To say that Tim was nervous would be an understatement.

He was taking over the role his father had been preparing him for since he was just a child. He was still just a child when seen from the perspective of all the other board members attending the meeting.

A boy no older than fifteen with the only quality he could have to land him in such a position was being the former CEO's heir.

So taking over such an authoritative position with no prior experience or qualification would seem like a blunder to most. Tim was well aware of that fact and he knew the pressure on him would be twice what he could manage.

He felt tiny in front of all the business partners that were sitting in front of him. The youngest of them all and despite being dressed accordingly for the meeting, he still looked out of place.

All of them had seen years more than twice his age and were looking at him with a mixture of expressions. Some felt pitiful that such a young boy had to bear the weight of his father's company, some felt disdainful that he was being given such an authoritative position just because he was Jack Drake's son.

He turned to look at his father's lawyer, James Reid, who had already spoken to the investors suggested by Black Mask and would be taking over the meeting in his stead if Tim fumbled out of nervousness. 

At that moment, Tim felt powerless despite sitting on the highest chair at the table.

Just like a puppet with his strings held by a shrouded entity that was controlling everything from the shadows.

He caught Reid's gaze, silently urging him to start the meeting. So he nodded, looking at the other faces that were either hostile, unfamiliar, or indifferent.

"Good evening, gentlemen," his voice was slightly unsteady but he willed himself to go on, "I thank all of you for coming here and showing your support to Drake Corporate even in such trialing times."

The board members exchanged glances, skepticism lingering in the air. They were all wondering who in their right mind would think that giving the reins of a company to a teenager was a good idea.

"I know this might seem unconventional for me and for all of you gathered here too," he was slowly finding his footing as he resumed without any interruption yet, "and I understand that many of you have speculations about my age and experience. I may be young, but my father has been preparing me for this role for years. He always used to say that I would look after his company in his absence and now that fate has brought upon such a situation much sooner to us, I am trying to play my part nevertheless. I am trying to do my best for Dad and for this company."

His words held a clear resolve and slowly the cold glares from most of the people present there were starting to soften. One of the business partners, who Tim had briefly met in galas when accompanied by his parents, spoke up, "I remember Jack always used to say you were his company's future. And I don't doubt your motives, dear boy. But it seems impossible for you to handle the burden of being a CEO at such a young age. You should be at school, not here holding board meetings."

Reid looked ready to jump in and tackle the matter his way but Tim shook his head, facing the man himself. 

"Mister Grant, I genuinely respect your concern and you are right, it is not a post that I can handle by myself. That is why I have called all of you together so that we will be able to work with each other for Drake Corporate's future. My lawyer, Mister Reid, will be looking after all the legal proceedings just like he did so for my father. Everything will be as it used to be, I am not proposing any hard and fast changes."

His reply took the room by slight surprise as if they were not expecting him to face that remark himself. In that moment, the shift of power slightly tilted and everyone present could see that Tim may be young but he was not spineless.

He could face his problems on his own without freaking out.

Unknown to them, he had faced Roman Sionis too, one of the deadliest men in Gotham. And if he could stand his ground without flinching in front of Black Mask, then the rest of them were no big deal for him.

"Having you as the CEO is a hard and fast change by itself, Timothy." Another one of the partners remarked.

"Acting CEO," Tim interjected and corrected the statement, "the post rightfully belongs to Dad and will stay his. I am only taking over until he recovers."

"But will he recover?"

The question struck through him like cold iron pouring into his veins. Would Jack recover or would he stay like that in a comatose state for the rest of his life?

No one had any idea about that.

"Mister Drake has shown remarkable progress in the past few weeks," James Reid spoke up, seeing that Tim wanted someone to back him up, "if it continues, we are very hopeful that we will see him back with us as healthy as earlier."

"That's good to know," Grant nodded his head solemnly, "we hope he recovers soon."

"He will," James stated firmly and Tim looked up at him with that questioning look as if he was searching his eyes for a hope that had been lost.

He knew James was saying that just to reassure the business partners not to back out at the last minute. There had been no change in Jack's condition otherwise.

"Mister Reid has secured a meeting with our investors and we are confident that we will get the funds we need for the coming month," Tim shakily concluded the session, that question seemed to have disturbed him, "if there are any issues whatsoever, please feel free to contact me or Mister Reid. I look forward to seeing you all again soon."

There were hushed murmurings between the board members but they nodded to his remark, accepting that it was time for them to leave. As Tim stood up, the rest of them slowly started to leave too.

Henry Grant paused on his way out, coming to stand in front of Tim as he reached out to pat his shoulder. "Good luck, son. You will have to face a lot on your own but I will try my best to support you."

"Oh... Thank you..."

"For Jack's sake," he nodded, patting his shoulder once more before letting go, "I hope he gets better soon."

"I hope so too, Mister Grant," he replied, ignoring the prickly feeling in his eyes as he held the tears back, "I really hope so too."

That evening, Tim had finally stepped into the dangerous and uncharted waters of the murky corporate world. Even if he was someone's puppet, the invisible monster of danger and peril lay in front of him with its jaws wide open.

He was willingly walking right into it.

For his father's sake and for keeping Drake Corporate afloat despite all the hardships they were currently facing.

***