Billionaire CEO Asked the Janitor for Financial Advice as a Joke—His First Words Left Her Speechless
The Janitor’s Warning
“The offer stands until Friday, Ranata; after that, my board will initiate a hostile takeover. The choice is yours.”
Landon Valerius’s voice is smooth as polished steel, echoing in the cavernous, moonlit lobby of the Onyx Tower. Ranata Kensington glares at her rival, her jaw tight with a fury she refuses to show.
“Get out of my building, Landon.” Landon just smiles, a predatory glint in his eyes as he turns to leave.
His gaze falls on Nate Row, who is quietly buffing the marble floors nearby, doing his best to remain invisible. A cruel smirk plays on Landon’s lips.
He stops and gestures toward Nate with his chin. “Still struggling? Perhaps your janitor has some insights,” he says, his voice dripping with condescension.
“He certainly sees the company from the ground up.” Ranata’s eyes flash with anger at the insult, but then a wave of bitter frustration washes over her.
She turns to Nate, her voice laced with mocking sarcasm. “All right, you heard the man; give me your brilliant financial advice.”
“What’s the master plan for Kensington Enterprises?” Nate stops his buffer, the humming motor dying into a deafening silence.
He slowly looks up, first at Landon, then directly into Ranata’s eyes. His expression is unreadable.
“Cancel the Cberous acquisition,” he says, his voice steady and clear.
“Your offshore holding company isn’t firewalled correctly. It’s vulnerable to a leveraged buyout clause hidden in the fine print.”
“When you sign that deal on Friday, you won’t be buying a company. You’ll be handing over a 51% controlling interest in your company for pennies on the dollar.”
The silence that follows is absolute. Landon’s smirk dissolves, replaced by a flicker of stunned disbelief, then a flash of pure rage.
Ranata doesn’t move; she doesn’t even seem to be breathing. The janitor’s words, spoken with the calm authority of a surgeon diagnosing a fatal tumor, have landed like a physical blow.
“What kind of insane nonsense is that?” Landon sputters, his voice a harsh rasp. “Have you been sniffing your cleaning chemicals?”
“Ranatada, this man is clearly unhinged. You should have him fired—better yet, arrested for harassment.”
But Ranata isn’t looking at Landon. Her eyes, sharp and analytical, are locked on Nate.
She sees no trace of madness in his gaze, only a weary, unshakable certainty. The Cberus deal was a top-secret defensive maneuver, a poison pill designed to fend off Valarious Dynamics.
The vulnerability he described was a phantom that haunted her private discussions with her legal team. It was a one-in-a-million possibility, a risk she had been assured was contained.
“Security,” Ranata says, her voice a low command that cuts through the tension. Two guards stationed by the entrance immediately step forward.
Landon’s face twists into a triumphant sneer, assuming they are for Nate. “Escort Mr. Valyrias from the premises,” Ranata continues, her voice like ice.
“His presence here is no longer required.” Landon’s jaw drops.
“Ranata, you can’t be serious. You’re going to listen to this—this nobody?”
“I am,” she says, her gaze never leaving Nate. “Now leave.”
The guards flank Landon, their expressions impassive. He glares at Nate, his eyes burning with a look of pure hatred that promises retribution.
Then, with a final disgusted scoff, he allows himself to be led out, the glass doors hissing shut behind him. The lobby is silent again, but the atmosphere has changed.
Nate stands frozen, the handle of the floor buffer suddenly feeling slick in his sweaty palm. He just broke the single most important rule of his new life: be invisible.
He has been seen. He has spoken, and in doing so, he may have just destroyed everything.
“You,” Ranata says, pointing a single sharp finger at him. “With me, now.”
She turns on her heel and strides toward her private elevator, not waiting to see if he follows. Nate’s heart hammers against his ribs.
This is it—the end. He’ll be fired, and with no job, there’s no money for Lily’s medication.
The thought sends a jolt of pure terror through him. He abandons his buffer and walks on numb legs, following the most powerful woman in the city into the lion’s den.
