Ralph drove Marcus to the headquarters of Clifton Enterprises, located on the outskirts of the city. This location housed the manufacturing unit for the products Clifton Enterprises had produced over the years, as well as the new manufacturing unit that had recently been built.
At the front end of the manufacturing industrial complex stood a three storey building constructed to serve as the administrative centre for Clifton Enterprises.
The exterior of the building was composed of floor to ceiling glass panels framed with slim steel or aluminium beams, which allowed ample natural light to flood the interior. Although the building was not an architectural marvel, it reflected the growth Clifton Enterprises had witnessed in recent years.
Inside, the ground floor served as a welcoming lobby, the first floor housed the office employees, and on the second floor were the CEO's office, the conference hall, and the meeting hall.
Marcus walked into the building, drawing many gazes from the employees, though he paid them no heed. He proceeded to the private elevator and ascended directly to the third floor, with Ralph following close behind.
As soon as he stepped onto the third floor, the first thing he noticed were the doors of the CEO's office. The nameplate on the door boldly displayed 'Tracus Clifton. He gazed at the nameplate for a few seconds before moving on to the conference hall.
The conference hall was generally used to hold the board meetings or meetings with a few employees, while the meeting hall was a much larger space used to accommodate a large number of employees.
"Good morning, everyone," Marcus said as he entered the conference room.
Inside the conference hall, at the centre, was a long rectangular table that could seat 22 people. Three people were already occupying their positions.
His arrival drew the attention of the three individuals seated there, who stood up in greeting. Although they showed the due respect by rising, Marcus could discern clear expressions of disgust on their faces.
Despite this, he remained unfazed; he was more curious about whether their displeasure stemmed from his previous nature and actions or from something else entirely.
It was for his previous spoiled nature, he would not find but if it was for something else, then he needed to find the reasons.
Marcus walked to the far end of the table and took his seat. Ralph followed him and sat immediately to his right. As he settled in, his eyes roamed over the three board members of Clifton Enterprises.
The first of these individuals was a bald, middle-aged man named Kevin. The second board member was another middle-aged man, Wagnur. The third board member was a lady named Aquria, who was slightly older than the other two and likely the most intelligent of the three.
"I said good morning," Marcus said after he finished scanning the board members with his eyes.
"Good morning," they replied, though they lacked any proper salutation. Were they to refer to Marcus as sir? After all, he held no post other than the majority shares of Clifton Enterprises. By name? Or something else?
"First of all," Marcus continued, unbothered by their half-hearted response, "I would like to express my thanks to the three of you for joining this meeting at such short notice."
It was Wagnur who looked at his companions and replied, "It is not a problem."
"Good to hear," Marcus replied.
"Now," he asked, "how are our preparations going for manufacturing to begin by next week? I hope everything is in order."
The three board members frowned at this question, and even Ralph seemed confused. Wasn't Marcus here to discuss the issue of the rumours that were circulating?
"Marcus," said Kevin, as he finally decided to address him by name, "we think we will not be able to start our manufacturing."
An expression of shock appeared on Marcus's face. "Why would you say so?"
"This was the dream of my father, and before he died, I believe he had completed all the necessary arrangements to kick-start manufacturing."
"Marcus," Kevin continued, "there are rumours that the government might cancel this order. In fact, we received a letter from the federal government this morning. A representative is coming to rediscuss the terms with us."
"Is that so?" Marcus asked.
"Then what the fuck the three of you have done to solve this issue?" Marcus roared as he banged his palm on the table.
The three board members flinched back in fear, and even Ralph was taken aback by Marcus's sudden aggressive nature.
"Have you tried to find out why the government is considering cancelling these orders? And first of all, who the hell is spreading these rumours? Has the government come and whispered this information in someone's ear?"
None of the three dared to look Marcus in the eyes, and it was Aquria who took the reins after a few moments of silence.
"Marcus," she said, "these rumours are not baseless."
"I never said they were baseless," Marcus retorted quickly.
"Yes," Aquria nodded and continued, "and I believe they arose from the Weaponry Research Organization. Someone from that organisation leaked the news that they are thinking of cancelling our exclusive license. As for the government's response, it is not very surprising."
"If the Weaponry Research Organization does indeed cancel our license, then the government would suffer a bad reputation. They would be questioned on why they could not even conduct a proper background check on the firm they are dealing with, which would have caused political problems and damaged their reputation. No government would be willing to deal with such accusations; they would not hesitate to dump such firms and orders."
"So, we are standing on this mountain of political problems because someone from the Weaponry Research Organization leaked that our license might be cancelled?" Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes at Aquria. "And why do they even want to cancel the license?"
"For your first question, yes," she said. "And as for why they would do that? There could be many reasons. Perhaps someone has offered them a better deal than us… or maybe they just don't trust our enterprise after your father's death and want to withdraw from this project."
"It is a law of nature, Marcus," she said. "The shaky boats in the ocean are the first to be abandoned."
"And Clifton Enterprises is not only shaky but sinking," she said and her eyes narrowed toward Marcus as if placing blame for the current condition of Clifton Enterprises.
Marucs gave a non committal nod as he kept quiet.
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