Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 174: I am the Guildmaster!

While Ragnar was preparing to liquidate the West Saxon holdings in Nottingham and march on the Castle, Gyda was back in City Titan managing the corporate headquarters, including herself, Magnus, and Elfrida.

She was also keeping a close eye on Eadwig, who had begun to act out; the longer the hostile takeover went on, the more impatient the boy became.

At the moment, Eadwig, Elfrida, and Gyda were sitting at the mahogany dining table in the Governor’s Mansion enjoying a breakfast of imported pastries and strong coffee.

As an act of disrespect to Ragnar and to assert his "authority" as Figurehead while the Director was away, Eadwig sat in Ragnar’s high-backed leather chair at the head of the table, which caused Gyda to lash out at the youth instantly.

"Mr. Eadwig, that seat is reserved for the Chairman of the Board and belongs to the Director of the Iron Empire! You should show some respect to corporate hierarchy and sit elsewhere!"

Despite Gyda’s protests, Eadwig responded with a sharp tongue as he verbally attacked Gyda in an attempt to assert dominance.

"If this High Seat is reserved for the Director, then the bench you warm should be for the Hoard-master. Tell me, are you the Gold-warden of the Iron Realm? Or are you merely the Jarl’s... cup-bearer?"

At this point, Gyda was outright furious at Eadwig’s behavior.

She stood up from her seat, smoothed her silk dress, and walked over to him before slapping him across the face with a precise, calculated motion.

The moment she did so, Eadwig stared at her in disbelief before attempting to file a grievance.

"What do you think you are—"

However, before he could finish his statement, Gyda had slapped him once again.

The moment she did so, Eadwig rose from his seat with his fists curled and yelled at Gyda.

"I am the Guildmaster!"

The blonde-haired beauty with the demeanor of a shark merely smirked smugly at Eadwig before chastising him.

"Then act like an executive!"

This statement irritated Eadwig’s nerves, and he raised his hand in an attempt to strike Gyda for her actions, yet there was no fear in her eyes.

Instead, a gauntleted hand latched ahold of Eadwig’s arm, preventing him from swinging his fist.

The boy quickly looked over and noticed a tall and imposing figure glaring at him through the visor of a Mark III Helmet.

The man had a repeating crossbow slung around his shoulder and wore the full "Iron Guard" armor set - blackened steel plates with the gear logo emblazoned on the chest.

He was one of Ragnar’s elite security detail and was tasked with protecting the Director’s assets from any potential liability.

Thus the moment Eadwig took an aggressive stance, the guard acted and approached the young Guildmaster before he could pounce on the woman.

The boy who would be Figurehead nearly wet his breeches when he gazed into the cold steel of the helmet, the guard tightly clenching onto his wrist.

The guard spoke in a mechanically distorted voice as he began to lecture the boy.

"Sir, the CFO is correct. That seat belongs to Director Ragnar, and you would do well to remember the terms of your trusteeship..."

After being lectured so thoroughly by the intimidating guard, Eadwig lowered his head and clicked his tongue before leaving the table and storming off to the guest quarters he was provided.

After he was out of earshot, the guard looked over to Gyda and fulfilled his duty by inquiring about her condition.

"Are you unharmed, Ma’am?"

Gyda smiled gracefully and nodded before responding to the contractor who had come to her aid.

"Yes, thank you for your efficiency."

The guard saluted respectfully to Gyda.

"Efficiency is Victory."

With that said, he returned to his post and began to watch over Gyda and Elfrida as they continued their meal.

Eadwig would have to go hungry for the time being.

Eadwig ran off to his room, and on the way there, he walked past a door that had two armed guards in front of it.

Many rooms in this mansion were restricted access to the boy Guildmaster, as Ragnar did not want him messing around with the R&D prototypes.

This room, in particular, was the nursery, where the toddler Magnus was protected around the clock by Ragnar’s most loyal contractors.

Thinking about Ragnar and Gyda’s heir, Eadwig muttered under his breath.

"This Viking upstart has the gall to treat me like an intern! If I were in charge, I would liquidate them all!"

Though he said it quietly, his words did not go unnoticed by the guards. They took note of Eadwig’s discontent.

Such hostility towards the Board of Directors needed to be taken seriously, and they would later file a report on Eadwig’s outburst to the Head of Security when they were relieved later in the day.

