Chapter 22
Aria’s POV
The board room was worse than I’d imagined.
A massive oak table dominated the space, surrounded by at least a dozen people—mostly men in their fifties and sixties, with only two women. One of them was Sylvia.
She looked immaculate in a black Chanel suit, her blonde hair pulled into a severe bun. Those amber eyes fixed on me the moment I walked in, cold and assessing.
Nathan sat beside her, his expression equally frigid.
“Gentlemen,” Victor began, “I’d like to introduce Aria Smith—Vincent Smith’s daughter and one of the largest shareholders of this company. As of today, she’ll be officially joining the board p>
Silence.
Then an older man with silver hair cleared his throat. “Alpha Victor, with all due respect, Miss Smith has no business experience. Isn’t this… premature p>
“I agree with Henderson,” another voice chimed in. “V&A is a multinational corporation, not a playground. We need capable leadership, not p>
He paused, his gaze sliding over me dismissively.
“Not some little girl who’s only here because of her bloodline?” I finished for him.
The room went dead quiet.
The shareholder blinked, looking slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t say that p>
“But you meant it.” I leaned back in my chair, forcing myself to look more confident than I felt. “Gentlemen, I understand your concerns. I don’t have decades of experience like you do. But I’d like to remind everyone of one thing—my father chose me. Not anyone else. Me p>
“Vincent was gravely ill,” Sylvia cut in sharply. “His judgment may have been compromised p>
“Are you questioning the legality of the will?” Victor’s voice dropped to something dangerous.
Sylvia’s lips pressed into a thin line.
I took a deep breath and decided to strike while I had momentum.
“Since everyone’s so concerned about my qualifications, let’s talk about some of the company’s recent projects. Like Mr. Henderson’s logistics expansion plan—according to the quarterly report, operational costs exceeded projections by eighteen percent, but freight volume only increased by seven percent. That ROI doesn’t exactly scream ’experienced leadership,’ does it p>
Henderson’s face turned crimson.
I didn’t give him time to respond. “And Mr. Morrison’s acquisition deal—you spent twenty million dollars on a failing tech startup because of its ’future potential.’ Except the entire core team quit within three months of the acquisition. So tell me, what exactly did you buy? Outdated patents and an empty office p>
Morrison looked like he might have a stroke.
The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
I swept my gaze around the table and finally landed on Nathan.
“As for you, Nathan—perhaps you’d like to explain to everyone why the Riverside Pack deal fell through? That was your project, wasn’t it p>
Nathan’s jaw tightened. “They breached contract p>
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “Or was it because you had a personal grudge against their Alpha and deliberately sabotaged a multi-million dollar partnership p>
“What the hell are you implying?” His voice was low, controlled fury.
“I’m not implying anything.” I pulled a folder from my bag and slid it across the table. The folder Damian had given me.
“These are internal email records. Your correspondence with Alpha Miller clearly shows you tried to leverage company resources to pressure him into concessions on a land development deal. When he refused, you unilaterally terminated our partnership with Riverside Pack, costing this company at least five million dollars in losses p>
Nathan’s expression turned murderous.
Sylvia shot to her feet. “Enough! Who do you think you are? You’ve been here five minutes and you’re already p>
“I’m a shareholder,” I said calmly. “I have every right to know how my assets are being managed p>
“You little p>
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Victor’s voice cut through the tension. “Miss Smith has raised legitimate concerns, all backed by documentation. If anyone here still questions her qualifications, I suggest you first review your own performance p>
Another heavy silence.
Finally, Henderson coughed. “Very well, Miss Smith. Welcome to the board p>
The others nodded reluctantly. Some still looked pissed, but at least no one was openly challenging me anymore.
Sylvia glared daggers at me before storming out.
Nathan followed, but not before giving me one last look—cold and sharp as a blade.
After the meeting ended, I practically collapsed against the wall outside the boardroom.
Victor appeared beside me, amusement in his voice. “Well done p>
“I almost threw up.” I pressed my fingers to my temples. “God, they were even worse than I expected. If I hadn’t memorized every detail of those financial reports, they would’ve eaten me alive p>
“But you held your ground.” He stopped walking and looked at me seriously. “Aria, you’re stronger than you think p>
I managed a weak smile. “Maybe p>
But I wouldn’t have made it through that room without Damian’s coaching.
Back in my new office, my assistant—a young woman named Emily—handed me a stack of documents.
“Miss Smith, these need your signature p>
I flipped through them absently until one caught my eye.
A partner company list.
My gaze snagged on one name: Silver Creek Pack.
Then my phone buzzed.
An HR notification.
*New employee alert: Clara Voss has been added to the Finance Department under your supervision p>
Ice flooded my veins.
Clara. Working in my department. At Holt Enterprises.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Then the fury came—cold, sharp, clarifying.
“Emily p>
She looked up.
“Add Silver Creek Pack to the company blacklist. Permanent ban on all future collaborations p>
Emily blinked. “Um… are you sure p>
“Completely sure p>
“Okay, Miss Smith p>
I signed the documents mechanically, then leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
Ethan Holt thought he could use my father’s company resources? Thought he could parade Clara around in my old department like I didn’t matter?
He was about to learn exactly how wrong he was.