KATIKA-Treason is never far away (Part.1)

Chapter 5 | The tipping point

The argument from the previous evening had deeply shaken John Katika's morale to the point that his eyes were swollen with fatigue, as he had been unable to get a wink of sleep throughout the night.

Upon arriving at the Katika Tower, he saw Mikhail sitting in a chair meant for visitors in the hall, seemingly waiting for him.

"Hey John!" he said, "You don't look too good this morning."

John let out a hoarse grunt but responded to his friend.

"I had a rough evening."

"Did you argue with your father?" Mikhail asked.

"As usual whenever we spend some time together," replied John with a deep sigh.

His friend looked at him with eyes filled with compassion and pity; he knew William Katika well enough to understand the kind of man he was.

"My old friend, if you want to talk about it, I'm here," he said.

John looked his best friend straight in the eyes and explained the reason behind the dispute. Mikhail listened attentively and mentally analyzed his friend's account.

When John finished, Mikhail didn't beat around the bush and let him know what he thought.

"On the one hand, I understand your anger at your father's absence in your life, but on the other hand, I believe you got worked up too easily. He just wanted to advise you so you could succeed, and between us, any businessman would kill for the advice of the great William Katika."

John had expected better support from his friend, with whom he had spent more than half of his young life. Feeling a dangerous mix of frustration and anger rising within him, he decided to thank him hypocritically so as not to go too far and also not to alienate Mikhail: one argument was enough; a second one would be truly devastating for his mental balance.

The two friends headed towards the elevator to go to Miles Woodford's office, who had summoned them the previous day at 9 a.m.

Upon reaching the 158th floor, they saw the CEO, Woodford, engaged in a furious argument with Anthony Davies, the member of the executive committee whom they had encountered in the corridors after the signing of their contract.

"You have no right to do this!" Davies shouted, making wild gestures of anger.

Woodford let out a contemptuous chuckle.

"Of course I do. Here, I'm the top boss, and you better remember that if you want to keep your position," he replied.

"You think you're superior to everyone," Davies began, "but look at yourself: you're just a despicable character who believes he can put a thousand employees out of work as he pleases!"

The CEO noticed John and Mikhail's presence and decided to put an end to the quarrel, deeming that the two young executives deserved more attention than Davies.

"Anyway, that's how it is, and there's no other way around it. The Board of Directors has approved this decision, and you have nothing to say about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to," he said.

Deliberately turning his back to Davies, he gestured for John and Mikhail to enter his office. Furious at being treated with such disrespect, Davies turned on his heels and headed for the elevator.

Once in the office, John couldn't help but ask Woodford about the altercation.

"Miles! Why was that scene happening, and what's this story about massive layoffs?"

The CEO didn't respond immediately, taking his seat at the desk. In a solemn manner, he answered:

"The Katika Board of Directors determined yesterday, during the meeting, that the new Artificial Intelligence recently developed by Tech International, one of our biggest service providers, will allow us to save hundreds of millions of dollars. The time is for innovation, taking risks, and change."