Chapter 156 My Mistake
Chapter 156 My Mistake
“I do.” Zachary’s voice wavered, a lump forming in his throat.
#5 Free Coins
When Lenora was first accused of being the other woman, he didn’t defend her. Instead, after she was injured in a car accident and her vision blurred, he hid the truth from her. Therefore, at that time, he made a promise to fulfill a condition for her.
“Do you know what I was thinking back then?” Lenora reminisced with a lost and disoriented demeanor. “At that time, I thought we were inevitably heading toward divorce, and I couldn’t hide my pregnancy. So, I wanted to use that as a bargaining chip, to make you relinquish custody rights. I wanted this child! That’s why even when I was most desperate to divorce, I didn’t use this bargaining chip… But…”
Lenora choked up, unable to voice it out.
There was no longer an opportunity for her to do that.
The casual words of Lenora were like daggers, piercing deeply into Zachary’s heart, starkly reminding him of what he had once donc.
It turned out that even back then, she had already been planning for her and her child’s future.
And there he was, preoccupied with safeguarding Susanna’s business, completely oblivious to her feelings of injustice.
Before Zachary could speak, Lenora interjected, “Do you know what Susanna’s fans said when I was being accused of being the other woman? They cursed me, saying that I would never be able to have children. Well, their curse came true…” She laughed bitterly.
It was my
fault. I shouldn’t have been so obsessed with everything about you. When Susanna was burnt, you were willing to brush me aside just to see her. When I was robbed and almost lost our child, that was a wake–up call from heaven. I should have let you go then. It was my self–deprecation, my inability to learn! from my mistakes that led me to this. I deserve to be cursed!”
Tears streamed down Lenora’s face as she simultaneously laughed and cried.
She appeared utterly mad.
Zachary gazed at her intently, his heart bleeding profusely.
It turned out that after he had harshly spoken and left that time, she had actually been robbed. Yet, never once mentioned it to him.
He couldn’t fathom how she had managed to endure itall in such a state of helplessness
-Everything that Lenora had experienced was all because of him.
Had he not believed Lola’s words and allowed information about his past relationship with Susanna to be leaked, the media wouldn’t have reported rumors about their reconciliation. Consequently, Lenora wouldn’t have been later accused and humiliated as a third party.
He seemed to have suppressed the news for Lenora, but the criticisms never ceased.
|||
1/4
Chapter 156 My Mistake
+5 Free Coins
If he hadn’t been so indecisive and overly indulgent toward Susanna, Lenora wouldn’t have suffered so much harm.
Michael was right. What he owed Susanna should not have been borne by Lenora.
She didn’t owe Susanna anything.
She was the most innocent one.
Yet, she was the one who suffered the most because of him.
“Every time I close my eyes now, I see a tiny baby crying, questioning me why I didn’t want them. I am not a good mother. It was my capriciousness and selfishness that killed my child!” Lenora sobbed, her vision blurred by tears.
“Nora, it’s all my fault. Everything is my fault!” Upon hearing Lenora’s self–reproach, Zachary felt a heartache so intense that it took his breath away.
He wiped away the tears from the corner of Lenora’s eyes. “I heard that Eternal Monastery can help guide the spirits of the deceased by lighting a prayer lamp. If you’re willing, we could go there one day. We could light prayer lamp for our child, to dispel the darkness and illuminate their path in the next life. As their parents, it would be the only thing we could do for them.”
Lenora managed to hold back her tears, her eyes misty as she looked at him. After a moment, she asked cautiously, “Will my child forgive me?”
“Absolutely, without a doubt,” he reassured, “If you wish, you can also light a prayer lamp for your dad.”
“When are we leaving?” Lenora asked, wiping away her tears.
“Let’s eat first. Once you’ve regained your strength, we’ll go,” he said.
Lenora wiped away the tears on her face, her expression unreadable as she said, “Once the prayer lamp is lit, let’s go to the City Hall to get a divorce.”
Zachary paused, and a bitter taste surged in his throat. “All right… We’ll get a divorce… We’ll get a divorce…
Meanwhile, in the executive boardroom of Fuller Group, all the major shareholders had gathered.
Although it was called a shareholders‘ meeting, the attendees were not much different from the last board of directors‘ meeting
All the shareholders had gathered. On the surface, they seemed calm, but asform was already brewing within their hearts.
