The sound of this voice astounded all present. In unorchestrated unison, they turned around to see a masked secretary, diminutive in stature, pushing a wheelchair along as she made her entrance.
Though enfeebled to a shade of his usual self, the person in the wheelchair had lost none of the air of regality that he was imbued with from birth. The inimitability of that presence and those keen, domineering eyes clearly belonged to Zayn Giblo!
"Mr. Giblo…"
"Could this be Mr. Giblo?"
All eyes fell upon Zayn, and then Boris, in absolute astonishment.
Boris was jittery when he regarded Zayn. As if in a dream, he could scarcely believe his own eyes.
How? Isn't he already dead?
Boris' consternation was immediate; His expression saw a dramatic shift, his vision became unfocused and even his knees clattered against each other.
Newton steadied him by the shoulders and conveyed with his gaze a reminder for the latter to stay level- headed.
Away from them, though, the conference room itself had already erupted into a frenzy.
"What's going on here? How did two Mr. Giblos appear out of nowhere?"
"W-Which one of them is the real one?"
"It is this gentleman right here, of course, " replied Newton calmly as he pointed to Boris. "That man over there looks nothing like Mr. Giblo. I've no idea where this imposter came from and what motivated him to
disrupt our board meeting."
"Indeed. Indeed." Jean immediately chimed in.
Straightening his back, Boris tried to project upon his own poise for right now, he did physically resemble Zayn more than the real Zayn did, owing to how much weight the latter had lost over the course of his treatment.
That presence, however, was something that Boris was not able to replicate!
"True, that." In her guise, Derila regarded Boris before she turned her attention to Zayn in amusement. "He really looks more like you than you do!"
That got everyone looking in her direction.
Who's this masked and mysterious secretary? They thought.
Though slight of build, those eyes of hers belied an indomitable haughtiness.
"What on earth is going on here?"
"I've no idea, but it feels almost surreal."
"The internet service is back on. We should probably bring the police in."
"Yes! Yes! Let's!"
The collective disquietude of the board members prompted them to indulge themselves in a fervent discussion.
"What's the matter with you people? Can't you see that this here is the real Mr. Giblo?"
Jamal's attempt to speak, however, became lost in the shuffle.
"What a racket. Shut up, all of you."
Boris' frustrated grunts went completely ignored.
"Quiet!"
Zayn's sudden outburst, though, settled the entire room into a compelling silence.
Although their inflections were similar, Zayn's presence proved to be the difference. Every word he said, every movement, and every look he cast, projected its own commanding character!
With that, that sense of amity finally came back to them again.
"It is Mr. Giblo. It really is him, " cried one of the board members. "Although he looks a little different outwardly, that presence is unmistakable."
"Yes. I felt that too…"
The others also looked upon Zayn with exhilaration as well.
"Mr. Giblo." Jamal got to his feet and walked over to Zayn's side. "You're finally back!"
The nerve-wracked and muttering Kallum, too, followed suit. "May the heavens watch over me and not let me throw my lot in with the wrong people again this time."
"I've been ill for a while and only recovered consciousness recently." Zayn cast a glance at Jamal before turning to instruct Mosa. "Bring me the laptop."
"Yes. Right away."
Mosa had been in la-la-land and only just snapped out of it. Then, off she went to fetch the laptop.
"Who are you to give orders around here?" In his best impression of equanimity, Boris growled, "Get out…"
Before he was even done talking, Zayn had him cowed into silence with a cold stare before he went on to subject the latter to an imperious interrogation.
"What is the first technology ever to be developed by Divine Corporation? How many chips has it developed since? What's the seventy-seventh serial number? How many subsidiaries are there under Giblo Group and how many investment projects is it involved in? What was Mr. Jombo's founding ethos? Are you able to answer these?"
Share
