The CEO Gets What He Wants

“I-I promise we'll not repeat the same mistake, Mr. Moore. Please give us another chance!” Under the stern glare of his boss, Steve broke out in a cold sweat and started pleading for forgiveness.

On the other hand, Paul, who was the general manager, had a hint of disdain in his eyes.

He was racially prejudiced and deemed himself superior simply because he was a Western Epean. He did not think an Aplothian man would dare to fire two Western Epeans.

Moreover, besides being the general manager, he was also the executive chef.

Taking pride that his culinary expertise was second to none, he was confident Cayden would not easily let go of a gem like himself.

Much to his surprise, Cayden said, “I'm sorry, Mr. Paul, but we have no place for you in Regal Garden anymore. You can pack up and leave right now.”

“What? I devoted myself to Regal Garden for the past three years, and you're firing me? What makes you think you have the right to do that? You're but a lowly Aplothian!” A furious Paul stood up, slammed his fist on the conference table, and started his abusive tirade.

The other senior executives were shocked beyond words.

He must be out of his mind to shout at Mr. Moore!

Is he crazy? Doesn't he know Mr. Moore's infamous nickname is Lucifer?

Wisteria looked at the ignorant Paul coldly. She knew he had just put another nail in his own coffin.

Paul's heart skipped a beat when his eyes met Cayden's piercing glare, and he couldn't help but shudder a little.

Cayden's lips curled upward, and with a mocking smile, he said, “Mr. Paul, you are not a greenhorn. If this was merely a public relations crisis, how is it possible that you, with your multiple years of experience, could not resolve it? To be fair, such a minor issue would not be the reason to let you go. Unfortunately, you have other ulterior motives. On the one hand, you have been enjoying the generous pay package from Trident Group, but on the other hand, you accepted a bribe from Clos Maggior and betrayed us. Not only did you plan to steal the recipes for Regal Garden's signature dishes, but you also intended to bring us down. How can we keep a crook like you?”

“N-Nonsense! This is not true! That's defamation, Cayden!” Paul denied the accusations angrily.

Cayden exhaled and blew smoke directly into Paul's face, causing him to tear up.

With a slight wave of his hand, the content on the screen in the conference room changed. All the statistics on the screen disappeared, and a video started playing. Although the image was not sharp, there was no doubt the man in the video was Paul. He was shown accepting a bribe from Clos Maggior's manager and handing over Regal Garden's recipes in return. The audio was clear and recorded every single word they exchanged.

Colors drained from Paul's face.

He had been secretly working for Clos Maggior for quite some time without raising any suspicion. However, Cayden had managed to gather damning evidence against him in a short couple of days. He couldn't help but hold Cayden in awe.

“I realized my mistake, Mr. Moore. I'm really sorry, and I swear I'll never do it again...” Paul pleaded with Cayden frantically.

There was a cold glint in Cayden's eyes as he sneered, “I'm sure the authorities will do you justice with regard to our accusation of your misdeeds.”

Right then, the door to the conference room swung open and a few burly men in police uniforms walked in. They took out a pair of metallic handcuffs and said to Paul, “You're being investigated for corporate espionage, Mr. Paul. We'll need you to come with us.”

Despite his violent protests and resistance, Paul was overpowered and taken away by the police.

Cayden turned around and faced the fearful-looking Steve. “Mr. Steve, the vacancy for general manager at Regal Garden is open. You're now the acting general manager. Show us you're up to it, and you'll be officially promoted to that position.”

Steve stared at Cayden in disbelief. He was also implicated in the crisis, so he was expecting to be punished for his mistake. He could not understand why Cayden entrusted him with more responsibilities instead.

Cayden could clearly see that Steve was puzzled. He snubbed his cigarette out and firmly announced, “Every one of us makes mistakes. Where possible, I'll give people a chance to redeem themselves. However, do take note that there'll be only one chance given.”

It was not easy for a business from Aploth to establish itself in the racially prejudiced Western Epea. Cayden knew if he was to dismiss both Steve and Paul, the rest of their countrymen could be demoralized and become disgruntled.

With Paul's fate as a stern reminder, he could keep them on their toes and make them think twice before resorting to similar mischief. At the same time, by being lenient to Steve, he hoped to win them over with his good grace.

The local management team knew his true intentions, and they were impressed by his way of handling the issue.

Wisteria secretly stole a look at Cayden, her eyes filled with admiration. There was an undisguised look of determination on her face.

After the meeting ended, the management team started streaming out of the conference room.

Cayden stayed seated at the head of the table and stared fixedly at his phone.

He was scrolling through his phone records and could not find any missed calls or messages from Avery. The usually cool and collected man felt an inexplicable resentment rising in him.