Jay Zacharia diligently studied the folder on his desk, face set in a scowl as he reviewed the dismal sales report of the current quarter. Danish was right, if the sale of their flagship products continued to decline; OPG Technology would soon be out of business.  A knock sounded on the glass door of his lavish office. "Come in," said Jay without looking up.

Mark took in his temperamental boss's stormy expression. Letting out a sigh, he forced a professional smile on his face. "Sir"

Jay put down his file and took off his silver-rimmed reading spectacles. Laying it neatly on the table, he tiredly rubbed his eyes. "What is it, Mark?"

"Sir, Director Nampan and Director Yamnam are here for their appointment. I have seated them in conference room 3. Ms. Supassara Sakakorn and Mr. Kanaphan Wongratch have already been informed."

Perplexed, Jay scratched his head. "Wasn't Director Nampan supposed to come alone? Why is Director Yamnam here when his daughter is getting married next week? Do you have any idea what is going on?"

Embarrassed, Mark looked away. "Sir, it is not in my place to say."

Over a decade ago, Jay had taken in the freshly graduated and rather young Mark and taught him the ropes of business. Aware of every nuisance on the inexpressive face of his secretary, Jay furrowed his eyebrows. Something must be badly amiss to have flustered the sharp and coldly efficient Mark.

Jay rose to his feet and slipped his hands through the coat, Mark held for him. "Ask the Manager of the Sales Division to come and meet me after lunch."

"Yes Sir!"

Jay picked up his phone from his large oak wood desk and walked out. He was rather curious to know what the Directors had to say.

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"It is good to see you, old friend," said Jay warmly as he shook Director Nampan's hand. "Your health has much improved."

A broad smile unfolded on Director Nampan's wrinkled face. "It is always a pleasure, Chairman Zacharia. I have brought Director Yamnam with me too."

Jay shook Director Yamnam's hand although his greeting was far less cordial. He then nodded at his two best friends, the CFO of OPG- Ms. Supassara Sakakorn, and the CTO, Mr Kanaphan Wongratch. Taking his seat at the head of the table, he gestured for Mark to bring over the refreshments.

Director Nampan sighed when Mark placed a cup of green tea and a plate of sugar-free biscuits before him. "You never forget to pamper an old man like me, Chairman. I see much of you in your son, Danish."

Director Yamnam scoffed, "More like the troublesome part."

Supassara exchanged a glance with Kanaphan, this meeting wasn't going to end well for Jay.

Jay Zacharia raised a brow, "What does Director Yamnam mean?"

Director Nampan shook his head and put down the expensive porcelain tea cup. "Chairman Zacharia, we have known each other for over two decades. I have always been steadfast in my support of you. But the direction of the winds has begun to change and not everyone shares my sentiment."

Worried, the CTO  leaned forward in his seat. "It is clear as daylight that Director Yamnam does not share your sense of loyalty."

Director Yamnam shrugged in response. "I am only here because of Director Nampan. Therein lies my sense of loyalty!"

CFO Supassara smiled warmly. "Director Yamnam, our association goes back several years and I have never seen you so piqued. Has Danish done something to upset you? If that is so, please accept my apology on his behalf."

Director Yamnam let out a short laugh though his rebellious eyes held no mirth. "I am afraid things have gone far beyond a mere apology."

"Whatever do you mean?" asked CTO Kanaphan indignantly.

Savoring the unease on the faces of the Trio for a moment longer, Director Yamnam took a sip of his Capuchino that had been meticulously prepared to his liking.   

Jay Zacharia watched with narrowed eyes, fully aware that the scoundrel Yamnam was here to negotiate a deal with him.

"Under the leadership of Director Kanarot, all the other directors agree that OPG is now a sinking ship which must soon be abandoned. To promote his son's ambition, Chairman Zacharia has been making naive decisions instead of wisely choosing to sell off the company and recover our investments."

Jay put his arms on the table and steepled his fingers together. "Director Kanarot has always been overly enterprising. This is not the first crisis OPG is facing. Surely it wouldn't be the last."

