The silence in the boardroom after his father was escorted out was profound. It was not a peaceful silence, but the heavy, breathless quiet after an execution. The board members avoided Min Jae's eyes, shuffling papers and adjusting ties, their faces a mixture of relief, shame, and raw fear. They had saved their company by committing patricide, and the ghost of the fallen king still lingered in the air.
Min Jae stood, the leather chair groaning in protest. He didn't look at any of them. His gaze was fixed on the cityscape beyond the glass wall, the kingdom he had just seized. It felt hollow. A gilded cage he had fought his way into, only to find it just as empty as the one he'd left.
"The board is adjourned," he said, his voice flat, devoid of triumph. He didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked out, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the cavernous corridor.
