Dawn was highly irked by the way Doug was speaking. She found him extremely suspicious.
"Joshua is affiliated to the political parties. Because of his political connections, we can't just stop giving aid for his project. Because if we will do that, chances are that he will exert political pressure, which will definitely decrease our already slow pace!" Doug snapped.
"I don't care!" Dawn replied. "And there will be no argument over this matter. You will stop giving any aid to the 'Go Green' project."
Doug looked at Lily Wyatt to intervene, but Lily didn't say a word. Instead she looked away from him and only continued with her attention towards her Granddaughter. Frustrated, Doug clenched his teeth.
Dawn looked at the file once again and then said, "Tomorrow I would like to meet the Heads at the Finance Department." That was her closing statement to Doug. After that she concentrated on VPs of other departments. Doug Langston was left hanging in the lurch. He shifted in his seat to show his displeasure, but she was bothered the least.
The lunch arrived in her office and they all had a working lunch. Things were discussed without halt. By the time it was evening 6PM the Company employees started getting worried. They wondered if there would be job cuts. The new Managing Director had stayed in the meeting with the VPs for the entire day.
Daryn came over at about 7PM and he walked in the office as if he owned the place. He went to sit next to his wife on the leather sofa and rested his hand behind her on the sofa—a gesture of possessiveness. She was still grilling all the VPs and he admired her strength. At 9PM when she wasn't showing the signs of dismissing the meeting, he said, "Baby, I will not allow you to sit even for a minute more. You need rest!" He saw that her feet were swollen and he shuddered from the inside. "Why are your feet swollen?" he asked, wincing as he spoke.
Every man in the meeting saw the way he mollycoddled his wife. The great Daryn Silver, who the business community feared was such a softie in front of his wife. Doug took advantage of his emotion and said, "Mr. Silver, I have to say that your wife is such a kid and you really spoil her." He meant that a kid half his age was giving him instructions but the way he said he showed that they were a cute couple.
Daryn narrowed his eyes at him. He understood what the man meant. Then he smiled. "Isn't that interesting? If things were absolutely okay in this Company, there wouldn't be the need for a kid to run it. Moreover this also shows the caliber of the personnel here. If I had such people I would have fired them already!"
That shut Doug's mouth as he stared at Daryn with a stunned expression. "I— I mean—"
Daryn ignored as to what he was going to say and turned his attention to his wife. "From tomorrow, you better define your working hours!"
Dawn sighed. Daryn's alpha mode was switched on and that needed her to submit. Not that she didn't love to submit but when Daryn's dominance showed up, she loved to be a submissive… only to show who dominates in bed. "Okay dear!" she said and closed the file in her lap. "David, you need to look into these files, especially the areas where I have marked red." Then she looked at Lily. "Things are really going to change here."
Lily smiled. "I look forward to that."
Then she turned her gaze at all of them and said, "We will continue this tomorrow."
Dawn left the office along with Daryn and the atmosphere changed. As the VPs began to relax, one of them said to Lily, "Madam, it will be catastrophic if job cuts are announced."
"I can't help it," Lily shrugged.
Most of the VPs were actually nervous. No one knew on whom the axe would fall. And the most anxious one was Doug Langston.
When the couple was in their car, Daryn lifted Dawn's feet and kept them in his lap. She rested her back in the corner, as he massaged them gently. While massaging, he just let his power loose. Yellow tendrils of light with small sparks of orange started to flow around her legs. Dawn's eyes were wide open. "Wow!" she said. Her husband's small powers were coming to the forefront and she really admired it.
He smiled. "How do you feel?"
The little orange sparks touched her skin and turned a pale yellow as they absorbed her pain and disappeared.
"I already feel good!" She watched them mesmerized. "If that energy is coming from you, I don't want you to feel tired because of me."
"Wife, I don't think that would ever happen. Somehow I feel that this energy source would never deplete. But then who knows…"
"It would never, love," she said. She closed her eyes as the warm lights did their work. Later when he asked how her day was, she narrated the day's happenings.
"You should not work so hard baby. Also I have identified a building next to The Silver House. Your office will be moved there."
Dawn jerked her head back. "Why? Sapphire is a good place. I will renovate it."
"No dear. I have checked it and that place has numerous security holes. You will be moved to the new building within a fortnight's time at the most."
"But Daryn, The Silver House is located in a very posh area. There are no vacant buildings available there. So which building are you talking about?"
He frowned. "What do you think I am, baby?" He had to impress his wife. "We own about five buildings there. You will be moving in one of them."
And Dawn was impressed. She raised an eyebrow and his chest swelled with pride.
Next day the meetings continued and all the VPs were grilled. First list of job cuts along with the names of the employees was hung on the notice board after they were emailed individually. Around hundred employees were given a one-month notice with compensation packages. They either had to take the package or if they didn't accept it, their jobs were already dissolved.
There was utter chaos in the Company.
Being an old-timer, David was helping her identify a lot of loopholes.
After a week when the task-force was cut down by five hundred and only about a thousand were left, there was pandemonium. Employees started sending her hate emails. Some even went on to sit outside the building and wore black tags on their arms to protest.
It was during that week of chaos that Doug Langston brought Joshua Barker to talk to her. He knew that Dawn was already under a lot of pressure and with the environmentalist like Joshua with him, she would buckle.
Doug ushered Joshua in Dawn's office right on time.
A tall and thin man with greying hair, Joshua looked as if he would sway in a light breeze. He was wearing round spectacles and his eyes were icy cold. He was wearing a black jeans and a green shirt that hung on his lanky frame. He entered her office looking ferocious.
"Good afternoon," Dawn greeted him as she stood to shake hands with him.