Chapter 109 The Struggle for Management Rights
Rachel pushed her hair back and said calmly, "That's because my dad used to shield me from all the hardships. Now that he's gone, I have to face them myself. If he were still here, he'd be proud of me, right, Mr. Roberts?"
Frank clenched his fist, a fierce look flashing in his eyes, and gritted his teeth. "You're right."
Rachel brought up Henry on purpose to put pressure on Frank, reminding him that Henry was the one who promoted him. Treating Rachel badly now would be ungrateful, and Frank couldn't argue against it. If he did, he'd just confirm his bad reputation, and people would think even less of him.
Plus, Rachel already had more shares than him. If public opinion turned against Skyline Corporation, the shareholders might unite against him and even call for a re-election of the management. All his hard work would go down the drain.
Frank was furious but held it in, sneering, "Fine, you can have half of the management rights, but there are conditions."
Rachel's eyes sparkled, and she smiled. "Please, go ahead." She knew it wouldn't be that easy; he had to have conditions.
Frank picked up a document nearby and said, "This is a proposal for a new energy technology collaboration. I went through a lot to get a chance to participate. The proposal seeks five partner companies. If you can secure one spot for Skyline Corporation, half of the management rights will be yours."
After a brief pause, he continued, "But if you fail, you have to give up your management rights and leave Skyline Corporation, staying only as a common shareholder. If you try to seize power, don't blame me for destroying Skyline Corporation. What do you think, Rachel?"
"That's a threat!" John spat, pointing at Frank, his face red with anger.
Rachel pressed down John's hand and stared at Frank, her tone firm. "I agree."
"Rachel!" John exclaimed, his voice full of concern.
Rachel turned to John, resolute. "John, you know what Skyline Corporation means to me. Even if the road ahead is dangerous, I have to face it. Can you understand?"
John was speechless, his eyes filled with worry but also admiration. Rachel smiled with satisfaction and extended her hand to Frank. "Give me the collaboration proposal."
Frank handed it over with a smile. "The meeting is at 2 PM. Don't be late, Rachel."
He didn't believe she could succeed. The initiator clearly stated they would only collaborate with the most capable companies, and Skyline Corporation had no competitiveness. He anticipated her failure.
The meeting ended. John left after taking a phone call. Rachel returned to her office with the proposal, studying it carefully until 1 PM, then drove to the meeting location, Cosmos Hotel.
When she arrived, it was already 1:50 PM, just ten minutes before the meeting started. Rachel parked her car and rushed in her high heels. She saw an elevator about to close and hurriedly called out, "Wait, I need to get in too."
Michael's eyes narrowed slightly, and he reached out to stop the closing elevator doors. The doors reopened, and Rachel's eyes lit up, knowing he was waiting for her. She quickened her pace and stepped in. She finally entered the elevator, bent over, and panted. "Thank you."
Michael glanced down, his eyes inadvertently sliding to her neckline. Through the slightly open collar, her skin rose and fell with her breath, extremely enticing. Michael's eyes darkened, replying, "You're welcome."
Rachel froze, her hand stopping mid-wipe of her sweat, then straightened up and looked up. Confirming it was Michael, she helplessly rubbed her forehead. She thought, 'Is God joking? Why is he in the elevator I randomly enter?'
Rachel pursed her lips and moved to the side, keeping her distance from Michael. Michael noticed the space between them, enough for three people to stand, and his face darkened. He thought, 'Does she despise me that much?' He lowered his eyes, feeling slightly irritated.
The elevator arrived. Rachel couldn't wait to leave first. After a few steps, she heard footsteps behind her. "No way?" Rachel muttered to herself and glanced sideways, seeing Michael following closely. A bold guess formed in her mind. 'Could we have the same destination?'
As they approached the conference room, this suspicion was gradually confirmed. When Rachel stopped in front of the door, Michael's surprised look confirmed he was also attending the meeting.
Of course, as the president of Smith Corporation, the top company in Summit Ridge District, he wouldn't miss such a lucrative collaboration opportunity.
Michael knew well that Rachel's purpose for this trip was the meeting, but he was curious about how she got an entry ticket. He asked, "Not planning to go in?"
Rachel bit her lower lip lightly and replied softly, "You go first. I don't want to enter with you." She could sense the room was already buzzing with voices. Entering with him would inevitably lead to unnecessary speculation, given their awkward relationship.
Michael seemed to understand her thoughts, his eyes lowered slightly. He reminded, "The meeting is about to start. Latecomers will lose their qualification. Only three minutes left."
With that, he pushed the door and entered the room. Rachel stared at his back in astonishment, thinking, 'Is he reminding me?'
Regardless, she remembered his words, kept an eye on her watch, and after a minute, took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Her appearance surprised everyone in the room. One whispered, "Isn't that Mr. Smith's ex-wife?"
Another chimed in, "And also the vice president of Skyline Corporation."
A third asked, "I heard Skyline Corporation is on the brink of bankruptcy. How did they get a spot in this meeting?"
Whispers filled the room, but only Michael and Ethan remained silent. Michael kept his head slightly down, seemingly organizing documents, but he kept glancing at Rachel from the corner of his eye. Seeing her calm and fearless, a barely noticeable smile tugged at his lips, a fleeting hint of approval in his eyes.
Ethan, on the other hand, squinted his eyes, glaring at Rachel with a cold, murderous look. Sensing this hostility, Rachel didn't flinch but responded with a gracious smile, "Mr. Brown, long time no see."
Ethan was momentarily stunned. On Rachel, he caught a glimpse of his mother, especially that smile, so similar to when his mother used to challenge her opponents.
Rachel didn't delve into why Ethan was distracted and shifted her attention to Michael. Michael sat at the head of the table, clearly the initiator of this new energy collaboration.
Rachel's mood plummeted. She already lacked confidence in securing the collaboration opportunity, given Skyline Corporation's current state. But she still held a glimmer of hope.
However, now that the initiator was her estranged ex-husband who even despised her, he would never collaborate with her. She had no idea how to handle it.
Rachel lowered her head, a faint sense of loss emanating from her. Observing Rachel's shift, Michael furrowed his brow, confused.
"Mr. Smith, it's time," David reminded at the right moment. Michael shifted his focus from Rachel, put down his documents, and looked around, asking, "Everyone familiar with the collaboration proposal?"
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