Template placeholder with Chapter 198
Chapter 198:
The moment the shareholders’ meeting kicked off, Amelia stood tall and declared her intention to contend for the role of CEO at the Stewart Group. That single statement sent a wave of fury through Jewell.
“What makes you think you have the right to claim the CEO seat?” he exclaimed.
“Wyatt is my husband by law, and at this moment, I hold a significant portion of the company’s shares. By the company’s own regulations, I’m fully entitled to compete for the role of CEO,” Amelia replied calmly.
“You p>
𝖸𝗼𝗎𝗋 ո𝗲х𝗍 𝘧𝗮𝘷𝗼𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗲 𝗋𝘦аd 𝘪ѕ o𝗻 𝗀𝖺𝘭ոо𝗏е𝘭𝗌.с𝗼𝗺
Jewell was so incensed by Amelia’s words that he couldn’t utter another word. His eyes darted to the roomful of shareholders. “Are you all going to keep quiet and let this happen p>
The silence barely lingered before Julius spoke up. “I’m against this p>
Julius had always dared not oppose Wyatt directly, but he wasn’t afraid to go against Amelia. After he spoke, several others followed, making their opposition clear. Jewell, witnessing the mounting resistance, felt a trace of triumph flicker in his eyes.
He was about to gloat when Erik’s calm voice interjected, “Amelia has my support. I stand behind her taking over as the acting CEO p>
That statement shifted every gaze toward Erik. A wave of relief and warmth washed over Amelia as his promise echoed in her mind. Knowing that Wyatt still had a loyal ally gave her a sense of hope she hadn’t felt in days.
“Erik, have you lost sight of your loyalties? You traitor!” Julius snapped.
Before either Amelia or Jewell could respond, Julius was already leveling accusations. Amelia narrowed her eyes, fixing Julius with a cold stare. “You’d better watch your mouth. Show some respect to him p>
Though he tried to maintain his bravado, Julius’s confidence cracked under Amelia’s gaze, and he quickly looked away.
For a moment, Julius could almost feel Wyatt’s presence radiating from Amelia. He then caught himself shrinking from a woman half his age, and embarrassment flickered across his face.
Not daring to direct his scorn at Amelia, Julius lashed out at Erik instead, saying, “I always thought you were just a bookworm, not caring about office politics. Clearly, you’ve been fooling us all this time p>
“When it comes to putting on an act, I wouldn’t even try to beat you at your own game,” Erik said.
“You p>
The sting of humiliation tested Julius’s patience. With anger boiling over, he grabbed a water cup from the table and flung it at Erik. Erik’s reflexes kicked in, and he slipped out of the cup’s path quickly. He sat with his back toward the door, and his swift dodge sent the cup flying right toward the entrance.
Just then, the door swung open from the hallway. Doug, spotting the cup on a collision course with Conroy, rushed to shield him.
“Mr. Stewart, look out p>
The cup clattered to the floor, landing just inches from Conroy’s shoes. Conroy’s sudden arrival caught everyone off guard. Chairs scraped back as the entire room sprang to their feet, while Julius turned pale, clearly rattled. In a fluster, Julius hurried to Conroy’s side and said nervously, “Mr. Stewart, what brings you here? I p>
“That’s enough p>
Conroy’s glare silenced Julius as he moved to claim the main seat at the table. After settling in, he fixed Amelia with a piercing stare. She returned his gaze without a hint of fear.
Conroy’s reputation for being well-informed preceded him. Amelia believed he was aware of Jewell’s schemes and Wyatt’s condition. Still, he had let the drama play out, just standing by and doing nothing.
“You want to be the acting CEO of the Stewart Group?” Conroy asked Amelia.
All eyes shifted to Amelia the moment the question left Conroy’s lips.
Julius and Jewell couldn’t hide their twisted pleasure, while Davin and Erik watched Amelia with concern.
Davin quickly spoke up, hoping to ease the tension. “Mr. Stewart, about the company p>
“Stop. I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Conroy interjected.
Forced into silence, Davin stepped back, still looking at Amelia with worry. He knew Conroy’s disapproval of her had been obvious for a long time.
“That’s correct. I intend to be the acting CEO of the Stewart Group for now.” Amelia’s confident reply drew a wave of mockery from Julius, nearly spilling over in his expression.
Everything Julius knew about Conroy led him to believe Amelia would be harshly reprimanded. But Conroy’s reaction left him dumbfounded.
Conroy simply looked at her in silence for several moments before shifting his focus to Jewell and repeating the same question.
Jewell, flustered, found himself momentarily speechless. He had feared Conroy since childhood. When Polly had been alive, he could hide behind her. But with her gone, he couldn’t do that anymore. He had avoided Conroy as much as he could after Polly’s death.
“You don’t even have the courage to admit what you want like she did!” Conroy said in a sharp voice.