Hollywood Zenith

" I know everyone is feeling uneasy, but I gather you all to address something," Quinn said. He looked toward every employee of the firm as he addressed the crowd with a desperate voice. He paused for a while to build up tension.

They were common traders and analysts hired by the firm. Quinn especially screened out the managers to directly target these employees.

" Sir, please. Did the firm really change hands?" One employee asked.

"Please tell us. Are we getting fired?" Another one asked in a loud voice.

" Can you tell us about the identity of the new owner?" A third one asked.

They were following Quinn's instructions and were placed to ask the 'right' questions. Others didn't know about it, but they listened intently, awaiting Quinn's response.

" Don't worry. You have already met the new boss. This evening he visited the firm personally."

" What? Sir, Are you talking about the child?"

" That's right! I remember seeing a child with white hair that Mr Quinn introduced to us." a clueless employee said out loud. He remembered it when his boss was talking with the boy.

" Yeah, I have also seen him. Will he really lead the firm?"

" Nonsense! He must be with someone else. You must be mistaken."

" But I saw the boss talking politely with him. You should ask him if you don't believe me."

" Sir, Please confirm it."

" Unfortunately, It is true! As you know, the Rothschild family recently acquired our firm. He is Samuel, their youngest heir, the new owner." Quinn said in a serious tone.

That's when one of his subordinates whispered a few sentences, which made him smile gleefully. The news he just received will be the final blow to his plan. He composed himself before continuing.

" I know you may be dissatisfied with it, but we have to support the 'young master' in running the firm in the future."

" Sir! From the looks of it, he was no more than 12 years old. I am sure he doesn't know a thing about what we do here!" The inciters began their work.

" That's right! Think about our future. We have families to support. What if something bad happens? Who will be responsible then?"

" The firm doesn't have any board of directors, so that child's vote would determine our future. Do you think a child could lead us?"

" T-that make sense. Mr Quinn, you have to do something."

The crowd began to talk extensively, but Quin raised his arms to calm them down. He was ready to disclose the final piece of information. He intended to strike while the iron was still hot!

" Sadly, I have more bad news for everyone. I just got the information that the new boss recruited someone troublesome." He paused.

" Abigail Fontaine, You must remember her name from the case a few years back. She was responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in loss for HKSBC bank. You know what this means, right? We can see that his vision is also childish."

The crowd erupted once more. It was a famous case in the financial world that a woman was deemed incompetent and had never appeared since then. But hearing her name again while in context with their firm gave bad premonition to everyone.

" How could he bring someone like her to this firm? Does he intend to launder money?"

" Must be. Didn't you hear the rumour that she used to launder money for the mafia! Will our firm become like that?"

Exaggerated rumors were spread when the case first went public. As it was settled outside the court, little was known about it. So, people started to make wild assumptions about it.

" Sir, you have to do something?"

" Yeah, you are our only hope. Please tell us what we can do!"

" Calm down! Calm down! I promise. It is out of my hand. What can a mere employee do in the face of such a great family!"

" Please, sir. Guide us. We are willing to do anything."

" Our livelihood is at stake. I am also willing!"

"Mr Quinn"

Desperate voices could be heard from every corner of the room. Quinn observed the scene and smiled inside his mind. Everything was going according to his plan.

Although Rothschild was powerful, he was sure that the power of people was greater and far more moving when they sensed fear.

Fear is the absolute cause of any decision people make. If you can manipulate it, you will reap the unimaginable reward.

" We should let the new boss know! If we stand as a group, we should be able to go against the tide. Will you join me?"

" Yes!"

" Yes!"

" Yes!"

" Do you see that? You doubted me before." Quinn said to the two men beside him. Zachary from Corporate Affairs and Shaun from the Risk Management department were in on it from the start.

" You were lucky. The news about Abigail sealed the deal."

" Yeah, who would have thought that brat would dig his grave!"

Both were happy; the firm would become their cash cow. They believed it would be easy to manipulate a kid who had yet to see the world.

" What about Manan? Did you talk to him?" Quinn asked.

" Yeah, but he rejected joining hands."

" He looks like a straight arrow, but it would not be a problem. We have roughly eighty per cent of support now. There were dozen or so who flat out refused to attend the meeting."

" It is enough. Now we wait for the boy to make his move." Quinn said as he smiled from ear to ear, witnessing the boiling crowd in front of him.

He was certain that his plan would work.

....

....

....

....

A few days later, Samuel visited to find protesters outside the firm. He noticed that they were employees of the companies.

He was unfazed by it as he drove past them without giving them any mind.

Abigail and Alastair accompanied him today, along with Marily and his usual group. Abigail sorted out her family situation in these few days, and Alastair also broke the news to his group.

" I didn't expect such a welcome. Why didn't you tell me before?" Abigail asked. She was dissatisfied but kept her cool.

" That's surprising; Senior would have rushed toward the crowd to confront them in the past."

" Humph, What can I do? Not anyone believed me at that time. Nothing will change even if I scream at the top of my lungs."

" We will make them listen in due time. As for not informing you, it is my business as an owner. I should take care of these small matters." Samuel said nonchalantly. He looked toward Marilyn as the latter replied.

" I brought everything that you requested." She answered.

" Now, You are making me curious. It feels like you already knew about this." Alastair asked to which Samuel only smiled without answering.

"Let's go. We have work to do." Under the protection of guards. The group entered the building, and people shouted his name and some vile things.

They were also accusing Abigail and criticizing her for coming today. Samuel waved his hand, and several guards subdued these people; it could be considered self-defence.

As Samuel and his group went toward the meeting room, everyone made their way. On the way, he noticed that work had yet to be done these past few days.

Several documents were scattered around the floor, and chairs were disorganized due to a lack of maintenance.

He ignored these things and entered the designated room. Inside which, the upper management, along with heads of departments, were waiting for him.

" Young master! I am glad that you are safe! I tried to reason with them, but their anger is hard to subdue." Quinn acted impressively. He was showing a worried and anxious expression while speaking disjointedly.

" Anger? I don't know what you mean by it. Did something happen?" Samuel asked innocently.

" T-that young master-"

Zachary cut Quinn off before he said angrily--

" Don't feign innocence! How can you bring someone like her to the firm? What more are you offering her for an executive position? It's only been a few days, and you are already dragging the firm through the mud!"

" Oh, I haven't even introduced her to everyone, much less told anyone about her position. How could you know it already?" Samuel asked curiously.

" I-i " Zachary was lost for words. He could not tell outright that they had a mole inside the lawyer division. That would be an incriminating statement.

" Mah, mah. The young master didn't know, but such news travels fast. We just happened to hear about it. But the problem still remains. I don't know what you were thinking, but it was wrong to hire her." Quinn changed the subject. He continued--

" I know the young master is still young and has much to learn. If you leave it to me, I will turn the situation around, but you must show sincerity and fire her." Quinn said with a soft smile. If Samuel admitted his mistake, he could use it as leverage to gain more ground during negotiations.

" Hmm, you say firing her would end the protest outside, and you would help me, right?"

" Yes, you being the owner was probably a test from your family. You just have to leave everything to me. You won't have to lift a finger."

" And what if I refuse?"

" That would be a foolish choice." other managers also supported Quinn's idea. More than half people inside the room were on his side. He was sure about what Samuel would decide.

But unexpectedly, Samuel smiled wildly as he stared at the people inside the room.

" I refuse."