Chapter 4
Sadie sat at the head of the table. The moment she saw me walk in, she arched a brow arrogantly and sneered, “Well … well, the Harrison Group’s traitor has arrived.”
Hearing the sarcasm in her words, a surge of anger washed over me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I turned my gaze to Declan, standing beside her and said, “Last time I remembered, only shareholders are allowed to sit in the meeting room. So, please step outside, Miss Rockwood.”
Just as I took my seat, the photo on the table caught my eye. In the photo, I was having a lively conversation with the CEO of Miller Corporation. The date stamped at the bottom right corner was precisely during the month when Declan’s company had collapsed seven
years ago.
“Alice, you’ve deceived us so badly. Everyone in Lakeview City knows that it was Miller Corporation that drove Harrison Group into ruin.”
“Look around you,” Sadie said while tapping the tabletop and making a crisp sound. “Several of these shareholders have been driven to the brink of collapse by you and their families have been torn apart by you.”
“If I were you, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face around here!” she added.
“Embarrassed?” I sneered, leaning back in my chair. “Every day and night for the past seven years, I’ve dedicated my energy to this company. No one loves this position more than I do and that’s something everyone can see.”
Everyone whom I thought would support me remained silent, their faces filled with
contempt.
“You can’t seriously be doubting seven years of work because of one photo, can you?” I
asked.
I was still in astonishment when Declan, who had been standing there with his lips tightly pursed, made a move. He threw the contract in front of me.
“Sign this,” he said flatly. “If you do, I won’t pursue the matter with Miller Corporation.”
The share transfer agreement in front of me made me speechless.
“You want me to hand over my entire stake in this company?” I asked,
Declan spoke up, “Given your relationship with the Miller Corporation, no one here feels comfortable leaving those shares in your hands.”
“That’s right,” Sadie said in a sweet voice, “Who knows how a young girl like you could have such a good relationship with the Miller? Maybe… something shady going on here
Smack!
A crisp slap echoed through the room. Sadie’s head snapped to the side.
“A traitor dares to hit someone?”
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“I think she has a guilty conscience!”
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The surrounding shareholders stood up in agitation and condemned me. The next second, I was held down and forced to sign my name on the contract, stroke by stroke. Every inch was etched into my heart, erasing the hardships we had once endured together.
I had fought tooth and nail for seven years for this position, only to be taken away easily by Sadie.
On the day Declan decided to restart his business, he had paced restlessly. Then he held my hands with a hint of vulnerability.
“The business world is a battlefield,” he had said. “However, as long as we stick together, no one can put me in jail again.”
As he saw my crooked handwriting on the equity transfer document, Declan gave a satisfied smile.
As I looked at him, he was like a stranger to me. At that moment I was sure that the part of him that belonged to me had been completely destroyed when Sadie returned.
Everything in my office had been cleared out and replaced by Sadie’s computer.
As I walked out of the company, everyone stared at me weirdly. Rumors of my “secret alliance” with the Miller Corporation were already spreading like wildfire.
“Alice, this wasn’t my intention today.”
When Declan returned home, he hugged me and kept apologizing, “I was forced to act this way due to pressure from the shareholders‘ meeting. I know you wouldn’t betray me, but the shareholders don’t believe it.”
“This is all for the greater good,” he added. “Otherwise, the company would be in chaos and fall apart, which isn’t the outcome we want to see.”
