Chapter 226
Chapter 226
“What did that person say?” Stella gripped her phone tightly, forcing herself to sound calm.
Owen stayed silent for a while before speaking slowly. “Stella, that man is very mysterious. He never revealed who he was, but he knew our company inside out. He even knows which school my son attends.”
Stella’s chest tightened. Anyone who could dig
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precisely into Owen’s information was playing far beyond the rules of ordinary business competition.
“What exactly did he say?” Stella pressed.
“He told me that if I keep working with you, I’d face retaliation from ‘some people‘. He said it politely, but it was clearly a threat.” Owen sounded worried. “Stella, I’m not scared, but I have to think about my employees and my family.”
Stella understood his concerns. If she were in his place, she would weigh things carefully, too. She said, “Mr. Griffin, I understand. If you feel that continuing to work with me will put you at risk, you’re free to step away.”
“Thank you, Stella.” Owen sighed. “Give me a few days to think it over. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
After hanging up, Stella collapsed into her chair. This wasn’t just some family drama anymore. It was a planned–out business attack, and their goal was obvious to wipe her and her company out.
In the next few hours, Stella kept getting calls from partners. Some said, in a roundabout way, that they had to “review the cooperation.” Some flat–out paused their projects, and some wanted to change contract terms for one reason or another.
Taylor Steele, the head of finance, came into her office in the afternoon. “Ms. Hayes, we’ve got a problem with our cash flow.”
With a pile of reports in hand, Taylor said, “Three major clients have asked to delay payments, and two projects have been halted. By next month, we’re looking at a cash flow shortfall.”
Staring at the numbers on the report, Stella felt her heart sink. If the cash flow broke, the company would soon fall into crisis, and the shareholders would have every reason to push her out.
“How much longer can we hold on?” Stella asked.
“If things don’t get better, we can last two months tops,” Taylor said in a low voice. “Ms. Hayes, should we try for a bank loan?”
“The bank is already reassessing our credit. Getting a loan approved won’t be easy.” Stella rubbed her temples. “Let me figure out another way.”
At three in the afternoon, Stella was notified that several recently returned shareholders had called for an emergency meeting.
Nola came in, looking worried. “Mr. Nelson has teamed up with a few minor shareholders. They say they want to discuss the company’s management.”
Stella sneered. “Tell them to come to my office. There’s no need for a conference room.”
Ten minutes later, Percy entered with several shareholders and got straight to the point. “Ms. Hayes, given the current public pressure, we believe it would be better for the company if you stepped aside for a while.”
“I hold 51% of the shares. The decision rests with me,” Stella replied sharply. “If you’re unhappy with that, you’re free to withdraw your stake.”
Percy’s face turned sour. “Ms. Hayes, if you keep being so stubborn, everyone will suffer.”
“Fine, then we’ll all take the hit.” Stella refused to back down. “Grandma left me the company, and I won’t let someone like Andrew mess with it.”
With that, she sent the shareholders out.
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Chapter 226
Seconds later, Nola anxiously came to Stella’s office. “Mr. Erwin’s assistant just delivered a package. He said it’s important.”
Stella took the envelope and opened it. Inside were several contracts. They turned out to be collaboration agreements for three major projects, totaling
millions of dollars.
The clients on these projects were all tied to Jordan, and the contract terms were extremely favorable to the Hayes Group, Most importantly, these orders were enough to resolve her company’s current cash flow crisis.
Stella stared at the contracts and felt mixed emotions. She knew Jordan was helping her, but this kind of assistance left her conflicted.
On one hand, she desperately needed these orders to stabilize the company; on the other, she didn’t want to owe Jordan too much, especially since their relationship was still undefined.
Nola said nervously, “Ms. Hayes, these contracts-”
“Just keep them for now,” Stella said, sliding the contracts into her drawer. “I’ll think it over.”
Actually, she already knew what she would do. She couldn’t let the company fail, and she wouldn’t let Eleanor’s hard work go to waste. As for her relationship with Jordan, she would figure that out slowly, in time.
It was late, and Stella was alone in the office. She stood before the floor–to–ceiling windows, gazing at the city lights, pondering how to escape this situation.
Defense alone wouldn’t solve anything. She had to take the initiative, uncover the mastermind behind this, and resolve the problem once and for all.
Just as she was deep in thought, her phone rang. It was a call from Mary.
Mary sounded worried. “Stella, be careful. I just went out to buy groceries and saw someone lingering outside the neighborhood, like they were waiting for someone. I suspect they’re waiting for you.”
Stella’s heart sank sharply. It seemed they had already figured out where she lived.
She said, “Mary, don’t go out again. Be careful.”
Mary said, “Stella, don’t come home tonight. I’m worried you might be in danger.”
Stella replied, “Got it. Make sure you’re safe, too.”
Hanging up, Stella decided to spend the night at the office.
It seemed this conflict had just intensified.
