Chapter 446 A Surprise
If the occasion allowed, Alaric really wanted to take a picture of Zander's expression right now.
To show Benjamin and Sophia properly.
The White family was known for protecting their own.
When Zander decided to take in Isabella and let her hurt Sophia, he should have known this day would come.
During this time, Alaric had been buying up shares of the Stewart Group that were for sale, using Benjamin's name.
Today, he was here to collect the debt.
According to the current share distribution, Benjamin was already the largest shareholder of the Stewart Group.
Of course, the Stewart Group wasn't completely worthless. The White Group happened to be looking to expand into some new businesses recently.
The Stewart Group had ready-made equipment and technical staff. If arranged properly, it could save the White Group a lot of money.
For the first time, Zander experienced what it meant to burn yourself to light the way for others.
He had spent the past two years doing everything he could to save the Stewart Group, only to end up being someone else's stepping stone.
Almost drowning in regret, Zander clenched his fists and glared at Alaric through gritted teeth.
But Alaric remained calm the whole time, looking like he didn't take him seriously at all.
"Mr. Stewart... can we officially start the shareholders' meeting now? Benjamin has other things to handle, so I'm temporarily replacing him. Do you have any objections?"
Everyone: "..."
Did they dare have objections?
Although normally, shareholders' meetings required personal attendance, they couldn't worry about that now.
After all, Alaric represented Benjamin! The person who held the most shares in the Stewart Group.
In other words, their fate was in his hands. Who cared about rules?
Zander was the most opposed, but he was outnumbered. Just as he was about to speak, several pairs of eyes glared him back into silence.
"Mr. White, we can start now."
Alaric nodded with satisfaction and signaled the lawyer to begin.
The meeting lasted over an hour. Following the principle of majority rule, the shareholders agreed to be acquired by the White Group.
The minority, naturally, referred to Zander.
Everyone except him raised their hands to vote in favor.
Zander looked at the voting results in disbelief, hardly able to believe his eyes.
"Do you know what you're doing? This is betrayal! Don't forget, this company has the Stewart name! I'm the one paying your salaries."
The shareholders all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"We didn't want to either, but is there a better option now? If this continues, none of us will make any money."
"You! If you have the guts, go tell my grandfather!"
Zander was furious, wishing he could bore holes through these people with his stare.
At the mention of Mason, they felt even more ashamed.
Before Mason passed away, he specifically told them to support Zander well.
But... they couldn't be blamed for this.
That the Stewart Group had fallen to this state today - wasn't that Zander's own doing?
If he hadn't been so reckless and offended the White family, would the Stewart Group have nearly gone bankrupt?
He made the mistake, but they had to clean up his mess. Why should they?
With this thought, everyone straightened their backs, and the last bit of guilt disappeared.
Alaric was too lazy to listen to their infighting. He just left them with one sentence: "Benjamin will come back tomorrow to take over the company. Have all the accounts and company documents ready."
With that, Alaric left without looking back.
Chase hadn't said anything the whole time, but in his heart, he admired Alaric completely.
In just two years, Alaric had gone from knowing nothing about business to handling everything with ease. Who knew how much effort he had put in.
He could often see Benjamin's shadow in him.
The White family had business talent in their bones.
In the past, Alaric had voluntarily given up the chance to inherit the family business to research an antidote for Benjamin.
In other families, the younger generation would have fought tooth and nail for that position.
So he truly respected Alaric from the bottom of his heart.
"Drive, back to the company." Alaric's voice suddenly came from behind. Only then did Chase snap back to reality.
He smiled and agreed, quickly starting the engine.
Just then, his phone rang. It was Benjamin calling.
"Mr. Alaric White, it's Mr. Benjamin White calling." Although Chase admired Alaric, it was only admiration.
Benjamin's position in his heart was unshakeable.
He had always believed that Benjamin would come back, so even when news of his death came two years ago, he never left.
Fortunately, all the persistence had been meaningful.
Alaric, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the back seat, suddenly opened them. "Answer it."
Chase immediately answered. Because he had seen Zander suffer today, he was in a particularly good mood.
His tone was cheerful when he answered the phone.
"Hello, Mr. Benjamin White?"
"Chase, go to Harvest & Hearth and pick up some food. I'm entertaining a guest."
Benjamin's low, husky voice came through the receiver. He seemed to be in a good mood too.
Chase rarely heard happiness in his tone and asked curiously, "Mr. Benjamin White, what guest are you entertaining?"
Benjamin didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "Is Alaric still busy?"
"No, we were just about to go have dinner together. Mr. Benjamin White, Mr. Alaric White and I went to get revenge for you and Mrs. White today."
He was about to say more when Alaric interrupted him from behind.
"Drive, to Harvest & Hearth."
Chase realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly shut up. "Mr. Benjamin White, you'll find out soon. I'll hang up now."
Alaric wanted to surprise Benjamin and Sophia.
He had almost let it slip!
That was close!
After hanging up, Chase immediately drove to pick up the food, then went with Alaric to Maple Grove Villas.
By the time they got home, it was already dark. The villa was brightly lit.
String lights were hung all around the villa's yard, twinkling in the darkness with an indescribable romance.
Without even thinking, they knew these were arranged by Sophia.
Someone like Benjamin, who had no sense of romance in life, would never spend time doing these things.
Of course, if he was doing it with Sophia, then it wouldn't be a waste of time.
Chase and Alaric walked in together carrying the food boxes. When he saw someone else sitting in the living room, he was immediately startled.
This person's appearance was really frightening.
His hair was very long and looked somewhat messy, with the hair on his forehead covering it completely.
From behind, if he dressed a bit more raggedly, he'd probably be mistaken for a beggar on the street.
Most terrifying was that he was wearing a mask with a fierce blue face and fangs.
The mask covered his entire face, only revealing a pair of sharp eyes and thin lips.
The intricate patterns on the mask added a mysterious air to him, but this mystery didn't inspire any desire to investigate.
Instead, it gave off a creepy feeling.
Like... the feeling of being targeted by a wild beast.