Chapter 47
Soon it was time for the board meeting to start, and Daniel brought Charlotte to the conference room.
Charlotte was arranged in a corner to the side. Though the spot wasn't prominent, it gave her a clear view of everything.
Daniel was the first to arrive.
As soon as he sat down, shareholders started filing in, greeting him respectfully one after another.
But when the shareholders noticed a young woman sitting in the corner not far away, their expressions all changed.
When Charlotte met their scrutinizing gazes, she simply nodded politely to them.
Just as everyone had mostly arrived, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor came from outside.
Then, a woman appeared briskly at the office doorway.
"Uncle, I've finished this financial report. Here for your review..."
Before she could finish, Bella spotted the woman sitting in the corner.
Their eyes met, and she slowly frowned, narrowing her eyes.
Charlotte looked back at her as well.
This woman had long hair and wore a gray V-neck suit with a slit, paired with ten-centimeter black high heels. Her decisive manner made it clear she was a corporate executive.
Out of politeness, Charlotte nodded to Bella first.
Bella narrowed her eyes and walked over step by step.
"Uncle, you mentioned before about hiring a consultant to help manage the company. How's that going? Have you found someone?"
She seemed skeptical that the consultant Daniel had brought in could be a young girl.
Daniel immediately pointed to Charlotte and introduced her, "This is her, Charlotte Johnson. She's the group's consultant for this month."
Everyone's eyes turned to Charlotte in unison, examining and scrutinizing her without restraint.
Those who weren't sure who Charlotte was now started discussing among themselves.
"So she really is our consultant? She's way too young."
"She looks like she doesn't know anything, like a fresh college graduate."
Everyone's expressions weren't great.
Bella frowned even more tightly.
"What are Ms. Johnson's qualifications? We haven't seen them. For such an important position as consultant, shouldn't there be a formal evaluation process?"
Several other shareholders chimed in.
"That's right, Mr. White. It's not that we don't trust you, but shouldn't the board be involved in such a major decision?"
"This young lady is so young—what qualifications does she have to be competent for the consultant position?"
Bella held eight percent of the White Group's shares.
The White family had few members, and after Daniel's only son died, she had always felt she was the one most likely to take the leadership position.
But unexpectedly, Daniel suddenly acknowledged a goddaughter, and then she learned that a consultant was coming to help manage the company.
Bella had already discussed this matter with the shareholders last night.
The shareholders unanimously believed this consultant was the goddaughter Daniel was determined to bring back.
Seeing Charlotte's young age now, she was even more certain this was the heir Daniel had set his heart on.
Daniel frowned. "What, are you questioning my decision?"
"No."
Bella walked over and stood in front of Charlotte. "It's just that hiring people in the company should convince everyone, especially for such a strategic consultant position—we need to be extra careful. Ms. Johnson, what makes you qualified for this consultant position?"
She crossed her arms, looking down at Charlotte from above.
Charlotte looked up, glancing at her coolly. "I'm a shareholder of MY Group and also the jewelry designer Queen. In terms of management experience, I'm indeed not as experienced as everyone here, but I have participated in independently running a studio and been involved in major group decisions."
"That's it?"
Bella crossed her arms and laughed mockingly. "So you're crossing over from another field. A jewelry designer coming to the White Group, which does shipping business—you probably don't even understand the group's operations! How can you make everyone willingly accept your supervision and management?"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
Daniel's expression had already darkened.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, Charlotte gently shook her head at him, signaling him not to get angry.
Charlotte stood up to face everyone.
"I understand your concerns, but since I'm here, there's a reason for it. As for your doubts about me, let's wait until after a month to see. Isn't it too early to question me now?"
"I'm already the company's consultant anyway. Wouldn't it be better if we just wait and see?"
Bella got a bit angry and stepped forward to say something more, but a shareholder next to her pulled her back.
That shareholder reminded her in a low voice, "Stop for now. Let her stay in the company and see how things go."
Bella took a deep breath and held back, gritting her teeth.
She turned and sat down at the table.
"Alright, let's start the meeting."
At her command, those shareholders who had been making a fuss quieted down.
Charlotte silently memorized these faces, knowing they were all in Bella's camp.
The meeting continued as everyone discussed previous agenda items, but many people kept glancing at Charlotte from time to time, their attention completely drawn to this new consultant.
Halfway through the meeting, the door was suddenly knocked on urgently.
Everyone paused.
Generally, unless something urgent happened, no one would so abruptly interrupt their shareholders' meeting.
Daniel also sensed something was wrong and immediately said, "Come in."
As soon as he spoke, someone walked straight in from outside.
It was Daniel's assistant, Leo.
Leo said urgently, "The company's business system just crashed! All operations have stopped, and there's no way to do normal data transfers."
"What!"
The conference room immediately erupted.
The business system was the most critical system for the White Group to manage port cargo shipping. Everything from customs clearance and procurement to verifying cargo information and release approvals relied on this system.
Without this business system, at best it would cause traffic paralysis, at worst it would cause huge losses for both the White Group and all the partners who went through the port and worked with the White Group.
Bella slammed the table and stood up. "Where's the information security team? Get them to handle it immediately!"
Leo spread his hands. "They're already working on it, but the situation doesn't look good. They say our system was maliciously attacked, which created a vulnerability, and they still can't figure out where the problem is."
A shareholder said angrily, "What are they good for? We spend so much money every year on these people, and they're completely useless at critical moments!"
"Let's go take a look."
Everyone swarmed out.
Daniel also looked serious. Just as he stood up, Charlotte steadied him.
Charlotte smiled at him. "Don't worry, I have a way to fix this."
Bella heard these words clearly.