CHAPTER 134: SHAREHOLDER MEETING

Lana tightened the knot neatly and smoothed it down against his shirt.

"There," she said softly. "At least look like the man they know they can’t mess with."

William let out a short laugh, dry and humorless.

"At this point, I might need more than just a good tie."

She smiled faintly, forcing lightness into the heavy atmosphere.

"Don’t underestimate the power of a good appearance. You always say... Perception is half the victory."

"True," he said, exhaling slowly. "And the other half?"

"Intimidation," she said, finishing his sentence for him.

"You’ve been paying attention. I like it!" He smiles.

"Of course. I’m not just a pretty face in your scandal, remember?"

That actually made him laugh, a real one this time. "That’s what I like about you. You never lose your nerve, even when everything’s burning outside."

"Someone has to stay sane, Will..." she said.

William took one last look in the mirror, straightened his suit, and then turned to her. His expression hardened once more.

"I’ll handle this," he said firmly. "Whatever they’re plotting, I’ll shut it down before it gets out of hand."

"I’ll be waiting," Lana replied softly. "Just... be careful." She smiles.

He nodded once before heading out of the room.

As the front door closed behind him, Lana stood silently, staring down the empty hallway. Her smile faded.

She couldn’t stay here doing nothing. She needs to remove the news about her and William from the internet, even if it costs her a lot of money.

...

When William’s car finally pulled up to the Walters building, chaos awaited.

The moment the sleek black Maybach came into view, reporters swarmed the car.

Their flashes pierced the tinted windows. Microphones thumped against the car doors, and their screams were deafening.

He froze in disbelief.

"How the hell did they recognize this car? Did you tell them?" He narrowed his eyes at his chauffeur, a suspicious gleam in his gaze.

The chauffeur was shocked. He hurriedly shook his head and looked at the rearview mirror to check on his boss.

"No, sir. How could I tell them?"

He had specifically ordered his driver to take the back route to avoid attention, yet somehow they had predicted even that.

"Mr. Walters! Are you really being replaced as CEO?" one shouted.

"Mr. Walters, is it true you had an affair with your company’s CFO?" another voice pierced through the noise.

"Mr. Walters, can you comment on the family feud inside the Walters Group?"

And then...

"Mr. Walters, what about your outcast daughter, Evelyn Walters? Is it true she—"

That question strangely stabbed his heart. But he couldn’t hear the last part of the question as security guards rushed in, forcing a path through the sea of reporters.

William stepped out quickly, head low, shielding his face from the flashing lights as the guards pushed back the crowd.

The noise faded behind him.

Finally, silence.

But his peace didn’t last long.

"Sir, I’m sorry, but the executive elevator is out of order," one of the staff members said nervously.

William stopped dead, staring at him. "What did you say?"

"The executive elevator is out of order, sir. We found the auxiliary power was dangerously unstable this morning. So, a technician is working to repair it."

"Damn it!" he hissed under his breath, glaring toward the elevator. "Why does the universe insist on giving me a hard time today?"

He loosened his tie slightly and looked around, his patience running thin.

"Sir, you can take the employee elevator for the time being," one of the security guards suggested.

Another adds, "It’s only for employees, and not guests. So better than the common elevator. It’s in the ground floor lobby. There shouldn’t be many employees using it at this hour."

William shook his head.

"No. I don’t trust it. If those reporters managed to find the back entrance, they might already be inside the building lobby."

He turned toward the emergency staircase instead, even though he had to climb so many stairs today.

"We’ll use the stairs. Let’s move."

As he climbed, he took out his cell phone from his pocket. Seeing Joseph Carter’s name on the screen, he immediately dialed.

Again?

Straight to voicemail.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, stopping mid-step. "The one man who always answers on the first ring suddenly disappears the moment I need him."

He shoved the phone back into his pocket, his expression clearly showing how furious he was now.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He could feel it... Someone was plotting to oust him from the company.

...

Meanwhile, in one of the special meeting rooms on the twenty-fourth floor, Joseph sat comfortably in his chair, legs crossed, a calm expression masking the curiosity behind his eyes.

Around the long table, several shareholders were already seated, quietly chatting as they waited for the meeting to begin.

In front of Joseph lay a freshly printed shareholder position sheet, handed to him moments ago by his secretary.

His eyes scanned it carefully, and then stopped.

Something wasn’t right.

The list had changed drastically from the last report he’d seen earlier this year.

[ Walters Corp – Shareholding:

20% – William Walters

19% – Samuel Walters

18% – Moressy Holding

17.5% – J Corp

6% – Joseph Carter

5% – Jason Walters

5% – Norah Walters

5% – Public

2.5% – Madison Taylor

2% – Alicia Walters ]

Joseph silently sighed as he leaned back.

’Since when did William sell his shares?’ he muttered under his breath.

His gaze lingered on the names Moressy Holding and J Corp. Just a few months ago, those companies barely held five percent each.

Now, they were nearly the most significant stakeholders after William himself.

He shifted his attention to the two men sitting at his right side; sharp suits, calm expressions, expensive watches.

’Foreigners,’ Joseph thought.

He was sure of it. They didn’t look or act like local investors. And he was even more certain that this was their first time at the table.

He subtly studied their faces, searching his memory. Nothing. Not once had they attended a previous meeting.

’So, William brought in foreign partners?’ he thought, tapping the table lightly with his pen. ’Or... someone else did it behind his back?’

Then his gaze shifted to Samuel Walters, who was sitting across from him with his butler.

The old man who owned the company. Although Samuel was the ultimate owner, his heir, William, had caused the company’s downfall.

The room buzzed with polite conversation.

Joseph leaned forward again, tracing the numbers with his finger.

’Well,’ he thought with a faint smirk, ’this meeting is about to get very interesting. No wonder Eve said...’

His thoughts were interrupted as the door suddenly flew open with a loud, echoing bang, catching everyone’s attention.