Submissive Board

The room was dead silent. Frank looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and die. "T-That's not true," he stammered, shaking his head. "You're lying—"

"Oh, but I'm not done," Justin interrupted, his tone sharper now, cutting Frank's denial clean in half. "What about August 5th? Should I refresh your memory on that, too? Your little affair with Kane's wife?"

Justin's eyes flicked over to another board member—Kane face had twisted into pure rage the moment he heard his wife's name. "Yeah, that Susan," Justin said with a smirk, nodding toward the furious man. "You might wanna keep your hands off the table, buddy. Wouldn't want you flipping it."

Kane shot to his feet, his face red with fury at Frank, "You son of a—"

"Sit the fuck down Kane, unless you want me to start airing your dirty laundry next," Justin said coldly, his voice slicing through the chaos. "Because trust me, I've got receipts, and your little temper tantrum isn't gonna change shit."

The man froze, his fists clenched at his sides. After a tense moment, he slumped back into his seat, his glare still burning but his mouth shut. Justin turned back to Frank, his smirk now razor-sharp.

"Should I keep going, Frank? Or are we good?"

Frank shook his head, his hands gripping the table so hard his knuckles turned white. He couldn't even meet Justin's eyes anymore.

"That's what I thought," Justin said, his tone dripping with mockery. "Still think I'm not fit to lead? Or are you finally realizing that if your shit ever sees the light of day, you're looking at life behind bars?"

Frank shook his head again, more vigorously this time, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. He knew of what Justin were the least of his dark side, should the rest be revealed, life imprisonment was a given.

"Don't stress, man. It's literally our agency's job to keep our clients' secrets airtight—let alone our own board's dirt. I mean, what else are partners for, right?"

Justin let out a soft laugh and turned his gaze to the rest of the room. A few of them flinched under his stare; one even shivered visibly.

[+65 Fear

+10 Villain Mindset.]

The system pinged, but Justin barely registered it as his eyes landed on another woman at the table—the one who had spearheaded this whole fiasco. "And you, Ms. Adams," he said smoothly, his voice deceptively polite.

Before he could say another word, Ms. Adams shot to her feet, her face pale but determined. "I stand fully in support of Justin Black as chairman of the Black Veil agency," she blurted out, her voice trembling slightly but still loud enough to echo through the room.

The others stared at her in shock, but one by one, they followed suit, voicing their agreement until the entire room was united in their reluctant loyalty.

Justin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the polished table as his fingers intertwined, his gaze sweeping over the room like a predator sizing up its prey. His smirk was gone, replaced by a cold, sharp expression that made the air in the boardroom feel heavier. He wasn't just playing anymore; he was setting the tone.

"Let me make this crystal fucking clear," Justin said, his voice calm but laced with a deadly edge. "If any of you think you can keep playing this little game with me—trying to push me out, trying to humiliate me—you're in for a rude-ass awakening. Because the next thing you'll see won't just be me in the headlines." His gaze settled on Frank, then Kane and finally Ms. Adams. "No, it'll be all of you. Front page. Exposed. No filters."

A few of the board members shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting anywhere but at Justin.

The tension was suffocating, and the silence in the room made every word hit like a gunshot.

Justin chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Still think that because you've got your dirt buried six feet under, no one's gonna find it? That's cute. But let me tell you something, try to backstab me again, I'll let you know—there's nothing buried so deep that it can't be dug up. And I've got the shovels. Trust me, I'll make sure every skeleton, every scandal, and every slimy little thing you've ever done is dragged into the light. And then…" He leaned back, letting the weight of his words sink in. "We'll see who's left standing."

Frank opened his mouth to speak, but Justin cut him off with a raised hand. "Save it," he snapped. "You're already on thin ice. Keep testing me, and you'll be the first one I toss into the fire."

The boardroom stayed silent, the weight of Justin's threat settling heavily on everyone. Some looked visibly shaken; others tried to hide their fear but failed miserably. Ms. Adams shifted in her seat, her jaw tight, but even she couldn't meet Justin's gaze.

"Now, I'm not saying this because I want to take you all down," Justin continued, his voice suddenly lighter, almost conversational, as though he were discussing the weather.

"I'd rather we keep things… civil. But if you keep pushing me—if you think I'm someone you can corner—then don't blame me when the gloves come off. And when that happens, it's not just your seats at this table you'll lose. It's your careers. Your reputations. Hell, for some of you…" His eyes flicked toward Frank again. "It's your fucking freedom."

The room seemed to grow colder as Justin's words hung in the air. He gave them all one last, sweeping glance before sitting back and flashing a smug, satisfied smile. "So, what's it gonna be? Are you gonna keep trying to play me? Or are we gonna act like adults and move forward without the bullshit?"

No one answered, but the tension was enough to confirm they understood him perfectly. The threat wasn't just implied—it was written in bold, neon letters, clear as day.

Justin let the silence linger for a moment, letting his words sink in. The tension in the room was thick, almost suffocating, but then he exhaled slowly and leaned forward again, his tone softening just enough to catch them off guard.

"Look, I get it," he began, his voice steady but sincere. "Right now, you're all thinking, This kid's just threatening us into submission. And yeah, I won't lie—I had to remind you who you're dealing with. But I'm not here to run this agency on fear alone. That's not my style. I'm here to fix this mess we're all in. Whether you want to admit it or not, the Black Veil Agency is circling the fucking drain, and if something doesn't change fast, none of us will have seats at this table anymore."

The world wasn't ready.