With a bang, the doors to the Staircase Conference Room were thrown open.
All the committee members turned toward the main entrance. The clock hanging directly above it ticked away.
It was already 10:40, and the meeting had been underway for nearly an hour.
Two figures rushed in from outside. The person in front lost his balance after crashing into the doors and fell to the floor as soon as he entered.
The entire Staircase Conference Room fell as silent as a morgue. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing.
Even their breathing grew much quieter.
A young man entered from outside, gasping for breath. Supporting his waist with one hand, he said, "The car Mr. Gladstone was riding in got into an accident. He's trapped at the highway's lower exit."
"It was a pileup. A lot of cars are jammed together, and even the firefighters can't get in. Mr. Gladstone's current condition is unknown..."
His words came out in broken bursts as he repeatedly took deep breaths. He had run all the way up the stairs and felt as if he could hardly breathe!
Most of the committee members wore smiles with a peculiar meaning. Gladstone's accident definitely wasn't a coincidence.
On the faces of some of the other committee members, however, there was nothing but fear and unease. They had actually dared to move against Gladstone! What else would they not dare to do? Soon, the vote-gathering period ended, and everyone returned to their seats. When the chairman reread the proposal and asked everyone to raise their hands for a vote, those who had not raised their hands earlier slowly lifted them after looking around.
It seemed as if they were surrounded by enemies!
Anyone who did not raise a hand would become an outcast! Some of them were