It was an office, a wide one brightly lit by the sunlight filtering in through the glass windows, but not as high up in the sky as the chairman, or rather, the chairwoman's office at Arland Group. Its decoration was also different, the interior design reflecting the vibrant youthfulness of the owner of the place. Said owner was facing away from the desk before the windows, seated in a comfortable armchair, head lowered and focused on the cacophony of cries, screeches, clashes, and a noisy plethora of sound that felt somewhat unreal, even when coming from a high specs phone. And amidst all of that, he let out a light laugh that sounded almost distracted, but decidedly amused, even if only faintly:
"So, parasites and tentacle monsters?"
The reply came curt and deep, from behind the chair facing the view outside, from the speaker of the laptop the chair was facing away from:
"Yes, President."
The smile on the brightly illuminated face curled up higher, amused, but not really mirthful. From behind, another voice came to elaborate on the curt answer:
"We didn't know, President. There has been no sign nor rumors. We just picked up the clues."
The fingers flying over the screen of the phone paused, and the smile on the lips above receded. The owner of the office held his phone in one hand which he rested on the left armrest, and he leaned back, before smiling, and speaking in a tone laden with interest:
"So, we are about to be surrounded by wolves, and you didn't even realize it. Yet, you seem to be feeling proud of your incompetence. I suppose I should be happy too?"
Silence. The remark, derisive even without clear derision, silenced the long-distance meeting. The office quieted down, the air inside seemingly settling to become discreet, inconspicuous. No one spoke. A moment later, the noise coming from the high specs phone resumed as the previously active fingers started flying over the screen once again.
The voice that had silenced the meeting returned:
"You have one month. I want a detailed report on the state of things. Till then, everything goes as usual, but nothing shall be settled in the meantime. Now, that is easy to do, isn't it?"
The voice was still smiling, carrying no sharpness whatsoever, but it was impossible for it to be treated as casually as earlier:
"Yes, President!!!"
"Hm, fortunately. Now get back to work."
The dismissive tone of the words instead felt like an amnesty being granted, and it was immediately clung onto:
"Yes, President!"
The voices of men and women came from the laptop one last time, then silence followed, shattered again and again only by the noisy activity the fingers flying over the phone's screen were devoting themselves to.
After a minute or two, when it seemed that things might remain that way until the sun peaked, and moved past its zenith, Mark's voice came from the laptop:
"Alex, the others are gone."
Only a distracted response came:
"Hm."
Mark asked, a smile in his tone:
"Are you angry?"
The answer didn't come immediately. There was an exhale, and the fingers focused on the game paused once again, before the chair turned around this time, to make the owner of the office face the laptop. And it was indeed Alex Lenner, the playboy who, just hours prior, had been showing off and flirting with beautiful members of the opposite gender in the sports center.
His head, tilted to the side, was propped by his right fist, with his right elbow on the armrest of the armchair. His left hand was dangling over the edge of the other armrest, lightly holding the phone he had been playing with between his fingers.
His demeanor seemed the same as usual, but at the same time, felt strikingly different. It carried a casual domineeringness that didn't appear new. If anything, it was like a sharpness peeking through a haze, peeking through the curtain usually too bright to let anything behind show. Looking at Mark's face amidst the rest of the blackened screen of the laptop, the corner of his lips curled up slightly, confident, almost arrogant. Pushing himself further into the comfort of the backrest, he laughed:
"Angry? No. Far from that. I'm not even disappointed. Those are the rules of the game, and… I have always liked playing."
His smirk deepened as he said the last few words, not becoming sharp, but amused instead. Mark gave him a deep look, then shook his head with a laugh:
"Maybe there is more to the matter. You must have thought about that too, right?"
"Indeed, I have. So those claws people think I don't have, I'm thinking about the best way to display their sharpness."
Mark looked at Alex teasingly:
"Maybe you just seem too kind, Mr President, even though you are more mysterious."
"Tch. Being young, handsome, charming, and having a dazzling smile has nothing to do with kindness."
Alex flippantly scoffed, his whole demeanor collapsing to become petulant as he pushed himself against the backrest of his chair and returned to his game.
"Hahaha, alright, keep praising yourself, Mr certified playboy. Anyway, we are looking for partners, so try not to frighten everyone away."
Still glowing from the laughter, Mark didn't forget to exhort as he moved to terminate the communication. But Alex, apparently, didn't really care:
"Money is the best magnet. It will keep them hooked, and they will come back to negotiate."
"Not just money."
Mark added with a smile, then shook his head and ended the topic:
"As long as you have considered everything. Alright, I'm off to continue the work you have dumped on me."
Alex looked up to dismissively remind:
"It is almost lunch time, go get something to eat. You wouldn't want to return home too tired to take care of your pregnant wife later."
"What a good boss you are! So considerate!"
Faced with the teasing reply, Alex raised an eyebrow, then lowered his gaze back to his game:
"Or you can starve yourself to death and I will help you take care of your wife and your soon-to-be born son. I would be happy to do so."
"Ha. Ha. Keep being considerate. I'm off to eat."
With that sarcastic form of 'No, thank you', Mark cut off the video call, making the last active window in the virtual meeting room follow the rest and darken too.