Chapter 225
"Do you believe her?"
Ximena sneered, pointing at Gianna. "Believing her means Natalie might not come back, and the Clinton Group's assets could be transferred by Thomas. What about the employees? Do you want the company to go bankrupt?"
Felix stayed calm, his expression unchanged, "If the Clinton Group goes bankrupt, it's on me, not her."
Ximena's hands trembled with anger, "Fine! Since you say so, I won't interfere anymore!" With that, she stormed off.
Felix turned to Gianna, "Are you alright?"
Gianna shook her head, then said, "Natalie's health is really bad. Even if she wakes up, she'll need a month to recover, or she'll have lasting issues."
"I believe you. Grandma's health is the priority." Felix nodded.
After a pause, Gianna added, "I found out today that Thomas took over the Clinton Group. I still have the 10% shares Natalie gave me. If you need them, I can transfer them to you."
"No need. They're yours. But if you don't want them, you can sell them to me."
Gianna was about to respond when Felix's phone rang. His expression turned grim after answering.
"Something's up at the company. I need to go. You should head back."
Gianna instinctively followed, "I'll come with you."
Felix paused, and before he could refuse, Gianna said, "I'm a shareholder now. I have the right to be at the board."
Felix said nothing more, and they headed to the Clinton Group together.
At the entrance, they saw several managers carrying boxes out, looking angry. These were Felix's trained managers who resisted Thomas's unreasonable decisions. Thomas had HR issue dismissal letters, giving them until the end of the day to clear out.
When they saw Felix, a flicker of hope crossed their eyes, but it quickly died. They felt ashamed and couldn't meet his eyes.
The technical department manager approached Felix, looking guilty, "Felix, I'm sorry."
Felix's expression was cold, but he didn't blame them, "Don't leave yet. Dismissing managers requires a board vote. Thomas violated company rules."
Hope appeared in their eyes, but they shook their heads, "It's useless. The board is full of Thomas's people. Even with a vote, you can't keep us here."
Gianna stepped forward, "And me. The vote is based on shares, not people. I'm a shareholder, too."
The manager frowned, "But even with you, your shares don't outnumber Thomas's."
Gianna smiled, "We have to try. If we don't, we'll never know."
Seeing her confidence, hope reignited in their hearts, "Alright, we'll wait here for you!"
Gianna and Felix walked into the building. Waiting for the elevator, Felix glanced at her, "Gianna, thank you."
Gianna's face was calm, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm a shareholder as well, and I don't want the Clinton Group to lose these talents."
As she finished, the elevator doors opened. She stepped in first and frowned when Felix didn't follow,"Why aren't you coming in?"
Felix's gaze deepened as he joined her in silence.
The elevator quickly reached the top floor. Thomas's secretary was shocked to see them and hurried over to stop them. "Gianna, the president is busy and may not be able to see you."
Gianna remained calm, "I'm here as a shareholder. I demand an explanation for Thomas's unjustified dismissal of several managers."
The secretary hesitated, then said, "Please wait a moment," and quickly went into the office.
Soon, he returned, "Gianna, Felix, the president will see you now."
Gianna pushed open the office door. The decoration had changed, now filled with luxurious items. Gianna frowned seeing this. Thomas sat behind the desk, smiling.
"I heard you're a shareholder. Do you have the paperwork to prove it?"
Gianna stayed calm, "My secretary is bringing a copy. Meanwhile, let's talk about you firing those managers without cause."
Thomas raised eyebrows at Felix, who stood silently behind Gianna. He smirked. "Felix, you even need a woman to stand up for you now?"
Felix's expression didn't change, "Don't try to change the subject. Firing managers requires a board meeting."
Thomas sneered. "You only have 10% of the shares. The other shareholders won't side with you. Even if we hold a board meeting, the result will be the same. Why bother?"
"Whether it's a waste of time isn't for you to decide."
Thomas's eyes turned cold, "Fine, let's see who really calls the shots here!"
He called the secretary to notify all board members of a meeting in half an hour.
Soon, Otis arrived with Gianna's share certificate. Seeing she held 10% of the shares, given by Natalie, Thoman narrowed his eyes, anger flickering in it. Natalie had given shares to Gianna but none to him, her own family.
But even with 20% combined, as long as the majority supported him, Felix and Gianna had no chance.
Thomas sneered, tossing the certificate on the table, "Just 10%? It's useless."
Gianna had Otis take the certificate back, "Thomas, don't be so sure."
Thomas was arrogant, "You need to see it to believe it, huh?"
Half an hour later, in the largest conference room, Thomas sat at the head of the table, smiling, "The former president has an issue with my dismissal of several managers. Let's vote on whether they should be dismissed. Each shareholder has an electronic voting screen. Press green to agree, red to disagree."
In less than three minutes, the results were displayed. Seeing the results, a smug smile appeared on Thomas's face.
