Chapter 102: Chapter 102: They Still Hold the Say in Vantage

The next morning, Cecilia Croft received a call from Assistant Zimmer.

"President Croft, you need to be extra careful at the senior management meeting today. Vantage’s capital chain has run into problems, so they desperately need a new influx of funds. He’s planning to have all the senior managers pressure you into giving up a portion of your shares to raise capital."

"He’s even found shareholders willing to put up the money."

Cecilia Croft’s lips curled into a smirk, a flicker of ridicule in her eyes.

’Jude Sheridan really had it all figured out, trying to sacrifice my personal interests for the so-called greater good.’

「Vantage Group. Senior management meeting.」

With a dark expression, Jude Sheridan sat at the head of the conference table, his sharp gaze sweeping over the empty seat to his left.

The meeting was about to start, but Cecilia Croft had yet to appear.

Everyone present held, to some extent, a portion of Vantage Group’s shares. Although the amount was small, it still made them shareholders in Vantage.

The shares they held had all been distributed from Jude Sheridan’s personal stake. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

This was Jude Sheridan’s method for keeping these senior managers loyal.

Cecilia Croft had originally proposed the idea, but Jude Sheridan was the one who ultimately implemented it, taking all the credit for himself. As a result, these people were deeply grateful to him.

After all, Vantage had been flourishing in recent years, and while they only held 2-5% of the shares, they had certainly made a good deal of money from it.

Even though it was Jude Sheridan’s affair that had implicated Vantage in the first place, they held no resentment toward him. Instead, they blamed Cecilia Croft for making a big deal out of it.

"Didn’t President Croft say she was coming to the meeting today? Why isn’t she here yet?"

"Is she really planning to just let Vantage collapse?"

"She’s being so willful. No matter what, she should be prioritizing the big picture right now."

"President Sheridan never should have let her take the largest stake in Vantage. If he hadn’t, Vantage wouldn’t be in this mess."

Just as Cecilia Croft, followed by Assistant Zimmer, slowly walked to the conference room door, she overheard this very conversation.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door—a firm, rhythmic rap.

The conference room fell silent in an instant.

"Manager Quinn, you know the saying, ’don’t bite the hand that feeds you’? In your case, you’re eating shit and trying to boss around the one who serves it. Is that it?"

Her voice, neither loud nor soft, was laced with mockery and sarcasm. The words were so crude that everyone present couldn’t help but furrow their brows.

Seeing Cecilia Croft’s utterly arrogant demeanor, Manager Quinn, as Jude Sheridan’s number one bootlicker, was about to retort but was silenced by a sharp glare from the man at the head of the table.

"That’s enough out of everyone,"

he said in a low voice. He then stood up and pulled out a chair for Cecilia Croft, looking every bit the considerate gentleman.

"Cecilia, sit."

Cecilia Croft didn’t take the offered seat. Instead, she walked toward the head of the table.

Jude Sheridan’s expression instantly darkened.

A flash of astonishment crossed the eyes of the others, though they managed to keep their expressions restrained.

Jude Sheridan reached out, grabbing Cecilia Croft’s wrist and lowering his voice.

"Cecilia, sit down. Don’t make a scene."

Cecilia Croft glanced down at the wrist Jude Sheridan was holding, then yanked her arm away.

"What are you afraid of, President Sheridan? Don’t tell me you think I’m trying to steal your seat?"

Jude Sheridan’s face stiffened. Swallowing his anger, he said,

"What’s mine is yours. If you want this seat, I’d let you have it anytime."

Cecilia Croft sneered, "You want me to clean up your mess? No way."

After speaking, she casually picked up a file from the table in front of Jude Sheridan’s seat, walked past everyone, and sat down on the opposite side, flipping through it nonchalantly.

"Let’s begin."

Jude Sheridan watched her nonchalant act, secretly took a deep breath, and sat down in his chair, adjusting his suit jacket.

"Now that everyone’s here, let’s discuss how to handle Vantage’s current crisis. I hope you will all speak freely so we can come up with a perfect solution together."

When he finished, he glanced at Manager Quinn to his right.

Manager Quinn cleared his throat and said gravely,

"Actually, the solution to Vantage’s current financial difficulties is simple. President Croft holds the most shares of anyone here. If she’s willing to liquidate 20% of her shares and invest the capital into the company, our funding problem will be perfectly solved."

Hearing Manager Quinn’s words, the others all shot cautious glances at Cecilia Croft.

But Cecilia Croft acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, continuing to flip through the file in her hands.

Jude Sheridan frowned. He looked at Cecilia Croft, tapped his fingers on the table, and raised his voice.

"What does everyone think of Manager Quinn’s proposal?"

The room was silent. No one objected.

Cecilia Croft snapped the file shut, tossed it onto the table, and fixed her cold, clear eyes on Manager Quinn.

"If it’s so easy to solve, why don’t you donate your own shares to help Vantage get through this crisis, Manager Quinn?"

Manager Quinn gritted his teeth. "President Croft, your stake is the largest of all shareholders. At a critical moment like this for Vantage, if you don’t step up, who will? Besides, this whole problem started because of you."

Cecilia Croft said, "You may not have as many shares as I do, but you have a house. You could sell everything you own, your house, your car, to help Vantage through this crisis."

Manager Quinn’s expression changed, and he looked to his allies for support.

After all, no one would object to a proposal where only Cecilia Croft’s personal interests had to be sacrificed for everyone else’s gain.

"President Croft, you and President Sheridan founded Vantage together. Now that we’ve reached a crisis, we’re all in the same boat. I’m sure you don’t want to see Vantage go under either."

Cecilia Croft glanced at the speaker, cutting off his attempt at emotional blackmail. "Wrong. I’d love to see it go under. After all, I won’t be the only one who drowns."

Jude Sheridan couldn’t listen anymore and snapped coldly,

"That’s enough! Cecilia, even if you’re angry, there should be a limit. When facing a major crisis, why must you say such things just to spite me?"

’Cecilia couldn’t possibly not care about Vantage.’

’She’s the proudest person I know and cares most about Vantage’s growth. There’s no way she’d just stand by and watch it collapse.’

"I think Manager Quinn’s proposal is a good one. Think of it as me borrowing this 20% stake from you. Once Vantage recovers, I’ll give it back."

Cecilia Croft: "Don’t even go there. I’m not lending you anything."

Jude Sheridan’s face was stiff and ugly. "Cecilia! Now is not the time for tantrums! Do you think I don’t want to sell my own shares? As long as we work together, Vantage will get over this hurdle quickly."

After distributing some of his shares to the senior managers below him, his stake had dropped from 49% to 32%, making him the second-largest shareholder. Ahead of him was Cecilia Croft.

If he were to sell another 20% of his shares, his holdings would drop him to the third-largest shareholder.

Others besides Cecilia Croft would then rank ahead of him, posing a constant threat to his position as the one in control of Vantage.

Cecilia Croft currently held 51% of the shares. If she sold 20%, she would still have 31%, only 1% less than him. No one would be able to surpass either of them.

They would both still hold the primary say in Vantage.