055 – The Nightmare Goddess Gets Angry #2
The day before the shareholders' meeting.
Alecto tapped Melinoë on the shoulder.
“What's wrong? You don't look so hot. You were strutting around all confident, but now that the big day's here, you getting shaky?”
“The shareholders' meeting doesn't scare me one bit.”
Melinoë scowled fiercely.
Alecto straightened her wings and asked, “Then what is it? Nah, let me guess. For the past two weeks, you've been pulling out your terminal every spare second, checking it like you're waiting for a message from someone.”
“Never happened.”
Melinoë scowled even deeper. Her eyes blazed like fire—a dead ringer for the intimidating CEO. Bloodlines don't lie, do they?
Most folks would tuck tail and run by now.
But Alecto was a fearless goddess.
“Deputy Jo hasn't messaged you, and you're feeling all neglected, right? When I head back to the office, want me to tell him to get in touch?”
“It's not that. But it is because of Deputy Jo. He had the nerve to be rude to me.”
“Rude? What, did he grab your hand without asking?”
“That guy told me he likes nymphs. And that we should implement the nymph quota system.”
Gasp!
Alecto sharply sucked in her breath. Dropping the 'N-word' in front of Melinoë was straight-up taboo.
But?
Alecto eyed Melinoë with narrowed eyes. Melinoë was a goddess, sure—but she was also an 'N-word'.
Jo, you bold bastard. What a confession.
In other words, telling her he liked nymphs right to her face was basically confessing he liked her.
A mortal and an immortal goddess. Despite the massive gulf between them, he'd mustered some serious guts.
“So, what'd you say back?”
“Told him to back off.”
“Good call. Anyone who pisses off a goddess deserves punishment. Want me to go rip him a new one? I could ship him off on a business trip to some hellhole.”
“No need. Jo's already getting a horrible punishment from me.”
“Oh yeah? What punishment?”
Maybe turned him into a hell cockroach. The Soul Society execs had a habit of turning cheeky mortals into those pests.
But Melinoë's story blew right past Alecto's wildest guesses.
“Four days.”
“Four days?”
“I withdrew my attention from Jo for four days. For someone like me—a perfect and beautiful goddess—it's only natural he'd be writhing in sorrow and despair without it for that long.”
Alecto opened her mouth to speak, then clamped it shut. Instead, she just nodded.
“You're right.”
“And even after committing a sin like that, he still hasn't apologized. If he messages first and begs forgiveness, I'd forgive him—as a benevolent goddess.”
Alecto finally got why Melinoë kept staring at her terminal.
“Hey, Jo's walking by. Want me to ask why he hasn't hit you up?”
“No. He's probably so crushed by my disdain he can't even pull himself together. Bet he hasn't eaten right.”
“He's laughing it up with the office ladies, haha-ho-ho.”
Zap!
Melinoë zeroed in on Alecto's fingertip—expecting it to point at Jo. But Alecto had already flipped her to the middle finger.
“Liar. Fooled ya?”
“……”
Melinoë scowled hard and clamped her mouth shut.
Alecto patted her back.
“Shareholders' meeting's starting now. Just joking to loosen you up. Oh, and don't forget—our 'Night Faction' is staying neutral this time. Not picking your side.”
The conference room at headquarters.
Click. Click-click.
Executives settling into their seats.
“Moros, present.”
“Welfare Team's Hypnos, present.”
“Charon's Transport—Charon. Present.”
“Honorary Director Nix entering.”
“Erebos entering.”
Even the primordial Protogenoi-level execs Nix and Erebos took their seats.
It was the first time so many executives had gathered in one place since the “Business Renewal.”
A mortal standing there would've had their heart explode from the sheer divine pressure.
Alecto's sisters, the Erinyes, even sat up straight instead of lounging lazily.
“If I were mortal, it'd shave years off my life.”
“Megaera, tense up!”
Click.
Then, a goddess with hair dark as night and shimmering like stars—deep purple—stood from her seat.
The night goddess and Honorary Director, Nix.
As she rose, Alecto and the rest of the Night Faction stood too.
Goddess Nix announced, “The Chairman is entering. All rise.”
Bang.
Roooar.
The conference room doors flew open, revealing the CEO. His grim, menacing face and blazing eyes were so terrifying—even some execs gulped.
Proving the nickname “Lord of the Underworld” wasn't hype.
Trailing him was a guy in a red cape and nothing but red panties. The so-called Little CEO—Prince Zagreus.
Tsk.
Melinoë clicked her tongue.
The CEO headed for the protruding center seat at the long table—but pulled out the chair instead.
“Zagreus, you lead this meeting today. A man who'll one day inherit the “CEO” seat needs all the experience he can get.”
“Not the Chairman, but Prince Zagreus?”
“Even after all that drama, the succession's unchanged?”
Murmurs rippled through the execs.
