136 Raimi Inventors

Wordlessly, Liz sat in the chair while telling herself that many people knew their location, so there was no chance of them being in danger.

The man was clearly deranged in some way, so this was definitely a risky situation. She had read the file on this man, and it was only written that his wife had passed away due to an unfortunate accident. Like he said, the CEO was almost here, so it was futile to send a message.

Liz had initially been scared, but she quickly calmed down. She had experience in handling high-stress situations, due to the many tricky spots that she and Luke had fallen into during their childhood.

The phone was already in her hands by the time Sam said those words, but she decided to do something at least.

So, thinking quickly, she sent the message "SOS" to the CEO.

Hopefully, he would see it and understand.

A few minutes later, the sound of an argument could be heard from outside, after which Sam walked out with that cool expression still on his face.

Because he left the door open, Liz heard the conversation, and realizing that the first voice was the CEO's, she felt calmer than before.

"Not an option. I have bodyguards outside, too, but one will come with me. It is protocol. It has nothing to do with being afraid. Must I remind you that you are just a Union leader who are standing on Happle, Inc's property? You have no right to make demands of me. Instead, it is the other way round, but I am only being courteous so that the issue doesn't become worse. Don't. Push. Me."

Hearing the iron tone with which the CEO said these words, Liz felt like cheering for him

'Go William!'

'Realy? He's your white knight-here to save you on a horse? Cliché much, woman?'

'Well, I'm no damsel in distress, but that doesn't mean I'm not glad to see a knight take the time out to save me. So, shut up, and cheer with me.'

'Fine.'

Stress brought out her inner voice, too, but it faded away when she heard Sam say, "Fine, Mr. CEO. Follow me."

However, his words had an odd tone to them which sent chills up her spine.

Yes, he was definitely a psychopath.

A few seconds later, William walked through the door and breathed a sigh of relief on seeing that Liz was fine.

Of course, this only lasted for a second, as he had to put up a tough front in front of the Union Leader.

Yet, because the both of them were busy exchanging glances with one another, they didn't notice that Sam was watching them with a calculating expression on his face.

There was a bulky guard wearing a black suit behind the CEO, the sight of whom made Liz pat herself on her back.

Usually, bodyguards didn't accompany the CEO to meetings, like in the case of that first one when they had gone to convince that man to sell his land to the company.

Taking a seat beside Liz, William waited for Sam to sit down too.

Sam, however, remained standing.

Gesturing at the two henchmen in the room, he made them close the door before saying, "So, you're finally here! Took you long enough. If you had come the first time I called the strike, maybe things wouldn't have been this bad."

Hearing this, William humphed before saying, "It is common sense that a CEO wouldn't just come directly on a Union leader's call. We have hundreds of factories all over the world. This is just one factory, which I don't mind shutting down if we can't resolve your problem soon. So, you better cut to the chase. My time is precious."

This statement from the CEO actually made Liz stiffen a bit, as she was the one who had seen the rapid change in expression on Sam's face before.

He was definitely not right in his head, and she had read that it was never wise to challenge a psychopath. However, there was nothing she could do.

After the CEO spoke, Sam's genial smile actually spread to cover his face, which looked eerie to say the least.

As William was sitting beside her, she could feel him tense, meaning that even he had identified that something was wrong.

"Don't take me for a fool, Mr. CEO. I know that we are halting your product pipeline, as this industry produces a very essential piece of equipment. If you carry through with what you are saying, your company will face losses in the millions of dollars. To make sure that that doesn't happen, you have decided to accept our demands after bargaining, even if you don't like it."

This made a cold expression appear on William's face.

Banging his hand on the chair's handrest, he exclaimed, "That's inside information! How the hell do you know that?"

Indeed, information like this which was crucial to a company's functioning was a highly guarded secret, in order to make sure that situations like these wouldn't happen.

However, clearly, someone had leaked it.

"Quiet, Mr. CEO. I've planned this for a long, long time. This is not a regular meeting, and you will not walk out of this room after resolving the matter. I've made sure that no matter what you offer, the workers will not agree. And if you fire us, we will start a riot, thereby destroying the equipment that manufactures that essential part. My goal is to make your company pay, and I will make sure that happens, one way or another. I only called you here because you must know why I'm doing this."

With each word, William's face hardened, as he could tell that the man wasn't kidding. He was definitely very prepared.

So, he just asked, "Why are you doing this, then?"

The answer made him frown with puzzlement before a flash of realization passed through his eyes.

"The sins of the father are passed on to the son. Do you remember a small company called 'Raimi Inventors' which your father acquired unfairly and sold off, piece by piece? I was a kid when that happened, but I saw my father weep with my own eyes. It is time, now, for you to pay."