CHAPTER 188

CHAPTER 188
The atmosphere in the boardroom had shifted into something almost suffocating. Hands were rising one by one, slowly at first, then with growing confidence as if each lifted arm gave courage to the next. Adrian’s smile widened with every second, smug and triumphant, his fingers tapping lightly on the polished table like a man moments away from claiming a kingdom. Viviana sat beside him with a soft, eager grin, watching the shareholders as though they were puppets finally dancing in the direction she wanted.

Amelia sat frozen in her corner seat. Her breath trembled as she watched the disaster unfold. Her heart pounded with dread, and she felt a painful squeeze in her chest as she imagined Vincent losing everything. Losing his position. Losing his dignity. Losing the very company, he had built with his own hands. She swallowed hard, unable to lift her head, unable to breathe normally.

Then the doors opened.

Not swung open with force. No shouting. No heavy footsteps.

Just a quiet shift.

A ripple.

A hush.

A presence so strong that even the air seemed to tighten in anticipation.

Matteo walked in.

He was dressed in a dark suit, tailored sharply, his expression cold and unreadable. His steps were slow but firm, the kind of walk that shifted the balance in the room without a single word. Behind him came Felix, straight-faced and intense. Behind Felix came a line of lawyers, three of them, carrying boxes and folders. And behind them came the last person anyone expected:

Ramos.

Adrian’s eyes widened. Viviana inhaled sharply.

Matteo came to stand at the centre of the room, folding his hands behind his back, his posture straight and unbending.

Adrian found his voice first. It cracked slightly.

“What are you doing here? This is a closed shareholders’ meeting. You’re not allowed to be here.”

Matteo actually smiled.

A soft, humourless laugh escaped him. “Is that so?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “You’re very confident for someone who is standing on borrowed time.”

Amelia’s heart leaped painfully into her throat. This was the first time she had seen Matteo in more than a week. He had ignored her calls, her messages, her voice notes - everything. For a brief, horrible moment, she wondered if he had aligned himself with Adrian… if he had chosen the other side while she was drowning.

But then she saw the lawyers. The folder in Matteo’s hand. The presence of Felix and Ramos. And her uncertainty shattered into a fragile, trembling hope.

Adrian lifted his chin. “You are not a shareholder. You have no right to be here. Please leave.”

Matteo’s smile widened just slightly. “On the contrary,” he said, “I have every right to be here.”

He gestured with one hand, and one of his lawyers stepped forward, handing him a thick folder. Matteo placed it calmly at the centre of the table, opening it with deliberate care.

“For months now,” he said, “several minor shareholders have been holding shares in trust for me. Every vote they cast… every meeting they attended… they did so under my authority. And today, I am here to claim those shares officially and vote myself.”

Gasps filled the room. Adrian stepped back, confusion flashing across his face.

“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “This is nonsense. You can’t just…”

Matteo raised his hand, silencing him as easily as flicking off a light switch.

“I bought their shares,” he said clearly. “Every single one. And the documents, which you can now see, reflect that transfer.”

His lawyer opened the folders, revealing dozens of certificates bearing Matteo Cruz’s name.

Matteo turned to the shareholders. “If you have been holding shares in trust for me,” he said calmly, “raise your hand.”

Almost every hand in the room rose - every minor shareholder, every silent observer, every person Adrian had believed he controlled through fear or manipulation.

Only Amelia’s hand stayed down.

Adrian’s breath stuttered. “What… what is happening?”

Matteo’s voice hardened. “This is what happens when you underestimate the people you try to control.”

He motioned toward Ramos.

“You remember him, Adrian,” Matteo said softly. “The man you hired to dig up dirt on shareholders. The man you used to blackmail them into voting your way. The man you entrusted with your secrets.”

Ramos stepped forward, head lowered. “I told him everything,” he said quietly. “All your plans… everything you were doing.”

Adrian shook his head violently. “No… you’re lying. You would never…”

Matteo cut him off. “He didn’t tell me because I’m more powerful than you, Adrian. He told me because he’s a decent man. And because he saw what you were trying to do. I didn’t know the exact moment you’d strike, but I prepared. I approached every shareholder. I offered to buy them out. And do you know what they told me?”

He paused.

“They told me they didn’t want to be part of your mess.”

Viviana swallowed hard, her confidence now dissolving like sugar in water.

Matteo continued, his tone shifting into something darker. “Let’s move on to the real charges.”

He lifted a stack of papers - bank slips, signatures, CCTV captures, written testimonies.

“All of these accusations you threw at Vincent,” he said, “are lies. Every single one. Vincent didn’t embezzle funds. He didn’t create hidden accounts. He didn’t funnel money.”

He raised the papers higher.

“You did.”

A collective gasp surged through the room like a wave. Adrian froze, his face turning ghostly pale.

Matteo spoke steadily, the precision of his words cutting through the air. “You embezzled funds to finance your schemes. You created hidden accounts and disguised them under Vincent’s name. You drained company capital to fund your plan with Ramos. And here…” he lifted another sheet “…are the bank managers’ statements confirming that you, Adrian Reyes, opened those accounts.”

Adrian’s knees buckled slightly.

Viviana pressed a trembling hand to her mouth.

Even Vincent, despite knowing the truth already, felt the weight of the moment settle heavily in his lungs.

“And as for Amelia…” Matteo said, turning slowly to face her, then shifting his eyes back to Adrian and Viviana, “I knew from the beginning that you were trying to break us apart. I knew you drugged her at the chef-show dinner. I knew you carried her unconscious body to Leon’s room. I knew you bribed Leon with promises of fame to play along. And I knew you wanted to use the scandal to weaken Vincent so you could take over.”

His gaze sharpened with wrath.

“Nothing happened between Amelia and Leon. I can prove she was drugged. And Vincent will deal with every one of you who took part in that setup - including Leon.”

Amelia covered her mouth, tears spilling silently. For the first time in days, she felt oxygen return to her lungs.

Viviana stared at the table, tears of humiliation burning her eyes.

Adrian could barely stand.

Matteo turned back to the shareholders, his voice level and controlled. “Now that you know the truth… as you were saying, Adrian… let’s return to the vote.”

He faced the room with calm authority.

“All those who want Vincent removed as CEO,” he said, “raise your hands.”

No one moved.

Not even Viviana.

Not even Adrian.

Not even the minor shareholders.

Silence held the room in a tight grip.

Defeated and trembling, Adrian grabbed his coat and walked out without a word.

Vincent didn’t hesitate.

“Victor,” he said, “go after him. Remove everything from the Vice President’s office. He is not allowed back into this building.”

Victor nodded and followed.

Vincent then pointed at Viviana, his voice colder than she had ever heard it.

“As for you… I will deal with you later.”

Viviana fled the room in humiliation.

Vincent turned back to the shareholders, his expression solemn. “The police are already on their way. We will address the embezzlement, the attempted takeover, and every crime committed. Cole Enterprises will not fall because of lies.”

Amelia looked at Matteo from across the room, her heart trembling.

He had come for her.

He had fought for her.

He had protected her even while she thought he had abandoned her.