Chapter 366 - 350: When Did This Company Change Owners?

"Yes, sir!"

The secretary breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Erin Irving stride downstairs.

Downstairs, in addition to the protesting residents and the construction site manager, there was a group of reporters.

They were all there to watch the show. The moment Erin Irving stepped out, something flew through the air and hit him in the head, then fell to the ground.

"Liar! Give us our money back!"

When had Erin Irving ever suffered such a humiliation? His face turned ugly. "Everyone, please be quiet! I know why you’re all here. Please, just listen to me first!"

He cleared his throat. "To be honest with all of you, my company is going through a difficult time. As for the money, it might..."

"We’re not listening, you liar! Either give us our money back or give us back our homes!"

Before Erin Irving could finish, a burly man with a ferocious expression interrupted him, his voice a gravelly roar.

His outburst set off the rest of the crowd, who began to clamor, "That’s right! Either give us our money back or give us back our homes!"

At this point, giving their homes back was impossible. The residential area had already been razed to the ground. As for giving the money back...

Erin Irving gritted his teeth and glanced at his watch. There were still twenty minutes until the market closed.

He called his secretary. "What’s the number now?!"

Since Erin Irving had come down to face this mob, there was no way he was going to run away.

The secretary said anxiously, "It’s still dropping, President Irving! If we don’t sell now, we might really lose everything!"

’Elliot Sheridan, you’re really something else. You just have to fight me to the bitter end!’

Erin Irving said decisively, "Sell it all. Now!"

"Yes, sir!"

The secretary immediately went to work on his computer, selling off all the shares Erin Irving held.

A moment later, the screen showed that the transaction was successful.

"President Irving, it’s all sold!"

On the other end, Erin Irving had already hung up. He walked up to the crowd. "My apologies, everyone. The matter has now been dealt with. For those who want monetary compensation, please register your names first."

Erin Irving shot a look at the person behind him, who reacted slowly before stepping forward.

A reporter pushed forward for an interview. "President Irving, do you have any comment on your company’s current situation?"

Erin Irving didn’t take any questions. He turned, went back into the company building, and left the pack of reporters blocked at the entrance.

The moment Erin Irving dumped his shares, Owen Sawyer received the news and began acquiring them in large quantities.

By the time the market closed, nearly all the shares Erin Irving had sold were acquired by Elliot Sheridan.

"President Sheridan, it’s done!"

Without looking up, Elliot Sheridan gave a grunt of acknowledgment. He signed his name on the document with a flourish and handed it to Owen Sawyer. "Take this notice and post it."

Owen Sawyer took it. It was a list of employees being laid off, including several senior, long-serving veterans of the company.

"President Sheridan, isn’t this a bit much?" Owen Sawyer asked hesitantly.

"Hmph. They should have known this would happen when they were helping Erin Irving. Letting them go home and retire is me being generous!"

Honestly, the old Elliot Sheridan was the type who would rather punish a thousand innocent people than let a single guilty one escape.

He wouldn’t just have sent these senior employees away empty-handed; he would have destroyed their life’s work as well.

Owen Sawyer took the document and went out to post the list.

Less than ten minutes later, when the senior employees saw their own names on the layoff list, several of them banded together indignantly and marched to Elliot Sheridan’s office to demand an explanation.

Owen Sawyer stopped them, saying sternly, "I’m sorry, the president is busy right now. He doesn’t have time to see you."

"What do you mean he’s busy? We’re veteran employees of this company! On what grounds can you just fire us like this...?"

"Even if we don’t have major achievements, we have years of hard work! Firing us like this, without even giving us a reason!"

"Exactly! We protest! We’ll call for a shareholder meeting! You can’t just fire us for no reason!"

"Ugh..."

The men’s voices were so loud they seemed ready to tear the roof off the building.

Elliot Sheridan heard the commotion outside, catching every word clearly.

He couldn’t help but sneer. He strode to the door, flung it open, and demanded, "What’s all this noise about?!"

The men, who had just been shouting, fell silent in unison at the sound of Elliot Sheridan’s cold rebuke.

"What’s wrong? You all had plenty to say a moment ago. Why so quiet now?" Elliot Sheridan crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he waited for them to speak.

The most vocal men were now completely silent, each one more quiet than the last. They exchanged glances, but no one dared to be the first to speak.

"Nothing to say? Then please leave!"

They didn’t dare speak, but they also didn’t dare let themselves be fired just like that. One man suddenly spoke up, "President Sheridan, we’ve been with the company for so long. You can’t just fire us whenever you feel like it!"

"Exactly! We’ve all been working diligently for the company. Our families depend on these jobs to live! How can you just fire us on a whim?"

Once one had spoken, the others chimed in, pleading their case.

Elliot Sheridan turned back, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Working diligently? That sounds nice. Go on, tell me more."

The men glanced at each other again, completely unable to read the meaning behind Elliot Sheridan’s expression.

In truth, they were all feeling nervous, but they didn’t want to give up this chance, so they scrambled over each other to speak.

As the men all started talking at once, Elliot Sheridan listened quietly for a moment.

He shot a look at Owen Sawyer, who went into the office, retrieved a file, and handed documents to each of the men.

"Is your so-called ’diligent work’ just pulling rank in the company and using your dividends to go out drinking and partying?" Elliot Sheridan paused, then snatched the photos from Owen Sawyer’s hand and threw them in their faces. "And is your so-called ’devotion to the company’ secretly helping Erin Irving acquire company shares? What, when did this company change hands to Erin Irving? When did it change its name to Irving?"

The photos in the men’s hands were evidence Elliot Sheridan had collected of them bullying new hires. The ones thrown on the floor, however, were photos of their secret meetings with Erin Irving.

Judging from the photographer’s angle, they were taken from a well-hidden spot, yet each of their faces was captured with perfect clarity. There was no way for them to deny it.

They had met with Erin Irving back when Elliot Sheridan was in prison, and the company was leaderless and in disarray. Moreover, Erin Irving had promised them promotions once he finished acquiring all the shares.

The men’s faces were indescribably ugly. No one said a word.

With the evidence irrefutable, Elliot Sheridan said coldly, "Perhaps the person you should be looking for now is Erin Irving. Go ask him why he didn’t keep his promise. Oh, that’s right, I forgot. It seems he can’t even save himself right now, so how could he possibly care about you?"

"What’s the matter? Why is everyone silent again? Weren’t you all talking a big game just now? Go on, keep talking. I’d love to hear more about how you’re all so devoted to the company!"

"Er..."

When Elliot Sheridan got angry, his voice suddenly rose. The men were so frightened their knees went weak, and they bowed their heads, trembling.

Who could have imagined that Elliot Sheridan would get out of prison unscathed, let alone catch them in the act?

"Since you’re all speechless, get the hell out of my sight! Scram on your own before you piss me off completely!"

Elliot Sheridan’s imposing presence had completely overwhelmed them, pinning them down.

The men stole terrified glances at Elliot Sheridan before scattering.

"Keep an eye on them," Elliot Sheridan ordered Owen Sawyer, his eyes dark with menace.

"Yes, sir!"

Being laid off like this, that group was bound to feel resentful.

He was actually afraid they *wouldn’t* stir up trouble.

Just as Elliot Sheridan expected, the men weren’t willing to leave so quietly. They secretly incited other shareholders to demand a meeting and jointly petition to oust him.

From the company’s perspective, it had been over a month since Elliot Sheridan’s return.

But in that month, the company’s performance hadn’t improved; on the contrary, it had gotten even worse than before.

Furthermore, the stock price had been plummeting for some time, and some shareholders were watching the value of their holdings evaporate.

Some shareholders, fearing they would lose too much, had even sold off a significant portion of their shares.

As time went on, dissatisfaction with Elliot Sheridan grew.

They had simply been too afraid to voice their complaints, but with the encouragement of these few fired employees, their discontent intensified.

Just as they were plotting how to demand a shareholder meeting, the next morning at the opening bell, the Sheridan Group’s stock shot up, hitting its daily limit.

This delighted the shareholders who had been losing money. Those who hadn’t sold their shares were all beaming with joy.

It was like the sun finally breaking through after weeks of endless rain.

For several days in a row, the company’s stock hit its daily limit.

As they watched the stock price climb back towards its original value, the shareholders who had sold their shares were kicking themselves with regret.

The company’s performance suddenly saw a significant boost, and its operational status was gradually improving.

The shareholders who had been growing dissatisfied with Elliot Sheridan fell silent, one by one.

Once, under Elliot Sheridan’s leadership, the company had reached glorious heights. Now, it seemed, it could do so again.

After all, no one wants to argue with money.

Through his actions, Elliot Sheridan had proven his capabilities and silenced the wagging tongues.