Chapter 43: Here We Come

What? The conference room fell into a stunned silence before erupting into laughter. Mr. Zander and the others could hardly contain themselves. "Hahaha! Tacito, what are you bragging about? How could a nobody like you possibly recruit someone like Mr. Naoki?" Mr. Zander jeered, his laughter echoing through the room. "Oh my god! This is hilarious! Is he out of his mind?" Mr. Zander sneered at Tacito as if he were deranged. "Alright, Tacito, let's make a deal. If you can actually bring in someone of Mr. Naoki's caliber, you can do whatever you want with me, Mike Zander! But if you can't... then you're out of White Enterprises Group for good. How does that sound?" Mike was confident. He didn't believe for a second that a so-called loser like Tacito could secure the services of a big name like Naoki, a titan in the fashion design world. He was setting Tacito up for failure, making it easier to push him out of the company. "Deal!" Tacito agreed without hesitation, much to the shock of everyone in the room. What? Mike and the others were caught off guard. They never expected Tacito to agree so readily. But before they could process what was happening, Tacito strode over to Mike and, without warning, raised his hand. *Slap!* The sound of the slap echoed loudly in the conference room, leaving Mike blindsided and everyone else in stunned silence. Before anyone could react, Tacito grabbed Mike by the collar with one hand and began slapping him repeatedly, as if swatting a fly. "Everyone has their quirks, but yours is downright bizarre. Why do you enjoy getting beaten?" Tacito's voice was cold, and each slap left Mike more disoriented. He tried to fight back, but found himself powerless to break free. "Tacito, stop! Why the hell are you hitting me?" Mike demanded, his voice laced with panic. "You haven't even found a designer like Mr. Naoki yet! You're just a bastard!" Hearing this, Tacito paused and then looked Mike squarely in the eye. "Is that so?" Tacito's voice was calm as he turned towards the door. "Come in!" Everyone's eyes followed his gaze to the door of the conference room. There was a brief moment of silence before the door swung open, and in walked an elderly man with gray hair, followed by a group of sharply dressed individuals in suits and ties. As they entered, the entire room froze in shock. The group immediately bowed to Tacito, the leader speaking first. "Mr. Temple, we're here as requested!" The room fell into a hushed silence as the gravity of the situation sank in. The employees of the Garment Department felt like they were dreaming, struggling to believe their eyes. The elderly man leading the group was none other than Naoki Yoxy, one of the four most revered fashion designers in the Land of the Red Dragon. His designs were iconic, setting trends worldwide. Wasn't he supposed to be working with the Harper Group for an astronomical fee? What was he doing here? And those young men in suits—were they Naoki's design team? What were they doing at White Enterprises Group? One by one, everyone turned to look at Tacito, their disbelief palpable.