Chapter 221 - Two Hundred And Twenty-one: Dismiss Her As The CEO
The third point of view
Christina strode into her company, her heels click clanking against the marble floor. The look on her face was harsh and murderous that no employee dared got in her way. It was obvious that she was pissed off.
Anger reeked off of Tina, those bugs dared to dismiss her? How dare they?
Entering the elevator, one of the employees who had been there before her quickly high-tailed it. They all knew and experienced how violent their boss lady could be when mad.
Pressing the button to the tenth floor, Tina wrapped her arms across her chest while her feet tapped on the floor impatiently with her lips pressed together.
Why was this elevator going so slow? She wished she could teleport herself to the conference room.
Well, at last, her prayer got answered cause the elevator doors finally opened and she made her way to the meeting room.
"Ma'am, you're not supposed to be here," A filthy employee tried to stop her in her own company?
Anger boiled in her veins and Tina turned around and backhanded the woman so hard that her long artificial nail clawed at the victim's face, drawing blood.
"Know your place, filth," she spat acidly and strutted into the conference room.
She pushed open the glass door carelessly, making an epic appearance.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Tina drawled dramatically, giving her board of directors accusing gazes "A bunch of traitors planning my dismissal, isn't it?"
"You're welcome miss Tina, though the meeting's over" She watched her brother Luke stand to his feet with that sleazy smile that made outrage ripple through her.
He went on," You shouldn't have bothered yourself coming here. We were planning on delivering the news face to face,"
Tina had been feeling some dissonance from her board of directors lately, she should have known that it was her brother's evil manipulation.
"You can't oust me from my position, I own a controlling share of the company!" Tina insisted.
"Oh, come again, you owe the controlling share?" her half-brother cleared his ears with his finger in a mocking gesture.
He went on "Ah yes, you owed forty percent? Yes, I think that's right," he said comically.
"Do you think I'm here for your jokes?" Tina glared at him yet was unsettled by his charisma. Why was that scumbag confident about defeating her?
"Of course not," her brother smiled, exposing cute dimples, and oh, how much she hated that face.
They didn't need to conduct a DNA test to confirm if Luke was her father's child or not, his features were strikingly similar to him. Their blonde hair was the only feature connecting both- Tina and Luke- as siblings.
While Luke took every other resemblance from their father, she had inherited the rest from her mother.
Her brother started, "You had forty percent share," he purposely emphasized on the tense "had". "Did you forget you sold ten percent of it?"
Ahh, right, Tina remembered. She had sold those shares to fund hospital research by doctor Sam as promised - the trap Niklaus led her into. Oh shit.
"Well, guess what? Someone bought that share plus the vote from the majority of the board members; you were voted out," He announced.
Tina was stunned, she felt like she didn't hear right, "That's impossible, you can't terminate me!"
"We just did," A board member said.
Tina's eyes became fierce and she focused them on the man," You!" She walked over to him.
"I helped you out when you were experiencing some troubles and this is how you repay me," she purposely emphasized on the "troubles".
The man went red, looking uncomfortable as he readjusted his tie on his neck.
"Are you threatening a board member, Miss Tina? You do know that's punishable by law?" Luke reminded her with a knowing look.
"Oh please spare me the bullshit," She rolled her eyes, "And who gets to be the new CEO, you?" Was her mocking laughter.
"For the company's future growth and success, the board has appointed me as the new president," Luke dropped the bombshell.
"Impossible!" Tina lurched at him but before she could lay a finger on him, two security guards appeared by her side and held her.
"You thief! You finally succeeded in taking what doesn't belong to you!" She accused him.
Luke approached her saying," We are not entirely chasing you out of the company," he informed her, "Once you agree, we can fix you in another department where you head the product or …."
He came closer," You can decide to leave and we can negotiate some outgoing compensation —perhaps some stock vesting acceleration or severance pay," Luke proposed.
"Go to hell with your packages but I promise you all, you're going to regret this!"
"Why would they regret this? We all need a president who can scale and not just one who barks orders and threatens a board member," he purposely pointed out.
"You know?" Luke said in a tone low enough for her to capture,
"This wouldn't have come to this if you had just left me and my mother alone,"
"You are a scum and your mother is a slut and a golddigger who purposely opened her thighs for my father so this could happen and it finally did as I predicted," Tina insulted.
"No, this happened because you made me desire that power so I could protect my loved ones from your cruel acts!" He heaved, veins protruding from his head.
