Chapter 4 The board meeting

Damiete walked into the boardroom, greeted by the furious glares of the board members.

He had completely forgotten about the meeting-until Mr. Vince's call reminded him.

He had put the shoot first, and he didn't regret that decision. He smiled to himself, the image of Hazel on him still fresh in his head.

"About time you showed up," a man he knew all too well-and despised with every thing of his being snorted.

Ezekiel-his stepbrother, his rival, his archenemies. His mother was his late father's secretary. She'd gotten him drunk, and they had sex which brought about the birth of this insolent fool.

"Good day, everyone," Damiete said coolly, ignoring Ezekiel's snotty remarks. "My apologies for being late." He took his seat at the head of the table.

The meeting began.

Vince, a man in his late sixties and one of the oldest board members, cleared his throat.

"Mr. Torres, the deal we recently signed-it's a sham." he informed him.

Damiete sat upright, unable to believe what he had just heard. "A sham? What do you mean by that?"

"Let me break it down," Ezekiel cut in before Vince could respond. Everyone hissed at the interruption-he was known for being insolent and disrespectful.

"You bought a fake company." he blurted out. "You were robbed of the company's money."

Vince passed Damiete a file. Skimming through, Damiete's eyes widened. The textile company Torres Holdings had recently acquired didn't exist. The man who sold it to them was a wanted criminal. A hundred million-gone.

"I told you this deal was shady, but no one listened," Ezekiel said smugly. "Now we've lost everything because someone here is daft." he called no name but everyone knew whom he was referring to.

"Ezekiel!" Vince barked at him. "I'm not done speaking to Mr. Torres. Stop butting in!"

"And so?" Ezekiel hissed. "I have more rights to this company than you ever will, old man. So shut up!" he fired back.

"How dare you!" Vince rose to his feet, eyes blazing. "I was on this board long before your ill-mannered self was even born!" He reminded him, just Incase he had forgotten his place.

Damiete exhaled slowly, eyes shut. He was exhausted. Ezekiel was one of the reasons he was determined to claim everything their father had left behind.

"This isn't a marketplace," Damiete said, calm but firm. "Sit down. Let's figure a way out of this mess."

The two men-still glaring at each other-reluctantly returned to their seats.

"Have the police been notified?" Damiete asked.

"Yes," another board member replied. "The man's a known fraudster. Authorities are on it."

"I warned you all," Ezekiel began again. "Who's going to bear the loss now?" he turned to his brother.

"Will you shut up?" Damiete's voice rose. "Why should we listen to an empty vessel like you?"

Ezekiel laughed coldly and gestured to the others. "Just watch how he'll lose everything our father built, all because of his incompetence."

The board members sighed in frustration, bracing themselves for the inevitable explosion. These brothers were going to kill themselves one of these days.

Damiete leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. "Stop barking like a stray dog and sit down. Everyone here is tired of your constant nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Ezekiel scoffed. "You've done nothing but drag our family name through the mud."

That was the last straw.

Damiete stood up, eyes filled with fury. The restraint he'd kept for years snapped.

It was time to teach his stepbrother a lesson, something he should have done years ago.

"How dare you speak to me like that, you ill-gotten bastard?" He ripped off his jacket and flung it onto the chair.

"I've upheld the Torres legacy!" Ezekiel shot back, taking off his watch. "Unlike you, who spends every night in someone else's bed."

"Damiete, please-calm down," Vince tried to intervene. "Don't stoop to his level."

"What did you say?" Damiete stepped closer, his eyes bloodshot, his forehead popped with veins.

"What?" Ezekiel squared up, meeting his gaze head-on. He wasn't scared of anyone. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?

You're nothing but the city's playboy. The heir to an empire with nothing but a dick chasing women!"

"You scoundrel!" Damiete punched him hard in the jaw, sending him stumbling back. Blood filled Ezekiel's mouth-he was livid with anger.

"I'm going to kill you!" Ezekiel charged forward, slamming a fist into Damiete's nose.

Damiete ducked the second punch and kicked him hard in the gut, sending him crashing into the wall.

Blood trickled from Damiete's nose, staining his shirt. "You bastard!" he roared, charging again and landing blow after blow.

"Stop this!"

Board members rushed to separate them-some got punched, others ducked out of the way. After a chaotic struggle, they finally restrained Damiete.

"This has got to stop!" Vince shouted, grabbing Ezekiel by the collar. "Keep behaving like an animal and we'll vote you out with our shares!"

A threat they were itching to follow through with. He was a thorn in their flesh.

Ezekiel shoved Vince, who nearly fell but was caught by the man beside him.

"You all..." Ezekiel pointed at each one of them, his voice thick with fury. "You'll regret this. I promise you."