The bright, airy conference room buzzed with a low hum of conversation. Morning sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the sleek, glass-topped table where the Moon Corporation executives sat. Each executive cradled a slim tablet, their fingers dancing across the screens. Papers, likely for quick reference or containing notes, were scattered around the table alongside the tablets. Michael, CEO of Moon Corporation, sat at the head of the table, swiping through a holographic financial report projected on the central screen, his brow furrowed in concentration. Glasses of juice, water, or coffee lined up according to the executives' preferences.
The presentation screen displayed a series of colourful holographic visualisations. Ogechi, her voice crisp and confident, was wrapping up her segment on market trends. '...and as you can see from the breakdown of customer demographics by age group,' she concluded, gesturing towards a chart illustrating a positive upward curve for the millennial consumer segment, 'our focus on sustainable practices is resonating with a key market demographic.'
A murmur of agreement rippled through the room as Ogechi gracefully stepped back, allowing Basil to take centre stage. He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping across his colleagues. 'Thank you, Ogechi. Now, let's delve deeper into the operational aspects to ensure we can meet the growing demand for our eco-friendly products,' he began, launching into his portion of the presentation on logistics and production.
A sudden message notification erupted from Michael's phone, shattering the focused silence. Michael flinched, his gaze snapping from the tablet to his phone, which lay forgotten on the table amidst the paperwork. A worried frown creased his face for a moment, like he was thinking about something else besides work before quickly regaining his composure. He stole a glance at his phone, then back at the report, a silent debate flickering in his eyes. But the urgency of the notification seemed to win.
With a sigh that ruffled the nearby papers, Michael reached for his phone. It was a WhatsApp message from Sharon Ojukwu. At first, Michael contemplated ignoring it and continue with the meeting, but the urgency of the message caught his attention. Sharon had written, 'Chioma might be in trouble. Go help her out at Star Restaurant. Jessica is the reason.'
Michael's face hardened upon reading the message. A cocktail of emotions flashed across his features before he slammed his phone down with a force that rattled the glasses of juice, water, and coffee lining the table. The executives, startled from their focused concentration, exchanged bewildered glances. The meeting had been progressing smoothly until Michael received the WhatsApp message from Sharon.
'Sir Michael, should we continue with this meeting or should we call it a day?' Robert cautiously asked, trying to prevent Michael from directing his anger towards him.
Without acknowledging Robert's question, Michael swiftly picked up his phone and exited the meeting room, making his way to Star Restaurant.
'That's it for today,' Robert declared, discreetly signalling to the executives that they could leave.
'Why should we end the meeting?' one of the executives enquired, intrigued by Robert's decision.
'How can we proceed when Sir Michael is clearly in a bad mood?' another executive whispered. 'Maybe we should consider bringing the chairman back to take charge of the company.'
'I understand your concerns, but don't dig your own grave, Basil. The chairman has retired, and suggesting his return would be inviting disaster,' Robert responded, a touch of disdain evident on his face. 'Let's not jump to conclusions. We'll continue these discussions at the next meeting. The meeting is over for today.' With that, Robert grabbed his briefcase and headed towards the exit.