Chapter 033

33.

SULLIVAN GROUP

"That little girl! Who does she think she is to order us around and act like our ideas are insignificant?" Will snapped, banging his hand on the desk.

After the meeting, they had come to speak with Mr. Sullivan, who had already seen the news. Reporters had stormed outside Salvador's group building and interviewed Samantha. She told them she was changing the model, but didn't disclose what it was going to be.

The news already went viral and literally everyone had seen it. They were curious to know what she wanted to do since she was new. Everyone knew the kind of models Salvador Group used, but had no idea what Samantha was going to do. They only guessed and waited for the day.

Mr. Sullivan massaged his forehead. "She just came and is already giving us a headache. I think we need to step up our game. If her model makes sense and is accepted in Detroit, her stocks will increase, not to mention doors with new business deals will be opened and she will become more powerful."

Fred scoffed. "I doubt she is going to do anything. She doesn't know the first thing about being a businesswoman. She disappeared for a while, and then returned only for her to be announced as the CEO, and now she is looking for ways of making the company bigger than it already is."

"That's why we have to stop her." Sullivan said, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"How do we stop her? There is no way we can compete with her anymore." Will sucked in a breath, clearly frustrated by what was going on.

Mr. Sullivan smirked. "We can't but we need someone else that can compete with her; someone within her age range."

"Your daughter?" Fred asked and Mr. Sullivan nodded. "Are you trying to do what I'm thinking right now?"

"Yes. I'll have to announce Bianca as the new CEO of the company."

"But, I don't think she has any experience yet." Will countered.

"And that's where we come in. Our job will be to guide her and make her do whatever we want. If she becomes the CEO, I'll automatically be the President. All we have to do is give her new opportunities and during the handing over ceremony, you two could mingle with the crowd and say nice things about her and her leadership qualities. Secure deals for her and we can start building the company from there. We can also enter Detroit with new designs and start competing with her."

Will and Fred nodded with smiles on their faces. This had to be the best idea they have heard in years. With a smile, they nodded their heads, as they began planning on sending invites.

****

SALVADOR GROUP

The next day, Samantha was busy on her laptop, when James, her secretary, walked into the room.

"A letter came in this morning from the Sullivan Group, ma'am. Would you like to take a look at it?" he asked, and Samantha nodded.

He handed over the letter to her. She took it and removed it from the envelope. It was an invitation card.

"Interesting," she muttered, her eyes reading through the contents. "They are inviting me to the handover ceremony of their company to his successor, Bianca." she said with a smile and looked up at James.

"If you do not want to attend, ma, I can help you send an email. You don't have to do what you don't want." he spoke up but she shook her head with a smile.

"Where's the fun in that?" she chuckled softly. "They invited me, of course I should honor their invitation. It would be fun to watch." she smirked, her eyes gleaming with something James couldn't quite pinpoint.

"I'll send your reply to them, ma." he bowed and walked out of the office.

Samantha stared at the invitation letter again, a smile on her face. She knew why they were doing this. She knew exactly how the business world works. She didn't go to business school for nothing. There would always be competitors, who are willing to do whatever it takes to surpass the companies they envy.

Even though her company was one of the Sullivans biggest stockholders, she knew they wanted to surpass them in terms of innovation and market share. She leaned back in her chair, a smirk tugging at the side of her lips.

This was a good ground for her to finally get her revenge on Bianca. If Bianca becomes the CEO and the like is drawn, she would finally have the chance to show the lady that she wasn't to be messed with. Things were working for her good, and she was damn excited to see how things would play out.

Linda walked into the room and Samantha smiled. "You're just in time," she stood to her feet and closed her laptop. Linda looked at her, a confused expression on her face.

"What is going on? Why do you look so happy?" Linda asked, walking to where Samantha was standing.

Samantha blinked at her. "Bianca is about to be announced as the new CEO of the Sullivan Group and the handover ceremony is in three days. Isn't that lovely?" she beamed and Linda frowned.

"Lovely? Do you have any idea what it means?" Linda asked but Samantha shrugged. "If she becomes the CEO, she is going to compete with you. It's going to be a hell of a power struggle, not to mention she is the reason Nathan left you and chased you out of his house, and you're happy for her?"

"Of course I'm happy for her." Samantha smiled and Linda couldn't believe it.

"I thought you wanted revenge. Or have you suddenly forgotten what she did to you? What she put you through? You told me you couldn't wait to make her beg. Don't tell me you have forgotten so soon."

Samantha chuckled softly. "I haven't forgotten everything she did, and I still remember my revenge, Linda. But I should be happy for her because my fight isn't with her father, but her. If she becomes the CEO, I can face her squarely without holding back."

