Chapter 371: The Reckoning
Percy flinched under Fraser’s piercing gaze, the unseen pressure of authority bowing his head.
“We got it, but it’s less than previous years’ allocations. As a shareholder representative, I had to object.”
“Is that so?”
The man’s cold sneer sent a shiver down Percy’s spine, and his words trembled. “O—of course.”
Fraser tilted his chin slightly. Mike, standing nearby, took the cue and handed a document to the vice president, who projected it onto the screen.
Mike’s voice was calm. “This is evidence of Percy’s embezzlement from the overseas subsidiary. It clearly shows that he has grossly violated the interests of the Graham Group through unethical behavior.”
As the evidence scrolled across the screen, murmurs of shock rippled through the room. Percy’s pupils dilated in horror.
“How? I had only borrowed the funds temporarily after my stock market losses and had paid them back quickly. How could there still be traces?”
Fraser watched Percy’s pale face with indifference. “Any explanations?”
“Th—this is fake!”
Mike countered, “The evidence is incontrovertible. Even your accountant confessed.”
Percy clenched his fists and forced out his defense. “I paid back everything!”
Fraser’s lips curled into a humorless smile. “If everyone acted like you, embezzling and then ‘repaying’ at will or not repaying at all, how would this company function?”
The room erupted in scornful laughter, all eyes mocking Percy. His face turned red, then white.
Fraser’s voice was icy, leaving no room for argument. “The Graham Group has no place for a shareholder like you. If you don’t want this evidence handed over to the police, you will have to transfer all your shares today.”
Mike stepped forward, placed a prepared share transfer agreement on the table, and offered a pen. “Sign it.”
“Fraser, you are despicable! You planned this, forcing me to give up everything with this tyrannical contract. I won’t sign it!”
Fraser shrugged, feigning indifference. “Then enjoy prison for the rest of your life. I’ll be happy to arrange it.”
Percy’s bladder almost gave out on him. Desperate, he turned to August.
August scowled. “That idiot! Caught red-handed, what could I do?”
Seeing August’s refusal to help, Percy’s eyes burned crimson with anger. “Fraser! I fought alongside your grandfather to build this realm before you were even born! Put away the bow once the birds are gone. Is that how you treat loyalty? You’ll make every shareholder question their place here!”
Mike gestured sharply. Three bodyguards grabbed Percy and forced him to sign the agreement before dragging him out.
The entire room froze, stunned by the ruthless efficiency. One moment Percy was a shareholder. Next, he was a disgrace, cast out like vermin. The atmosphere in the conference room became suffocating; nearly a hundred people held their breath.
Fraser’s eyes swept the room, his voice low but commanding. “No one can guarantee that a company’s profits will remain the same year after year. But since I took over, your dividends have consistently exceeded even my grandfather’s era—including this year. Any other objections?”
Silence. Not a soul dared speak. Just then, Saxon stood up. As the same generation as Maximus, he was the most revered elder present, a founding pillar of the family.
I’d never wanted to interfere, but after private appeals from August and Martin, I’d learned that the woman Fraser intended to marry, Summer Stewart, was vicious beyond measure. And Fraser, blinded by her, had even imprisoned Helen for her sake!
Though the Graham Group had flourished under Fraser’s leadership, multiplying its assets, the young were often arrogant—disregarding wisdom and disrespecting their elders. To marry a woman of such low morals and status? The marriage was a farce.