As for Eadwig, he returned to his room for a while, though eventually, he left the confines of his quarters and entered the Great Hall, where he gazed from afar at Gyda and a Caliphate Merchant discussing logistics with one another.

It was not Vizier Al-Hakam who had arrived this time, but a logistics coordinator under his employ who represented his interests in Ragnar’s current steel shipments.

This man was named Yusuf, and he was responsible for making sure the plating arrived in Cordoba within the agreed fiscal quarter. Thus, he was accepting the invoice from Gyda, whose clerks carried a large ledger out for him to inspect.

Yusuf made small talk with Gyda as his scribes inspected the supplied figures to ensure that they reached the formal agreement.

"Tell the Director that the Vizier looks forward to diversifying our portfolio with the Iron Empire after he returns from this merger. The Caliphate greatly values its strategic partnership with the Directorate."

Gyda smiled gratefully at Yusuf’s compliments before responding on her own.

"I will be sure to forward the memo!"

However, shortly after saying that, Eadwig approached the scene and interrupted, resulting in Gyda’s menacing glare.

"Why wait for Ragnar to return? I am the Guildmaster of Nottingham; if you want to discuss steel futures, you can do it with me!"

Yusuf looked over at the boy and closely observed him before coming to a decision. He quickly snubbed Eadwig and returned his attention to Gyda.

"As I was saying, the Vizier greatly appreciates the synergy between Titan and Cordoba; your Director should visit the Great Mosque when his schedule clears."

Outraged that he had been overlooked, Eadwig quickly revealed Gyda’s status in the household in a fit of fury. Surely this would embarrass the woman, he thought to himself before speaking his piece.

"Gyda is not Ragnar’s wife; she is merely his... partner.

She does not hold such a valuable position, and you should not be conducting business with a woman of her status!"

Yusuf was shocked by this news, though neither Ragnar nor Gyda had outright said they were married; they also never denied the charge. Thus he looked at Gyda with curiosity.

"Is what the intern says true?"

Rather than be embarrassed about the truth or outraged by the accusation, as Eadwig had expected, Gyda put on a corporate smile and acted with perfect professionalism.

She nodded respectfully to the merchant as she offered her clarification.

"I apologize if there is a misunderstanding; while it is true that we have not filed a marriage certificate, our assets are completely merged. I hold full power of attorney in his absence.

Thus I never corrected you when referred to as his wife..."

Eadwig was shocked by Gyda’s behavior; it went completely against the plan he had in mind to get revenge on her for slapping him twice this morning.

Instead, Yusuf merely chuckled lightly at Gyda’s response before addressing her.

"Then the Director is a lucky man to have a CFO such as yourself so dedicated to the Brand, despite the lack of paperwork; it is truly efficient!

Well, regardless of your title, I will not look down on you; after all, you have been tasked by Ragnar to oversee the quarterly earnings while he is away, and you have proven yourself exceptionally competent in that regard."

A confident smile spread across Gyda’s lips as she thanked the man for the validation.

"I appreciate it; I thank you for recognizing my contributions to the bottom line!"

After the scribes had confirmed that the proper figures were in the ledger, Yusuf bid farewell to Gyda while completely ignoring Eadwig.

"Well, Ma’am, I must bid you farewell, it is a long voyage back to the Mediterranean, and I have to prepare the next shipping manifest!"

Gyda nodded and smiled as she led the man to the entrance of the Mansion.

"I will ensure the shipment is expedited! Tell the Vizier that we greatly appreciate the liquidity and will continue to invest in our mutual growth!"

After hearing this, Yusuf smiled and left the Mansion. As for Gyda, the moment the heavy doors were shut, she approached Eadwig with a chilling corporate smile before lecturing him.

"When I am speaking to investors about Q3 projections, you would be wise to be a good little intern and stay far away from matters of high finance. Do you understand?"

Eadwig did not know why but he felt his spine tingle when he saw such a frightening yet beautiful smile. He immediately became wary of Gyda; the boy’s impression of the young woman immediately changed from a mere assistant to a dangerous executive.

He thus became frightened of Ragnar’s partner and understood deeply that he should not provoke her in the future.

Thus all he could do was bow his head to the terrifying presence in front of him and return to his room in shame.

Gyda, on the other hand, had been significantly perturbed by the boy’s actions and planned to accelerate his "retirement" ahead of schedule; she refused to allow this liability to depreciate their assets a second longer than necessary.

After all, his antics had already become a sunk cost, and she could not imagine dealing with such inefficiency for another three years.