chapter1072

To ensure fairness, Skyler and the three Jonathan brothers abstained from the vote.

Yet, despite Stella's proposal clearly being the stronger one, more people ended up voting for Aurora.

The only ones supporting Stella were the shareholders who had previously

backed Nora, along with a handful of neutral parties hoping to snag a piece of the pie.

Most of the neutral faction, however, remained firmly on the fence.

No matter how impeccable Stella's plan was, or how capable she proved herself to be, they would never risk picking a side so carelessly.

They understood all too well that, in the Williams Group, talent alone could only take you so far.

Over the years, Skyler had openly suppressed Nora's supporters, determined to reclaim the last of the original shares from their hands.

Backing Stella now was as good as defying Skyler.

Considering Skyler was still the Group's largest shareholder, a misstep in these power games could easily land them in the same predicament as Nora's backers -facing elimination.

Without the Williams family's support, Stella never stood a real chance against Aurora.

The shareholders loyal to Nora looked on grimly as the votes were tallied.

Aurora's advantage was overwhelming, crushing Stella's numbers.

At last, Israel and Coleman allowed themselves a slight smile. Newest update provided by Find~Novel.net

After the voting, Skyler turned to Stella.

"Star, you don't have any ions to the result, do you?"

This company was never a place where Stella could do as she pleased.

And as a newcomer, she certainly wasn't going to in public and hand her enemies ammunition.

With a calm, polite smile, Stella replied, "Since everyone voted, it couldn't have been more fair. I have no complaints."

A ripple of expressions swept through the room.

Fair? There hadn't been anything fair in the Williams Group for a long time.

Israel, watching Stella keep her composure, felt a stab of disappointment.

He'd been certain that, faced with such an unfair outcome, Stella

would make a scene monet

that

would expose her inexperience and cost her any remaining support. s

He never expected her to hold her ground so well.

Skyler spoke again. "Star, you must have an alternative candidate for the contract. Why don't you present that option to everyone?"

Stella nodded, unfazed by the fact that her original company had been poached.

She had no reason to be rattled; she'd never intended to go with her initial choice anyway.

She and Joshua had worked late into the night, analyzing which companies Aurora was most likely

to select, and then prepared three detailed counterproposals. s

The real purpose of competing with Aurora was to prove that Aurora's chosen candidate was the strongest contender.

If Aurora presented the best possible company and still lost to Stella, it would only

make Aurora look incompetent.

Even if the result was a tie, Stella would still come out ahead.

In the end, it was all a matter of mind games.

Joshua had been right: in just one year, it was virtually impossible to change anything fundamental.

At times like this, it all came down to influence and connections.

For Stella, it hardly mattered which company she chose.

If Aurora won, the effect Stella wanted was achieved.

After Stella presented her backup candidate, the neutrals took

notice hercomposure and

undisturbed by the earlier setback, earned their respect.

belongs to s

When the meeting concluded, people filed out of the conference room one by

one.

As this was a high-level meeting of the Williams Group, Joshua, as a bodyguard, hadn't been allowed inside.

He waited patiently outside the doors.

When Stella emerged, she gave Joshua a subtle nod, letting him know everything had gone according to plan.