~Arlo Frantz~

I wanted to see who arrives first whenever I call for a meeting, because I know those people are the ones who fear me.

The meeting started at 8.

Fifteen other men sat around the long oak table, all of them with carefully neutral facial expressions. While I sat at the farthest end, behind me was a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.

I allowed them to speak first. Numbers filled the screen, stocks, franchises across three continents. I saw who spoke confidently, saw who kept glancing on their phone, and those who avoided eye contact when suspicious numbers showed up on the screen.

“Our data shows 5% losses,”...