“Are you sure of the information you have in these documents?” Damian asked, pointing at the packaged documents on the table.
“Yes sir. A bit of inside information too.” the man replied, stroking the beards on his jawline.
“Perfect!”
The man stared at him, not really understanding what was going on. Who was this man, and why did he request for such information? The questions swarmed in his head but he kept his mouth shut. Whoever wanted to go against Jack Antonio could end him in a second.
Few hours later, another piece of information was trending on the media space. Someone had dropped an anonymous tip for the biggest news outlet in the city. The tip was a short letter in writing, but from what could be deduced, rumors were already flying around.
“Oh shit!” Harry cussed as he came across the news. His mind went to the rumor he had already heard and everything was starting to make sense. “Had Jack seen this yet?” he thought as he ran up the stairs.
___
“Mr Lucas Zack” Damian called the man’s name immediately he picked the call. The man stared at the screen in surprise before returning it back to his ears. He had removed it from his ear to check when he heard the caller call his man.
“Yes. This is Mr Lucas Zack. Who is this, and how may I help you.” he replied, bracing up.
Damian walked in the darkness of the room from the table to the window, staring out into the city, a glass of branded whiskey in his left hand, his favourite. “I have a business proposal for you.” His tone was straight and unwavering.
Lucas’ attention was now focused on the conversation. He was a businessman who was still fighting to keep his back from the waters. Every deal was important to him. “What proposal?” he asked, disguising his interest in a flood of calmness.
“I suppose the name Jack Antonio leaves a dent in your memory.” Damian spoke and he froze. Who was this man that called him in the middle of the night, and how did he find out about that. “How about a way to get back at Jack?”
_
The next morning, the media space was agog. There was a rising tension as every media house tried to cover what they thought was going to happen. The tip had said that it was going to happen.
Damian sat comfortably at the back of his limousine as the driver drove past buildings on their way to his company. He watched the streets with a smile on his face. He was going to shock the entire LA. He was going to shock Jack especially.
The gates of this company building were thrown wide open and the driver drove past the group of bubbling reporters that stood at the gate, waiting eagerly for any news to feed on. He emerged from the car, dressed in an Italian cut tuxedo as he took slow and graceful steps to the office building. The reporters tried to get to him but were blocked by the group of security men who stood by the gate. He waved at them with a smile before disappearing inside the building.
Once Inside the building, he took the elevator to the floor where the boardroom was located. The boardroom was filled with the directors and some high ranking management officials of the new company. He opened the glass door and stepped in, an eerie silence dawning on the room. He was the last to arrive, rightly so.
“Good morning gentlemen. I’m sorry for being a bit behind schedule.” he peaked at his watch, mainly for the effects, before continuing “Thank you all for being here today. Today, we give rise to a new beginning. We give rise to a change in the business dynamics of this city. We give rise to strong competition, and better service delivery. Ladies and gentlemen, today, we give rise to Backend construction and logistics company.”
The clapping that followed was deafening as everyone in the room clapped at the short speech. A smile of satisfaction rested on his face. He had finally done it. He now owned a company. One that was going to rival Jack’s in no time.
“The mission and goals of this company is very simple and indicated on the business blueprint. Thank you for starting this journey with me.” he added after the clapping had died down. The men held satisfied looks on their faces as they chattered away. The men in the room were knowledgeable businessmen who were to make up the board of directors of the baby company. One of them had just resigned from Jack’s company.
Damian stood in front of the building, a bright smile on his face as he addressed the men of the press. The news had already spread. A new company had sprung up directly in Jack’s line of business. The infamous Jack Antonio now had competition. He responded to questions from the journalist with an unfaltering poise. He could only imagine what the headline would read. He now had Jack’s best management official, and a bunch of people who were ready to work against him.
“Can you tell us more about yourself? The name Damian Woods is basically unknown around California.” the journalist pressed on, trying to get answers from him.
He smiled into the camera as it captured his face. “You will be hearing more about the name from now on.” he replied before walking away, fulfilled. The journalists now shifted their attention to Mr Erik who was behind Damian. He was deputy director of administration at Jack’s company until a week ago when he had tendered his resignation letter.
“Mr Erik. Can you tell us more about your decision? A week ago, you were director of administration at JNT constructions and today, you’re deputy CEO of a sprouting company. How did that happen? ” The eager journalists pointed microphones in front of him, hoping for a response.
“I needed a new challenge. The business world is not meant to be static. I moved with the wave.” he replied.
“Sir-”
“No more questions. Thank you.” he interrupted, walking out of the session. The video camera turned its focus to the journalist who was now speaking.
“Backend constructions and logistics, a new company has been officially unveiled, and is owned by a certain Mr Damian Woods. Strange isn’t it?” the journalist spoke to the camera. “Even more surprising is the fact that three of the members of the board of directors have worked directly with Jack Antonio. What revolution are we going to see in our city’s business world? You just have to wait and find out.”
The live session ended and Damian smiled. He was standing at the corner, watching as the journalist spoke. The media had played a very big role here today, and even had bigger roles to play in his master plan. He had one plan. To conquer Los Angeles, even if it means conquering Jack Antonio.
He knew the media was going to try to find out something and everything about him. That was a part he had carefully and perfectly crafted. They would search, but would find nothing. Damian Woods was here to stay!