Linda suddenly understood what she meant and her mouth formed an 'o' shape. She had overreacted because she couldn't wait to tear Bianca apart. Knowing how merciful Samantha can be sometimes, she had thought Samantha was considering forgiving Bianca and Nathan for all they've done, but what she didn't know was that Samantha wasn't the same any longer. She might be softhearted towards those she loves but those that have wronged her were going to suffer grave consequences for their actions.

She wasn't going to hold back any longer.

"So, what are we going to do then?" Linda asked, already pumped up for whatever Samantha had in mind.

"We beat them at their own game," she mused and Linda raised an eyebrow. "Let's go shopping for dresses. If I want to attend my ex-husband girlfriend's handover ceremony, I need to look my best, don't you think?"

Linda smiled, nodding her head. "I love how you think. Come on, I know a place. They have the best dresses that can make you steal the spotlight." she shrieked, holding Samantha's hand as they walked out of the office.

****

"Dad, what the heck? Why did you send out invitations so soon? Three days is so short. I haven't even known how the company works and all. You should have informed me before telling the whole world!" Bianca snapped when her father told her about the handover.

She still had a lot to leave, and this man couldn't keep his mouth shut, and had to throw such a responsibility at her. How was she going to cope with everything?

"My dear, you have to calm down. I know you still have a lot to learn, but we need to do this for the sake of our company. We can't let the Salvador Group outshine us."

"They have always outshone us, Dad! This isn't the first, second or the third time!" she snapped, her hand placed on her forehead in utter frustration.

"That's why we need to make a difference this time. Samantha doesn't know anything either. Her father is the one coaching her and telling her what to do. I'm going to be doing the same thing with you, so you don't have to worry about anything. Besides, Aiden will be at the handover, so you have to make him proud, and who knows, he might invest in our company."

Bianca sighed. "I'm not sure about this. I know I hate Samantha but this is just so soon."

"Before three days, I'm sure you would know how to go about it. And I'm not going to let you stand there on your own. I'm going to make sure I teach you all you need to know before then. You should be happy. You have no idea the power you can have as the CEO. You would be able to challenge Samantha."

Bianca's ears perked up the minute she heard that. Was her father being serious right now? She would be able to challenge Samantha? She had always engaged to do more than just challenging her. She had no idea the CEO position would give her much power.

"Dad," she called calmly, her eyes glinting with excitement. "How am I going to challenge Samantha with my power as the CEO? Tell me." she requested.

Mr. Sullivan smiled, pleased that Bianca was finally showing some interest. "Well, as the CEO, you'll have the power to make decisions that can affect the entire company. You'll be able to negotiate deals, secure investments, and even expand the company's reach. And with Aiden's support, you'll have the resources you need to take on Samantha and the Salvador Group."

Bianca's eyes widened as she imagined the possibilities. She could finally get her revenge on Samantha and prove to her that she was the better person. She could show her that she was capable of succeeding in the business world, despite her lack of experience. And Aiden? All she had to do was earn his support and the deal would be sealed, but how was she going to do that?

"But, Dad, I don't know if I can do this," Bianca said, her doubts resurfacing. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for such a big responsibility."

Mr. Sullivan placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine, Bianca. I'll be here to guide you every step of the way. If you can get Aiden on our side, you'll have everything you need to succeed. Just remember, this is a chance to prove yourself, not just to Samantha, but to everyone who's ever doubted you."

Bianca took a deep breath, feeling a surge of determination. She was going to do this. She was going to become the CEO and show Samantha that she wasn't to be messed with. Nathan would have no choice but to propose to her immediately too. This sounded refreshing and she found herself imagining all she could do when she got the power.

"Okay, Dad. I'll do it. I'll become the CEO and I'll make sure that the Sullivan Group becomes the best it can be."

Mr. Sullivan smiled, proud of his daughter. "That's the spirit, Bianca. Now, let's get to work. We have a lot to do before the handover ceremony."

She nodded and took a seat.

****

Later that day, Samantha returned home, tired from all the shopping. Good thing she didn't have a lot of work today, because Linda didn't allow her to try out one dress but she had to try out several and even forced her to take cute pictures.

When she got down from the car, she heard the sound of loud music playing and turned to look at Linda. They both shared confused looks, wondering what was going on.

She opened the door only to be greeted by the stench of cigarettes and drugs. She entered and what she saw made her head spark. Her fists tightened as her anger rose to the surface.

Estella was throwing a party with friends, and not just that, the house was a mess with cigarette sticks everywhere and drugs on the table. They had no idea she was even in the room.

In anger, she switched off the music and that seemed to catch their attention as they turned to look at her, their expressions darkening.

"You all, get out of there this instant!" she snapped.

"They are going nowhere," Estella walked to stand in front of Samantha. "You're not the one in charge, I am and if I say they're staying, they're staying and there is nothing a fucking bitch like you can do about it!”