Chapter 196

Chapter 196

After the press conference, Emily immediately convened a board meeting.

But looking at the sparse attendance in the conference room, with people still trickling in late, she pulled at the corner of her mouth, a cold glint appearing in her eyes.

These people didn't take her seriously at all, even though she had officially taken over the Johnson Group.

In that case, she didn't need to be polite to them anymore either.

Emily called over the personal assistant William had arranged for her and instructed her to invite all department directors to the conference room.

Emily began discussing the Johnson Group's current operational status and existing problems with the directors who had arrived, directly changing the nature of what was supposed to be a shareholders' meeting.

Midway through the meeting, shareholders of the Johnson Group kept pushing open the door and entering the conference room.

Seeing how Emily completely ignored them, they were seething with anger inside, whispering among themselves below the stage, showing Emily no respect whatsoever.

But Emily didn't care at all, continuing to review the company's situation with the directors on her own.

"So right now, the Johnson Group not only has people misappropriating company funds, but there's also tax evasion going on?"

Emily raised an eyebrow, asking with a serious expression.

The Finance Department director nodded, responding with a bitter look on his face.

"In the past, Mr. Johnson was stealing from his own company. We really had no choice but to let him manipulate us, otherwise we couldn't keep our jobs."

The Finance director said this for two reasons: first, to test Emily's management style and see how she would handle these matters; second, he had long been completely disappointed with the Johnson Group and simply didn't care about these hidden scandals anymore, tearing off the facade directly.

After all, he was planning to resign the next day anyway, so naturally there was no need to hold back now.

Seeing the Finance director's "nothing left to lose" attitude, a flash of anger crossed Emily's eyes, and she continued to press.

"Are there any other problems?"

Seeing that the Finance director spoke bluntly without being reprimanded, other department heads who had been observing also began tentatively mentioning some less critical issues.

As more and more internal company problems were exposed, the board members present could no longer sit still.

One of them, Eric Johnson, who happened to be Emily's uncle, immediately stood up and pointed his finger at Emily accusingly.

"We're not saying we don't recognize you as the leader of the Johnson Group, but look at yourself right now! This is a proper shareholders' meeting, not a street brawl. Airing all this dirty laundry—have you no shame?"

Hearing his baseless accusations, Emily narrowed her eyes and gave him a cold glance.

"As the leader of the Johnson Group, I must be clear about all the company's problems so I can develop targeted solutions. Eric, why are you so worked up? Could it be that you were also involved in the misappropriation of funds?"

Emily immediately threw out a serious accusation, instantly shutting Eric up.

But even with Eric's example as a warning, there were still shareholders unwilling to give up who continued to challenge Emily.

"These are all ancient history. What's the point of bringing them up now? Besides, Brian has already run off. As his daughter, are you really going to send him to prison?"

Hearing this, Emily's lips curved slightly upward.

"Brian made mistakes, and they must be corrected. I will never cover up his wrongdoings. If he needs to bear legal responsibility, then let him bear it. He must pay the price for his actions."

Emily's words were uncompromising, completely disregarding the shareholders' veiled threats.

After several rounds of confrontation, the shareholders realized that Emily was not an easy target to manipulate. They all fell silent for a moment, quietly discussing their next moves among themselves.

"The problems currently exposed at the Johnson Group need to be sorted out by each director one by one, then compiled into a complete situation report and submitted to me."

After everyone had spoken, Emily immediately made work arrangements.

"Subsequently, I will truthfully report these issues to the relevant authorities."

Hearing "report," the shareholders who had just quieted down instantly became restless again.

"Absolutely cannot report it! Internal company problems should be solved internally. There's no need to make a fuss outside!"

Eric stood up first again to object. He held no core position at the Johnson Group but had been using his shareholder status to seek personal gain on a large scale.

He had also participated in the misappropriation of funds. Once Emily reported it, he would not only have to return the money he had embezzled but might even face imprisonment. Naturally, he was completely unwilling.

"That's right, they're just small problems. We can handle them internally. There's no need to escalate to reporting. Once the outside world knows the Johnson Group has had so many scandals, they'll definitely lose all trust in the company. How will the Johnson Group make a comeback then?"

Other shareholders with guilty consciences also chimed in, while the directors of the company's core departments remained cold observers throughout, wanting to see how this newly appointed chairman would handle the matter.

Emily didn't disappoint them.

Anger spread across her delicate face as she slammed the table and stood up.

"Not report it? Should we wait for the relevant authorities to investigate on their own? When problems arise then, should I go to prison for you?"

Emily's tone was calm, but it made many people present panic. Still, some held onto false hopes.

"What's there to fear? As long as we hurry up and cover it up, no one will discover these things."

"Cover it up?"

Emily snorted coldly, her eyes sweeping coldly over everyone.

"Will you really be willing to return the money you've embezzled?"

As her words fell, she directly pulled out several pre-drafted share transfer agreements and slammed them on the conference table.

"I already have all the key evidence of these illegal things you've done. If you don't believe me, we can meet in court. These are share transfer agreements. Sign them obediently, and I can temporarily suppress these matters. As long as you return all the company assets you've misappropriated, I won't pursue it further."

Emily's words seemed conciliatory, but there were still shareholders unwilling to give up, wanting to challenge her authority.

After all, Emily had just taken over the company and hadn't firmly established herself as chairman yet. They felt they still had a chance to turn things around.

Facing everyone's curses and provocations, Emily remained expressionless throughout, keeping her head down and quietly handling the documents in her hands, completely ignoring them.

Before long, as if tired of the back-and-forth, she directly pulled out her phone and pressed the dial keys for 911.

Beforehand, she had deliberately turned up her phone's keypad volume to maximum, so everyone present clearly heard those three numbers.

The shareholders who had been clamoring just moments ago instantly turned pale, rushing forward to grab the share transfer agreements and quickly signing their names.

In the end, Emily didn't actually call the police, but successfully recovered a large amount of scattered shares of the Johnson Group. Her shareholding ratio directly reached 67%, giving her absolute control of the company.

Having properly resolved all company matters, Emily returned home feeling relaxed.

But as soon as she pushed open the front door, a vicious dog lunged straight at her.