Chapter 146: Chapter 146

Back at the Islander’s Academy, the headmaster continued looking at the car park from his office, lost in his thoughts.

"Why didn’t you tell him that the older one was riddled with issues?"

The assistant headmaster asked,

He let out a long sigh and then walked back to his seat. Ian had not been there for long, but he felt as if a huge boulder of stress had been lifted off of him after Ian Thornston had left.

He rubbed the back of his neck,

"That was not what he asked. Ian Thornston knows what he knows, and I doubt that he doesn’t know about the issues surrounding this girl..."

"It’s not my place to say..."

The assistant headmaster scrunched up his face. ’If it’s not your job as an educator to tell the parent this, then whose job is it?’ He wanted to say but he could not or rather, did not dare say anything at all. Their headmaster was a revered and powerful man in all of the Island. It took a man with wits to govern such as elite institution. No one made this man bow his head ... well, except for Ian!

"We’ll just keep a close eye on Samantha Maybach-Thornston for the time being."

"What of the others?"

The headmaster turned to look square in the face, "Do you ask the question because you do not know who Ian Thornston is? Can anyone dare go against his commands and instructions?"

"I know that you had never met the man till today as you started your job within the last two years, but I would have thought that his reputation spoke for himself. Seeing him here today has made me loose a few years off my life."

"Let me finish, Assistant Headmaster. I think that he was sending a message across. Ian hardly handles things in person, and no one has seen him much within the past couple of years, but his presence is even more intimidating today than it was the last time I saw him. Just remember one thing: You can never question anything he says! Ever!"

’Isn’t this old man exaggerating a little too much? Maybe he got too old and things have started to get into his head?’

The headmaster, oblivious to this was also thinking, ’I should get down to the Zen-den and also the massage parlor later on...’

Currey stepped out of the car and opened Ian’s door.

Ian stood looking up at the building that had been like home to him for the better part of years. Nothing had changed much. It was like he had gone home the previous day and then came right back the next day and not after two years.

He truly felt at home in that environment.

Their office building went deep down in the ground. It was as if it had been carved into the rolling hills all around. The office was part of nature, and that was why Ian felt so much at home there.

Vines crawled all around the parts of the building that peeked out of the ground as well as its flat roof. Of course, this was just one of the many locations of their vineyards. They were scattered all around the island, and a good percentage of the rolling fields of different fruits, from grapes to plums, and the rest all belonged to the Thornston family.

The vines and plants on top of the building spelt its name: T-Vino Winery.

The greenery stretched as far back as the eye could see.

They had only taken a few steps towards the building when Ian paused, making Currey, who had been keen on his tablet, bump into him.

"Sorry, your majesty!"

Ian did not bother to correct him because Currey tended to use that when he was caught unawares.

"Redirect the fund to the boy instead! That would be a good use of it!"

Ian did not respond but headed for the office.

"I take that as a ’yes’" Currey muttered to himself as his fingers moved quickly over the touchpad.

"OMG! Is that who I think it is?"

"Y-yes, but he looks huge! Was he always like that?"

Ian strode through the plush lobby headed for the elevators as the whispers floated around him.

"It’s Ian Thornston! It is him in person! I have worked here for one and a half years and this is the first time I have set eyes on him!"

"Just look at all those muscles! I want-"

"You better not complete your statement! That is your boss!"

"I know he is my boss, but then so what? Can’t I fantasize over him?"

"That’s my middle name!" The girl winked at her friend just as Ian passed right by her. She batted her eyes at him but he did not slow down nor even turn his head.

*Sigh!* " At least I tried! I can die with no regrets!"

"Heheheheheheeeee...." The other girls giggled around her as Ian stepped into the elevator followed by Currey.

The last words the two heard before the elevators closed was, "Maybe you should go for the copper-haired one! You might have a chance then!"

"Do you think that I am lik-"

Currey shook his head and then pressed the buttons as the elevator whipped downwards as fast as possible. It merely took a few seconds for them to get to the twenty-fifth floor below the ground. They stepped out onto a long corridor and headed straight to Ian’s office.

Even Alex used an office on the tenth floor, or the one he most preferred was on the ground floor above ground because he could not see himself going that deep underground. The whole of the twenty-fifth floor was reserved for Ian. The lobby to the tenth floor hosted most of the offices, while the sixteenth to the twenty-fourth was reserved for research and other tasks.

Special credentials were needed to go past the tenth floor.

Ian finally entered his office and sat down. He had no need to explore the place as it was exactly as he had left them. Despite the fact that the office was below ground, nothing in there showed that; long glass and animated walls lit up everywhere with swaying trees and blue skies, making one think that they were looking outside a real window. In fact, this changed with the time of day as well as the weather!

Currey bowed, and with the press of a button, a large screen lit up on the opposite wall, revealing a few executives and wine merchants seated around a long table.

"Didn’t you say that the Chairman would be joinin-" A man in the room gasped and turned, leaving his sentence hanging.

The startled people in the room looked up at a screen that lit up on their end.

"You finally decided to join after that extended time out?"

"Point of correction, he was with his wife. doing only the heavens know what!"

The room of people burst out laughing, and Ian watched them in amusement.

"You are indeed right. I was with my wife, doing whatever the heavens know, but it was quite some good times. In fact, let’s round this up fast so that I can go back and continue exactly where I left off!"

That silenced the pervy old men.

’Young generation of nowadays!’

"Now that I have your attention let’s continue the meeting."

Ian had not bothered with any greetings or whatnots and just plunged into whatever issue was at hand.

"Where is the chairman?" One of the older men asked.

"Isn’t he right in front of you?" Currey interjected.

Ian turned his attention to the man and asked him, "What was the yield of your sector this harvest season?"

The men in the room, even though had a high status in the business, they controlled a large section of the lands on behalf of the T-Vino Winery, and they had an obligation to report their yield and account for it.

"We had a fifty percent less yield thi-"

"Fifty per cent less is unacceptable!" Ian stated calmly, cutting the older man off.

"Did you expense any less? Is there any justification for this result? Was there any issue?"

The room stilled as they all exchanged glances. The main reason was because they all had similar stories!

"Young man! You can’t just waltz in after years off and speak as if you know it all! You have n-"

Ian smiled and gestured to Currey, who placed a file in front of him.

"I know very well of the issue in the vineyards that are causing a drop in yield, but that drop would never be as low as you are reporting, so prepare a better excuse within the next few seconds!"

The older man looked over the screen at the pompous young man. He knew how Ian operated, but, in his view, Ian was just a young man with no wings!

"Despite the low yields, I see that your side businesses registered under your nephew and girlfriend are thriving so well. You exported a good ton of grapes within the last month; however, this was not recorded on your official yields. Why was that?"

"S-ide b-usines? Ho-"

"How do I know that?" Ian asked,

"That is of no concern of yours. However, since you have beached our contracts, from this point on, all the lands that you oversee will be taken back with immediate effect! Also, we will be suing you for legal damages and for the theft as well-"

"W-hat – You can’t do that! Where’s your evidence!"

With a simple call from Currey, people entered the room and ’escorted’ the old man out.

Ian said and turned his attention to the rest. The men looked into the cold grey eyes of the man on the screen and started shaking. That was a little taste of the Ian they used to know but had seemingly forgotten.

They wondered if they were going to lose their livelihood like that of the person who had just been dragged out of the room with no decorum.

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