The chandelier still glittered, but the air beneath them had turned thick like the moment before a verdict. Malcolm Reed didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. His stillness did the shouting for him. Edward Langford III sat half smiling, half sinking.
The confidence on his face was starting to crack like porcelain. His fianceé reached for his arm. He brushed her off, too proud to admit the ground was shifting. "Look," Edward began, forcing a laugh that no one joined. "Maybe this is some kind of misunderstanding." Malcolm turned his gaze toward him, a gaze so calm it felt surgical.
"You're right," he said. The misunderstanding was thinking I needed your approval to be here. A murmur rippled through the nearby tables. A few guests looked down at their glasses, pretending fascination with their reflections. Others subtly pulled out their phones, recording under the cover of curiosity.
The orchestra, sensing the shift, slid into silence midsong. The quiet was unbearable. Edward broke first. All right, enough theater. He barked to the guards.
Escort this man out, but the guards didn't move. They had already recognized the two executives approaching behind Malcolm men. They'd seen a news articles, Forbes covers, board meetings streamed across networks. Reed Global wasn't just a company. It was a constellation of power.
Sir, one guard muttered to Edward. Maybe we should, Edward cut him off. Do your job, Malcolm's tone stayed even. They are, he took one step forward. Not aggressive, just decisive.
The crowd instinctively shifted back like the tide yielding to gravity. You called me staff, he said. That's fine. I've cleaned worse messes than this deal. The blonde exhaled sharply, trying to find her footing.
You're exaggerating. We were joking. You people are so sensitive these days. Malcolm's eyes didn't blink. No, he said, I'm just attentive.
He reached into his jacket again and took out his phone. The screen glowed faintly in his palm, lighting the edges of his expression. Carla, he said into it, his voice measured precise. Confirm phase two. On the other end, his assistant's tone was crisp, audible enough for the nearest tables to hear.
Confirmed, sir. Board approval received. Merger officially suspended. The words dropped like stones into water. Ripples of whispers spread instantly. $50 billion.
Suspended. He just said suspended. Edward's chair scraped back. You can't do that. He stammered.
That's not how business works. Malcolm looked at him the way a surgeon looks at a tumor detached. "Inevitable. Business works exactly how I decide when you're on my payroll," he said quietly. "Across the room," the young Latina server pressed a hand to her mouth.