Chapter 7 --- The voice she remembered 

The ballroom gradually settled as the host stepped onto the small stage at the front.

The music faded.

Conversations quieted as the shareholders turned their attention toward the podium. The large screen behind the stage displayed the Laurent Corporation logo, followed by a list of the company's major shareholders.

Elena stood among the guests with a glass of champagne in her hand.She had expected the meeting to be formal.She had not expected the room to feel quite this tense.

The host adjusted the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight. The Laurent Corporation has gone through a difficult period, but recent changes in our shareholder structure have brought new opportunities for the company.”

Several shareholders exchanged looks.Everyone knew what those changes meant.

The host continued.

“We will now officially recognize the company's major shareholders and their current holdings.”

The first names appeared on the screen.

“Mr. Jonathan Reed, six point eight percent.”A few people applauded politely.

“Mrs. Margaret Hill, five point four percent.”More names followed.

Elena listened without much interest until the host reached the larger holdings.

“Blackwood Holdings, twelve percent.”That earned a few murmurs.Adrian remained near the front of the room, listening calmly with several Blackwood executives beside him.

Then the next name appeared.

“Mr. Richard Laurent, eight point seven percent.”Richard straightened slightly so did Catherine smiled beside him.Isabella glanced toward her father with obvious pride.

Then the host paused.

“The next shareholder is Nova Global.”The room became quieter.

“Nova Global currently holds forty-five point six percent of Laurent Corporation.”A wave of whispers moved through the ballroom.

Forty-five point six percent.That was not a small investment.That was enough to make everyone in the room pay attention.

The host continued.

“And the largest individual shareholder of Laurent Corporation…”

He paused again.

Every face turned toward the stage.

“…is Miss Vittoria Moretti, holding thirty-one point two percent of the company's shares.”

For several seconds, nobody spoke.Then the ballroom erupted.

“Thirty-one percent?”

“That can't be right.”

“She owns more than Blackwood Holdings.”

“Who is she?”

“That's almost a controlling position.”Even some of the older shareholders looked stunned.

Richard's expression tightened.

Catherine stared at Elena.

Isabella slowly lowered her glass.But Elena remained calm.She had expected the reaction.She simply watched as the numbers remained displayed on the screen behind the stage.

Thirty-one point two percent.

For years, she had built her company quietly.She had invested when others doubted her. She had studied markets while raising her son. She had made decisions without Laurent Corporation knowing that the woman behind those investments was the daughter they had once considered worthless.

Now they finally had to look at the result.

The host cleared his throat.“Miss Moretti, since you are with us tonight, we would be honored if you could say a few words.”

The room immediately turned toward Elena.She could feel hundreds of eyes on her and placed her glass down.Then she walked toward the stage.

The whispers grew louder as she passed.Some people were already trying to approach her before she had even reached the podium.She stepped behind the microphone and looked across the room.

“I won't take much of your time.”Her voice was calm.

“I invested in Laurent Corporation because I believe the company still has value. But value is not enough. A company survives because of the people willing to make difficult decisions when things are not going well.”

The room became silent.Elena continued.“I am not here to take credit for saving Laurent Corporation. I'm here because I believe it can become stronger than it was before.”

A few shareholders nodded.One of the older men leaned toward the person beside him.

“That woman knows exactly what she's doing.”Elena's gaze moved briefly across the room.

Her eyes landed on Richard.

Then Catherine.Neither of them looked comfortable.She turned back to the audience.

“I also believe that people should not be judged by where they came from, what they were called, or what others once decided they were worth.”

Richard's face changed.

Catherine went completely still.

Elena paused and smiled faintly.“There was a time when people in this room believed they knew exactly who I was.”

A murmur moved through the crowd.The host looked uncertainly toward her.

Elena continued.

“They were wrong.”She stepped away from the microphone for a moment.Then she looked directly at the room.

“My name is Elena Laurent.”

Silence.

Complete silence.For one long second, nobody reacted.Then the ballroom exploded.

“Laurent?”

“Elena Laurent?”

“Isn't she Richard Laurent's daughter?”

“I thought she disappeared years ago.”

“That's the daughter they said—”

The rest of the sentence was swallowed by the sudden noise.Everyone was talking.Some people looked at Richard others looked at Catherine.A few shareholders were already reaching for their phones.

Richard's face had gone pale.

Catherine stood frozen.

Isabella stared at Elena as though she had never seen her before.The host looked from Elena to the screen and then back again.

“So… Miss Moretti is…”

“Elena Laurent,” Elena finished calmly.She looked toward her parents.

“The eldest daughter of Richard and Catherine Laurent.”The murmuring grew louder.

People remembered.

Years ago, when Elena's name had occasionally come up in conversations about the Laurent family, her parents had never spoken proudly about her.

Some had heard them call her a disappointment.Others remembered the way the family had pushed Isabella into the spotlight while Elena disappeared from it.

Now that same woman stood before them with thirty-one point two percent of Laurent Corporation.

And suddenly, everyone wanted to know her.

A shareholder approached the stage almost immediately.“Miss Laurent, would you be willing to discuss a partnership with us?”

Another person stepped forward.“We should arrange a private meeting.”

“I represent an investment group that would be very interested in Nova Global.”

“Miss Laurent, perhaps we could discuss…”Elena looked around the room.Only moments ago, most of these people had been watching her because they wanted to know who Vittoria Moretti was.

Now they wanted something from Elena Laurent.She had stolen the spotlight without raising her voice.

Across the ballroom, Adrian watched the gathering crowd around her.

He knew Elena was Isabella's sister but doesn't remember her face because she doesn't attend most, meetings,gala, annual parties, auction the Laurent always hold.He never knew she was the mysterious shareholder behind the name Vittoria Moretti.

But he knew nothing else.To him, she was simply the woman who had arrived at the gala with an impressive position in the company.

She stepped down from the stage as another group of shareholders moved toward her.Richard watched them surround his eldest daughter.The same daughter he had once dismissed as insignificant.

Tonight, they were all fighting for her attention.