Zagreus took the chairman's seat and scanned the room.
“Everyone, take your seats. Mother-in-law, you look even better than last time. Father-in-law, your aura's improved too. How's “Happy World” holding up?”
After Happy World President Thanatos's betrayal.
To hush it up, Protogenoi execs had been dispatched there: Erebos and Nix as president and EVP, ending the chaos.
They also happened to be Zagreus's in-laws—he'd married Nix's daughter.
“Zagreus, on official occasions, please use proper titles.”
The night goddess smiled gracefully.
The room buzzed.
“Nix is drawing a line. So the Night Faction's really not backing the Prince this meeting?”
“Princess Melinoë must've pulled some killer scheme.”
“Heard that mortal Jo—the one with the commendation—made waves.”
The conference room grew noisy.
Prince Zagreus raised the gavel and banged the table.
“Fine. Strict public and private separation. Thorough handling. I don't hate it. Let's dive right into former Happy World President Thanatos.”
Thanatos, god of death. One of Nix's top executive kids.
His defection to the rebels? A brutal blunder for the Night Faction and its leader Nix.
In short—Prince Zagreus was declaring he'd treat the Nix faction as adversaries, not family.
Full-on hostility between the factions.
Doom god Moros raised his hand. “Prince Zagreus. Can't claim zero blame for Thanatos's betrayal, right? We all know you two were like brothers.”
“Yeah! As Safety Management chief, how do you take responsibility for not stopping it?”
The execs started clamoring.
Then Nemesis, from Prince Zagreus's faction, raised her hand. “We weren't sitting idle. But facts are facts. Our brother Thanatos stirring shit tanked Soul Society's stock...”
“Nemesis! You siding against your sisters and brothers?”
Instant pandemonium.
Alecto watched silently, lost in thought.
Only Melinoë profits from this faction war. Ever since Deputy Jo got involved, everything's tilted her way.
She strongly felt the presence of a mortal who didn't even qualify to be here—less than a pathetic ant.
Melinoë had to feel it even more.
Then Melinoë raised her hand.
“I'd rather talk future policy than drag out this blame game. Sure, after Thanatos's betrayal, Soul Society's stocks have been all over. But I have a way to fix it.”
A fix for the volatile stocks. Like a magic wand.
All eyes locked on Melinoë.
Everyone sensed it: If her proposal was killer, it could upend the seemingly set succession.
As every gaze fixed on the princess's lips, she spoke.
“...By implementing the “nymph quota system.”
“Hah?”
Alecto couldn't help but scowl.
Prince Zagreus burst out laughing. “Pfft! Melinoë! You said nymphs were useless and noisy. And you want a quota? You sane? If it's a joke to break the ice, nailed it.”
“Not a joke. And nymphs aren't... exactly useless or just noisy. Your secretary's a nymph—you know they're capable.”
“Fair, but...”
Prince Zagreus glanced around. Execs stifling laughs or looking awkward.
“Nymphs capable, huh...”
“Never thought I'd hear that from Princess Melinoë. Sounds like self-promo.”
“Right? She's a goddess and a nymph.”
Laughter bubbled up here and there.
Alecto remembered the nymph quota proposal was Deputy Jo's idea.
Melinoë knew she'd get ridiculed—but pushed it anyway, for Jo's dream.
Impossible for gods who prized face like their lives.
Melinoë, you care about Jo that much?
But she was dead serious.
“What's so funny? I'm serious. And if you can't see the massive value here, that's your limit.”
“Our limit? What?”
“Princess, you trying to convince us or pick a fight?”
“Zagreus, call an emergency shareholders' tomorrow and invite Jo as presenter. He can explain the quota's potential.”
“What?”
Alecto was floored. Putting a mortal in front of all these execs? Huge gamble.
For the mortal, a shot to make an impression—or a poisoned chalice.
“Little sis, execs' time is worth more than gold. If Jo's pitch ain't worth it, how'll you make it right?”
“Won't happen. His ideas always come with success guaranteed.”
“That's some trust.”
“Some fools just won't get it. So—if the quota fails, I'll relinquish all my shares.”
Gasp!
Every exec sucked in their breath.
Relinquishing all shares? Meant stepping down as exec, turning into a wretched mortal.
“You bastard! This ain't time for sleep!”
I was sleeping when someone yanked the blanket clean off.
Some grim-faced guy glaring down at me—I thought the terrifying King Yama himself had come to drag me off.
But hey, not far off.
The blanket-yanker was the Chairman.
“Chairman? What brings you to my place?”
“Jo! The shareholders' meeting—the fate of every nymph in Soul Society—hangs on you! And that includes my most treasured treasure!”
“Me?”
“Yes! Soul Society's future's in your hands!”
No way something that huge fits in my hands.
Ah, this is a dream. One hell of a realistic one.
What a nightmare.
So I just closed my eyes.