The conference room was too bright.
Lucas entered first, followed by Rhea and Julius. No greetings. No handshakes. The mood was already tense—half the team had seen the internal calendar change the meeting from "HR Strategic Review" to "Restructuring Directive."
That wasn't semantics. That was war.
Lucas stood at the head of the table. He didn't sit.
Rhea took the seat beside him and opened her tablet with the grace of someone about to deliver bad news like it was weather.
The room was full—directors, middle management, HR leads, two internal legal observers. A few of them tried to offer polite smiles.
Lucas didn't return them.
He started the meeting with a single sentence:
"We're reducing headcount by thirty percent."
Murmurs erupted like static.
Someone—head of operations—opened their mouth. "But that's—"
"—Already calculated," Rhea interrupted smoothly. "Non-essential roles. Low ROI staff. Duplicate functions across business units."
"We're preparing for growth," another said, desperate. "That kind of cut—"
Lucas finally sat, slow. "We're not growing. Not yet."
The silence came fast and hard.
Lucas leaned forward. Calm. Controlled. Cold.
"We're stabilizing. Cutting waste. Making lean systems run leaner. You don't pour new concrete over a foundation with cracks."
"But what about strategic expansion?"
"You're thinking too far ahead," Lucas said. "This company has rot in the walls. We don't build a bigger house—we gut the damage and live smaller. Smarter. Stronger."
A senior HR exec cleared her throat, clearly nervous. "Do you intend to rehire those roles over time?"
"No," Rhea said before Lucas could. "We'll restructure workflows, reassign functions, and increase output from high-performers."
Lucas's voice was low. "We'll make it work. Without excuses."
ATHENA whispered in his ear."Emotional morale: destabilizing. Power perception: rising. Public-facing HR documents prepared."
A marketing manager raised her hand—shaky. "Respectfully… is there going to be a morale initiative? Culture recovery? This will hit people hard."
Rhea offered a polished smile. "We'll manage optics."
Lucas didn't smile.
"I'm not here to make this comfortable. I'm here to make it survive."
He stood again. "And if you think I'm bluffing, you're welcome to find a softer company. The door's right there."
Silence again. He let it simmer.
Then he nodded once to Rhea.
She tapped the screen. Names, roles, and departments appeared on the wall. Redlined. Precise.
The list was long.
Julius leaned against the back wall, arms folded, quietly impressed.
Rhea spoke, voice smooth as glass. "Department heads will receive personal notices by the hour. Legal packets will be prepared by EOD. Transition packages are limited and standardized. There will be no negotiation."
Lucas gave them all one last look.
"You have until next quarter to prove you belong here."
He left the room.
The hallway outside had gone silent, but tension hummed just beneath the surface—like the aftermath of a lightning strike. Lucas didn't slow his steps. He walked past the polished glass, past interns trying not to look too alert, and entered the smaller, adjacent meeting room already prepared by Rhea.
A single table.
Two chairs.
No conference feel. No false diplomacy.
ATHENA's voice chimed calmly."One-on-one executive evaluations queued. Estimated duration: ten minutes per subject. Psychological readouts primed. Shall we begin?"
Lucas nodded. "Send in the first."
The door opened.
The Head of Finance stepped in, face composed but pale, clutching a leather folder like it might shield her from fate.
Lucas gestured toward the seat. "You've got ten minutes. Impress me."
The door closed behind her.
And so began the longest hour in half the building's life.
Each executive entered with a slightly different strategy—deference, data, excuses, sometimes bravado.
Lucas dismantled all of them, one by one.
"I didn't see your department's forecast adjust after the merger.""Why are we still losing margin on a legacy account?""You approved bonuses during a negative growth quarter—explain that."
For some, it was survival.
For others, it was the end.
The Director of Partnerships left the room ghost-white, clutching a severance letter.
The long-serving VP of Public Strategy didn't make it past minute five.
ATHENA noted quietly:"Efficiency increasing. Strategic consolidation within acceptable limits. Morale penalty: temporary."
Lucas didn't flinch.
Because this wasn't cleanup.
This was curation.
By the fifth session, he'd stopped asking for folders. He asked questions directly—about numbers, about culture, about Cyrus.
"How many times did you lie to my father?""How many times did you hope I'd fail?""And now that I haven't, why should I keep you?"
By the end of the last meeting, only half of them had walked out with their titles intact.
The others?
Rhea already had transition memos in motion.
Julius poked his head in near the end, holding up a cold brew. "You want a sip or a sedative?"
Lucas rubbed his jaw. "Neither. Just the next one."
"You're done. That was the last."
Lucas leaned back. The air felt heavier.
ATHENA murmured in his ear:"Congratulations. You now officially command the executive tier. Loyalty matrix updated. Strategic resistance decreased by 34%."
He didn't smile.
The next door creaked open.
A pause.
Lucas looked up from the final folder.
The man standing there wasn't on the official list.
Mid-twenties. Neatly dressed, but not designer. Nervous in the way people are when they know they've stepped into something far above their clearance.