Director Yamnam picked up his coffee mug again. "Director Suparat insists that we will go bankrupt if we follow Danish's business plans."

CTO Kanaphan shook his head at the ridiculous situation. "They are being far too hasty in their judgment. We only plan to vet several RD companies and tie up with one to relaunch a few products. We will discuss acquisition only after the RD company has proved its worth. In the long run, this move will prove to be beneficial for us."

Director Nampan cleared his throat. "Director Pinnirat has been openly accusing Chairman Zacharia of mismanagement. Director Kasetsin is preparing to sell off his shares in OPG. After he succeeds, the others will surely follow his lead."

CFO Supassara exploded, letting out an unladylike oath that had the men staring at her. "Director Kasetsin selling his shares will send thewrong message to the market. OPG share prices will fall abruptly, pushing us further into debt. Then we will have no means to pay the employee salaries, far less launch new products. All this will occur when we are at the cusp of launching OPG to new heights."

"Director Kasetsin must change his mind if he doesn'tprefer his heiress wife learns of his latest Japanese mistress", stated Jay coldly. "As for Director Kanarot, if he doesn't stop stirring trouble for OPG, evidence of his illegal trading and offshore accounts will make it to the Income Tax department."

Director Yamnam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, realizing they hadn't been as subtle as they wished. Jay Zacharia probably had a file on each of them. "Veiled threats won't change our minds."

With his eyes hard as flint, Jay Zacharia smiled dangerously. "Swift actions might."

Director Yamnam swallowed nervously as he was reminded of a feral wolf on the hunt.

"Threatening the others into submission will not work for long," countered Director Nampan. "There are other ways of effectively solving this crisis."

"What might they be?" asked CTO Kanaphan, wondering what the old man was up to.

Director Nampan drank a glass of water to ease his parched throat. Wiping his mouth with a tissue, he haltingly continued.

"You can get Danish engaged to an eligible offspring of the Board of Directors or find him a suitable heiress wife from a multinational business family. In both cases, the weight of well-connected in-laws will put Danish on a steady footing."

CFO Supassara was scandalised. "Forgive me Director Nampan, I strongly disagree. Danish is still in college and far too young for a fiancé or a wife."

CTO Kanaphan smirked. "Director Yamnam is using his daughter to improve his social position. However, Chairman Zacharia is a fair man. He wouldn't choose to strand his only son in what would most likely be an unhappy marriage. Perhaps you have another suggestion?"

Director Nampan looked Jay Zacharia in the eye. "Then you must buy time from the Directors to launch the new OPG products. Once the products succeed, it will cement Danish's standing in the management of OPG."

Jay let out a deep sigh, well aware of what the old man was suggesting. Accepting the inevitable, he rose from his seat. "If the upcoming OPG smartwatch and EarPods fail,I will voluntarily step down from my chairmanship," he declared.

Director Yamnam could scarcely believe his ears. After all these years, they finally had the opportunity to unseat Chairman Zacharia.

"What are you saying, Jay?" gasped his shocked friends in unison.

Jay smiled wryly, "Do you not see? This was always meant to be the result of the game that is being played against me by Director Kanarot. I only ask that Interns Danish and Niam are not informed of this unpleasant wager."

Director Nampan held the table and slowly rose to his feet. "They have made the gross mistake of underestimating the Zacharias", he stated softly. "They escape a tiger only to meet a crocodile."

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Monica absentmindedly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she sorted through the photographs on her tiny dining table. Pushing away a bowl containing the cold remnants of a noodle soup, she laid them out side by side. Marisa was a genius photographer, she mused. The candid pictures of Rachel as she went about her duties as the School Council Vice President were cute and relatable. They made Rachel look warm and approachable, instead of the usual Ice Queen persona she portrayed.

Monica set aside a few photos to be sent to her father, Taylor. He would need them to get professional posters designed for Rachel's Student Council President campaign.

