Chapter 383 Humiliation
"I'm with Ms. Lockhart on this one," a board member piped up. "Mess up, you gotta face the music. No need to overthink it. Plus, the Lockhart Group's been through the wringer thanks to Andrew!"
"If Andrew pulled this stunt, he should've seen it coming. No pity for him!"
The room buzzed with chatter again.
Cecilia stayed quiet, letting them yap away.
She glanced at Hank, noticing he wasn't joining the noise and was struggling to keep his cool.
Theodore caught on too.
Thinking about how Hank had just been so harsh to Cecilia, Theodore felt a weird thrill.
He cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Zeller's been all about dissing Cecilia and even suggested outsourcing the VP spot or giving it to Andrew. Still feel that way, Mr. Zeller?"
Hank's face went beet red at Theodore's words.
At almost fifty, he couldn't hide his embarrassment.
"I didn't expect Andrew would go this far. I figured, being a Lockhart, he wouldn't be so dumb." Hank tried to justify himself.
"Mr. Zeller, you just said you're good at reading people. Guess you're not as sharp as you thought."
Hank was left speechless and humiliated by Theodore's words, with no comeback.
Theodore, feeling pretty smug, continued, "Mr. Zeller hasn't answered my question. You're not blaming Cecilia for getting set up by Andrew, aren't you? Was she not careful enough? None of us are perfect. Cecilia's knack for making a solid plan is her biggest strength!"
Hank stayed silent.
Anything he said now would just dig a deeper hole, so he decided to suck it up.
"So, I'm officially appointing Cecilia as VP of the Lockhart Group and removing her from the interim head position. Effective immediately, the Admin Department will issue a notice with a three-day posting period," Theodore declared firmly.
The head of the comprehensive department quickly responded, "Yes, sir. I'll draft the appointment doc right away."
Theodore oozed confidence.
With a daughter this capable, no way he was staying low-key.
He said, "If there are no objections, this meeting's over! Cecilia, come to my office."
"Yes," Cecilia nodded.
Theodore was the first to leave the room, with the others slowly trailing out.
Amidst the chatter, someone said, "Hank, you were too rash today! The project loss is a disappointment, but we know Cecilia's got skills. There had to be a setup! Now that the truth's out, it's awkward."
Hank's face was dark.
People in business were all hypocrites and opportunists!
He wasn't the only one who got heated in the meeting.
Now they were making him the fall guy?
But Cecilia's moves this time made Hank see her in a whole new light.
Hank figured Andrew swiping company secrets wasn't just a fluke; it was all planned out.
Someone as sharp as Cecilia wouldn't let a guy like Andrew stick around the Lockhart Group, so she set him up.
Hank broke out in a cold sweat.
If someone as young as Cecilia had such killer strategies, he'd be in deep trouble if he ever crossed her!
Thinking back, those who had opposed her, like Roy Charles and Vincent, had all met bad ends.
Hank was sweating bullets.
He'd never dare to mess with Cecilia again!
Cecilia didn't care what the board members thought about her, and it didn't matter.
After all, businessmen only care about the results.
Sitting in front of Theodore's desk, she cut to the chase, "Dad, what's up?"
"First off, I'm super proud. Proud to have a daughter like you," Theodore beamed.
Cecilia couldn't help but grin.
Theodore was really laying it on thick.
"Sometimes I feel powerless dealing with those board members, but you managed to shut them up and even humiliate them! Cecilia, I'm starting to wonder if you're really my daughter. When did you become so formidable?" Theodore was in awe.
"Alright, Dad, get to the point," Cecilia said, feeling a bit embarrassed by all the praise.
Honestly, if she hadn't lived an extra ten years, she wouldn't have this capability.
If Cecilia hadn't experienced the harsh realities of life, she wouldn't have developed such a strong sense of justice.
"Second, I want to ask if we can sue the Kingsley Group to get our plan back?" Theodore suddenly got serious. "Losing this project is a big deal. Can we regain control of it?"
Cecilia also got serious and said, "I won't lie to you, Dad. The Lockhart Group losing this project was part of my plan."
Theodore's expression shifted.
"Of course, at first, I didn't expect Andrew to sabotage us. But once I found out about his betrayal, I played along. Dad, Andrew had to go. He could never be our ally, only our enemy. Rather than being manipulated by him, it was better to strike first."
Theodore paused but didn't disagree with Cecilia.
Cecilia continued, "Andrew needed to be dealt with, and if we can get rid of Dominic too, that's a bonus. I've had someone tailing Andrew, trying to gather dirt on Dominic. Unfortunately, Dominic is too slick. Anything that needs Andrew's involvement is handled by his assistant, Eloise. I thought Andrew was too dumb to leave evidence, and I considered using what I had to blackmail him into exposing Dominic. But Dominic is too cunning, and Andrew isn't his match. It would only tip Dominic off. So, I decided to take a gamble. If luck wasn't on our side and only Andrew got caught, at least we'd have dealt with one problem."
"Alright. You set up this situation to get rid of Andrew and Dominic. I get it," Theodore said, making his stance clear. "But now, my main concern is whether we can get the project back."
Ultimately, for a businessman, especially a successful one, as long as it didn't violate principles, conscience, or the law, profit always came first!