"Count me out."
Phoenix, who had been sitting in the corner the entire time, suddenly spoke. "I'm sick of these meaningless fights and disgusting money games. I will abstain from tomorrow's vote. I'm not taking sides with any of you."
As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the cigar room froze.
When Beatrice and Alister saw Phoenix abstain outright, they exchanged a glance. Their resolve wavered, and they remained silent.
A three-to-two vote looked like a strong advantage, but in reality...
The siblings had grown up in an environment of constant competition, always trying to sabotage one another. If just one of the three caved to Alexander's pressure and voted yes tomorrow, a living nightmare would await the other two.
Seeing the two of them start to back down, Timothy grew desperate.
'He was already fifty-four, and still just a vice president. Alexander is eighty and wants to keep working for several more years. Am I supposed to wait until I'm sixty to take over?'