They were not concerned about the cause of Gerald’s death, but rather the distribution of the company’s shares after his passing
Fuller Group was unlike the typical publicly traded company; it was a family business. This meant that the selection of the chairman was more of a formality than an actual competitive process. Usually, the position was held by the member of the Fuller family who owned the most shares.
The family business also implied that the majority of the shares were held within the family, with external stakeholders owning around thirty percent, including scattered shares.
2/4
61%2
Chapter 156 My Mistake.
+5 Free Cons
The remaining seventy percent was divided up, with ten percent in Zachary’s second uncle’s hands, and another ten percent held by his aunt, Tamara. Zachary and Johanne each had a five percent stake..
How Gerald allocated his forty percent stake was of utmost importance, as it would determine who would become the next chairman of the group.
The chairman was indeed the driving force of the corporation, almost single–handedly determining the company’s developmental trajectory, as well as the interests of the shareholders.
Ever since the CEO was replaced and the chairman passed away, the group’s stock had taken a more severe dip than before. Even when the spokesperson stepped forward, assuring that the change in CEO would not affect the company’s strategic planning, it didn’t make much of a difference.
Therefore, everyone pinned their hopes on the appointment of a new chairman, hoping it would soothe the shareholders anxiety and halt the stock’s decline.
For this particular shareholders‘ meeting, Tamara also participated via a video call.
As soon as the video call connected, Tamara pointed her criticisms directly at Johanne, her tone sarcastic and mocking. “My dear nephew, your tactics are truly impressive. I’m in awe. If it weren’t for the company’s official email, I wouldn’t even have known that the CEO had been replaced!”
Everyone was well aware that among Johanne, Zachary, and Stanley, Tamara favored Zachary the most. In the past, Tamara had always fully supported Zachary’s proposals.
Johanne smiled. “Aunt Tamara, why would you say that? Everything was merely decided by the board of directors.”
Ten minutes later, Allison and Gerald’s lawyer appeared together in the conference room.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, the shareholders were already on edge with anticipation.
The lawyer didn’t beat around the bush anymore. “I will now announce the will of Mr. Gerald Fuller. The will involves assets including bank deposits, real estate properties and lands, vehicles, shares of Fuller Group, and other business factories. For now, I will only disclose the distribution of shares within Fuller Group. The distribution of assets is as follows. Forty percent of Gerald Fuller’s shares are divided, with thirty percent going to his wife, Allison Newman, and ten percent to his second grandson, Zachary Fuller. The allocation of other properties will not be mentioned here for now. The will has been notarized at the notary office. Anyone with doubts can go there for verification.”
As soon as the lawyer finished speaking, the shareholders were immediately filled with confusion, whispering amongst themselves.
They couldn’t comprehend why Gerald had decided to distribute the shares in such a manner.
With this turn of events, the person who held the most shares in the company was ironically, Allison, an individual who had no understanding of how to run a business.
Even Zachary’s second uncle wasn’t quite sure. Why had his father distributed things this way?
Did he give the majority of the shares to his mother, only to redistribute them according to her own
wishes?
Why did he give Zachary an additional ten percent?
Chapter 156 My Mistake
Some people understood.
Take Tamara, for example, she immediately pointed out, “Do you even need to ask? Obviously, Dad was displeased with someone. Mom doesn’t understand how to run a business, so who should take the position of chairman?”
At this point, Allison said, “Old Mr. Fuller left me with the majority of the shares out of respect for our many years of marriage, to provide me with security. I don’t understand the workings of the company and will not be participating in the upcoming chairman election.”
Everyone exchanged glances.
In other businesses, such scenarios did indeed occur. After the elderly handed over all their shares, the true colors of their children and grandchildren were revealed. They fought for power and profit, and ironically, no one was left to respect the elderly.
Allison came from humble beginnings, with no significant backing. Yet, she held shares that at the very least ensured her descendants behaved obediently in front of her till her last breath, regardless of their sincerity.
Since Allison chose not to participate in the chairman’s election, the individual with the most shares, apart from her, was Zachary, who held fifteen percent of the total shares.
In other words, Zachary was set to be the next chairman of Fuller Group.
Interestingly, he held five percent more shares than his second uncle and Tamara. One couldn’t help but wonder if this was a deliberate move by Gerald.
