Chapter 4

In the end, they couldn't move the shipment into the warehouses, so they had to find somewhere else to store it at short notice.

Soon afterward, the formal meeting notice arrived. The meeting was scheduled for three days later, and I was required to bring the original agreement.

…

On the day of the meeting, I pushed open the conference room door, and the conversations inside fell silent.

Luca sat at the head of the table, with Vivian to his right.

An unfamiliar man was also seated at the table. The nameplate in front of him bore the name of an investment company owned by the Moretti family.

Vivian pointed to the visitor's seat near the door. "Elena, sit there."

Only one document awaited my signature on the small table. I hadn't received any of the fundraising materials provided to the others.

"We'll ask for your input when we get to the old agreement. You can just listen to the rest of the agenda," Vivian said.

Someone beside her chuckled. "If you'd been willing to sit down and talk sooner, none of this would have happened."

"She just can't bear to part with the money. After making such a fuss, she still showed up, didn't she?"

I pulled out the chair and sat down, then looked at Carina Bloom, the secretary responsible for taking the minutes. "Please record that I wasn't given the full agenda. I only received the document I'm being asked to sign."

The smile faded from Vivian's face. "Those materials have nothing to do with you."

"Then please record that too." I placed the document back on the table. "Let's begin."

Luca began by presenting the company's acquisition performance over the past year. The names of three companies appeared on the screen in succession. He then pointed to the expansion plan for the coming year and emphasized the importance of the Morettis' investment.

The shareholders present nodded in agreement.

Only when they reached the final item on the agenda did Luca turn to me. "The goods for the new project have already arrived, but she prevented them from entering the warehouses.

"Now the company has to spend even more money to store them elsewhere. If we have to wait for her approval every time a shipment arrives, how are we supposed to do business?"

"You didn't even consult me before claiming in the email that the asset owner had approved it. And now you're blaming me for refusing to go along with it?"

Luca ignored my question. "We will no longer honor the original arrangement that grants her 90% of the profits, and we will proceed with the transfer of the Harbor District warehouses. This is a condition of the Morettis' investment."

He placed the proposal on the table. "Elena holds no operational position and takes no part in the company's day-to-day management, yet she receives the vast majority of its profits.

"My father was willing to make that arrangement out of personal regard for her, but that doesn't mean the company should have to continue bearing the burden."

I stared at him. "What do you mean, out of personal regard? Your father signed that profit-sharing agreement in black and white when he used my money to save the company. And now you're making it sound like he gave me those profits out of generosity?"

"We're discussing the company's future!" Luca interrupted.

"Is the entire company supposed to miss out on this investment just to protect your 90% share of the profits?" Vivian picked up where he left off. "The new arrangement already sets aside money for you. You'll receive one-thousandth of the distributable profits each year."

I opened the document in front of me. They hadn't even removed the demand that I repay the dividends I'd received over the past three years.

To receive this payment, I would also have to waive my right to seek compensation under the old agreement and sign over the warehouses.

I scoffed. "You want to fob me off with one-thousandth of the profits, and you still expect me to hand over the warehouses for free?"

"If you think it's too little, you don't have to take it. Just don't come crying when you can't even get that much." Vivian placed a pen in front of me. "You've been collecting money for 10 years. You should be grateful."

Luca didn't even look at me. Instead, he turned to the shareholders on either side of the table. "Those in favor of this proposal, please cast your votes."

Vivian spoke first. "I support it. This is the only way to keep the investment moving forward."

One by one, the shareholders around the table raised their hands. Not a single person asked whether I agreed.

When the last hand went up, Luca leaned back in his chair. "The proposal has been approved unanimously. Record it in the meeting minutes."

Lilian began preparing the next document.

I hadn't agreed to sign anything, yet they were already discussing when the warehouses would be handed over.

Marco Moretti, the Moretti family's representative, opened the transfer agreement and folded back the page that required my signature.

Luca instructed Lilian to bring the resolution over to me. "From now on, you'll receive one-thousandth of the profits. You can stop dreaming about getting 90%. Once you've signed, you can leave. Vivian will handle the rest of the handover."

Marco looked up and handed the transfer agreement to the secretary, instructing her to bring it to me as well. "Miss Dean, we're here to take possession of the warehouses today. Let's not waste any more time."

The two documents were stacked in front of me.

I stood. "Luca, are you certain the original agreement will no longer be honored?"

He frowned. "How many times do I have to say it before you understand?"

I turned to the shareholders who had raised their hands earlier. "Is this what all of you want as well?"

"The vote has already been taken." One of them set down the documents in his hands. "Elena, accept reality."

I nodded. "Fine. Give me a copy of the full resolution."

Vivian smiled and pushed the pen closer to me. "See? Was that so hard? Hurry up and sign. Don't keep the Morettis waiting."

I didn't touch the pen. Instead, I took a document envelope from my bag, broke the seal, and pulled out the original agreement that Marino had personally signed.

The smile vanished from Luca's face. "Bringing that out won't change anything. We've already made ourselves perfectly clear."

With the agreement in hand, I walked over to the conference table, opened it to the last page, and slid it in front of Marco. "Before you take possession of the warehouses, take a look at what this says."