Chapter 4 The Young CEO

Last evening, the upper management at Globex Corporation had received a surprising email. It stated that their new CEO would be coming in the morning for a special visit. It was strange because, since the creation of the company, the employees at Globex had never met their CEO and didn't even know what his real name was.

They all arrived at the office earlier than usual and busied themselves with different tasks, just to make everything look perfect for the arrival of the boss.

They all wondered why he had suddenly decided to show up after all that time. Rumors had it that he lived in Europe and was leading another company there. Deciding to come to New York just like that, without prior notice, was odd to say the least-especially considering that the business was doing well and there was nothing in particular to monitor.

The CEO was known to be a mysterious person. He had founded Globex three years ago with a starting capital of over one million dollars, which was quite impressive coming from a young entrepreneur. It wasn't surprising that people couldn't stop talking about the company back then, and it was still ongoing.

As it grew, the CEO brought in additional funds of ten million dollars, which helped to build Globex's current building-the tallest in New York City-a visual proof of the company's success.

In just two years, the company had managed to beat every other competitor in the industry. It expanded into many other areas, including real estate, finance, cinema, and other entertainment sectors. Globex had a presence in the most profitable markets, to say the least-and still, the identity of the man behind it all remained a complete mystery.

The company's executives were anxiously waiting for his arrival in the meeting room. They whispered to each other like excited children, sharing their opinions on what the CEO looked like or what the purpose of his visit might be.

At exactly ten o'clock, he arrived. They heard him before they saw him-his slow steps echoing throughout the corridor. Every executive in the room fixed their eyes on the door until it was pushed open, and in came the CEO's personal assistant, accompanied by a much younger man.

He was very tall and slender. His designer suit fit him perfectly, subtly outlining the curves of his arm muscles. The silence in the room was almost palpable as he made his way to the head of the meeting table and introduced himself:

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Ryke Mendez, and I am the CEO of Globex Corporation. I am honored to finally make your acquaintance."

The greetings rose, hesitant at first and more confident after a few seconds. With all the speculations, none of the executives had guessed that the boss was actually that young. Someone so powerful and wealthy was, of course, assumed to be a middle-aged man at least-but Ryke was far from everyone's expectations. In a good way.

He sat down for a quick meeting. He made his employees feel comfortable by assuring them that he wasn't putting pressure on them. He just wanted a quick overview of the company's state and the next steps they were going to take to reach the year's objectives.

The executives felt at ease speaking to their boss, as he was very understanding and not harsh with his words. The entire meeting lasted around thirty minutes before they were allowed to return to their activities.

Ryke shook hands with a few of them and thanked them for the words of encouragement. Soon enough, he was left alone with his personal assistant, Mr. Goldwin. The man sat down next to the young CEO.

"I think you made a great first impression, sir," he commented. "Even though you've perfectly managed the company while you were abroad, I believe things can only improve now that you're back in New York. Your family will be delighted."

Mr. Goldwin jolted when he met the harsh look of the CEO.

"My family will not find out about my return," he stated in a strict voice.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"You heard me. I do not want them to know."

"But... I thought that the whole purpose of this trip and visiting the company was because you wanted to settle in New York once and for all. How can that be, without telling your family-your parents at least? Why hide it?"

Ryke's jaw clenched as he responded:

"Believe me, Mr. Goldwin, it will bring more harm than good if they were to know. My brothers would be all over my back-you know that. They won't give me a second of peace."

Ryke hated speaking about his brothers, whom he considered his worst enemies. Rivalry and competition were the only relations they had with each other. One of the reasons Ryke had gone abroad in the first place was because he was sick of the act they all kept up-pretending to be one happy family when, in reality, they were at war. All they wanted was to take over the family fortune and selfishly keep it to themselves.

For years, Ryke had pretended to be the dumb brother-the one who only cared about having fun, doing drugs, and sleeping around. In reality, it was just a mask he wore to confuse his brothers while he worked on building his own empire in secret.

"Sir, your father is sick," Mr. Goldwin spoke pleadingly. "At least he should know about your presence. Maybe you can pay him a visit at the hospital-discreetly, of course, so your brothers won't find out."

Ryke frowned, considering his assistant's words. Of course, seeing his father again was one of the motivating factors that had brought him back, but he needed to have a plan before meeting him.

"I will see what I can do," he said.

The assistant was about to add something when Ryke's phone began to ring. He saw one of his men's names and picked up immediately:

"Yes?"

"Sir, we have gathered all the information about the woman from last night."

"And what did you find?"

"Her name is Scarlett Devins, and she isn't just anybody. We found that she is actually engaged to none other than Austin Miller. All the details of their relationship have been forwarded to you by email. Please have a look and let us know if there's anything else we can do."

"Alright. Thank you."

Ryke hung up, and a bitter laugh escaped his lips. His assistant watched him curiously but didn't say anything. The young CEO was completely lost in his thoughts. After all, the name Austin Miller wasn't one he had expected to hear so soon-and certainly not under such circumstances.

He knew there was something about that woman. Something told Ryke that she was going to be a valuable asset to him-and now, he was certain of it.