The low-level employees were all freaking out, as none of them expected the new CEO to come over for an inspection. They were all stunned as Aria passed by, followed by Keith. Keith appeared to be refined and gentle, but there was a terrifying, intimidating coldness that only employees could pick up on. This was especially true for those in the secretariat; a chill ran down their backs upon the sight of Keith, and everyone who was discussing between themselves clammed up immediately. They'd assumed that the new CEO would be meek and uptight, seeing as she was from the countryside, so they were all pleasantly shocked when they saw Aria for the first time.They had never met anyone who was more intimidating than both Keith and the bodyguards. Even Mindy had paled in comparison to Keith when she had visited the company. Aria, on the other hand, proved to be unforgettable, both in appearance and the way she conducted herself. Wearing a black leather jacket, a white shirt, and a high
They concluded that Aria was quite smart. One day had only passed since the banquet, and yet she knew who everyone was. Even if Warren was helping her, this didn't discount the fact that she had a shockingly great memory. She had also thrown the pen with great accuracy. The shareholders were old, not stupid. Aria was more than she looked on the surface, and if they were smart, they would have some self-preservation instead of doing anything dumb.Hugo West was a crafty old man. "I didn't expect you to know about me, Aria. You really do take after Mr. Carver Senior in this aspect—you care about us old men."He was saying this on purpose to flatter Aria, who smiled. "I was worried that you'd be tired, Mr. West. If you have any good news, share it with Mr. Chary in private."Hugo was on Owen's side, so he wanted to rope other shareholders into expressing his stance. He didn't expect to be interrupted before he could start. He could only pat his bald head and guffaw. "Jon here has s
Upon seeing this, Owen said angrily, "What are you doing, Aria? Those are all your elders!" "Did your grandpa not tell you this? It is most important that we commit this to memory—we're only here all thanks to the shareholders who followed in the Carver family's footsteps. "Open the door this instant!"As the fury rushed to his head, Owen forgot everything Ian had told him, which was not to act impulsively. Today was the new CEO's first day in the position, and Owen should act normally so that no one could find any fault with him. Aria stopped rapping her knuckles on the table. As she raised a brow, Owen felt the intimidating weight of her gaze on him. "We're in the middle of a shareholder meeting, Mr. Carver, and you're just a manager."She called Owen a manager, which made him furious. Warren wasn't doing quite well during the past few years, and he'd only join shareholder meetings if he were able to, which meant that Owen had been the one sitting at the head of the table.
Owen was scary in that he remained polite no matter what he thought about the subject matter. Even if he'd lost his composure, he could adjust accordingly. Ian was right. He wasn't in a hurry to vie against Aria for power. He should wait patiently for Aria to make a mistake.He'd also brought some documents with him, which were about Aria's academic status. Aria was indeed a talented designer, but her academic credentials were nothing to shout about. Owen chuckled. He wasn't in a position to bring the matter up himself, so he had given some of them to Hugo. After being suppressed, Hugo noticed that Owen was looking in his direction. He'd waited for so long to be vindicated, and so he quickly said, while fishing some documents out of his briefcase, "Before the meeting starts, I want to ask our new CEO some questions."He continued, looking at Aria, "These documents are about your life in Southbury. You've never learned business management, and you're still a student in a vocatio
"You should be familiar with these accounts, Mr. West." Aria's smile widened. "The other shareholders should take a look too."None of the shareholders dared say anything.Hugo wanted to explain. "The accountants are in charge of these accounts. Also, some of the investments here were made after we all agreed on them. I'll call over those involved now.""You don't need to go to all that trouble," Aria added blandly. "You seem to forget that Mr. Watson has already told the police to investigate this matter."Hugo shot up from his seat. He was too anxious to remain seated. He'd thought that Aria was humiliated after his joke, but now he was at risk of losing his position as a shareholder. He might also be sent to jail if the police investigation uncovered anything incriminating. "Mr. Carver, say something! Mr. Carver!" Hugo called out to Owen, whom he'd been helping the past few years, even if it meant that he couldn't support some of Warren's decisions.Owen wouldn't leave him al
Owen had never been looked down like this before. The shareholders were just short of saying outright that Owen was incapable, as he'd let this happen under his supervision and was unfit to lead this company. Owen's rage and embarrassment could be seen on his face. He wanted to lose his temper, but he knew he'd be adding fuel to the fire no matter what he said. He'd rather acknowledge his incapability than admit that he was involved in whatever Hugo had done, especially because Hugo had broken the law. Those outside the conference room had no idea what they were fighting about, but they knew something—things would be completely different in the company starting today. Keith stood behind Aria, pushing his glasses up. His gaze held excitement as he realized why Aria had told him not to do anything. It was because Aria had this card up her sleeve. Warren was worried that Aria, with her young age and ruthless methods, might risk angering some shareholders. They might also be wa
Before they could speculate further, Aria made her stance clear. "Carver Group will never work with Krowonian companies. This rule has been in place since a century ago, and it's effective even now. I want everyone to remember that Carver Group is different from other companies. Even in times of peace, we'll always have the history of our country in mind."Aria turned to Hugo again. "I'll provide information to the police that will aid their investigation. I have reason to suspect that you're a corporate spy working for Krowonian companies."Carver Group was known to be patriotic, so things would go out of control if Aria reported the existence of a Krowonian corporate spy. Hugo paled. "I'm not a spy! Really! I just wanted to make some money. I'm really not a corporate spy!"If he was accused of such a crime, his family would be done for! The other shareholders hadn't thought of this too, evidently. Sweat beaded on their foreheads upon hearing Aria's words. They'd forgotten that
Owen couldn't even deny it if he wanted to, because Hugo had helped him with too much. The more Hugo had helped him with, the more secrets he knew. Owen's gaze sharpened. "I know that you don't respect me now that you have Dad's support.""Yes, I had Mr. West reach out to some Krowonian companies," Owen admitted readily. At this point, further denial would tarnish his reputation. "I've never had him commit all those wrongdoings, though.""The Krowonian companies gave us huge discounts, and I've discussed this during a meeting before." Owen looked at the shareholders. "Everyone agreed to my suggestion except for Dad."Aria propped her chin on her hand lazily. "He's the CEO of the company. He has the right to veto your proposal in the first place regardless of how many people agree with you. What are you trying to say here, Mr. Carver? Are you trying to say that Mr. West was the only one behind everything? I'd like to ask Mr. West if he agrees.""No, certainly not!" Hugo hugged the