Chapter 388: The Consequences, You’ll Find Out

Chapter 388: Chapter 388: The Consequences, You’ll Find Out

With the matter settled, the shareholders and Evan were well satisfied. After all, this was the sole agenda of the day. These men knew little about the intricacies of the partnership anyway; their only goal was to have Claire take over the project.

Furthermore, these were Evan’s orders. Given his shares in the Yeats family, the shareholders were naturally willing to do him this favor.

As the dust settled, several shareholders stood up. "Since the meeting’s agenda is—"

"Is that it?" Estelle asked, looking genuinely perplexed. "We waited for an hour, only to have a two-minute meeting?"

The room fell into a stunned silence.

Estelle clicked her tongue. "With all the notices passed down through the ranks, and having you wait for me for a whole hour to the point where your ’old bones’ were about to fall apart, I thought we were about to discuss something monumental. Who would have thought the meeting would be over in exactly two minutes?"

Her eyes clearly spelled out: "Are you kidding me? That’s all?"

The shareholders’ faces darkened with displeasure.

What did she mean? Was she mocking their meeting as some kind of child’s play?

"Miss Lockwood, you..."

"Since your meeting is concluded, shouldn’t it be my turn now?" Estelle asked with a bright smile.

A sudden, ominous premonition washed over Evan.

"Mr. Yeats, let’s discuss something. When exactly are you going to transfer your seven percent shares to me?"

Her words tossed a boulder into a placid lake.

The conference room plunged into a dead silence before erupting into an uproar. "What do you mean, transfer the shares to you? Are you out of your mind, Estelle?"

"Well..." Estelle drawled lazily. "Perhaps you should ask Mr. Yeats yourselves?"

Evan gritted his teeth, his face twisting into such a hideous scowl that he nearly shattered his molars.

He hadn’t shown up for years. Could she really not grasp what he was implying? It was meant to be a joke, yet she was actually taking it seriously!

Did she really think that these shareholders would coddle her while she threw a tantrum at the Branch of Yeats Group? Ha, how laughable. They were his loyal shareholders; did she honestly expect them to hand over his shares?!

Right on cue, one of the shareholders roared, "Transfer the shares to you? In your dreams!"

Surprisingly, Estelle wasn’t angered in the slightest. She merely gave a nonchalant nod. "So, Mr. Yeats is saying that negotiations have fallen through?"

Seemingly perched on the moral high ground, Evan retorted, "There was never anything to negotiate in the first place. I was only joking with you, yet you took it seriously!"

Claire bit her lower lip gently. "Estelle... we told you back then that altering the shares of the Yeats Group isn’t some trivial game. There’s really no need for you to use the shares as leverage to threaten Evan..."

"Alright."

Estelle didn’t press the matter any further, which made Claire feel a sudden sense of unease. "Estelle..."

Claire’s face paled slightly as she forced a strained smile. "Are... are you planning to tell Grandpa? But we already discussed this. Even if you tell him, he won’t—he won’t agree..."

"No." Estelle shook her head. "Negotiations have already broken down. Is there any point in running to complain? Of course not."

"Mr. Yeats..." She let out a helpless sigh, her gaze filled with the kind of indulgent amusement one might reserve for a toddler. "Do I strike you as the type to tattle over every little thing? It’s fine. If you don’t want to hand them over, you don’t have to.

"However... you’ll find out the consequences when the time comes."

Dropping this vague, ominous warning, Estelle stood up and took her leave.

This time, it was Evan who couldn’t sit still.

What did she mean by that? Why wasn’t she the least bit anxious?

What on earth was Estelle scheming?!

Wait... Recently, those old fogeys at the Headquarters of Yeats Group had been criticizing him non-stop. They claimed he was mismanaging the Branch of Yeats Group, pushing out the veteran staff, and surrounding himself with sycophants...

How could that be? What absolute nonsense! He had only kept his trusted confidants and ousted Quentin’s lackeys!

Still, Estelle’s peculiar behavior left Evan undeniably flustered.

His ultimate goal was to inherit the Yeats Group. Could it be that Estelle had secretly contacted the people at headquarters? Or was she plotting some other grand conspiracy?

But Estelle had already left. Evan stared at her retreating figure, his lips pressed into a grim line. What should he do now?

Should he go to his mother? Yet ever since Estelle’s arrival, the woman acted as if she were Estelle’s mother, not his. She couldn’t care less whether he lived or died.

As for his father and grandfather, going to them would only invite another severe scolding...

Forget it! What real damage could Estelle possibly do all on her own? There was no need to panic!

One of the shareholders nodded soothingly. "Mr. Evan, please don’t worry. All Estelle has is her status and Mr. Lynch’s favor. If it weren’t for Mr. Lynch thinking highly of her, the old master would never have indulged her reckless behavior."

"Exactly. But the future of this partnership depends entirely on Miss Claire now. I’m sure once Mr. Lynch witnesses Miss Claire’s true talent, he’ll realize who is truly fit to lead this project."

"If Miss Claire executes this project flawlessly... Mr. Yeats, do you really think the old master won’t look at you in a whole new light?"

Leaving the Branch of Yeats Group, Estelle spotted Nathaniel’s car parked near the entrance.

He rolled down the window, raising an eyebrow. "Done?"

Estelle clicked her tongue. "I finally understand why the Yeats family looks down on Evan."

To call a meeting over such a trivial matter was ridiculous. It was blindingly obvious that Claire had merely wanted a stage to show off. Evan had orchestrated the whole thing just to win a smile from a beauty, and the branch’s shareholders had blindly played along.

Honestly, she suspected that with the Branch of Yeats Group in Evan’s hands, it was only a matter of time before the company went bankrupt.

"What’s your plan for tomorrow?" Nathaniel asked, turning the steering wheel.

Resting her elbow against the window, Estelle watched the passing scenery for a moment before rolling the glass up.

"I need you... or one of your trusted aides to approach Claire. Contact her privately. Tell her that she is the one you actually favor, but due to my status, you were forced to choose me publicly. Tell her you need her help with certain matters."

Nathaniel wasn’t surprised in the slightest; he instantly grasped her intentions.

"You’re hoping to bait out whoever is backing her?"

"Yes," Estelle affirmed. "Have you found the one who poisoned me yet?"

"My initial guess was Thea. However, she wouldn’t have told Ethan about the poisoning. But if Ethan was the culprit, it would be too glaringly obvious. Both he and Laura have a deep-seated fear of almond milk. Many suspect that Miranda died from that specific drink. If someone wanted to recreate that method, Ethan would never have approved."

Estelle nodded. "Actually, I have a theory."

Nathaniel glanced at her.

It was raining in Crestfall today. The raindrops blurred the car windows, turning the world outside into a hazy wash of colors.

Estelle’s face reflected softly in the wet glass as she spoke in a calm, even tone.

"While it looks like the poisoner simply wanted to stop me from attending Evernight International’s annual gala, I have a strong feeling that this person is connected to the Yeats family."

Initially, they had agreed that Evan wouldn’t resort to poison, even if it meant securing the partnership. Besides, he still needed Estelle to recommend Claire for the role.

Yet, Estelle couldn’t shake the feeling...