“You know what I can do, right?” Noah added, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, though it was anything but friendly.
The smile sent a shiver down John’s spine. He had seen that same look right before Noah dismantled the law director’s defences and had him arrested on the spot. This wasn’t just a question—Noah was reminding him of the sheer power he held over him.
“Y-ye-yes,” John stuttered, his voice faltering even more. His mind was racing with panic. He couldn’t afford to lose his job—he’d just taken out a mortgage, and with his wife expecting another child, the thought of unemployment terrified him. If he was fired now, his career as a CEO would be finished, and finding another job would be nearly impossible with the stain of this scandal hanging over him.
Desperation clawed at John as he took a step forward, pleading, “Boss, please—don’t fire me. I beg you.” His voice cracked, and he could feel his dignity slipping away, but none of it mattered if he lost his job.
“I’ve worked with those men for years, I thought they were trustworthy. I swear, I was blinded by our past. But I swear to you, Boss, I won’t make the same mistake again. Please, I have a kid on the way—three more children to care for. Please, have mercy.”
John’s desperation rang in the air, every word soaked with fear. Noah stood there silently, watching him, but John could see no flicker of sympathy in the young owner’s eyes. The cold, calculated stare remained as Noah listened, taking in every word with quiet detachment.
For a brief moment, Noah’s expression softened slightly. John could see something—a flash of understanding perhaps? Either way, John felt that he had a chance, but Noah wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily.
“You know,” Noah began, his voice calm but icy, “I warned you before—right after we fired Charles and Smith.” His gaze hardened, and his words cut deep. “But clearly, that warning wasn’t important enough to you.”
John’s heart sank. He had no excuses left, no more defenses to hide behind. “I-I did, Sir,” he replied, his head bowed. “I made sure to check the employees and the managers, but… not the directors.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, the coldness of his gaze making John feel smaller and smaller. “That was a substantial mistake, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” John whispered, barely able to meet Noah’s eyes. His shame weighed heavily on him now, his past oversight becoming a monumental error that had brought the company to the brink.
For a long moment, Noah said nothing, simply watching John as if deciding whether to strike him down or let him live. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Noah spoke again, his voice low and deadly serious. “John, I’m giving you one final chance. If you fail me again like this, I promise you—you’ll regret it deeply.”
John nodded vigorously, his voice trembling as he replied, “Yes, Boss. I understand. I won’t fail you again.”
Noah continued, his words cutting like a blade, “I’ll be promoting someone from the law department to act as the new law director. Furthermore, you won’t receive any bonuses for the next two years. If you prove to me that you can expand the comapny and properly do your job, maybe, just maybe, I’ll reduce it to one year. But understand this: your leash is short, John.”
John’s heart raced, his mind barely processing what Noah had just said. He wasn’t being fired.
Despite everything, he was being given a second chance—at a price, but a second chance nonetheless.
Relief washed over him, though it was tempered by the realization that his position was hanging by a thread.
“I won’t fail you, Boss,” John said, his voice resolute despite the sweat dripping down his back. “I promise. I’ll make sure this company rises higher than ever before.”
“I can’t fail him, he gave me a chance that even I wouldn’t give to myself. He saved me and my family from breaking down.” thought John, as tears began forming in his eyes but he quickly wiped them.
“Good.” Noah turned slightly, heading toward the door.
“Now, come with me to meet the new director from the law department. I expect you to be there.”
John followed, his legs shaky but his mind sharp.
As they walked down the hall, John’s thoughts raced, already formulating plans on how to salvage his reputation and prove his loyalty to Noah. This wasn’t just about saving his job anymore—it was about repaying the life-long favour. Every few moments, he glanced at Noah’s back, the young man’s steady and casual stride belying the ruthlessness that John had just witnessed firsthand.
John’s inner monologue was frantic, and calculating.
“I have to fix this. I have to prove I’m worth keeping around. He’s given me a chance when no one else would. This mistake—this colossal error—could’ve ended me. But he spared me.”
The memory of the cold, lethal gaze Noah had given the law director sent shivers down his spine. Noah’s decision to jail the man without so much as a blink had terrified John. He had underestimated him, thinking he was just a young, new owner with more money than sense. But now, standing in the shadow of his terrifyingly effective manipulation, John realized just how deep Noah’s plans ran.
Noah’s mind, however, was working on a completely different level, analyzing every single move like a game of chess.
“John was easy to play,” Noah thought with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, careful not to let it show too clearly. “He’s now utterly loyal. He sees me as both his executioner and his savior—a delicate balance of fear and gratitude.”
Noah had orchestrated everything to perfection. From the moment he had ordered the initial investigation into Charles and Smith, it wasn’t about catching just them—it was about sending a message to John and every other senior leader in the company. He hadn’t needed to dig deep for this. Their arrogance had made it easy to exploit their loyalty to old colleagues, and Noah had set the perfect trap. He knew John was smart enough to catch the signals but desperate enough to fall into line when the stakes were raised.
The cold-hearted execution of the law director had been a deliberate performance. The calm, calculating way Noah had laid out the evidence, and the equally icy way he had instructed the police to arrest him had shaken John to his core. But now, as they walked side by side, Noah could practically feel John’s newfound loyalty, forged in fear and gratitude.
John’s thoughts turned frantic again.
“I’ll never let this happen again. I’ll make this right. I’ll exceed his expectations. I’ll protect this company and him. He was fair. He could’ve thrown me to the wolves, but he didn’t.” John’s inner voice was practically pleading with himself. “The boss is so kind, so wise. He gave me a lifeline. This is my second chance.”
What John didn’t realize was that Noah had planted that very thought in his mind. Noah’s face had been carefully composed as he delivered the ultimatum—stern but not heartless, cold but not uncaring. It was a masterful performance, designed to bend John’s will, making him grateful for the very chains being placed on him.
Now, walking behind Noah, John felt something strange. It wasn’t fear anymore—it was admiration, mixed with awe. He saw the young boss not just as his superior, but as someone who had pulled him back from the edge of ruin. John was already planning how to make amends, how to prove his loyalty, and above all, how to never disappoint this enigmatic figure again.
Noah, however, was thinking two steps ahead, knowing John’s every move would now be centred around pleasing him. That’s how you controlled men like John: You gave them just enough hope to cling to, but always with a shadow of fear looming behind.
“The more they owe you, the more they fear you,” Noah mused silently, his smirk deepening just slightly as John fumbled to keep pace.
Noah had always believed power came from controlling people’s fears and desires—and John had just become his latest puppet in the intricate web he was weaving.
He allowed himself one fleeting glance backwards, catching John’s awe-struck expression, before speaking again in a calm, almost casual tone.
“Remember, John,” Noah said without turning his head, his voice soft yet laced with a cold edge, “one more mistake, and you’ll wish I had fired you.”
John swallowed hard, nodding vigorously, the weight of Noah’s words crashing over him. “Y-Yes, sir! I won’t let you down.”
Noah didn’t respond, his smirk returning as he kept his gaze forward. The silence that followed was filled with John’s mental panic, but Noah knew that silence could be as powerful a weapon as any words. He had John exactly where he wanted him—grateful, terrified, and eager to serve.
This wasn’t just about cleaning up the company; it was about establishing an empire—one built on the perfectly calculated loyalty of those too afraid to do anything but follow his every command.
With every step down that hallway, Noah’s grip tightened on the company, on John, and on his own growing power.
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