Chapter 307 Completion of Equity Transfer
Chapter 307 Completion of Equity Transfer
Alexander and Grace made a pact, "Once we officially register our marriage, I'll give you a grand wedding. After we're married, no matter whether we've fought or not, you're not allowed to bring up divorce. If we argue, I'll always be the one to smooth things over first—but you can't threaten me with divorce."
Grace listened and thought the condition wasn't unreasonable. "Alright, I'll remember that. But what if you make me angry?"
Alexander asked, "What do you do when Max makes you angry?"
Grace teased deliberately, "Make him kneel as punishment!"
Alexander shot her a skeptical look.
Grace kept a straight face, widening her eyes. "Really! If you don't believe me, go ask Max yourself!"
Alexander couldn't be bothered to pursue it further.
He summoned Jeremy, who came in to clear away the lunch boxes and wipe down the desk. Once everything was clean, Alexander said, "Bring the lawyer in."
"Yes, sir."
Jeremy ushered the lawyer into the office.
"Mr. Hayes, the agreements are ready. These are the prenuptial agreements that need to be signed before you register the marriage."
The lawyer spoke as he spread two copies of the agreement in front of Grace.
Grace skimmed through a few pages, then took the pen and began signing.
The stack of documents was thick. After signing several copies in a row, her wrist started to ache. "How many more do I have to sign?"
The lawyer replied, "Quite a few more, I'm afraid. This may take up a bit of your time, Ms. Foster."
The lawyer then produced a particularly unique agreement.
This one was primarily a liability declaration.
Grace scanned it briefly, and her expression froze.
Though the contract was full of legal jargon that was dense and hard to parse, she grasped the gist; this was a debt exemption agreement.
Should Crest Corporation face any debt issues in the future, she, as his spouse, would bear no obligation to repay any of it.
Any company carried the risk of bankruptcy.
Crest Corporation was worth trillions, but that didn't rule out the possibility of future debt.
This agreement Alexander had drafted shielded her from any such liability.
Grace felt a stir in her heart, somewhat taken aback.
She hadn't expected Alexander to be so meticulous, to think so many steps ahead.
By signing this agreement, she would be absolved of any responsibility should Crest Corporation ever fall into debt—he would shoulder it all alone.
Grace quietly set down the pen. "Can I… not sign this one?"
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
He assumed she hadn't understood and was about to explain.
Grace lifted her head to meet his gaze. "If we're getting married, we're husband and wife. Whether it's wealth and glory or hardship and struggle, we should face it together."
Alexander froze.
So this little fool had understood.
He hadn't expected her to refuse to sign.
Alexander said, "Just sign it."
This agreement was for her protection.
Grace replied, "I won't sign it. I'll sign all the other agreements, but not this one."
Alexander couldn't help but smile. "Grace, I know you want to share my burdens, but don't overthink this. I'm just hedging against certain risks in advance. Even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I want to account for it—but that doesn't mean it will happen. Don't worry."
Currently, Crest Corporation's debt ratio was very low, and the risk was minimal. There would be no financial deficit or debt crisis.
Grace hesitated for a long moment before finally picking up the pen and signing her name.
By the time she'd finished signing all the agreements, it was already two in the afternoon.
Her supervisor had called her several times, and she hadn't answered any of them.
It had been half an hour since lunch break ended.
Grace was about to head back to her department when Alexander suddenly asked, "Are you settling in alright with the project team?"
Grace replied, "It's fine."
Aside from some colleagues being a bit standoffish, those were minor issues—nothing worth mentioning. She could handle them herself.
Alexander was so busy; she didn't want such trivial matters to take up his time.
---
When Grace returned to the office, Lillian was just about to head to a meeting. Seeing her arrive, Lillian's tone turned icy. "Without perfect attendance, you really don't give a damn about company rules, do you? Do you even know that being late by more than forty-five minutes counts as being absent without leave?"
Grace glanced at the time.
She raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "Work starts at one-thirty. It's two-ten now. That's five minutes short of being marked AWOL."
Lillian was once again left speechless.
Grace smiled faintly. "But thanks for the reminder, Ms. Miller. I'd almost forgotten that forty-five minutes late counts as absence. I'll be more careful in the future to avoid getting written up by you."
Lillian's features twisted with rage, and she turned on her heel and stormed off.
---
That afternoon, the team had a meeting.
Lillian unleashed a torrent of complaints.
The project team's hierarchy went like this: Stanley at the top, then the deputy director, then department heads, and finally team leaders.
Lillian grumbled to the department head, "Can't you do something about that new hire? Do you see how arrogant she's gotten?"
Emma said, "Lillian, you're usually so sharp—why are you being so dense now? Haven't you thought about why Mr. Nelson hasn't disciplined her despite all these late arrivals?"
Lillian snapped, "I knew it—she's deliberately targeting me!"
Emma replied, "Let me remind you: Mr. Nelson is clearly looking out for her. If we rule out the possibility that Grace is his girlfriend, then the only explanation is that Grace has serious connections and a powerful background. Going after her won't do you any favors."
Lillian scoffed. "If her background is so great, why would she be placed in the project team?"
Emma shrugged. "I'm just giving you friendly advice. That's all."
Lillian narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Emma, you wouldn't happen to know something, would you? Don't think I haven't noticed—you've been trying to poach Grace for your own team. You must know what her real background is!"
Emma said evenly, "I know nothing about her origins."
Besides, Emma and Lillian were rivals. Even if Emma did know something about Grace's connections, she certainly wouldn't hand that information over to Lillian.
But Lillian didn't believe for a second that Grace had any real background.
She figured Grace's boyfriend must be on good terms with Stanley, which was why she'd been placed in the project team and given special treatment.
Since Grace dared to go after her like this, Lillian didn't mind using a few underhanded tactics of her own.
She refused to believe that after all these years in the project team, she couldn't handle one arrogant newbie.
If Grace was this brazen before she'd even passed probation, what would she be like afterward? Would she dare to challenge Lillian's authority outright?
---
That evening.
The Hayes Manor.
William received a call from the board of directors.
Over the past few days, he'd been closely monitoring every move within Crest Corporation.
He'd assumed that Alexander's recent threat to divide up his assets was just verbal posturing—until the board informed him that Alexander had just signed three stock transfer agreements with Grace.
The veteran shareholders on the board had learned of this and voiced their objections unanimously—but Alexander had overruled every single one of them.