Chapter 858
As the patriarch of the Lance family, Lord Leonard Lance held absolute dominion over the group’s control rights.
For example, today’s two candidates for CEO could only be chosen from the Lance bloodline-Owen and Lawrence.
The Lance Group was a family empire. Outsiders would only be considered if the family lacked capable heirs or if the descendants outright refused the position.
In truth, Lord Leonard hadn’t been entirely blind to Lawrence’s past transgressions.
He had warned Lawrence on multiple occasions, doling out the necessary reprimands and punishments whenever Lawrence crossed the line.
But the old man doted on his descendants to a fault. He could never bring himself to cast Lawrence aside, always hoping to give him one more chance.
This time, however, Lawrence’s actions had been undeniably absurd. Stepping in to help Jude Vance without any justifiable reason had finally pushed the old man over the edge, forcing him to yank Lawrence from power.
It was a stroke of luck that Owen had decided to return.
Having said that, the Lance Group was still a joint-stock company. A massive decision like appointing a new CEO required a majority vote from the entire board of shareholders.
The 51% equity wasn’t enough to dictate the terms unilaterally.
Which was precisely why today’s shareholders’ meeting had been convened.
“Owen! You’re finally back p>
Another shareholder greeted him with a wide smile.
“If you hadn’t come back, I was about ready to liquidate my shares p>
“Exactly. In my darkest moments, I was practically praying to the heavens for your return p>
Lord Leonard sat perched at the head table, acting entirely deaf to the commotion. Even Owen had to admire the old man’s threshold for tolerance.
“It seems you’ve been perfectly content playing the supportive fiancé over at Solflare Entertainment p>
The underlying implication was that he was a kept man riding on Mira’s coattails.
Faced with the jabs, Owen merely offered a faint smile and ignored them.
“Supportive fiancé? Do your homework; Owen is an official shareholder of Solflare Entertainment p>
Fired back a shareholder who was privy to the inside details.
“It’s great to have you back, Owen. But honestly, in the years you were gone, Lawrence did a perfectly fine job p>
“Exactly. Lawrence is approachable and always open to feedback. He was doing just fine. Why replace him out of nowhere p>
“Fine? That’s rich. The company’s revenue has been in a freefall for years, and the stock tanked multiple times under his brilliant leadership p>
“That was due to the broader economic downturn. Whose stock didn’t take a hit p>
“But no one else’s stock plummeted that drastically p>
“How do you explain Solflare Entertainment’s relentless upward trajectory? That was under Owen’s management p>
Before the meeting had even officially commenced, the two factions were already locked in a screaming match, practically coming to blows.
“Finally, Owen stood up and cut through the noise. ‘Since everyone firmly believes their side is right, let’s just split the Lance Group in two I I’ll Head one half
“Hey, that’s a brilliant idea! From now on, we’ll follow Owen, and you noisy hacks can keep kissing Lawrence’s ass p>
“That should settle the debate, right p>
The moment Owen finished speaking, someone immediately cheered in agreement.
“Fantastic! Absolutely brilliant! There’s no better solution than this p>
But the shareholders backing Lawrence suddenly fell dead silent.
Comparatively speaking, Lawrence was easy to manipulate and accommodating, In the lead-up to this meeting, he had secretly slipped them bribes and promised them lucrative returns.
But Lawrence couldn’t generate actual value. Sticking with him meant their assets
wouldn’t appreciate; they would continue to bleed out.
Owen, on the other hand, was a different beast entirely.
He was ruthless, domineering, and an absolute autocrat. Under him, they wouldn’t be able to exploit any Hoopholes orskim off the top But he possessed the ability to skyrocket* the group’s valuation and revitalize the entire company.
“Well? Why so quiet? Didn’t you just say Lawrence was doing a stellar job? We’re
giving you the chance to follow him, so why the hesitation p>
Owen didn’t say another word. His supporters gladly did the mocking for him.
“It’s not that we don’t want to follow him. It’s just impossible to split the group. Since
when does a massive corporation just arbitrarily chop itself in half p>