Chapter 5
“Sophia, you’re the one I have to thank for my success today.” 1
My heart turning to ash, I prepared to reveal the truth.
I explained that what happened back then was entirely due to their own poor management and had nothing to do with us.
But Ethan grabbed me and said to the shareholders, “We still have a private matter to discuss. If you would all please head out for now.”
I’m sure more than a few people in the room were calling me an idiot, wondering how I could let my shares be diluted so easily, leaving a loophole for someone to exploit.
She’d been watching the whole drama unfold.
“Sophia, how dare you still sit there? Get the hell out. Don’t dirty the room with your presence.”
“So it was Sophia who caused Victoria’s family to go bankrupt? How ruthless. Back then, she drove them into homelessness, practically trying to kill their entire family. I never thought Sophia, who always seems so innocent, could be so venomous.”
The real show was about to begin.
“You’re reaping what you sowed. You deserve everything you’re getting today.”
We hadn’t seen each other in years. She stood there in a sharp suit, radiating a ruthlessness I’d never seen before, while I was a complete and utter mess.
The board members looked at her as if she were their savior:
“That’s right. Sophia is finished. I, Victoria, am here to take over.”
Victoria strode out from the adjacent lounge.
Victoria produced a thick stack of documents, her expression dripping with triumph.
I’m a
“I signed an acquisition agreement with your employee-shareholders long ago. shareholder of Carter Design now, too, and my stake is one percent larger than Sophia’s.”
Once everyone was gone, the two of them completely dropped their masks.
Not even Ethan said a single word in my defense.
The people around us began to whisper:
A single sentence, and I was plunged into the abyss.
Before, as long as he believed in me, I didn’t care about any of the rumors. Now, knowing
the truth, I only wanted to let the facts speak for themselves.
It was true. After all these years of being wrapped around Ethan’s little finger, I had no
real strength to speak of.
“You can never judge a book by its cover. Victoria is obviously here for revenge today. It’s karma, plain and simple. What goes around comes around.”
I gave a serene smile, double-checking that the audio and video recorders were running smoothly.
“Ms. Victoria, to think you’ve bided your time for so many years, planning so meticulously… You’re decisive, capable, and you’re even willing to acquire the company after all this. You are truly our messiah!”
Ethan slapped me right across the face.
As the shareholders were leaving, they were still fawning over Victoria, telling Ethan to keep me in line.
“For Sophia to keep up the act for so many years… it’s disgusting.”
“If you hadn’t destroyed my family six years ago, I never would have thought of getting my revenge.”
Victoria has hated me to the bone for years. Now that she’s finally toppled me, the vicious hatred on her face is on full display:
But no one would listen, their vicious words washing over me from all sides.
I let out a cold laugh.
14:54
