Episode 1.5 - The Eren Emperor

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Jorah sat in the oversized leather chair at the head of the boardroom table. While he was by no means a small man, the chair dwarfed him, its sheer size a deliberate choice by his predecessor, who always loomed large—literally and figuratively—over everyone in the room. 

He hated this chair but he understood its signifance. It had been designed to symbolize power, authority, control. Now, it seemed like a relic of a man whose presence lingered, even in death. He'd felt it the first time he sat in it—the weight of the expectations, the ghost of a legacy that stretched back generations, pressing down on his shoulders.

The boardroom of Eren Industries was bathed in the soft light of the recessed ceiling fixtures. Jorah  sat as comfortably as the stiffness of the chair's leather would allow. His gaze swept over the executives sitting at the  long, polished mahogany, their expressions a mixture of skepticism, barely concealed disdain or total disinterest.

"Thank you all for coming" Jorah's voice cut through the heavy silence, his voice calm but carrying the unmistakable edge of  the Eren authority. "We have alot to discuss today, so shall we begin?" He looked at a rotund man sitting to his left. "I'll hear Mr. Kim's report first."

Before  Jorah's command could be executed however, Mr. Park, one of the older executives, leaned forward, his graying eyebrows furrowed. "With all due respect, Mr. Eren," he began, his voice dripping with forced politeness, "Your father... your late father... had a particular way of doing things." The words hung in the air like a subtle threat, as if invoking the man's memory might shake Jorah's resolve. "Based on the way you have been operating, the board isn't convinced that --"

Jorah's jaw tightened imperceptibly, but he kept his expression neutral. They'd been singing this song since the day he sat in this chair. He was well aware of what they thought of him he wasn't worthy of the empire, he was unfit to lead. He was nothing like his father.

At least he could give them that. He was nothing like the man who had sat in this chair before him and had no intention to be.

"Mr. Park," Jorah responded coolly, his fingers lightly drumming on the polished table, "Unless you have not realized by now, I'm not here to step into my father's shoes. I'm here to lead. The two are not the same."

A murmur rippled through the room. Some executives exchanged glances as Jorah responded to Executive Park who was simply voicing what many of them felt.  Executive Park raised a skeptical brow as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as though Jorah had just proven his point. "Lead?" He let the word hang in the air. "Your father led this company with a firm hand. Are you suggesting you'll be doing things differently?"

Jorah sighed in exasperation. "Executive Park. I know when one has been stuck in one position too long, one's senses can be...dulled." Jorah looked squarely at the man as he let the last word hang in the air.

He looked around the table, his eyes meeting each of theirs with deliberate slowness. Some avoided his gaze; others stared back, challengingly. " My role here is to build a future, not preserve the past. If any of you have a problem with that, the door is to your left." He leaned back in the oversized chair, fingers tapping a slow rhythm on the armrest, as if daring anyone to stand up and leave.

A sharp cough broke the moment, papers shuffled and bodies adjusted in their chairs.

"Mr. Kim." Jorah looked at the man he'd addressed at the beginning. "Your report?"

The middle-aged man  stood with a dossier in hand, a slight nervousness on his brow. He cleared his throat, glancing at the room before addressing Jorah.

"Mr. Eren, as requested, I've compiled the report on the results of our latest venture into the electric vehicle market."

The man glanced around the room before continuing. "In the last fiscal year, Eren Industries invested heavily into the production of affordable electric vehicles through our partnership with GreenFlow Motors. Our goal was to target middle-income consumers who were being priced out of the market by more luxury-oriented brands."

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