"S-sir, I r-regret to inform you, b-but the town of Brickhedge, New Hampshire, still has yet to--"
The dark figure sitting behind the large desk moved none at the news. He'd expected it, given his knowledge of the geological location and the town's... lack of advancements in modern-day tech. A timely reply was never in the cards.
Still, like most things, it agitated him.
He flashed his golden black eyes at the cowering receptionist before him, all too aware of the effect he had on his employees. Garou Loveless hadn't made it to the top of the ladder by playing nice with others. In fact, playing nice hadn't been something he had done since he was but a pup if memory served him right, and it always did.
Lacing his fingers together in front of him, resting his powerfully large muzzle atop. He looked at the lowly doe with a gaze that emanated raw Primal energy, the sight of which sent the deer into a near uncontrollable shaking fit fueled by the bubbling over of dormant instincts.
It's like that little voice in the back of your head telling you to do something; only hers was screaming in raw terror.
He knew how to tap into the ancient Primal instincts of prey species and even that of other predators.
"You'll send my declaration to the mayor's office just one last time." His voice was deep and powerful, and his delivery that of pure elegance bordering royalty, some had said.
If only they'd know his actual history.
The dire wolf relaxed into his cushioned chair as the doe made a hasty retreat from his office. He'd fire her later as he left his office for the night. The fact that she'd only recently come back from maternity leave and was a single mother of two with no insurance mattered little to him. He'd have applicants for the position overflowing his office the very next day, perhaps one that will actually put effort into the simple tasks he gives them.
No, that's too harsh, he thought. The giant wolf knew he was better than that.
Garou pressed an orange button on his desk, remotely locking the door to his office. He'd not be bothered again anytime soon, and any beast that did tempt fate with a rap at the door would regret it by the hour's end.
He spun around in his chair, leaving his black silk business shirt dangling from the corner of the chair as he ascended the small flight of chairs behind his desk. His strides were silent even as his massive claws touched the cold marble flooring that lined his office.
High atop 'The Spire', located in the heart of Chicago, his office overlooked the eastern horizon and the odd, yellow glow that could be seen ever so faint from where he stood. The tower, had been a project headed by the former CEO and his late father, Lavos Loveless, as a monument to the success of his family's success in this world.
If the rapid construction of The Spire was considered Act One, then Act 2, which happened two decades later--headed by Garou himself, now acting CEO of MegaCo--came in the form of a hostile takeover of Amazon and the purchase of seventy-five percent of the Space Z shares.
Two of the single most significant investments in the history of the world, made back to back in a matter of days, overshadowing most if not all of the election coverage that had transpired as a result of an unlikely, hateful voice in the political ring.
MegaCo had become the number one search result seemingly overnight across all search engines. Social media was aflame with ravenous discussions from online simps discussing nothing but the positives of their favorite billionaires and how they stacked up to Garou Loveless, a then relative no-name in the fight who had become--literally--an overnight household name.
There had even been a trending tag on Twitter that had rallied for Loveless to run for president, but the dire wolf had no interest in politics... at the time. He was content in watching how a lesser being in his field faired.
Surprising everyone, everyone that is but Loveless himself, Grump had won the 2016 election and set the country down a path that it still struggles with to this day. A struggle that made Garou salivate with a sick perversion.
The giant wolf stood in the window, bathed in the afternoon sunlight. It reflected off the smooth, expensive fabric that made up the shirt and pants he wore but hardly showed any glean from the dark fur that covered his massive head and exposed limbs. His thick, though short, tail hung limp from his backside.
Garou Loveless was an enigma, even to the company and whatever extended family that still lived. Having been kept out of the spotlight for most of his life by his parents, the dire wolf's first public press conference in 2012 was a shocking one as it not only had been held to announce the passing of his father but also revealed that he would be assuming the role of CEO in place of the Lavos Loveless.
News outlets, both print and digital alike, had all been asking the same question: Who was Garou Loveless, and where had the family been keeping him all these years?
So many questions. Loveless had lost himself in the mass media coverage of his first, and until now, only public appearance since. The stupidity of the guessing games these lowly beasts had played at his expense, all to garner ratings or tabloid purchases. To them, his name was money. To him, money was a byproduct of his company's mere existence. Another family secret that his father had kept up to his very last seconds of life.
A secret that, as shown by the weak expression of surprise that flashed across the dying dire wolf's face(that stuck, unsurprisingly), had not been as big a secret as he'd thought when Garou simply replied, "I already knew that, father." before leaving the room as his father breathed his dying breath.
Now he stood, overlooking all that he imagined would be his. The sunlight grabbed no purchase within the thin, pitch-black fur that covered the beast's muscular body.
Standing there, the only question that truly plagued the beast was why his fixation had been on that small town to the south.
To what importance did it have to Him, and of all places to announce his presidential run, why did it have to be some backwoods podunk town tucked away in the mountains?
Based on the sound of the top-dollar fax machine that was currently in the process of spitting out the expected response from the town's elected official, he knew he'd soon find out why.
"There is that thrill I've been waiting for," he'd growled to himself, running a single hand across his hairless head, grazing the only patch of color on his whole body, a three-inch silver streak that ran up his forehead. "I need to satiate it!"
He returned to his desk, hitting the intercom button and connecting him to the desk of the meek doe that he hired as his receptionist several months ago. His gold-black eyes shimmered as he spoke into the mic, requesting the assistance of the doe.
He couldn't wait; he'd give the doe what she had coming to her sooner rather than later.
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