Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption novel Chapter 306

Chapter 306: There must be another way out.

Her voice, soft yet intimidating and unyielding, filtered through the conference room like a haunting melody that wouldn’t be silenced.

It commanded attention, not by volume, but by sheer power. Every member seated at the long mahogany boardroom table turned their heads, eyes wide with a mixture of reverence and curiosity.

Vera took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it was barely effective. Her hands trembled slightly under the table as her eyes flicked between Desmond and Jessica.

Aaron, seated beside his father, clenched his fists so tightly under the table that the veins on his knuckles bulged. He struggled to restrain the fiery storm of temper swirling inside him.

Desmond, for all his usual composure, could feel something was wrong. The confidence exuding from Jessica wasn’t the bravado of someone bluffing. It was a certainty.

He suddenly had a gnawing premonition that things might not go his way, especially if he allowed her to keep speaking.

"Whatever brought you here has to wait until this meeting is over," he said sharply, raising his voice to regain dominance. "We need to continue. There are decisions to be made for the sake of time."

He met Jessica’s eyes with a glare meant to intimidate, but her eyes didn’t waver. They met his squarely, filled with calm disdain.

"Uncle," she began, her voice light, almost amused. "You don’t have to fret over anything. Like I said, I’m here strictly for business."

She turned away from Desmond, her eyes scanning the faces of the board members.

"I am—" she started, only to be cut off.

"Can we talk outside?" Desmond asked coldly. The temperature of his voice dropped enough to send a chill through several people at the table.

But the temperature in the room dropped further when Jessica answered.

"Mr. Allen Desmond," she said smoothly, turning back to him, "were you never trained not to interrupt others when they speak?"

Her words sliced through the room like a dagger. Gasps echoed, and whispers followed immediately. The board members stared at Desmond, unsure what stunned them more: Jessica’s rebuke or the fact that she had the gall to say it.

Then she followed it up.

"Or do you have something you’re trying to hide from us?"

Desmond swallowed hard. He forced himself to take a deep breath, his chest rising and falling in slow movements as he tried to rein in the fury that threatened to boil over. Stay calm, he told himself. Let her finish. It’s not like I’m going down with the rest.

Jessica smiled wider. Her smile was not sweet but practiced "I am Jessica Allen," she said clearly. "Granddaughter-in-law to Elder Allen."

The room erupted in murmurs again.

"Granddaughter-in-law?"

"So she is married to Davis?"

"What is she doing here at the board meeting?"

"She just objected to the vote..."

The questions swirled in hushed voices as the board members leaned toward each other, confusion mounting. Desmond remained stiff in his seat, eyes twitching with suppressed rage.

Jessica raised her hand slightly to bring silence.

"I apologize for arriving late," she continued, her tone polite but not submissive. "However, as the major shareholder of the Allen Group, I could not allow critical decisions to be made in my absence."

A wave of silence washed over the room, thicker and heavier than before.

"What?!" Vera gasped, her voice shrill, almost hysterical.

Aaron looked like he’d just been slapped. Desmond’s lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but no sound came out.

Jessica tilted her head toward Vera.

"Sister-in-law," she said sweetly, "do be careful. It’s just ordinary shares. No need to get worked up. You might faint before the meeting ends."

Her eyes drifted to Davis, who was still silent, calmly scrolling on his phone like he was watching a comedy show. That irritated Vera more than anything. She glared at Jessica.

Desmond finally found his voice.

"Jessica, that’s impossible," he said. "You cannot possibly be the major shareholder. What about the old man? Are you saying his shares are with you?"

Jessica let out a short laugh, cold and dry.

"Seems you won’t believe anything unless you see it with your own eyes."

She gestured toward the lady standing near the door. The lady stepped forward and placed a sleek leather folder on the table.

Jessica flipped it open and pulled out the shareholder certificate. She passed it to the secretary, who quickly moved it around the table.

The room buzzed as the members leaned in to look. Murmurs grew louder.

"30%?"

"Is this real?"

Desmond sneered, latching onto the one straw he had left.

"Even with that," he said, "you only have 30%. That’s not enough to override the board."

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify