"You're fired."
Roy froze after hearing those words. For a moment, he thought he heard his father wrong.
He stood in the middle of a large office, wearing his expensive suit that cost thousands of dollars. His black hair was neatly combed, and his blue eyes, which were usually calm and composed, now widened slightly with disbelief.
He was the vice chairman of the company. He worked hard for a decade to be in this position.
But now he was fired?
"Dad… you cannot be serious." Roy forced a laugh.
But his father did not laugh at all. He just stared at Roy like he was a stranger that he didn't want to be associated with.
Instead of answering, the screen behind his father lit up.
The screen showed Roy. He had bloody lips, messy hair, and torn clothes. The screen played, and it was the video of him swinging a punch at a drunken man in a parking lot. And the worst part?
The word LIVE was stamped at the corner of the video.
Roy firmly shut his eyes.
'Right… that stupid fight.'
It was that one moment in his life where he lost control. And, of course, in today's time, fights like that would just get randomly streamed online. What he didn't expect was that by morning, the live was trending everywhere.
Every news channel and social media site flashed his fight like pure entertainment. Well, who wouldn't want to make a headline out of him? After all, he was the oldest son of one of the most influential families in today's time—The Crawford Family.
Their family was known for integrity and discipline. And now that he, the vice chairman of Crawford Enterprise, went viral in a street fight, their stock price dropped almost instantly.
And now Roy was here in front of the board members, facing punishment for that one single mistake of his.
"Roy, the investors are furious. The public is furious, too. They want someone to be held responsible for your action." His father let out a long sigh.
"Just for my one single mistake?" Roy's voice snapped. "I contributed a lot to this company. I was with you for a decade. I led the biggest projects, and now you fire me over one mistake?"
"It was a big mistake," his father said. His voice was calm, but firm and filled with disappointment. "We cannot risk tainting our reputation any further. This is the biggest scandal our family has faced, too, Roy. You're already 26. You should know that."
Roy's jaw tightened. He tried to argue again. "Dad, I can fix this. I can talk to the media. I can explain—"
"No." His father quickly cut him off.
"You are not fixing anything. Starting today, you are no longer part of this company. Your company accounts are suspended. You will not use the family name for now."
Roy stared at him in pure shock.
'Is my father cutting me off just like that?'
For a moment, Roy just became completely silent. Though on the inside, his heart burned with anger, shame, and frustration.
"So that's it? One scandal, and you throw your own son away?" He took a step back and muttered those words in a low voice.
His father did not answer. Instead, he opened a drawer and placed a folder on the table.
"This is Blackwell Mart," he said.
"What?" Roy's brows furrowed as he looked at it.
"It's a small grocery store under our group. It's one of the first stores I had built, so it's dear to my heart. It has been losing money for years. We planned to shut it down in a year if the sales stay low, but I don't want that to happen."
"And what does this have to do with me?" Roy frowned even more.
"You are now its CEO." His father pushed the folder toward him.
"A grocery store? You want me to run a failing grocery store?" Roy stared at the folder like it was trash.
"I'll give you $100,000. If you can raise the sales of the store with it," his father said, "then maybe you can return to Crawford Enterprises."
"…"
Roy felt something snap inside him.
Is this his father's solution?
To fire him, throw him out of the company, then dump him in a dying grocery store like he was some useless worker?
His father waited for him to take the folder, but Roy did not move.
"I am not doing this." Roy clenched his fists.
"Then you leave with nothing." His father stared back at him.
Roy's anger rose inside, but he did not show it on his face. He only glared at his father for a moment. Then, with a deep sigh, he took the folder forcefully out of his hand and walked out of his office without another word.
Behind him, the heavy doors closed loudly.
When Roy stepped out of the office, the whole floor went silent.
The hall that used to greet him with smiles and greetings now felt cold.
Roy felt completely disappointed at that. The employees who once rushed to welcome him now pretended to work. They peeked at him from the corner of their eyes, some even dared to whisper behind their hands.
Without any choice, he reached the elevator with his confident steps. He wouldn't allow anyone to pity or laugh at him right now. In silence, he pressed the elevator's button. When the door opened, he immediately went inside.
The moment he walked out of the building, he did not dare to look back.
"Sir… your car is ready," his driver said as he opened the door.
Roy got inside without a word. His grip on the folder tightened until the paper bent.
"Where are we going, sir?" the driver asked carefully.
Roy clicked his tongue. "Blackwell Mart," he said. "Let's get this useless task over with."
The driver hesitated for a second but nodded and drove away.
Going to the grocery store, the ride was silent. Roy shut his eyes and leaned back.
A failing grocery store?
That was what they thought he deserved?
He laughed sarcastically at that.
After thirty minutes, the car stopped.
"Sir… we are here."
Roy opened his eyes and stepped out of the car. He looked up at the sign that said Blackwell Mart. He was surprised to see the store. The building actually looked clean and fresh. So he wondered, why are there no customers in the area?
Roy stared at the building for a few minutes. Then, all of a sudden, he laughed out loud. He smiled sweetly.
"So this is it?" he muttered. "This is the place he want me to save? His supposed to be precious store?"
He shook his head and let out another laugh. This one was louder than the last.
"Save this mart?" Roy said as he stared at the empty store. "Not at all."
His smile widened.
"I am going to ruin this place and make sure it is closed within 3 months! Bwahahaha!"