The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 82

The conference room fell silent for a couple of seconds before a low murmur of conversation started to ripple through the crowd. Although there had been rumors for a while, this was the first time Ramona had revealed her identity at a core executive meeting, and more than a few people were watching her with wary eyes.

Ramona raised her hand, signaling to her assistant. “Please distribute the prepared materials.”

Her assistant immediately began handing out packets, moving from seat to seat. Inside were Ramona’s personal project portfolio and a detailed report outlining how she’d turned around the subsidiary’s losses.

Ramona continued, “I know some of you are concerned about my age and the fact that I haven’t held a position at Covington Group before. You might worry I’m not up to the task.”

“In the past, I’ve led three major projects, each valued in the hundreds of millions. Two of them went from losing money to turning a profit under my direction.”

“As for the challenge Mr. Covington set before me, I took over a subsidiary that had been losing money for six consecutive months and brought it back into the black in just a week. I secured hundreds of millions in new investment and brought in crucial projects.”

“This information isn’t to boast. I just want you all to understand, I’m not here for comfort or privilege. I genuinely want to help Covington Group thrive.”

A few people nodded quietly to themselves. “Didn’t expect she actually had the chops,” someone whispered.

Ramona then turned to Holden, who had been silent throughout.

“Earlier, Mr. Covington said that the successor’s authority had to be approved by a vote of the core shareholders. I’ve already invited two of them here today. Now, with myself, Mr. Covington, and these two shareholders, we have over half the votes. But I don’t think that’s enough.”

“Covington Group isn’t the property of any one person, and decisions about its leadership shouldn’t be made by just a handful of people. Today, I want to put this decision in everyone’s hands. Whether or not I should take part in managing Covington Group, I’d like the board members present to decide by vote.”

“For Covington Group to move forward steadily, it can’t rely on any single individual. It’s always been about the collective support and hard work of all its shareholders.”

Her words were polished and persuasive, and the board members found themselves nodding in agreement.

Holden had expected Ramona to simply pressure them with shareholder authority or the will. He hadn’t anticipated that she would not only pull off a business turnaround but also hand over the voting rights on her future to the full board. In that moment, he lost all control of the situation.

As soon as the vote began, Ramona received unanimous support. Her authority was activated on the spot, and her appointment was officially announced to the company.

By the end of the meeting, Holden’s former arrogance had completely vanished. His tie was loosened, and he’d taken off his glasses, desperately trying to compose himself.

“Mr. Covington, thank you for your hard work today. Too bad Melinda isn’t around. I was hoping to ask her advice on management. Please give her my regards and wish her a speedy recovery,” Ramona said gently as she rose to leave.

“Of course,” Holden replied through gritted teeth, forcing a strained smile.

Once everyone had left, he stormed back to his office in a fury, immediately calling the two shareholders who’d “betrayed” him to demand an explanation.

It turned out that Ramona’s connections in the finance world ran far deeper than anyone had guessed. She’d dug up the backgrounds of the two shareholders: both had invested their entire fortunes in Covington Group and were now completely tied to the company’s fate. Privately, they had also done quite a few deals with Holden that wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Ramona had made it clear—either help her gain control, or she’d drag Covington Group’s stock price into the basement, taking their fortunes with it. She was ruthless enough that no one wanted to test her threats, knowing that any losses she inflicted would hurt them as well. And now that she knew about their secret dealings with Holden…

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