Chapter 10

The news that appeared and disappeared suddenly that day had no real impact on Eugenie.

If she had to describe her only feeling about it, it was that Nicholas's speed in handling the situation showed he was probably desperate to avoid her.

He might even misunderstand her intentions.

That would explain why all photos and any mentions of the incident had been completely scrubbed from the internet, as if it had never happened at all.

The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. When would she ever be able to secure the Whitaker family as her ally?

In her previous life, she'd done nothing special and maintained only a cordial nodding acquaintance with Nicholas.

Yet this time, despite her deliberate efforts to connect with him, she seemed to have offended him instead.

She sighed and returned to her work.

Nolan knocked and entered, informing her, "Ms. Medici, the shareholders' meeting begins in ten minutes. Everyone has arrived. Are you certain you want to proceed with the meeting today?"

Eugenie snapped back to reality, her demeanor instantly transforming to one of cool confidence and sharp determination. "What, you think I can't handle these shareholders?" She asked with a smile.

Nolan remained silent, but his unspoken concern was plainly visible.

Finally, he cautioned her, "These shareholders have deeply embedded themselves in the company over the years. They don't want anyone from the Williams family returning. Your sweeping reforms from the beginning have already alienated them—they're likely to continue making things difficult for you."

Eugenie smiled knowingly. "You've got it backward. Precisely because they'll resent my presence in this company no matter what I do and try to undermine me, I need to establish my stance firmly from the start. That's the only way to keep them in check."

And this time would be no different—she wouldn't back down.

The Williams Group was the foundation built by Chase and Xanthe, and equally, Delta's legacy. She had absolutely no intention of surrendering it.

Eugenie arrived punctually for the shareholders' meeting.

As soon as she entered the conference room, she was met with several meaningful glances masked with false kindness, "Eugenie's here! Come sit down. Let's treat this meeting like a family discussion—no need for tension."

The speaker was Erik Parker, once Chase's trusted lieutenant who had gradually acquired shares and worked his way to his current position.

Yet even the most seemingly loyal subordinate harbored ambitions. Erik was particularly two-faced, often using the pretense of caring for Eugenie to reassure her that he had the company under control.

In reality, among those who secretly pushed for refinancing and siphoning company assets, Erik's methods were the most ruthless and merciless.

Facing Erik's greeting, Eugenie responded with a perfunctory smile, "This is a business setting, Mr. Parker. Please call me Ms. Medici. I'm simply one of the company's shareholders."

A flash of curiosity crossed Erik's eyes.

He chuckled noncommittally, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The other shareholders sensed Eugenie's confrontational tone and exchanged furtive glances.

The meeting began awkwardly.

Eugenie opened her folder, "I've gathered everyone today to advance company reforms. I plan to implement an annual performance evaluation system. Employees who fail evaluations for two consecutive years will be subject to dismissal or reassignment."

"Additionally, I've discovered numerous employees who clock in but don't actually work. I've already contacted our legal team to begin terminating such employees and pursuing compensation."

"Absolutely not!" Someone immediately objected.

Jace Barnes, one of the shareholders, glanced surreptitiously at Erik's expression before continuing, "Ms. Medici is making changes without understanding the company's situation. These people are longtime employees—you risk alienating our staff."

Eugenie replied calmly, "I'm targeting employees who don't deserve their positions. I have no problem alienating such individuals."

Her piercing gaze fixed on Jace, while her words remained logical and irrefutable, "Optimizing our workforce by removing those who can't pass evaluations or who collect paychecks without working allows us to use those savings to reward our truly exceptional employees. That's how we prevent alienating our valuable staff."

Jace was momentarily speechless.

The other shareholders exchanged glances, sensing that today's Eugenie wouldn't be easily managed.

Another shareholder, Orion Hughes, changed tactics, adopting a gentler approach, "Ms. Medici, what he means is that as a newcomer, you might not fully understand the company's internal dynamics. If unscrupulous individuals manipulate the situation, it could backfire on you—your subordinates might implement things incorrectly."

Eugenie nodded, "That's a valid point."

The others looked hopeful, ready to press their advantage.

But then Eugenie smiled radiantly, scanning the room with apparent trust, "That's precisely why I need the help of all shareholders to provide oversight. I'm confident none of you have such freeloaders on your payrolls, and I believe that with your assistance, we can implement reforms that benefit the company."

"Mr. Hughes," Eugenie pivoted, addressing Orion, who had just spoken, "Your division is Human Resources. I trust you'll monitor this situation properly and not disappoint my grandfather."

Orion could barely maintain his smile.

Cursing silently, he realized Eugenie had backed him into a corner by publicly entrusting him with this task, giving her grounds to hold him accountable in the future.

Now he faced an impossible choice: if he didn't handle the matter properly, he'd give Eugenie leverage against him.

But if he did his job well, he'd alienate his fellow shareholders, since most of the company's underperformers had connections to the people in this very room!

Eugenie smiled pleasantly at this group of schemers.

Inwardly, she was laughing coldly.

These were the very people who, each pursuing their own selfish interests, had eventually run the company into the ground, carved it up, and absconded with its assets!

After a moment of silence, the initially hot-tempered Jace slammed his hand on the table, adamantly refusing, "I won't agree to this! We veteran shareholders have poured our hearts and souls into this company for years. I won't allow some young woman to come in and dictate terms!"

Standing up to confront Eugenie, he declared, "You're completely unfit to be CEO! I propose we call a shareholders' vote to determine whether you should continue in this position."

They were actually trying to remove her!

Eugenie's expression cooled, though she didn't show it outwardly. Instead, she made a phone call.

Shortly thereafter, Nolan entered with an elite team of lawyers, distributing documents to each shareholder.

Initially, there were dismissive murmurs among the shareholders.

But as they examined the contents, their faces turned ashen or pale, looking at Eugenie with shocked eyes as their internal composure crumbled.

The documents contained evidence of shareholders diverting assets, engaging in secret self-dealing, and taking kickbacks!

"This is slander!"

One of them clutched his chest, pointing at Eugenie. "You're framing us!"

Eugenie smiled coldly, no longer bothering to maintain even a facade of harmony.

She gestured to the legal team behind her and addressed the group, "If any of you disagree, you're welcome to file a lawsuit right now. But the evidence I have is enough to send you all to prison. If you still have objections, we can settle this in court!"