Chapter 11

No one expected Eugenie to suddenly show her claws.

The shareholders had been strutting around with their noses in the air, relying on years of entrenchment in the company. They assumed they could easily manipulate Eugenie—anyone else in her position would have kept their head down and played along.

So when Eugenie initially proposed returning to the company, they hadn't put up much resistance to her appointment as CEO, thinking they could just string her along.

Little did they know how steel-spined she would prove to be.

The shareholders' faces grew increasingly sour, as if they'd swallowed flies—flies they had released themselves!

The atmosphere in the boardroom congealed like stagnant water.

Eugenie, unflinching and unyielding, surveyed the room. "Does anyone else have objections?"

The shareholders, led by Erik, remained silent as graves.

Surprisingly, it was Orion from Human Resources who finally spoke up, his tone conciliatory. "Misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding, that's all this is."

With no other options, he forced a smile and addressed Eugenie, "Ms. Medici's youthful ambition and drive for improvement are admirable—we're all working toward the company's success, after all!"

Then he turned to pacify the most hot-headed of the group, Jace, with a placating grin. "Mr. Barnes, don't worry yourself. Ms. Medici is making the decisions now, and our job is simply to support her. This company belongs to the Medici family, after all. She wouldn't sabotage everyone's interests. Let's just wait and see her reforms succeed."

He shot Jace a meaningful look, signaling him to keep his cool.

As he implied, Eugenie had just taken office and already shown such a firm stance, but her actual capabilities remained unknown.

She was just a young woman, after all. Once she hit a wall, she'd crawl back to her privileged life as a spoiled heiress.

Thanks to Orion's diplomatic maneuvering, the tension in the room eased somewhat.

Eugenie sat down calmly. "Since no one has any objections, let's continue the meeting. Next item: restructuring company benefits and compensation."

Throughout the afternoon, the shareholders remained silent as Eugenie presented her reform proposals.

She occasionally caught glimpses of someone fighting the urge to slam their fist on the table.

But with her formidable legal team standing behind her and the shareholders' skeletons firmly in her closet, everyone had no choice but to sit quietly and listen.

When the meeting ended, Eugenie left with a spring in her step, not sparing a glance at the ashen faces around the table.

From today on, she would restore the Williams name to its rightful place in the company!

Back in her office, Nolan hesitated before voicing the concern he'd been holding in all afternoon, "Ms. Medici, by confronting them so directly but not using the evidence to remove them completely—aren't you just giving them reason to make trouble for you later?"

Eugenie shook her head with a wry smile. "You think this evidence is enough to bring them down?"

She explained patiently, "Our evidence is solid, yes, but don't forget—they're clever people who've become experts at wriggling out of legal consequences."

"I presented this evidence as a deterrent, to keep them from making rash moves. If I went straight to the authorities, it would only back them into a corner. With nothing left to lose, there's no telling what desperate measures they might take. The fallout wouldn't be worth it."

Nolan understood. "I see—their interests are tied to the company's. If you burned all bridges, they'd have no reason to care about the company's welfare. But as things stand, they'll show some restraint to protect both the company and themselves."

"Exactly," Eugenie took a deep breath. "When it comes down to it, our position is still too weak, and the timing isn't right."

With her current resources, she couldn't guarantee complete control over the shareholders.

But fortunately, Eugenie didn't think it was too late.

Moreover, if her memory served her correctly, there was another crucial matter requiring her attention.

With this in mind, she asked Nolan, "What's our most profitable project right now? Let me see it."

He quickly handed her the business proposal, explaining, "This project was already running smoothly before your return. It's with a pharmaceutical company called PharmaNova. Our company has been collaborating with them for several years with excellent results."

He was about to continue his briefing.

To his surprise, Eugenie showed no interest in the details. After a cursory glance to confirm what she needed to know, she said directly, "Terminate this project completely. End the contract with them as soon as possible."

"What?"

Nolan was stunned. He'd thought Eugenie was asking about this project to make a big move, not to kill it.

He looked at her suspiciously, his expression gradually turning sympathetic.

Perhaps her failed attempt to approach Mr. Whitaker the other day had affected her judgment?

Nolan couldn't help but say with concern, "Mr. Whitaker's whereabouts are unpredictable. We shouldn't pin all our hopes on a partnership with the Whitaker family."

"PharmaNova is an industry leader—countless companies are eyeing opportunities to work with them. If you let this go, there'll be dozens lining up to take our place within a day."

By then, regret would come too late.

Eugenie understood his misinterpretation.

She smiled and shook her head without further explanation. "Just do it. Terminate the contract as soon as possible."

If this were the Eugenie of her past life, she would have reacted just like Nolan, thinking anyone who let go of the PharmaNova project must be crazy—after all, so many companies were fighting desperately for that opportunity.

But now, Eugenie clearly knew that if she didn't let go, this "excellent project" would soon become something everyone avoided like the plague.

The formerly stable PharmaNova would implode overnight, with dozens of major legal violations coming to light.

Their stock would plummet and never recover.

When this industry leader collapsed, every business associated with PharmaNova would face the wrath of angry consumers, with their stocks suffering collateral damage.

Anyone connected would get burned.

Eugenie knew better than anyone the cost of not cutting ties now.

So she chose to terminate the contract and cut her losses.

Obviously, not everyone was as level-headed as Nolan.

When Bianca learned that Eugenie had terminated the contract with PharmaNova, she momentarily forgot Eugenie's intimidation tactics. Fuming, she called to berate her.

"Eugenie, have you lost your mind? Did you come back to the company just to ruin us? Standing up to the shareholders was bad enough, but now you've canceled our biggest contract! What's wrong with you?"

Eugenie placed the phone at a distance, ignoring Bianca's angry voice.

She wasn't fooled—Bianca's actions at the company were no better than those shareholders. None of them truly cared about the company's welfare.

"You owe me an explanation for this!"

Bianca was so angry her vision blurred with rage. "Your own mother gave birth to such a failure, you—"

"Shut your mouth!"

Eugenie's expression darkened instantly as she cut Bianca off coldly. "You have no right to mention my mother. If I hear one more insult about her from you, you'll never set foot in this company again."

Bianca swallowed hard, her face rigid as she stubbornly retorted, "I'm part of this company too. You have no right to keep me out."

But Eugenie had already lost her patience. "Don't forget, I'm in charge now. The decision-making power rests solely with me. I'm meeting other potential partners tonight, and if I see you doing anything to interfere, you'll face the consequences!"