Chapter 197 Declan Is the Rightful Owner
As soon as Lauren finished speaking, Declan dragged forward a man in a suit wearing gold-rimmed glasses, saying smugly, "This is Mr. Cook, who handles all legal affairs for the Johnson family! Mr. Cook, tell everyone who Mirage Fashion really belonged to after Scarlett passed away!"
The man called Ralph Cook cleared his throat, pulled out a document from his briefcase, and held it up, "Esteemed board members, good day. This is a share transfer agreement signed by Ms. Scarlett Lewis before her death, clearly stating that she voluntarily transferred her Mirage Fashion shares to Mr. Declan Johnson, not Mr. Simon Johnson. In other words, Mr. Simon Johnson is not the rightful owner of Mirage Fashion at all, and all his previous disposal actions are invalid!"
Lauren immediately jumped in, shouting at the directors, "Did you hear that? Did you all hear that? Simon is a fraud! He's been messing around with something that doesn't belong to him, and he even wanted to transfer it to that outsider Emily! Now, the person truly qualified to manage Mirage Fashion is my eldest son, Declan!"
Erica chimed in, "That's right! Let Declan manage Mirage Fashion! Declan has experience. He'll definitely manage Mirage Fashion well!"
Celeste stood to the side, thinking this move was risky, but even if it failed, she couldn't be blamed for it. However, if it succeeded and Declan gained control, she could benefit from it.
Simon looked at the so-called share transfer agreement, his hands trembling with rage, "This is outrageous! After Scarlett died, all the documents were in my possession. There was never such an agreement! You're forging evidence!"
"Who's forging evidence?" Declan retorted stubbornly. "This agreement has Scarlett's signature and witness signatures from that time—it's legal and valid! If you don't believe it, let Mr. Cook read you the terms!"
Ralph pretended to flip through the document and was about to speak when an elderly director suddenly frowned, "Wait, something's wrong with this agreement's paper. Ms. Lewis passed away over ten years ago. How is this paper still so new? And I remember Ms. Lewis's signature from when she was alive—it wasn't this sloppy."
Another director agreed, "Yes, I signed contracts with Ms. Lewis back then. Her signature was very neat, and she would always note the date below her signature. Why is there no date on this agreement? Also, I've never heard of this witness's name. I basically knew all the people around Ms. Lewis. There's no such person."
"Besides, what's Declan's status? Why would Ms. Lewis transfer shares to him?"
The directors spoke one after another, quickly finding numerous flaws in the agreement. Declan and Lauren's faces immediately turned grim, and Ralph panicked, nearly dropping the document.
Simon walked up to Ralph, "Mr. Cook, do you know what the charges are for forging someone's signature and falsifying legal documents? I advise you to tell the truth. Who made you do this!"
Ralph broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes darting around, unable to speak coherently.
Just then, the conference room door was pushed open. Emily entered in a well-tailored black suit, carrying a document folder, walking slowly inside. Behind her followed Albert and several assistants, their presence commanding and immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Sorry, I'm late." Emily walked to the podium, nodding slightly to the directors. "I was just handling Obscura Fashion matters and rushed over here, just in time to hear you all discussing this agreement."
Her gaze swept over Lauren and Declan, finally settling on the document in Ralph's hands, a hint of mockery playing at the corners of her mouth, "Mr. Cook, is it? I'd like to ask where exactly you obtained this agreement?"
Seeing Emily, Ralph panicked even more, quickly hiding the document behind his back, but Emily's assistant snatched it away and handed it to Emily.
Emily opened the document, glanced at it twice, then smiled and shook her head, "Directors, there's no need to look further. This agreement is fake. First, after Ms. Scarlett Lewis passed away, all estate-related documents were notarized through the notary office. Mr. Sanchez has complete notarization records here, clearly stating that Mirage Fashion shares were inherited by Mr. Simon Johnson."
Emily paused, her tone turning cold, "Moreover, this Mr. Cook isn't some Johnson family lawyer at all, but a temp worker from a small legal consulting firm who doesn't even have a bar certification. Nothing he said just now has any legal validity."
Albert immediately stepped forward, producing the notarization records for the directors, "Directors, what Ms. Johnson said is factual and legally binding."
After reviewing the documents, the directors all nodded, looking at Lauren and Declan with contempt.
One director couldn't help saying, "Mrs. Lauren Johnson, Mr. Declan Johnson, you've gone too far! To steal the company, you actually forged documents and brought a fake lawyer to deceive us. If this gets out, Mirage Fashion's reputation will be ruined by you!"
Lauren muttered under her breath, "Impossible... this can't be happening."
Declan also panicked, grabbing Ralph, "Didn't you say there was no problem with this agreement? How could this happen? Say something!"
Ralph broke free from Declan's grip and quickly said, "I... I was forced by Mr. Declan Johnson! He gave me five thousand dollars to pretend to be a lawyer and forge this agreement... I didn't mean to do it. I'm leaving now, leaving right now!"
With that, he frantically ran out of the conference room, afraid of being held accountable.
Emily watched the Johnson family's pathetic display and smiled, "Directors, now everything is very clear. Mr. Simon Johnson is the legal heir to Mirage Fashion. He voluntarily transferred his shares to me, and this transfer agreement has been notarized and is legal and valid. From today forward, I officially take over Mirage Fashion as Chairman and CEO."
She produced the already-signed share transfer agreement and notarization documents, passing them to the directors for review. "Based on my performance since returning to the country, you should all know my capabilities. Please rest assured, I will continue to drive Mirage Fashion's development and won't disappoint you. Moving forward, I'll convene management meetings to streamline the company's operations. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me anytime."