On the other side, in the conference room.
The routine meeting proceeded as usual, Justin Battleson was the last to arrive, and he glanced around the room.
Everyone had arrived on time, only the chair next to the main seat was still empty.
Justin Battleson's gaze lightly skimmed over the vacant chair, his eyes pausing briefly for a few seconds, then he reached out and took a hefty stack of documents from Michael Richard's hands.
Placing them on the table, he signaled the start of the meeting.
Everyone exchanged glances, all eyes eventually settling on the lone empty seat.
On the other side, a man with glasses spoke with some confusion, "Mr. Battleson, Designer Thompson..."
Before he could finish, Justin Battleson raised his hand to signal him to stop, then spoke in a deep voice, "Designer Thompson won't be coming today. Let's begin."