ORGÁNOSI I: Broken Mask

ANTECEDENT: CHAPTER 40

ANTECEDENT: CHAPTER 40

THE MOMENT Midnight entered the meeting hall, all eyes were on him. Some were curious, some were calculating, while others were measuring his worth. He could feel each scrutinizing gaze, but his face remained utterly impassive, betraying nothing—not a flicker of doubt, not the slightest trace of discomfort.

With deliberate ease, Midnight sat on the chair in the middle of the room, in front of the deputies. His posture relaxed but commanding.

The silence was deafening, and the room was thick with tension. It made some fidget and anxious. The continental boss of North America's expression was so cold that no one dared to open their mouths to commence the meeting.

Ninety-three deputies sat in rigid rows. Some were tapping the armrest of their chairs with their fingers in impatience while others whispered under their breaths, careful not to let the boss who just arrived hear their voices.

Most deputies were giving Malcolm a look—asking him to talk, but Malcolm pretended to be blind. Announcing the commencement of the meeting before the continental boss did was a disrespect act. Why would he do that?

After talking to the continental boss of North America, Malcolm understood the fact that Midnight Velasquez was a good and respectful man, but shouldn't be trifled with. Because Midnight was as ruthless as he was good.

And Malcolm could feel like this was a test. Midnight was testing them. What kind of test? He had no idea.

The hall continued to be silent except for the rhythmic ticking of the clock in the far wall. Midnight knew he should speak, but he wanted to solidify his authority in this new territory. So, he let the silence stretched as he raised his head and looked at the deputies one by one. His cold eyes meeting their gazed.

A few deputies exchanged glances, frustration building up as they try to maintain their decent masks. But Midnight could see through those masks they wear. These deputies, not all but many of them were dissecting him, watching him intently as if waiting for him to make a mistake.

But Midnight remained nonchalant in his seat. He simply sat there, impassive and unreadable, as if the people in this room were beneath his concern.

The clock continued to tick, and the silence continued. It was so silent that the deputies could hear their own breathing. No one dared to speak before the boss, whose presence alone was enough to press an invisible weight on the entire room.

When the deputies learned that the new continental boss of North America was in his early twenties, they felt doubtful and displeased. What could a kid do?

Some deputies were implementing a wait and see approach, while others think the kid got the title through nepotism. Especially that the continental boss training was a confidential matter.

After a long, insufferable silence, it was finally broken by the young man carrying a laptop behind the continental boss.

Love walked over the meeting hall display—an electronic screen designed for use in meetings and presentation. Love connected his laptop to the screen and before he played the video file on the screen, he faced the deputies with a smile.

"As we all know, the continental boss training is confidential. However, the confidentiality clause only applies only to the detailed information about the training—the location they visited and the missions they undertook to pass. This means we can still show you a snippet of it taken from CCTV footages." Love's smile widened. "Are you ready to see it?"

No one answered, and Love took their silence as yes.

With a radiant smile, he pressed play and show every deputy in the room that ruthlessness had a face—the new continental boss of North America, Midnight Velasquez.