Corporate Fate

Lawrence sat at the end of a long, glossy mahogany table, his back towards the window that let in the shining sunlight. Adrian sat next to him, offering a comforting smile that helped alleviate the anxiety welling up as they both stared at the board members on either side of the table.

There were ten members in total, five on either side. Each wore a uniquely tailored suit. They all had some papers in front of them as they eagerly waited to start the meeting.

Adrian stood up to address the board, speaking in a tone that was slightly boastful and confident.

“Hello, everyone. I'm sorry for intruding upon your schedules, but I’m sure you understand that the heir meant to inherit this company has returned. We should’ve done this sooner.”

Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued to observe Lawrence with a mix of intrigued and pitiful eyes.

“As you can guess, the agenda here is to determine whether or not Lawrence is mentally fit to take over and whether or not he wishes to. But first, as per our bylaws, we’re to present the current status of the company and its pecuniary gains.” Adrian directed.

One man picked up a packet of papers, adjusting his glasses to see clearly. He was slightly bald, with some gray hairs mixed in with his dark brown hair.

“This fiscal year, our profit margin is twenty-two percent compared to the previous year’s eighteen percent. We’ve acquired several holding companies, factories, large businesses, and many government contracts.”

Another man, dressed in a gray suit, picked up his paper and recited his report as the previous sat down quietly.

“Research and development have yielded several prototypes that are ready to be proposed to the Ministry of Defense. Our civilian projects have been nothing but positive so far.”

“The shareholders have been more than happy with the success of the Blackwood Group. It’s only up from here.” The Chairman chimed in, who sat at the opposite end of the table from Lawrence.

He was a slightly intimidating man in appearance. Interlocking his fingers, he leaned back in his chair and stared directly at Lawrence.

“And now to determine whether or not the Failed Son is worthy of taking over.”

Does this guy have a problem with me?

Raising an eyebrow, Lawrence chose to ignore the remark as the meeting continued.

“According to your doctor’s analysis, there were no signs of brain trauma or damage after the fire, but you still have zero recollection of your memories, correct?” The vice chair asked, sifting through his notes.

“Correct,” Lawrence answered.

“Everything else about you is fine aside from your memory loss, so I suppose that leads us to question your qualifications/abilities to run this company efficiently.” The vice chair continued, leaning back in his chair and swiveling it to face me as the rest did the same.

“My qualifications?”

Even in the brief minutes this meeting had started, Lawrence only understood the basic language of what they were saying. Not even the knowledge I possessed could help me manage a company of this scale.

“First, I’d like to say that I’m not interested in taking over.” He revealed.

His response stunned the entire room. They looked at each other like they were stepping on cracking ice. Adrian discreetly tugged at his sleeve to try and get Lawrence to stop, but he wouldn’t budge.

“And why is that?” The Chairman asked, unafraid to inquire.

“Since Adrian had mentioned this, I had no interest in taking part in it. I don’t have the memories that would potentially allow me to run it how my father would want me to.”

Each of the directors murmured amongst each other in a brief recess before coming together again.

“You’re sure?” The Chairman asked, his face resting against his head.

“Yes, in fact, I’d like to nominate Adrian to take my place officially.”

“Me?” My cousin asked, a bit shocked by the haphazard nomination.

“I understand.” The Chairman spoke, content with the decision, and nodded at the legal director, who took point.

“In that case, you will still be receiving your shares and royalties. Additionally, all family-related assets will continue to be covered under our insurance policy. However, you revoke any rights to form decisions that would affect the company. Doing so would violate the morality clause.” He explained.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” The Chairman asked for confirmation.

“Yes,” Lawrence said again, this time more clearly, so everyone was aware of his intentions.

“Then, you can head back home and get some rest. You’re free to come and go here as you please as long as you don’t disrupt operations," The Chairman replied, packing up his papers and getting ready to leave, as his fellow directors did the same.

“We’ll notify you when we draft a contract, so you can come in and sign.” The legal director stood up promptly, buttoning his suit jacket.

As soon as all of the directors left, Adrian closed the door to confront his cousin in private.

“Why would you do that?”

“Do what?” Lawrence asked, staring out of the window at the people coming and going below.

“Forfeit your rights to the company. It has your surname, for Goddess’s sake.”

Lawrence took some brief moments to formulate a cohesive answer in his head, leaning back in the chair as it creaked several times.

“Like I said, I wasn’t interested the moment you told me about this. Plus, I’m not cut out for president of the company as I am now,” he said solemnly.

“But, there’s a high likelihood you’d get your memories back. Why would you discard your father’s legacy?” Adrian asked, still not understanding the reasoning.

“I’m not discarding it. I’m leaving it in the capable hands of my cousin.” Lawrence replied with a smile, turning back to look at him.

“Oh, you reckless bastard.”

