A Last Letter for my Stargazer

For as long as I'd lived, all I had ever known was violence and murder, and everything I had gained, I took it by force in order to survive. I was born with nothing, and grew up in a family with nothing to its name.

I had to pull together scraps and junk to sell just to get by every morning and afternoon. Because if I don't move, none of us, neither my siblings nor parents, would have anything to eat.

Not a day went by that I didn't have to fight to get something. In all honesty, I could consider myself luckier than some people, given that we had a roof over our head, and we were able to eat at least two times a day.

We'd be lucky to have something to eat for breakfast. Whenever I woke up to the smell of food in the morning, that would mean we had a little bit of extra money for the week.

Nevertheless, that simply wasn't enough to feed a family of five.

But I digress... This story isn't about my sad past, nor am I telling you this to make you feel sorry for me. I've grown up, and I've made great strides in my life. By hook or by crook, I earned it all, and I took whatever I could get.

I stood before the meeting room, ready to conquer the day once more. As I stepped into the room, I found five familiar faces. They were all either twice my age or perhaps even older than that, and they looked none too pleased to have me in there. The only friendly face in the room was my best friend, Ryan. And by the looks of it, he seemed amused by everyone else's reaction.

However, their displeasures mean nothing to me, nor will it affect my performance. I'm the chairman of this company and the majority shareholder, and I'm fairly certain that these old men are cunning enough not to antagonize me without having enough power and influence to back it up.

I made my way to the screen right before the head of the table, preparing for the presentation that I'm about to make. Then, I called the secretary standing at the door over to tell her that it's time for me to present my new strategies for this year.

"Yes, President," the secretary replied before inserting the flash drive into the computer and playing the presentation.

Not a second later, my presentation was on the screen right beside me and I began with confidence. "This past year, the company has gained over 10 new branches for our domestic expansion. The rapid urbanization of the country is playing to our advantage, and I believe it's time to make even bigger moves."

The oldest man of the bunch scoffed at my idea, crossing his arms as he stated, "So, what's your big plan? Put up more restaurants in provinces that barely anyone goes to?" He glanced at the lanky man across him and asked, "You think this is a waste of money too, right, Rodriguez?"

Rodriguez grinned and said, "I agree with Mr. Benitez. It's easy to say that opening more branches would benefit us, but actually going through with those plans will affect our operational budget for this year and could lead to even heavier losses if we don't slow down."

This time, most of the other men started echoing the Benitez's sentiment. Just as things were about to get heated, Ryan slammed his hand on the table and said, "Perhaps we should let President Atreus finish his point before undermining his plans, yeah?"

He then turned to me and gave me the signal to keep going.

I nodded at him gratefully and continued, "As I was saying, it's time for our company to make even bigger moves. I took into consideration the sales we gained in big cities and famous tourist spots in the country, and had our research and development department conduct a demographic survey of our most recent diners."

After a brief pause, I signaled to my secretary to move the presentation one slide forward. Soon, it was showing our sales based on nationality and country. "This research and the survey allowed us to gather enough data to tell which countries and nationalities have been frequenting our restaurants..."

I constantly moved the slides forward as I continued my explanation. "We've even broken down the sales between first tryers and repeat customers."

It was then that Benitez spoke up again in a rather sarcastic tone. "What's your point, 'President'?"

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this man just loved hearing his own voice.

"My point is that it's time for us to expand our restaurant chain abroad. And based on the results of our research, the first country we should open a branch in should be Australia," I responded.

This time, Rodriguez voiced his opinion. "That makes no sense. If we're going to base it off your research, it will be better to open in the US. There's at least a thousand more people in both the first time tryers and the repeat customers."

Though I hated this man's guts, he at least had some sense in him. "While I agree with that part of the study, there's one vital information that people keep forgetting. The states is a rich, and developed country with thousands of people wanting to migrate there every single day. However, the country's economy has been in a steady decline over the past decade."

I shot Rodriguez a glance and added, "The cost of shipping and the heavy taxes imposed on the already expensive raw materials to operate in the US will kill our first branch before the first year has even passed. That's why, if we're in it for the long haul, Australia, the second highest in the research, is our most optimal choice. They've been taking in migrants almost at the same rate as the US, and their cost of living is far less dismal. Furthermore, there are also a lot of Filipino nationals moving into the country, and it will help us establish a customer base for our grand opening."

The other old men fell silent, and Ryan was smirking like a devil. This was when he stood up and spread his hands out. "Atreus and I have already formulated an action plan for opening the first branch, and we've gotten in touch with a local marketing team in Melbourne to handle the advertising and branding."

One of the older gentlemen, Emilio, cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. "How much will this set us back?" he asked.

From what I had observed, he hasn't said a word since the presentation began. He must've been carefully listening since the very beginning.

"I propose a budget of 300 million as a runway fund for our first branch. This will cover all the expenses, including the overhead and emergency costs," I answered.

Emilio fell silent for a moment and said, "In that case, no more need to be said. I second President Atreus' plan."

Rodriguez and Benitez were shocked. They both got up from their seat and voiced their displeasure. However, the other member of the board, Sanchez, was a loyal follower of Emilio. Because of that, he also voted for my expansion plan.

"So, that's four votes against two, isn't it?" Ryan pointed out, clearly amused by how this meeting turned out.

I spread out my arms and stated, "It seems that the motion has passed."

Benitez was the angriest of the two. The fact of the matter was that this man would always go against me, even if my plan coincided with his interests. He had been antagonizing me the second I became the chairman, and he had been trying to influence the other board members to oust me and appoint him as the chairman.

Through gritted teeth, Benitez said, "In that case, I will concede."

Rodriguez echoed his sentiment and left the room without even waiting for me to dismiss everyone.

Ryan leaned close to me and remarked, "He seems like a chill guy."

My best friend always had a knack of bringing levity even in the most intense situations. "I'll bet you ten thousand pesos he's going to cry about this at the shareholder's meeting next week."

He glanced at me, chuckled, and shook my hand. "Deal," he said.

Thereafter, Ryan and I waited for everyone to leave the room. Once they were all outside, I bumped fists with him and said, "I'll see you later at dinner, man. We gotta celebrate. Bring Tess and your kids if you want. It's my treat."

Once everyone was out of the room, I took a deep breath and fought back every ounce of anxiety and tension I had been suppressing since the second I went into this room.

For one brief moment, I felt like the world was mine. It was like nothing could stop me.