Oftentimes when people are lonely, they always feel like they are facing a storm alone. Jacob was
feeling exactly that way now. He had so much desire in his heart.
He stood up and walked slowly towards the conference room with the confidence that he was going to
win.
Meanwhile, in the conference room there was a squabble ongoing. "Mr. Jacob summoned us for a
meeting. Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Maybe he is busy."
"Then why schedule the meeting in the first place? Shouldn't he summon us when he's less busy?"
"Mr. Jacob must have his own reasons. Oops! I don't want to gossip about him right now. Someone
might blab to him about what I said."
"Presently, the company is in grave danger. Who knows when everything will collapse?"
Suddenly, there was silence.
The once noisy boardroom had become quiet. This was because Jacob had just opened the door.
James had previously felt sorry for the directors. However, after he heard all that they said, he no
longer felt sympathetic.
Miserable people always found faults in others. Probably, this was the same way the directors
behaved. However, no matter the hatred they gave Jacob, they couldn't change anything.
With a cold face, Jacob walked to his chair and sat down. Cindy was glad when her boss walked in and
the whole room became quiet.
Until now, she had felt that she was in hell. But with Jacob's arrival, she was relieved. Everyone in the
room remained mute.
"I heard you all discussing something just now. Don't stop because of me. I also want to hear your
opinions."
Jacob placed his hand on the table and stroked it. His expression was calm.
The directors didn't say anything. They were as quiet as snakes during winter. When Jacob glanced at
some of them, they held their breaths immediately.
"What? You guys have nothing else to discuss?" Jacob bellowed. With this, everyone was afraid and
quieter.
James stared at Jacob with admiration. Now, Jacob resembled his elder brother more than ever before.
The others could tell that Jacob was already angry. Even though he didn't say anything, everyone in the
meeting was already trembling with fear. Some directors even lowered their heads. At that moment,
Jonathan looked at Jacob with a smile on his face. Lately, Jonathan was behaving unusual. He just
grinned without saying anything.
Jacob knew that this was a dangerous signal. But there was nothing that he could do to Jonathan.
After all, he wasn't a psychic. So it was impossible for him to know what was in his mind. Besides,
Jacob was too busy to bother about that. Jonathan could do whatever he liked.
Jacob cleared his throat and said, "I am sure you all know why I called for this meeting. Then I will go
straight to the point."
With a serious face, he stood up with his hands in his trouser pockets.
"Yes, I summoned you all to discuss the reduction of staff. I know that everyone is worried about the
issue. And so many of you don't support it. I think I was a little erratic with my decision,"
Jacob was apologizing sincerely. But none of the board members believed that he had gathered them
just to apologize.
Indeed, it didn't make sense. With a smile appearing from the corners of his mouth, Jacob continued, "I
have pondered about it. And I think I shouldn't take away the means of survival of your relatives and
friends."
Hearing Jacob's words, the directors were shocked. However, they looked at him suspiciously and
wondered why his attitude changed suddenly. Because of this sudden change, everyone was skeptical.
Actually, they didn't believe what Jacob had just said.
Previously, when the new regulations for the board of directors were announced, everyone had
suffered losses. Now, no one dared to believe Jacob's words.
Still the directors remained silent. Noticing this, Jacob asked, "Don't you have any questions? I've
created an avenue for you to decide. Are you not satisfied?"
James struggled not to laugh. He knew Jacob was faking it. In fact, James admired Jacob the more.
"What do you think?" Jacob sat down and placed his hands on the table as he waited for them to
speak.
Jonathan stared at Jacob with hatred. But he didn't utter a word. The other directors glared at each
other in confusion. However, they remained mute.
None of them was willing to speak first. Apparently, they were all afraid of being blamed.
The whole conference room was silent. This made Jacob a little disappointed. Assuming their opinions
clashed with his, what actions could they take? No one even dared to speak at that critical moment.
At that instance, Jacob regretted calling for the meeting. It was as if they were snubbing him. Shrugging
his shoulders, he said, "Since no one wants to speak, the project would be carried out as planned. Do
you really have no objections?"
Jacob raised his eyebrows and looked at the directors. They were more complicated than he had
imagined. Each one of them had their own complaint. But they were too scared to talk.
Displeased by this, he reasoned that this action wasn't commendable. He wouldn't know what they
were thinking, unless they expressed themselves.
"Mr. Jacob, I don't know how you are going to handle this matter. But we just think that there are very
few ways to ensure that everyone wins. Someone has to make a sacrifice,"
one of the directors said calmly. But Jacob could hear a hint of nervousness in his tone. Indeed, he was
anxious. This wasn't surprising because this matter would affect the future of his family and friends.
Jacob looked at the director and smiled. "Yes, you are right. We barely have ways to ensure that
everyone wins. Because of this, we have no other choice but to settle for a better alternative."
The directors were stunned. But most of them didn't think it was a good alternative. As they stared at
Jacob, they thought that he was about to make trouble again.
Cindy stood next to Jacob. She already knew what he was capable of doing. This was after the time he
set new rules for the board. And now, Jacob would be stricter than the last time.
Cindy struggled not to laugh. At this moment, the board members were like cats on hot bricks. They
were nervous and helpless.
"What way?" At that instance, the director's face turned pale. He felt uncomfortable in his heart. He
really regretted asking such a stupid question. However, he couldn't take it back.
Jacob looked at the director with sympathy. At that moment, he decided not to go straight to the point.
"I know that you all are not excited about the dismissal of employees. This is because some of them
are your relatives and friends. I know that this would cause an awkward situation. Also, it wouldn't be
good for our partnership."
Jacob glanced at the faces of the directors. Just as he had expected, none of them wanted to speak.
They were all gloomy.
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