The Next Day.
Luka gets ready to leave for the office, wearing a black suit with a navy blue tie. Jerald knocks on the door and steps in with a bunch of documents and files in an arranged manner.
Luka glances at him, sorting the documents and placing them in his bag. "Jerald, are you sure you aren't going to retire anytime soon?, I'm willing to pay you enough to last you as long as you live," he says while adjusting his tie.
"Young Master, I have told you this before, and I'm willing to repeat it as many times as needed. I am in no way ready to leave you to your ideals. I know, you sent all our other servants away and made sure they all found jobs, only leaving a few, but still..." Jerald tries to explain, but Luka cuts him off.
"I'm very much aware and appreciate your concern and sentiments, but times have changed, and this place needs a new makeover."
"Yes, but why do you want to enshroud yourself with such loneliness?"
"Let's leave the issue as it is, Jerald. Since you say you refuse to leave, I won't force you to make a decision."
Jerald realizes that he'd almost gone too far and sighs, "I'm sorry, Young Master, and am grateful for your generosity," then takes a bow and heads toward the door.
"Uhm, Jerald, have a set of casual clothing sent to the office. I'm heading to school right after the meeting."
Jerald nods and leaves the room.
Luka sighs, "Come to think of it, I don't have Duke's contact-- or any of theirs, for that matter. I'll have to get them so we can get this project started," and heads out to the Car.
The boardroom is in a noisy yet composed state, with business heads, independent directors, and other senior executives having a preliminary discussion concerning various problems and areas of the organization that need attention from their unit heads.
"...I'm actually very thankful because the preservation methods are working better than I anticipated. The only issue with the food sector now is how to manage the waste that comes with the boost in business." Head of the food sector says.
"Yes, same with the textile sector, the new retaining chemical that was procured is really working wonders. It's less toxic to work with, it lasts longer on fabrics, and doesn't fade easily. Now for the waste issue." Head of the textile sector says.
"You guys aren't even as busy as I am. I've been on the move throughout these last three months, traveling around to review and finalize contracts in the CEO's stead." Head of the Legal Council says.
"I can tell you guys have it rough, but our new CEO is definitely doing a lot, and it's also compensating us as well." Head of accounts says.
"True, I wasn't sure when we were making that vote to make him the CEO before, but now I feel we made the right choice." The head of Information Technology says.
And everyone unanimously agrees to that notion, except for a few people who couldn't let their pride shatter after opposing Luka's ascension into the CEO seat.
While still heated in their discussions, the room suddenly falls silent as Luka enters the room, escorted by his private guards behind him, with Kara following closely behind. They all stand up in greeting and sit down once he takes his seat.
Each had a different view of Luka, still stunned at how easily a young adult, freshly into his twenties, had developed the company so far and how they had accepted him already. Hence, glares of approval, acceptance, and disdain flew around while Luka kept his normal face of indifference.
"Shall we begin with issues that have been reported?, Or do you have anything else we should discuss before delving into that?" Luka says sternly with his usual blank expression.
"Regarding the issue reported yesterday, Sir. Concerning the utilization of waste from the Food and Textile Sectors. It is said to have been reported to you yesterday."
Luka coughs mildly to clear his throat while Kara goes around handing over copies of a document. "As some of you may already have discussed, the issue of waste utilization is already getting to a peak, and so if you'd take a look at the documents handed over to you."
They all look at their documents, causing smiles to some and turmoil to others.
"You intend to build an upcycling unit?, I apologize, but this is going to cause more harm than good to us at this point. I doubt we have enough to fund such a large project," says Mr. Roy, Investor Relations Manager.
"I know of your concerns, and I'm not so foolish as to embark on a project without doing proper research. I know some of you still deem me unfit for this position, and I understand your concern, but you should at least ensure to read the document through before making remarks. "Luka says, looking at Roy, who shrinks into his seat a bit.
Then he sighs, "So, the project will be planned and further researched upon by the planning and research departments for now, while the corporate development teams link us with an upcoming upcycling facility. Any further Questions?" he asks, signaling Kara to recollect the documents.
Mrs. Larrison stands up slowly after handing over her document to Kara. "Sir, may I ask why we would link to an upcoming upcycling facility when we could easily get connected to an already established facility?" she asks with a confused look on her face.
"It's all for the sake of a mutual trust establishment. While they become partners and do our upcycling, linking to us helps them to grow faster, making them want our partnership as long as possible, no matter the risk, even though I don't intend on making them take any major risks. Which in turn is most likely to make them end up fusing with our facility once it's done."
She nods in understanding, "Alright, sir, we in turn gain a completely trustworthy ally," and sits down.
"If that's all, I'll take my leave. Ladies and Gentlemen." Luka then stands up and exits the room with His guards, and Kara follows him out. The room remains dead silent after his departure, as they do not know what to say concerning the project.
Meanwhile, he heads to his office, changes into his casual clothes, picks up his bag, and leaves the building. He gets into the waiting car, and it drives off. After they've gone some distance from the company, the car stops and he gets off, signaling the driver to return, and he begins walking the rest of the way.
After walking a little distance, a car drives past him from behind and parks ahead of him. The back window rolls down, and a familiar face appears to greet him.