Third Person
Juancho and Richard sat side by side, which no longer surprised Alex. Now, he finally knew who was truly behind the man. Even though he and Serene had already suspected it, he couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked.
Richard raised his hand, signaling the man behind him to move. The man began placing folders in front of each board member. Alex remained quiet, watching and waiting for whatever surprise the two had planned.
“What’s this?” asked Sofia, one of the board members. She was a family friend of Alex’s parents but wasn’t someone he saw often. “Why are you giving us folders when the new CEO just sat down?” she added, her tone strict. Richard, sensing the seriousness, decided to answer.
“I just want everyone to know that we now hold a large portion of the company.”
“For someone new, you seem eager to make your arrival known,” Arman commented. He was another board member who usually didn’t care who ran the company. However, he liked how Alex managed things and wasn’t about accepting just anyone.
“It’s not like that, I just”
“Mr. Richard,” Alex interrupted, his face serious. I think you misunderstood something,” he said. He didn’t like what Richard had done as well, and even though he had expected things to end up like this, he had hoped they would act more sensibly. I think I overestimated you and Mr. Madrid.”
“What did you just say?” Juancho asked angrily, causing Alex to smirk.
“You heard me right, Juancho. I thought you were smart that you’d use your brain when acquiring board shares. But I was wrong. Serene was right-you may be smart in business, but too much confidence will ruin you or everything you’ve worked for.”
“Don’t be so confident, Mr. McGregor. We haven’t even started yet.” Richard’s voice cut in, his tone tense, but Alex laughed, confusing the two.
“Before buying those shares, you should’ve checked if the company had any rules about that,” Alex said.
“What do you mean?” Juancho asked, his frustration clear. He looked at Richard beside him, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Since the board members are here, why don’t you ask the people you bought the shares from how they got their shares?” Alex suggested, glancing at the board members from whom Juancho and Richard had bought shares. But the members only shrugged.
“I bought my shares normally,” Mr. Yan said, nodding toward Mr. Mills.
“And what do you mean by ‘normally’?” Alex asked.
“We were here in the conference room, and I signed the papers,” the older men responded, and the others nodded in agreement.
“It’s clear, isn’t it?” Sofia explained. “Not a single one of them bought shares without witnesses. They signed the papers before other board members to witness the sale and transfer. After that, the CEO and corporate secretary authenticate everything, and we hold a welcome ceremony for the new member.”
“What does that mean?” Juancho demanded though it was clear he already knew the answer. But Alex couldn’t resist rubbing it in.
“It means your share acquisition is invalid, and the board won’t recognize it.”
“That’s insane!” Juancho shouted, slamming the folder onto the table, his eyes furious as he glared at the board members he had bought shares from.
“One more thing,” Alex said, leaning forward. “Every contract has a clause. Shares can’t be sold to outsiders unless the board members are unwilling or unable to buy them first. This means we control who enters the company. Many board members could buy those shares, but these old fools sold them to you to spite me.”
“You idiot!” Juancho screamed, standing abruptly. Richard followed, but it was a mistake-he caught the full force of the punch Juancho had aimed at him. That surprised everyone, but not Alex. He knew that Juancho was far from calm and collected. He got angry but managed to control it all the time. But in his situation right now, no one would be able to control their emotions, especially when they knew everything they worked hard for was wasted.
“You can get your money back from the people you bought the shares from. And if they can’t return it, let me know. I’ll help you get it back,” Alex said mockingly, his words making Juancho’s anger flare even more.
Juancho stormed out of the conference room, followed by Richard and his assistant, fully aware of their mess.
The remaining board members looked at each other, those loyal to Alex casting harsh glares at those who had sold shares to Juancho.
“Mr. Yan, Mr. Mills,” Alex said, gazing at them, “I think it’s time we settle this matter.” He looked around at the other board members before continuing. “If anyone is interested in buying their shares, let me know. Or maybe we can all just split them.”
“What are you talking about?” Mr. Yan shouted, slamming his hand on the table.
“You heard him clearly, so why are you asking?” Sofia responded coolly. “And I also suggest that we remove the others involved. It’s unhealthy for the company to have members who sabotage our business’s good intentions and smooth operations.”
“You have no right to kick us out!” Mr. Mills protested, standing up angrily.
“Actually, you’re wrong,” Sofia replied calmly. “According to the shareholder’s guidebook, the board can remove any member who doesn’t contribute to the company or is difficult to work with. The original board members put this rule in place to protect the company and its employees. Alex has never made any decision without informing us, and you know that.”
“I can’t believe this!” Mr. Yan exclaimed, clearly shocked. Though he and Mr. Mills had been on the board for a long time, they were unaware of the company’s rules, having only cared about the money they were making. As long as their income kept growing, they ignored everything else.
But in their eagerness to get back at Alex, they made a mistake that led to their downfall.
Alex smiled as he looked at the two older men and the four other board members, who were now standing awkwardly, unable to meet anyone’s gaze. Humiliated, they realized they would have to return the money Juancho had paid for the shares-an amount far greater than they were worth.