Mocked by old men

"Is this the heiress of Guam?" suddenly asked the man who'd been eyeing her with disdain for a while. "I didn't expect her to be so young and incapable," he added.

Jenica turned to the speaker and gave him a wide smile. "I just arrived at the company and might need the guidance of a senior," she replied.

The older man snorted. "If you can't handle this big empire, then you shouldn't have come back!"

"Why?" She tilted her head to the side and grinned at him. "Didn't the senior need help from anyone?"

People in the room exchanged glances. If he said no, he'd be undermining himself. If he said yes, it would mean he was never new himself and would make him a liar. In the end, he stayed silent and just snorted.

Jenica's smile widened as she scanned the conference room. As an agent, she wasn't easily intimidated by the scornful looks of those present. In fact, it made her wonder how her Uncle Marc had managed to deal with these people.

After the brief tension, Uncle Marc invited her to sit in the chair meant for the company's CEO as he presented the current state of the Guam Business Empire.

It turned out that Guam's business outside the country had been declining due to a powerful, unknown organization that their competitor had allied with. It began five years ago, and while the company had managed to survive, the situation in recent months had worsened. If this continued, the headquarters would soon reach a point where it could no longer support Guam's overseas business, potentially leading the entire enterprise to bankruptcy.

"Our decline started when our competitor forged connections with the Mafia. They even married off their daughters to secure the support of those scoundrels!" one of the stakeholders said.

"If this current situation continues, I fear more of our investors will pull out," added Uncle Marc.

A silence filled the room until someone said, "If marriage is what our competitor arranged, why don't we do the same?" He looked at Jenica. "The heiress is still unmarried. We could arrange a marriage to connect with influential families."

Uncle Marc raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Mr. Guam, we don't have many choices left. Now that the heiress has returned and the company's declining, she should be willing to make sacrifices if she wants us to accept her as the new CEO."

Everyone looked at Jenica. She just smiled and looked over at Shimen, who was watching her quietly.

"And who do you suggest I marry?" she asked the man who had proposed the arranged marriage.

"Let's build an alliance with the Fuegos," he replied.

"Are you sure they'll agree to this marriage? The Fuegos will know we're proposing it because we're struggling."

"It's not about struggling; Guam still has a reputation in elite circles. Even now, the Guam Business Empire stands on equal footing with the Fuego Empire. They wouldn't turn us away," someone else said.

"But Alexander Fuego is the rightful heir of the Fuego Empire, and he's engaged to Gia Antonete. Would they be willing to break off that engagement to form ties with the Guams?"

Jenica squinted slightly. Yes, the public still thought Alexander Fuego was engaged to Gia Antonete, and that would tarnish the reputations of both the Fuego and Guam families. She would never allow the Antonete family to become objects of pity.

"There are other ways to save this company," Shimen suddenly remarked, staring intently at Jenica. "My Takura Shipping Lines has been waiting for you, Miss Guam."

The two childhood friends locked eyes, and only then did Jenica realize how much Shimen had changed. This was the first time he'd looked at her with such intensity. The Shimen in her memory had been gentle and kind, but the one before her now had a darkness in his gaze that she couldn't place.

"Waiting?" Jenica smiled faintly. "What do you mean?"

Shimen stood up and handed her a document. Jenica raised an eyebrow and took it.

"It's the agreement made between your late father and my father, the current CEO of Takura Shipping Lines," Shimen said as Jenica scanned the document. Though it was just a glance, it was enough to take in the important details.

"This is a fake document!" her Uncle Marc burst out, grabbing it from Shimen's hands. "My brother never made an agreement with that scoundrel!" he exclaimed angrily and turned to Jenica. "Don't listen to him. Remember what I told you? They're making up stories to push me out of this company!"

Jenica said nothing, simply watching the documents scattered on the floor. Her uncle had thrown them near the wall in anger. She remembered Uncle Marc's warnings about Mr. Takura's intention to force him to 'resign' as a stakeholder and even the idea of an 'engagement' between her and Shimen. But if fulfilling the terms in the document would benefit everyone, why was Uncle Marc denying it?

She glanced at the stakeholders, who were now looking at her uncle with disapproval. What were their motives? Who was telling the truth?

"Uncle, is there really a threat to our business overseas?" she asked.

Uncle Marc calmed down. "Yes, there is."

"Then it's settled. I will marry Mr. Shimen Takura next month."

A hush fell over the room as everyone looked at Jenica. Many seemed surprised by her sudden decision, but even more were suspicious of her motives. She could read their thoughts on their faces.

She scowled. "What? Isn't this about making connections with other clans? Well, here I am, willing to be the sacrificial lamb. Or would you like to volunteer? The offer's open to anyone willing to sacrifice for the great Guam Empire that we all love," she said sarcastically.

Shimen leaned back in his chair and looked at her intently. "I'll prepare a grand wedding for us."

"Please," she said, raising her hand to stop him. "I don't need a grand wedding; I need a contract stating your father's intentions regarding my company."

Shimen smirked. "Any claims on the company will be nullified upon our marriage. So no one..." He looked pointedly at her Uncle Marc before turning back to her. "... will have any claim to the company. You'll have the entire Guam Business Empire at your feet, Jenica."

A murmur ran through the conference room, and with each passing second, Uncle Marc's expression grew darker.

"So she's the true owner? We've been deceived by that scoundrel for years. If it weren't for Mr. Takura's insights a year ago, I'd still be groveling before a fake leader."

"If I could strangle him, I'd gladly do it!"

"Damn! He's been lying to our faces? Pretending to be the one in charge?"

"That's enough!" Jenica snapped, casting a sharp look over the stakeholders. "Uncle Marc is qualified to run this company. It was I who neglected my duties as the company's owner, leading to this misunderstanding. Anyone dissatisfied with him must deal with me first. Anyone?"