Chapter 111 Shareholder II

Chapter 111 Shareholder II


\-Celeste-

My hands trembled by my sides as I walked out of the boardroom, the world tilting with every step.

Everything I'd done suddenly felt like a waste. A futile effort.

Shareholders were selling off the company like bits of candy, and those soulless corporations were buying them up like greedy ants.

God, I sounded pathetic.

At that moment, I ran into Lilith, who had been acting strange since Grandmother's funeral.

She looked pale, almost as if she were hiding something. I stopped in front of her and waited.

She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated as her eyes darted past me and back.

"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be selling my shares to anyone," she said, louder than necessary. "Not to Vaughn, not to this mysterious holding company."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a wave of relief. Direct heirs held more shares than most shareholders, and Lilith's decision mattered.

"Thank you," I said, reaching for her hand.

She pulled away instead.

When I turned, I realized the source of her discomfort.

Vanessa.

She stood a few feet away, her arms folded as she watched us like a hawk.

"I'll see you later," Lilith murmured with a forced smile before hurrying away.

Vanessa walked toward me, her expression smug.

"You know, for a president who's losing control over her group, you remain stubbornly composed."

I scoffed.

"You're one to talk. You saw a little change and panicked like the little mouse you are. You ran off and sold the only thing you still owned in this family."

Silence settled between us.

Something flashed across her face. Realization. Disbelief. Perhaps even hurt.

I didn't care. I'd had enough of her for one day.

But she seemed determined to have the final say.

She took two steps forward and held my gaze, her eyes searching mine for something I couldn't name.

"Oh, I may look like the scared mouse now, but let's see who's going to be running when it all comes crashing down."

She leaned closer.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Celeste. It won't be the first time I've taken something from you."

She smirked.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. "You're talking about my mother and David, aren't you?"

She didn't respond.

I stared at her. "I know what you are. You're a demon who's beaten the law because you had the devil on your side. Your guardianship over her is fake. You couldn't produce her real birth certificate or explain why she sounded French."

I watched her reaction, but she didn't flinch.

"I know Reginald helped you. And I'm going to make sure you spend the rest of your life paying for what you've done."

She grinned and leaned toward me slowly. "Like I said before, I don't know what you're talking about."

She straightened with a small smile. "Good luck, Celeste. You're going to need lots of it."

With that, she walked away.

I stood frozen. Even though she'd practically admitted to taking my mother, there was no proof.

My mind was still reeling from the realization when Denise found me.

"I've been looking for you," she said urgently. "You need to see this."

She handed me her tablet. It showed the latest share distribution for the group.

The mysterious holding company had acquired another eighteen percent, making it our largest external shareholder.

My stomach dropped.

"It’s Daniel," Denise said. "He sold thirty percent of his shares to them."

The words hit me like a bullet.

Before I could think, my legs were already carrying me toward Daniel's office. I didn't bother to knock. I swung the door open and walked in.

He stared back at me in surprise.

"Celeste, is there a problem—"

"What's the meaning of this?"

I tossed the tablet onto his desk.

He picked it up and stared at the figures, but there was no remorse in his eyes.

Instead, he smiled.

He actually smiled before sliding the tablet back toward me as though this was some private game.

I felt my patience snap. "So that's it? That's all you can do right now? Smile?"

My voice rose.

"You're a major shareholder of this group, and you're selling the shares that were just given to you. Have you gone mad?"

I couldn't stop myself.

"What happened to 'Celeste, I would never do anything to hurt you'? You do realize you're doing the exact opposite!"

The room went still.

"I thought you were on my side, Daniel. You made me believe you were." My voice trembled with every word.

"Celeste," he finally said. "Believe me, I'm on your side—"

"Then explain this." Tears rimmed the corners of my eyes. "Explain to me why you sold them. Who are they?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't disclose that information right now."

"Why? Are you behind this? Is this your plan to take over what's rightfully yours—"

"Celeste!"

Denise's voice cut through the room.

My words had been sharper than they should have been.

She stepped behind me and gently squeezed my shoulder. "That's enough."

Daniel looked at me without saying anything.

I sniffed and wiped my tears, quietly admitting to myself that I'd crossed a line.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I didn't mean those things I just said. It's just that I feel like I'm failing, and I don't have the support I need right now."

The words caught in my throat.

Daniel tapped his pen against the table, his brows drawn together.

"I need you to trust me, Celeste. That's all I can say right now. I'm not the enemy. Whatever decisions I make from here on out, I want you to know that they're in the best interest of the group."

For some odd reason, every word he said made sense.

"All right," I nodded. "I trust you. All I ask is that you don't make me regret it."

He nodded and finally smiled.

"For what it's worth, I'd never take Ashford Group from you unwillingly."

"I know." He leaned back. "For now, I need you to focus on keeping Vaughn Capital from acquiring more shares."

"How?"

"Start with the shareholders who are still undecided. Meet with them personally. Find out what they're afraid of and give them a reason to keep their shares. If Vaughn gets another large block, they'll become much harder to stop."

I nodded slowly.

"You're better at this than I am."

He smiled.

"You'll get there."

\---

The moment I arrived home, the first thing I did was fall into the warmth of Lucien's arms.

"How was your day, babe?"

I giggled at the word.

"Babe?"

He smiled.

"It was awful." I sighed. "And I don't want to talk about it."

"Agreed." His chin rested against the top of my head as his hand moved slowly over my back. "I think we should pretend we have zero care right now."

"Yeah." I raised my eyes to his. "We should."

His hands came up to cup my cheeks, drawing me closer until our lips met.

The kiss began softly, almost careful, but the moment I melted against him, his restraint disappeared.

His arms tightened around me as I slipped my hands around his shoulders and the kiss deepened until everything I'd been carrying all day seemed to fade.

For a few precious seconds, there was nothing I wanted to think of.

Then his phone rang. I felt him breathe against my lips, but he ignored it. The phone rang again and he still didn't move.

I smiled against his mouth, "Lucien."

"They can wait," he murmured.

The phone rang a third time. This time, I pulled away and looked at him. "Answer it."

He sighed before reaching for the phone. "Carl, I was in the middle of something important."

My cheeks warmed.

Then his expression suddenly changed as his eyes fixed on mine.

His entire body went still.

"Mom?"