Monica giggled mischievously as she picked up a picture of Rachel squinting in the sun, patiently waiting for the latecomers to complete their assigned punishment of doing one-hand push-ups on the field. She would upload this picture on Rachel's newly opened Instagram page, with the caption "Running late is exercise right?"

Slowly, her smile dimmed. Guilt was gnawing away at her heart. Unbeknownst to her friends, she had done far too many unsavory things to ensure a landslide victory in the upcoming University elections. A few popular students assumed to be threatsto Rachel's success had been eliminated. One had been admitted to the hospital with multiple fractures, while another had been arrested at a rave party. Two potential candidates had dropped out of university in their final year; Monica didn't even want to discover the real reason. To keep her father safe, she would follow every instruction Mr Daniel gave.

Her phone rang suddenly, causing a startled Monica to knock the porcelain bowl off the table. It shattered beside her bare feet, nicking a toe and staining her satin pajamas. She swore viciously as she surveyed the mess before answering the call.

"Dad, it's 2 am. Why are you awake?" she asked exasperated.

Taylor rolled his eyes "I might ask you the same daughter. Did Rachel file her nomination for the upcoming SC President elections?" 

Monica hopped over to her kitchen cabinet. "She did. So did the other two fakes you have planted."

He let out a relieved sigh, "Good. Have you emailed the data for the posters?"

She took out the first aid box from a drawer. Sitting on the low granite counter, she gently used an alcoholic swab to wipe the blood from the cut. "I will do it, right after I upload fresh content on Rachel's social media accounts."

"Have you heard of Mr Jay Zacharia?"

She winced as the cut burned. "He is a trustee at our university. His son is our class fellow and his daughter was Rache's mentee."

"Damn it!"

She paused with the band-aid in her hand.

"Mr. Jay Zacharia is the archenemy of Mr Daniel. You must keep Rachel away from the Zacharias."

Her jaw dropped open. "If Mr. Daniel hates Mr Jay Zacharia so much, why were we even allowed to study at Charnock Beadon?"

He swore profusely. "Mr Daniel's late secretary wasn't nearly as efficient as he should have been. I recently discovered Mr Jay Zacharia's affiliation with your university.

Blood dripped from her open cut onto the black granite, but she hardly noticed. "What are we going to do now?"

"Davis and I have kept this information from Mr Daniel. Rachel is close to becoming the new SC President, there is no way we can pull her out of the university. It would wreck Mr Daniel's plans for her political career. She graduates in a year, what could go wrong?"

"Right," she agreed half-heartedly.

His voice softened, "Daughter, it is getting late. Send the data and get some sleep. Good night."

Monica swallowed hard, as the line went dead. Boy was she glad, she had kept the secret of Rachel's crush on the OPG heir from her father. As far as she could see, it would forever remain an unacknowledged infatuation!

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"Do you have the information?" asked Mr Daniel brusquely, as he poured himself a third glass of whiskey.

Mew let out a merry laugh. "I wouldn't be calling you at 2 am if I didn't."

Mr Daniel twirled the exquisitely carved tumbler, watching the amber liquid glow in the dim light. "So, who ordered the hit on Rawat Samthonglai?"

"Your campaign manager's daughter did. It was carried out by a private assassin specially retained by Mr Taylor. My men have recovered an associated video which I am forwarding to you now."

Mr Daniel tightened his grip on the tumbler. "Are you sure?" he asked in a stone-cold voice.

"Venom has more control of its men than you have over yours," smirked Mew. "The information is verified. Treat the video clip as a token of my regard for our association."

Enraged, Mr Daniel rudely cut the phone call and hurled the tumbler at the opposite wall. Forcing himself to calm down, he opened the video clip Mew spoke of.  Much to his confusion, it contained the confession of Rawat's cousin, Narong. After watching the whole clip twice, understanding dawned on him and he smiled savagely. No doubt this video would force Thanawat Samthonglai back to their side. As for Monica and Taylor, he would deal with them after Rachel was elected as the new Student Council President.

 Hi guys, it seems that Monica and her father have landed themselves in a pickle. Do vote and comment to let me know what you think!