From across the table, a man with gray hair leaned forward.
"Spoken like someone with no understanding of the way larger companies work," he said flatly. "You're playing with fire, boy. Announcing your return publicly right as a billion vanishes from our books? You think that's stabilizing?"
Some of the others glanced at each other but said nothing.
"The moment this hits the news, shareholders will panic. And your 'investigation' will be interpreted as a desperate cover-up." Leaning back, he continued. "You're gambling with our life's work because you're too new to know better."
Before Logan could even respond, a middle-aged woman on his left also joined in.
"And if you were killed by our competitors because of this recklessness, it wouldn't just lead to a few losses, even if things stabilized temporarily, your death could destroy the company," she said.
Logan leaned back slightly and let a silence fall while processing their words. He glanced at the two board members who had spoken, falling deep into thought.
'If I died, the company would indeed be in far more trouble than now,' Logan thought. 'But if I don't do anything, nothing will change.'
'It's worth the risk.'
After the short pause, Logan cleared his throat and spoke up, keeping his voice calm.
"You're not wrong," he finally said, his tone neutral. "What I'm proposing is a risk."
He met the eyes of the woman who had accused him of not understanding the company.
"But what you're forgetting is that the bigger risk is to do nothing."
A few board members furrowed their brows at that.
Turning his eyes to the middle-aged woman next, Logan started. "If I hide now, hoping the problem goes away, we're simply delaying the inevitable,"
"And as for my safety," he said. "That's already being handled."
There was a short moment of silence as his words settled into the room. Logan continued before they could interrupt again.
"I've already made arrangements for a significant increase in personal security. Starting tomorrow, Silas will personally oversee the operations protecting my movements."
The S-rank hunter in question raised an eyebrow slightly but nodded once, accepting the assignment without objection.
Before any of the board members could speak up again, Logan made the decision a fact.
"I'll be assembling the external investigation team within the next forty-eight hours."
He looked around the room.
"When they arrive, I expect full cooperation. No delays, no obstruction. They'll have unrestricted access to whatever they need."
Before the silence could settle, the bald board member who had stayed quiet until now finally spoke.
"But that kind of access could interrupt current operations," he said. "We're already under pressure from external contracts. Bringing in outsiders now might destabilize sensitive departments and—"
Logan raised a hand firmly.
"That's enough," he said, firmly. "The decision has been made."
The board member fell quiet, his expression unreadable.
"I didn't come here to ask for permission," Logan continued, glancing at all the members around the table slowly. "I came to inform you of what's happening."
No one spoke this time.
"Full access. Full cooperation. Any resistance," he paused, "will be noted."
As he finished, silence fell in the room. All the board members looked at Logan, each calculating their next move.
'Before this meeting, everyone had been neutral with me,' Logan thought. 'Now that they know my stance on matters within the company, I'm afraid that will no longer be the case.'
"This is what I called you all over here for," Logan said, maintaining a firm expression. "This meeting is now over."
Getting up, Logan walked through the doors with Edric close behind him.
Once outside, Edric immediately turned to Logan.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" he asked, concerned and angry.
"Did you forget everything we discussed yesterday?" he continued, wanting to scream.
"I know what I'm doing," Logan answered, trying to reassure Edric.
"No, you clearly don't," Edric said. "You've made an enemy out of countless board members."
Not getting any reaction from Logan, Edric continued.
"You don't even know who half of these board members are, and you decided to just jump in a pit of fire," Edric said, exasperated.
"For example, the bald man you cut off mid-sentence, Albert Hardza, manages the company's finances and treasury. His power among board members is one of the highest."
Only then did Edric get a reaction from Logan.
Logan looked at Edric with a calm expression.
"Don't worry about it," he said simply.
Edric frowned. "Logan..."
"I know some would get offended," Logan cut him off. "But it had to happen eventually."
He started walking again, hands in his pockets.
"You yourself also know that some of them are leeches who are sucking the life out of the company," Logan said. "This was a golden opportunity to clean the house up."
Edric stayed silent, looking at Logan's back as he walked away.
"Alright, since this is what you want, I'll support you in your decision," Edric said, feeling like he had no other choice.
Turning around, Logan smiled. "Alright, let's start searching for the best investigation team in the world then."
Bowing slightly, Edric started to smile again.
Meanwhile, Silas watched the board members start leaving the room one by one while maintaining their neutral expressions.
'This wasn't the outcome I'd expected when I gave him the documents,' Silas thought, still shocked.
'Though, I have to give it to the kid, he's got balls.' Looking at each board member leaving, Silas scanned their expressions carefully.
'He's managed to piss some of them off really badly,' he noted. Looking at a group of three board members whom he knew were in a faction together, he noted their expressions.
'The kid put his own life in a lot of danger for the sake of the company.'
Sighing, Silas also stood up to leave.
As he walked out, Silas felt the stares landing on his back. Still, he couldn't help smiling. 'Even though this wasn't what I'd intended, I think this is for the better.'
'Just gotta protect the kid to the best of my abilities.'