Brown eyes. Slight slouch. Familiar.
"Eric… Tan?" Lucas said slowly.
The man's face flickered with recognition and sheepish pride. "Yeah. Wow. It's been years, huh?"
Lucas didn't respond immediately. He was already pulling up the file on the tablet.
ATHENA spoke softly in his ear."Employee: Eric Tan. Mid-level Accounts Management. Low performance index. Retention flagged for reassessment. No strategic potential."
Lucas remembered. Sophomore year. Same math class. Pick-up basketball after school. A guy who coasted through life on charm and mediocrity.
"I didn't know you worked for us," Lucas said flatly.
Eric laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, well. You probably didn't expect half the old class to show up in your empire either."
Lucas looked down at the data. His eyes didn't flinch.
Eric's voice tried to fill the silence. "I know the numbers probably don't look great—had a tough Q3 last year. But I've been here six years. I know the clients. I can bounce back."
Lucas looked up, expression unreadable.
"No, Eric. You can't."
Eric blinked. "Come on, man. You know me."
"I did. In high school. But this isn't high school anymore."
Eric's shoulders tensed. "You're firing me?"
"I'm making space for people who don't coast."
ATHENA added, without mercy:"Efficiency protocol: enforced. Emotional regret: irrelevant."
Eric looked like he might say more. Then thought better of it.
He straightened. Bit his lip.
"Guess I underestimated you."
"No," Lucas said. "You underestimated the stakes."
Eric walked out without slamming the door. Just quiet footsteps.
Lucas stared at the space he'd left behind.
Then swiped the file closed.
Another name off the list.
The door clicked again, and Julius stepped inside with his signature easy saunter, holding two bottled waters like peace offerings.
He set one down in front of Lucas. "Well, that was brutal. Saw a few familiar faces in the hallway. Some didn't look too happy."
Lucas didn't look up. He was still reviewing the next set of department stats. "Some of them can stay."
Julius arched a brow. "That merciful streak? Color me surprised."
Lucas took the bottle and twisted the cap without drinking. "Being merciful has nothing to do with it. They can stay because they're useful. For now."
Julius leaned back against the table, arms folded. "Cold. Efficient. A little terrifying. You're starting to sound like your dad."
Lucas's voice was low, unreadable. "My father would've fired all of them first and asked questions later."
"Fair," Julius muttered. "Still… old ghosts showing up in your empire. Wild."
Lucas finally glanced at him, a flicker of memory passing across his face. "It's not the ghosts that worry me. It's the ones still breathing, thinking they belong here out of nostalgia."
Julius grinned. "Don't worry. No one's confusing this place with a high school reunion anymore."
Lucas's eyes returned to the screen. "Good."
Julius, still perched casually against the table, tapped his phone once. "One more thing. Comms asked for a quick video. Direct-to-camera. Just you explaining why this restructuring happened. Thirty seconds. No buzzwords. Just clarity."
Lucas didn't look up. "So you want the 'I care but I'm not sorry' speech."
Julius grinned. "Exactly. Don't pretend you're the savior. Just say why the ship needs to run lean before it sails."
Lucas pushed the tablet aside and leaned back in the chair. "Fine. Let's do it now."
Julius was already flipping the camera on his phone, angling it just enough to catch the light coming through the windows and the polished glass behind Lucas's head.
"Alright," he said. "Rolling. Give me truth, not pity."
Lucas looked straight into the lens.
"If you want to save the planet, you start by saving the company. And that doesn't happen when bloated departments slow down good ideas."
He paused.
"This wasn't about cruelty. It was about clarity. Innovation needs momentum. And momentum doesn't come cheap. It comes from focus."
A brief silence. Then:
"We're not here to break even. We're here to lead. And leading starts with knowing who can keep up."
ATHENA whispered softly in his ear."Clip length optimal. Tone: commanding. Messaging: aligned with core brand strategy."
Julius lowered the phone. "Damn. You didn't blink once."
Lucas leaned forward again. "Good. Make sure no one else does either."
Julius was already tapping through the editing interface on his phone, trimming the edges and adding the crisp company watermark. He added a caption that read:"Efficiency isn't cold—it's calculated. #LeadOrLeave #LucasPan #NoDeadWeight"
He hit post and tagged the company's official channels with a flick of his thumb. "This is fun," he grinned. "Remind me to film your next campaign in black and white with orchestral music."
Lucas smirked faintly and took a slow sip of water, letting the chill cut through the tension still lingering in his system. Then he tilted his head slightly.
"ATHENA, what's next?"
ATHENA's voice came through instantly, smooth and precise."Next meeting: 3:15 PM. Strategic Partnership Review with Blackwell Energy Initiative. Location: Skybridge Conference Level, Building B."
Lucas exhaled through his nose and set the glass down.
"Let's see if the old money still knows how to play with the new rules."
Julius chuckled and held the door. "And they say you're not charming."
Lucas didn't respond.
He was already calculating his next move.