Chapter 108: Calling the Big Boss

Jude held his ground, looking down at Marcus Sun.

"Saying excuse me was a courtesy," Jude said. "Don’t push your luck."

Marcus gave an incredulous laugh, his face flushing red. "You’re a delivery driver. You think putting on a vest gives you standing to lecture me?"

Jude looked at him.

"You came out of the restroom hallway and walked straight into me because you weren’t looking," Jude said evenly. "Your eyes were glued to the front desk, staring right down the receptionist’s top. If anyone deserves an apology, it’s her."

Behind the reception desk, the young receptionist looked down, pulling her cardigan closed as several staff members turned toward the disturbance.

Caught flat-footed in front of the lobby, Marcus lost his temper completely.

He drew his right hand back to throw a slap. "Keep talking like that and let’s see how many teeth you keep."

"Put your hand down right now!"

A sharp voice cut through the corridor.

Walter Bai, Voyager Animation’s editorial director, came walking briskly across the lobby holding a thermos.

He stepped between them, pointing toward Marcus.

"Who authorized your badge for the 14th floor? Raising a hand in our own building... have you lost your mind?!"

Walter turned toward Jude, dropping his head in a respectful nod. "Chairman Lawson. Good afternoon, sir."

Though Walter had no idea why his employer was wearing a blue MetroExpress vest and carrying an envelope, he recognized him instantly.

Ever since the acquisition, Walter had made sure never to cross the executive again, and seeing someone pick a fight in the lobby was an immediate opening to show loyalty.

Jude gave him a slight nod. "Afternoon, Director Bai."

Marcus froze, looking between Walter and Jude. "Chairman? Are you serious? He’s wearing a standard courier uniform."

"What our Chairman wears on site is none of your business," Walter snapped. "State your name and affiliation. Taking swings in our lobby is a fast way off the vendor register."

"Marcus, what’s going on here?"

Arthur Zhang walked out of the boardroom corridor, stopping beside Marcus with a frown.

Marcus lowered his hand, stepping behind Zhang with an uneasy look. "Mr. Zhang, it was an issue on the walkway. He bumped my shoulder coming out of the hall, and now they’re claiming he owns the company."

"Jude!"

Evelyn Chen walked across the floor, stopping beside Jude.

The fatigue from hours of review meetings cleared from her face.

"Everything running smoothly, Evelyn?" Jude asked, noting the dark circles under her eyes.

"Moving forward," she said, before turning toward Zhang. "Mr. Zhang, this is Jude Lawson, controlling shareholder and Chairman of Voyager Animation. Jude, this is Arthur Zhang, Vice President of Commercial Partnerships at Luminary VFX."

Zhang looked Jude over. He extended a hand. "Chairman Lawson. Forgive the confusion."

Jude kept his hands at his sides, letting the handshake hang. "I had a light afternoon and decided to take a courier route."

Zhang withdrew his hand, letting out a dry chuckle. "An unusual hobby for someone in your position."

Jude’s expression remained flat. "I take it Marcus Sun reports directly to you?"

"He does," Zhang said. "He serves as my senior executive assistant."

Walter Bai stepped forward. "Then teach your people some manners, Mr. Zhang. Your assistant caused a scene, insulted our Chairman, and tried to lay hands on someone in our lobby... without even offering an apology."

Marcus shifted behind Zhang, staying quiet.

Zhang waved a hand.

"Marcus let his temper get ahead of him, and I’ll address it in the car," Zhang said. "However, given the uniform, the entire situation is an understandable mix-up. Why don’t we leave the matter here and focus on the partnership?"

Evelyn’s jaw tightened.

Zhang was acting like nothing had happened, expecting Jude to swallow the disrespect just to save the deal with Luminary.

Jude looked straight at Arthur Zhang.

"Throwing a punch in my lobby isn’t a misunderstanding, Mr. Zhang. And no deal is worth letting it slide. Have your assistant apologize to the receptionist and to me, or your team can take the elevator straight back down right now."

Marcus Sun stepped forward. "Look, I brushed off a guy in a courier vest, not Chairman Lawson. If an executive wants to dress up like a delivery driver on a Tuesday, that’s not on me."