Adrian gave a pained smile, acknowledging there was nothing he could do, eternally grateful for the opportunity, but something in his heart sank the longer he stared at his cousin.

“I was eager to hand you back this position.” He revealed, leaning on the edge of the table.

“Why is that?” Lawrence rested his hand on the top of the swiveling office chair.

“So many negative things have taken place around you. It would’ve been nice to see something good happen to you for a change.”

Lawrence’s smile widened as he said that, glad that he chose Adrian to take over for him.

“You have a good heart, cousin. Many would kill to be in the position you’re in.”

They began making their way towards the door, but stopped as Lawrence touched Adrian’s shoulder.

“However, I did this on one condition.” He lowered his voice.

Adrian nodded eagerly, causing a slight grin to crack from Lawrence’s lips as he lowered his volume even more.

“If I ask for anything, you’ll provide it to me, no questions asked. Seems like a fair trade, right?”

The company president pondered it for a few seconds before slowly nodding in approval.

“Yeah, I think that can work.”

“Good man.” Lawrence patted him on the shoulder before they walked out together, leaving behind the dark meeting room of corporate bereavement.

Adrian saw Lawrence off as the Blackwood heir stepped onto the rigid path of the sidewalk. Several people walked past him, reading the newspaper, eating a bagel, or talking amongst each other.

There were darker clouds overhead than in the morning, covering most of the sun’s light, indicating it might rain again soon.

Hmm…what should I do today?

The meeting with the directors took a lot less time than Lawrence had initially thought, but he decided to take the day off from school anyway.

Lawrence pulled back his sleeve slightly to check the time, seeing it was only 10:16 Day Standard. A lot earlier than he thought. Looking around, he saw a map directory across the street.

Approaching the intersection, he waited for the traffic guard to whistle, waving at the pedestrians to cross. Dozens of commuters journeyed to the other end of the street and went their separate ways.

Two thick metal poles supported the map directory. It sat outside an upscale cafe. Lawrence debated on whether or not to get something to eat. In the end, he didn’t feel hungry and returned his gaze to the map.

Ironstein District…Alum Tredge Street…

Lawrence observed the various symbols for restaurants, companies, and other landmarks in the surrounding area, but one caught his eye that he wanted to investigate the most.

Looking around, he saw a lone man atop his carriage, smoking a cigarette. Quickly approaching the man before someone else could, the man took notice of Lawrence’s presence and quickly put the cigarette out.

“Where are you heading?” The driver asked, his voice a bit raspy, likely due to his frequent smoking.

“The Grand Imperial Library, please.” Lawrence let himself into the carriage as they quickly set off, riding past the people on the sidewalk.

He noticed the strange watchful presence again as they rode through the street. He still didn’t see anything, which made him a bit worried.

Lawrence noticed a pair of cops with truncheons in hand talking to a transient man wearing dirty and tattered clothes. Looking in the other direction, a pair of schoolgirls were giggling as one chased after the other.

They most likely skipped school like me…

He couldn’t fathom skipping a single day of school in his previous life. He knew the consequences and feared his mother, aware of her capabilities.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at Arch Lane. Lawrence came to learn more about the world, having recently finished reading most of the library's contents, and was excited when he checked the map directory to see that there was a nearby library.

“Five silver Kydes.” The driver estimated that, as Lawrence exited the carriage, his leather shoes clicked against the stone pavement.

He took out his leather money pouch, taking out five silver coins and dropping them into the man’s hand.

“Hm. Thank you for your business.”

He rode off and disappeared in the crowd of carriages as Lawrence turned around towards his destination.

Metal pillars supported the library's wide glass roof. Stone and dark brown wood made up the foundation of the walls. It was almost as large as the academy.

Through the tall glass panels, Lawrence could see the shelves on several floors holding thousands of books. It was terrific that the librarians could keep it so organized.

Lawrence headed inside toward the large, open rectangular door frame. Entering the building, there was a wooden circular front desk, where a woman with tied-back black hair and an oval-shaped face in her mid-thirties, wearing a tiny charcoal dress, greeted him.

“Lawrence! By the Great Sulimon, I can’t believe the rumors are true!” She gasped, almost as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Long time no see, uh…” He looked around and found a name placard sitting at the front.

“...Mary.”

“It’s good to see you. Your contributions to the library are invaluable.” She picked up a clipboard from under her desk.

“Good thing you’re here because the item you requested has arrived.”

“Item?” Lawrence asked, unfamiliar with any potential packages Lawrence could have been waiting for.

She nodded and waved another employee over to take her spot, encouraging him to follow her. When she turned her back, Lawrence lightly tapped the side of his head with his palm twice.

Come on, memories, come back already…

They made their way to the other end of the building, towards the employee-only section. She opened the door to a closet littered with cleaning supplies and mops.

Am I going to be killed here?

She motioned for him to enter with her. He acquiesced as she closed the door, leaving the only light to come from the small cracks separating the door from the doorway.