The Funtom Headquarters in London was generally a fun building to be in. It's lobby stayed true to the theme of being a company that sells toys and games, as did quite a bit of the building in an effort to keep a fun atmosphere. This wasn't the same as a store and was an office building where all of the designers, product testers, marketers, accountants, and et cetera worked. The CEO's office was here as well, along with the offices of all of the others that the bluenette had summoned to this particular meeting that he was attending.

People busily made their commute to work outside, be it via by car, by cab, by bike, or by walking. It wasn't unusual for a black cab to pull up outside the building, but it was unusual in that the person inside didn't always come to the building to do his job. Yes, Ciel Phantomhive stepped out of that taxi, wearing the face of an older man with a short beard and a sly expression. In this form, he was "Hercule Phantomhive," the CEO of Funtom toys. He couldn't be "Ciel" forever, so he switched it up, with his "son" "inheriting" the company every time his current disguise gets too old for his liking. This was the face of the man who was going to anger ten other rich men by sacking them before they can sell his company right from under him.

Still scary-looking as ever, he waltzed right into the building, causing the staff to be thrown into a tizzy over the fact that the boss was there. Somehow, the fear he instilled in his employees wasn't satisfying anymore. Now he was just concerned about them being caused unnecessary stress. It would appear that his menace of a husband had rubbed off on him, causing him to feel a bit more sympathy for people who were lower on the totem pole in comparison to himself. He spent most of the trip to the conference room insisting that he was only there for a meeting with the board and that nobody else should be worried about him being there. As for the fear he instilled in said board members, however? He took great delight in it.

Their muttering and chattering could be heard in the hallway as they discussed what the meeting could possibly be about, given the suddenness of the affair. Some wondered if he was onto their coup, while others insisted that he couldn't possibly know. Those who were quiet knew better. They were the ones who had alerted the bluenette of others' plan. They are aware that it is in their best interests to do so, as not only is their safety from retribution ensured, but they also acquire a nice little bonus for their honesty. That is how those who have been on the board for so long stayed there.

Everything went quiet as soon as the large door to the conference room was heard opening. Ciel, or "Hercule" walked through and shut it behind him, greeting his staff with a smile. Those who were less perceptive would think that he was simply in a good mood, failing to notice the evil glint in his eye.

"Good morning, everyone." he warmly greeted. "Did everyone have a decent weekend?"

There were cheerful and polite answers that Ciel couldn't quite differentiate from, nor did he really care to. One man could be loudly and clearly heard talking about how he beat another at a game of golf, wrongly assuming that anyone was impressed by this or cared. Taking his seat at the opposite end of the table, assuming the most important seat, Ciel folded his hands and placed them on top of the table.

"That's good, good. I'm sorry to call you in this early on a Monday. This was the only time everyone seemed to be free." the bluenette continued, taking out a folder. "Now, before we move into anything too intricate, I'm sure all of you have noticed folders on the table in front of each of you. I'd like you to open them so we can discuss the contents."

The sound of paper rustling could be heard while Ciel tried his darnedest to keep a straight face. The folders opened and it was like the air had suddenly been sucked out of the room. Those who stayed loyal to the Phantomhive and to Funtom received cheques and quickly shut the folders so no one else could see. Everyone else, however, received a pink slip that informed them of their termination from their positions. Ciel didn't even give them the chance to resign. He simply fired them and reveled in the confusion and horror on their faces. Internally, the Watchdog counted the seconds it took for someone to finally say something with the smallest of smiles on his face.

"What is this?!" one questioned, completely on cue.

"This, is what we're here to talk about." the Phantomhive said, feigning a kind tone. "It has come to my attention that money has been taken from your departments and has been traced doing into personal accounts. Now, I don't mean to sound confrontational, but… that's theft. Taking money from this company is the same as stealing from me. Now, I don't like being stolen from, so in order to cease this, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go."

"That's not fair!" said another. "Where is your proof?"

Unfortunately, that was a poor decision, as Ciel was prepared. With a handheld remote, he dimmed the lights and a projector screen descended from the ceiling. Of course, he had a powerpoint presentation with transcripts, receipts, and e-mails laid bare for all to see.

"As you can see," the boss began, "this is all very well-documented. It's like you didn't even try to cover your tracks. Yet, the most concerning thing here is this."

The screen turns to a compilation of e-mails between board members about selling stock in the company that they really shouldn't have access to in an effort to bribe shareholders into signing control of Funtom over to… you, Mister Miller." he said, looking directly into the eyes of the man who was talking about his golf game.

"What?" the man flinched, his eyes widening before he shrank in his seat. "I… I-I don't know what you mean..."

"I'm not sure what makes any of you think that someone who is willing to organise a coup d'etat in order to try and grab for more money is willing to share that once he gets it, nor am I really sure why any of you expected this to work." chuckled the Phantomhive. "I'm not simply the director of Funtom. I'm the owner. I am Funtom and Funtom is me. Shareholders don't have any authority to sign over anything, which is, again, attempted theft. Why should I keep you in my beloved company if you're so desperate to hurt it?"