A ripple of irritated murmurs spread across the atrium as dozens of Voyager animators and storyboard artists watched from the corridors.

"Watch your language," Evelyn said, stepping up beside Jude. "There’s nothing low about working a route. You caused a disturbance in our reception, and you owe the staff and the Chairman an apology."

Arthur Zhang waved a hand dismissively. "Let’s not make a federal case out of a hallway bump, Miss Chen. We have another meeting in Midtown. We’re heading out."

"Neither of you takes the elevator down until he clears the air," Evelyn said firmly.

Zhang’s face turned cold. "Miss Chen, remember who holds the tech you need to finish this movie. Don’t let your pride kill the project before it’s even made."

"We can always find someone else," Evelyn fired back without hesitation. "We don’t do business with people who act like thugs."

Zhang let out a dry laugh. "Find someone else? On the East Coast? Without Luminary’s servers, a small studio like yours won’t see an IMAX screen in the next three years. Throwing away our prices is just childish drama."

"Evelyn made herself clear," Jude cut in. "And frankly, Mr. Zhang, you have no idea who actually holds the upper hand here."

Zhang turned to him, frowning. "Excuse me?"

"First off, Nezha has elite talent and massive hype behind it," Jude said, putting up a finger. "It’s going to crush the box office. Any studio tied to this film gets guaranteed work and instant prestige. You aren’t doing us a favor... Luminary should be begging for a seat at our table."

He paused, holding Zhang’s gaze. "Second, Luminary isn’t the only rendering cluster in existence. London, Wellington, and Tier-Zero houses in California have comparable capacity. Shifting our business overseas is simply a wire transfer... and capital is something Voyager has in reserve. We don’t need Luminary."

A wave of relief washed over the Voyager staff.

In two sentences, Jude had dismantled Zhang’s posturing.

Zhang’s face tightened with anger. "Fine. If you want to burn millions offshore, go right ahead. Marcus, let’s move."

"Hold on," Jude said. "You still owe the receptionist and this floor an apology for the scene in the walkway."

Zhang stopped, looking over his shoulder with a smirk. "And if we walk out? Are you planning to hold us?"

Marcus laughed. He jabbed his right index finger straight toward Jude’s chest. "With what? That delivery vest? What are you going to do—"

Before the sentence finished, Jude’s right hand came up, locking around Marcus’s extended finger with precise pressure.

The torque caught the joint immediately.

Marcus gasped in pain as Jude twisted his arm, forcing him straight down onto one knee against the floor.

"Mr. Zhang!" Marcus gasped, his face draining of color as sweat broke out across his temples. "My finger... he’s breaking it!"

Zhang stepped forward, furious. "Lawson! Let him go! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Thirty people and every camera in here just watched your boy swing first," Jude said, looking down at Marcus. "I just put him in his place."

Jude opened his fingers, letting go.

Marcus scrambled backward on the floor, clutching his throbbing hand to his chest and hiding behind Zhang like a scared dog.

Zhang’s face twitched. "You think you can mess with Luminary, Lawson? Let me remind you who you’re dealing with. Ever heard of Julian Mercer? President of Apex Studios? Apex owns Luminary. Cross us today, and your little studio won’t get a single movie into any theater in America!"

The entire lobby went dead silent. The Voyager staff traded worried looks.

Julian Mercer was a giant in Hollywood...

If Apex blacklisted a film, getting it into theaters was basically a death sentence.

Zhang smirked, feeding on the room’s sudden panic. "Quiet now, aren’t you? You have no idea who you just messed with!"

Jude reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and made a call.

It picked up on the very first ring.

"Julian," Jude said, his tone casual, like he was checking the weather. "Quick question... how much of Luminary VFX do we own again? ...Right. Nothing major. Well, I’m up on the 14th floor at Voyager, and some VP from Luminary is down here swearing he’ll kill my movie."

Jude listened for two seconds, then held the phone out toward Arthur Zhang.

"He wants to talk to you."

Zhang sneered, not moving an inch. "What kind of pathetic bluff is this? Who’s on the phone?"

Jude met his eyes with a straight face.

"Julian Mercer."