still had his displeased expression. Honestly, he didn't expect much from the company. What Samuel gave him was barely a start-up company, and he expected him to build it from the ground up to get a small slice of the pie.

He was previously a senior executive for a large tech company. If not for the recent crash, he would never have entertained the idea of joining any other company. Only the Rothschild name attracted him but now, seeing a kid from that family shattered his future dreams.

He wanted to work for the primary player inside the family, not some upcoming newbie. Although he regretted his decision, he had no other options.

" You should remember this man's face. Frederick will be responsible for running everything on my behalf from now on. You will all report to him; I expect regular updates." Samuel said as he glanced at everyone's faces.

" You gotta be kidding me. He is nowhere near my level; why didn't you inform me about that post?" Jared said. He considered himself the most competent among everyone present here.

He went to an Ivy League college with a reasonable degree which surely inflated his ego.

" I don't think so. He is more suited for managing a large company. I thoroughly checked his credentials." Marilyn said. She was familiar with everyone here.

" Who are you? Little girl, you should not talk when two grown up are talking. Alright? I don't think you were hired for your opinions." Jared gave a nasty smile while insinuating something.

Marilyn was lost for words. It was true that she was only a secretary and didn't have much experience, but she had never witnessed such a situation before.

She didn't want to bring trouble to Samuel. She was grateful for this opportunity and didn't want to jeopardize the meeting by lashing out.

The same could not be said about Samuel.

Instantly the meeting room was enveloped in a menacing aura. It became hard to breathe, and everyone frantically searched for the source to see Samuel's chilling expression.

Jared staggered back to his seat with a frightened expression. The aura was ten times more potent than the last time because of Samuel's training. He hardly missed his morning practice.

" W-what is h-happening?"

" H-haah, I suddenly feel chilly."

" Me too."

" B-boss"

"Why did everyone want to walk all over me? Is it because of my age? I am seriously getting tired of this." Samuel thought as he recalled everything back. He breathed slowly, calming his mind; he couldn't scare his subordinates on their first meeting.

" You are fired! Steve! Get rid of this trash. Bring number two." Samuel shouted.

Steve was ready as if he had expected the order. He proceeded to drag Jason through the door.

" W-wait! I am sorry. Please forgive me."

" Good luck with your next company. I don't need someone who disrespects my people or me."

" You can't do this to me! We signed the contract! I get five per cent of the company by law." Jason was relentless even while being dragged out the door.

" Steve. Wait a minute." Samuel stopped them.

" That's right! I want my shares right now! or give me my job back." Jason was elated for a second. The contract was protected by law; even for the Rothschild family, it would be hard to make it go away. They couldn't be more powerful than the government, right?

But in this case, Samuel didn't need others for help.

"Mr Jason, Up until this point, I was being lenient with you but now that you are threatening me. Don't blame me for being ruthless."

" Y-you, W-what are you t-talking about?" Jason, who was already celebrating his victory, became nervous again.

" The contract that you signed specifically stated that you will get five per cent shared of the 'AlphaTech' company on account of breach of contract, which to my knowledge, is worth zero dollars right now."

" W-what! No, I had seen the reports about the company with my own eyes."

" That was set up to test your loyalty. You can thank Alastair for that idea; he is truly the Devil regarding these things. For fun, I will make sure that you are on the blacklist for all Rothschild companies. You could guess what happens next right?"

Jason's face became devoid of any colour while imagining the situation. Being blackballed by the family would mean that other companies would think twice before hiring him. It basically means a death sentence in the industry.

Jason gave up resisting, and soon, security escorted him out of the premises.

" I don't hope to see anyone else in his shoes. I am not trying to scare you, just want you to be careful. We are not playing a children's game here." Samuel's irony was evident.

A frail-looking man soon replaced Jason's seat. Others got the message that they could be replaced with a finger flick. The room was deadly silent for a few seconds.

The frail man was also confused; until yesterday, he was sure he was not hired, but the firm asked him to come just in case. Being a computer science major, he was not aware of corporate dealings. But seeing hope, he accepted the invitation.

Now that he was here, he had seen a man being dragged away from this room, a child sitting at the main seat, and other people scared like a rabbit in front of him.

What the hell was happening here?