"This is ridiculous!" another said. "It is a perfectly legal move!"

"The company lawyers don't think so." the bluenette informed. "I would really like to avoid a court case. They're really a pain. I would appreciate it if you would please just accept that you no longer work here and move on. It really is the easiest way to move on from this."

Now, there was no reasonable argument that could be made in response to this. No one here wanted to go to court over this. Ciel was being more than generous in offering them a smooth solution rather than going full nuclear like he had been rumoured to do so at times. They were lucky that he was showing them mercy, and veterans of the board knew this well. Those who remained wondered if this was truly the end of it, and indeed it was not. Ciel's contacts stretched far and wide. He was well liked and trusted amoung his kind. Thus, he had already put in a few bad words about the matter, essentially ruining the chances of any of these people getting another high-ranking position in this country ever again.

"So? What will it be?" Ciel questioned with a tilt of his head. After a few moments of silence, people slowly began to scoop up their belongings and shuffle out of the room, muttering the whole way. A pleasant smile adorned the Phantomhive's face as the doors closed, leaving only up to five people in the room.

"Do you already have replacements lined up?" questioned one, finally. In truth, the survivor already knew the answer, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Of course. They should soon be with us in a few days. Perhaps we should reschedule our meeting until then?"

An oddly casual atmosphere filled the air as everyone sort of nodded in agreement, dropping the formal facade momentarily in order to readjust themselves. Really, all of them knew that they had done absolutely nothing wrong and that Ciel wouldn't bother messing with them, since that is the case, but there was a bit of an adrenaline rush when they were told to open the folders as well.

The only odd man out sat there, staring down at the table with a vacant face as he stared at the empty folder. Beads of sweat formed at his forehead as he knew for certain that he had done wrong, yet somehow, he was permitted to stay. He simply didn't understand it. Yet, Ciel had a reason for this. Afterall, he had been ordered by Sir Integra Hellsing to keep an eye on him.

Richard Belmont sat in a chair in the board room while everyone else was shaking hands and were filled with relief that they weren't fired. All that filled the somewhat portly, balding man now was guilt and dread of what was to come. He hadn't the foggiest idea if Ciel actually noticed his involvement or if he somehow missed him. Then there was the possibility that the Phantomhive had something much worse in mind for him. In a way, he did.

Everyone else filed out of the room, satisfied with their bonuses, all before Belmont could look up and notice. When he finally did, he was alone in the room with his boss and accidentally made eyecontact. Shooting up from the table, he very quickly gathered his things.

"Shocking, isn't it?" the Phantomhive noted in a faux-playful sort of manner. "This sort of thing happens every few years. The best way to avoid it is to not be involved."

"O-oh." the other man replied. This didn't confirm anything for him. Ciel could still know that he indeed was involved in this, and had some other ulterior motive. "I-I'm not sure what they were thinking."

"They were thinking that there would be no consequences. Unfortunately for them, I don't easily let these things go. I am merciful, but only up to a point. You're safe, however. I couldn't find anything on you." Ciel lied. He had found plenty. Walking by, he patted the other man's shoulder in a friendly manner as he walked past, pausing just as he got to the door. Looking back over his shoulder, he asked:

"Unrelated question: I was thinking about buying a second place. Do you think near Manchester is a good idea? I'm still not quite sold on it..." He rubbed his chin like he was in thought, adding pressure on the other to answer.

"Oh! Yes! We have a small house out there, as well!" Belmont answered with a bit of panic. With a smile, Ciel was visibly pleased with his answer, so he felt relieved at the result. Unfortunately, he read the Phantomhive incorrectly.

He was pleased for a different reason. Belmont had just indicated that he could have been in the area while the facility was open, or may know where it is. In fact, Ciel was very interested in knowing where this property was located, as they hadn't yet figured out if the bunker was on private land or not just yet. Now they know where to look. Ciel was glad. Belmont didn't have a clue.

"I'll look into it, then." the bluenette pleasantly replied, holding the door open for the other man as Belmont stepped out. "I'll see you at the next meeting."

Belmont thought he was out of the killzone, but instead, he had accidentally wandered further inside. Ciel was going to report to Sir Integra immediately with this information before going home, stopping by the golden arches to fulfill his husband's request at being provided lunch on the way. Before he could implement phase two of his plan, he made one last observation.

Upon leaving the meeting room, Richard Belmont was greeted by two intimidating men in suits, who escorted him away. He seemed to know them, yet he wasn't entirely thrilled about going with them. Most peculiar. Ciel speculated that he was involved in more than the Belmont Organisation, but couldn't connect the dots just yet. There wasn't enough information for him to make a solid hypothesis, nor was he even certain that it was indeed this Belmont that was the leader of the group. It could be his wife, or sibling, or someone else entirely. It might not even be from his family specifically. Yet, it couldn't hurt to investigate him.

That wasn't his job, however. For the time being, he was supposed to report his findings, where that would be passed on to the Intelligence Department to deal with. Audrey was going to have fun with this, Ciel just knew it, but for now, the Phantomhive's mission wasn't yet over.