Luke took a deep breath," You know? I felt guilty earlier for taking this spot from you but now? I don't regret a thing anymore and huge thanks to Niklaus, by the way."
Tina stilled," What are you talking about?"
"How do you think it was possible to change the mind of all the board members that feared you?" He asked smugly.
This time Tina stopped struggling and collapsed against the guards, no way.
All this time, she had thought she was free from Niklaus' wrath, who knew he was planning on hurting her where it pains the most?
Luke smirked, "With that black heart of yours, who knew what you did for your supposed Fiancé to turn on you?"
Maya? That was the reason, Tina thought. And just like her brother, these illegitimate scums were intent on ruining her life.
"Let me go!" Tina ordered the security men who looked at Luke questioningly.
"Let her ..." He didn't finish before she shook out of their grasp.
"I'm coming back for you," She promised her brother and strode out of the meeting room after eyeing each board member.
Tina's fists were clenched tight as she walked down the lobby to see her employees giving her looks. They must have known about her termination.
"What are you all staring at?!" She shouted and everyone scampered away, minding their business.
The proud, authoritative queen entered her car, ordering her chauffeur to drive to Niklaus' place at once.
Along the way, she let her mind wander. Why did Niklaus hate her so much? Everything she had done was for them to be together! Why treat her this way, then? What was so special about Maya? What did that scum have that she didn't have and more?
Everyone hated Maya; her mother, sister, the world? Yet, what did Niklaus see in her? Was his eyesight that damaged?
Sadly, when Tina arrived at Niklaus's house, she was refused entrance by his guards.
"Tell Niklaus that it's me, Christina!" She demanded.
"I'm sorry but our boss doesn't know anyone by that name," The guard insisted.
Tina noticed that there were more security men at his place than usual and they all were new and intimidating.
Niklaus had blocked her number so she couldn't call him nor was she going to fight these scary men; she wasn't a gangster.
Tina had already decided on leaving when she was suddenly granted access. With fury, she sauntered into the house and found Niklaus sitting in the living room with his arms crossed and leg thrown over the other.
She marched over to him, "How dare you?!" Tina landed a slap on his cheek twice.
Amid the pain, she inflicted on him, Niklaus didn't react and just stared at her emotionlessly.
"How could you do this to me, Niklaus?! After everything we've been through all these years?!" Tears flowed from her eyes. She was truly hurt this time.
He knew how much that company meant to her yet he let that scumbag take over. He not only hurt her pride but broke her heart.
"Are you done?" Niklaus asked coldly to her shock.
She watched Niklaus rise to his feet, trying to walk past her which she stopped by holding his arm. But what Tina never expected was for Niklaus to grasp her neck suddenly.
Her eyes went wide while trying to lessen his strong grip; he was smothering her.
"How dare you?" Niklaus hissed, tightening his grip around her throat.
"Niklaus," She jabbed him on the chest as a reminder he was choking her.
"You think I don't know what you did? That you and Kim were in cahoots?" Niklaus asked, his red puffy eyes - she noticed for the first time- piercing into her's.
Fear overwhelmed Tina, he found out?
"Why don't I kill you? You need to keep Maya company in the underworld," Niklaus suggested.
Tina thought he was joking until Niklaus added his other hand, cutting off her windpipe. He wasn't joking, he has finally lost it!
Tina began to gasp for air, hot tears trailing down her cheeks as a result of lack of oxygen and her limps began to go weak.
She had almost succumbed to darkness when she summoned the rest of her strength and kicked him in the groin.
The pain made him relax his grasp and she used that chance to make her escape. It seems that kick cleared Niklaus' mind since he didn't chase after her.
Tina didn't even glance over her shoulder and ran outside, urging her chauffeur to start the car.
"Go, go now!" She pressed him to speed out of there.
Her mind was clear, whatever lingering feeling she had for Niklaus was gone - forever. He dared to murder her! Fine, she refuses to go down without a fight! Her life shall not be ruined alone, he must go down with her.
That was Tina's thought as her driver drove through the lonely highway when a truck came out of nowhere and rammed into them and her world blackened.
"It's done," said a strange man who stepped out of the truck with a toothpick in his mouth while answering a call and viewing the wreckage he caused.
"Good," the person from the other line said.
The man ended the call with a satisfied smile at the corner of his lips as he watched the car catch fire.