At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, it was as if the air had frozen in the conference room of the Worth Group's headquarters. The long oval conference table was filled with executives in suits, their eyes either cold or wary, looking in unison at Serena Vos, who had just pushed the door open. Dressed in a slim black suit, her long chestnut hair coiled up high, she quickly and firmly made her way to the main seat - the seat that belonged to the King.
"Good morning, gentlemen." Serena took her seat, her calm voice but with an invisible pressure, "I know you've had a hectic first few days, especially some of you." Her eyes swept over her Uncle Richard, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly in a smirk.
A few low coughs racked the conference room and someone moved their chair. Richard leaned back in his chair unhurriedly, tapping his fingers on the desktop as he spoke slowly, "Serena, you're just in time. We are discussing the company's next direction. After all, Arthur left suddenly, and the group is unmanaged."
"No one is in charge?" Serena raised her eyebrows, a hint of mockery in her tone, "Father's will has already been read, and I am the heir. It's not a negotiation, it's a notice."
Richard's face changed slightly, but then his smile returned, "A will is a will, but a board of directors is not a pose. You've only been back in the country for a few days? How much do you know about the group? The shareholders won't feel comfortable handing over a ten billion dollar asset will to an inexperienced little girl."
The conference room was abuzz with chatter when these words came out. A few old-school executives nodded in agreement, and one of the balding men - Director Henry - cleared his financial throat, "Richard has a point. Ms. Serena, your seniority is indeed the problem. For example, do you know exactly how much was recovered in the case of last quarter's overseas investments?"
Serena's eyes turned coldly to Henry, and her fingers lightly tapped the desktop folder. She didn't rush to answer, but her assistant dispersed the files down. The moment the folder flipped open, Henry's face instantly went white.
"Mr. Henry," Serena's voice was so calm that it sounded like she was making small talk, "the overseas investment case lost 12% due to the fact that you privately misappropriated thirty million dollars to cover the hole in your son's bankrupt company. Am I right?"
There was dead silence in the conference room. Henry opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a word. Serena paused and continued, "There used to be more details in this document, such as who took kickbacks over the course of the year and who signed private agreements with outside investors. You want proof, I can bring it out line by line."
She paused and swept her gaze across the room, "But I don't have that much time to play with you guys. So, from now on, the Worth Group has only one voice - mine."
The words seemed to hit like a heavy hammer, shocking a few lowered heads. Richard narrowed his eyes and his mouth twitched, but he didn't open his mouth again to retort. Oscar, who was sitting in the corner, however, sneered and lazily leaned back in his chair, "That's quite a trick you're pulling, sister. However, it's not too naive to convince us with just a few pages, right?"
Serena turned her head to look at him, a cold light flashing under her eyes, "Oscar, naive is you. You think I don't know about colluding with those few small shareholders? Their shares combined don't even reach 5%."
Oscar's face sank, and just as he was about to speak, Serena had already gotten up and ended the meeting, "That's it for today's meeting. At three o'clock in the afternoon, I'm going to look at the new quarterly plans for each department. Meeting adjourned."
She turned and left, leaving an eerie silence in the conference room. A few neutral conversations exchanged glances, clearly shaken by her thunderous presence. But Richard and Oscar's eyes were as somber as the sky before a storm - they weren't going to admit defeat easily.
Two hours later, Serena walked out of the Worth Group building. The sun was blinding and the streets were streaming with pedestrians. She took a deep breath and was about to walk to the parking lot when she felt an inexplicable chill heard from a third party. A man in a gray hoodie brushed past her, quickly lowering his head, desperate to get away.
The moment she frowned, the man jerked around and pulled a pistol out of his pocket, its hollow muzzle pointed straight at her chest. Time seemed to freeze as Serena's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Boom!"
The sound of the gunshot cut through the air and echoed through the bustling streets.