Chapter 864
Andrew left West End and drove straight to Rhodes Corporation. By the time he arrived, Tiana had already gathered all the company’s top executives in the main conference room.
As soon as Andrew stepped in, Tiana took the lead in applauding with a bright smile. “There’s our hero, the savior of Rhodes Corporation–Mr. Andrew Lloyd!”
Applause rang out in the room. Marcus, his people, Lauren, and Tiana’s assistant, Eunice, clapped the loudest.
Michael and his faction, however, only gave a few half-hearted claps, their expressions far from pleasant.
Andrew took a seat and spoke casually. “Hero? Hardly, Mrs. Rhodes. After everything I’ve done for Rhodes Corporation, I think you already know my intentions.”
Tiana smiled. “Mr. Lloyd, don’t be so formal. You’re part of this company, and helping Rhodes Corporation is really just helping yourself, isn’t it?”
Andrew cut straight to the point. “Not at all. If it weren’t for Lauren, I wouldn’t have batted an eye even if Rhodes Corporation went up in flames.”
Tiana’s smile froze for a second before she let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. “You really have a way with words—always so damn nauseating.”
Andrew remained indifferent. “Mrs. Rhodes, you can keep up the corporate pleasantries and pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. But if that’s the case, I’ll just be blunt. Though, no matter what I say, you’ll always find something to nitpick.”
Tiana let out a sharp breath. “I know exactly what you want. You want me to step down as CEO and hand the position to Lauren, right?”
Andrew nodded. “That’s right. You’ve seen for yourself how crucial Lauren has been to Rhodes Corporation. During the company’s crisis, she was the one holding everything together. If it weren’t for her, there’s no way Rhodes Corporation would have recovered so quickly.”
Hearing Andrew’s straightforward praise, Lauren’s cheeks flushed slightly. Even so, she did not try to act humble—she knew how much effort she had put in.
Michael let out a mocking laugh. “Mr. Lloyd, how biased can you get? You just dump all the credit onto the woman you like? Rhodes Corporation is a massive company with hundreds of employees and executives. If Lauren did everything, then what does that make the rest of us? Invisible?”
His lackeys immediately chimed in.
“Exactly! Mr. Lloyd, you’re completely ignoring everyone else’s contributions!”
“Mr. Rhodes played a huge role in getting us through this crisis. In fact, his efforts are just as important as Ms. Rhodes’!”
“If we’re talking about merit, at most, Ms. Rhodes and Mr. Rhodes should share the credit equally. Giving it all to her is just ridiculous!”
They went on and on, their shamelessness on full display, not even the slightest bit embarrassed by their own words.
Michael grinned. “Mr. Lloyd, did you hear that? The people have spoken. They all agree that I played a major role. They can’t all be wrong, can they?”
Andrew smirked. “Oh, of course, Mr. Rhodes, you absolutely made a contribution. That little scandal video of yours? It completely shifted the media’s attention and saved the company from the worst of the PR crisis.
“I honestly think you’re wasting your talents here. You should consider going into adult films, or better yet, move to Eastonia—you might even win an award someday!”
“You son of a-” Michael’s face turned bright red with rage.
There was nothing he hated more than people bringing up that video, and Andrew had thrown it in his face, right in front of the entire board, with Tiana sitting right there.
The humiliation made him want to crawl under the table and disappear.
The rest of the executives struggled to keep their laughter in check. None of them dared to mock Michael directly, but Andrew? He had no problem putting it all out in the open. It was indeed a satisfying treat.
Tiana’s voice turned sharp. “Enough! Like it or not, Michael played his part in saving the company. Now, let’s move on. It’s time to announce the final decision for the company’s CEO.”
Everyone straightened in their seats, their eyes fixed on Tiana.
Lauren, Michael, and Marcus all sat up, waiting anxiously for the verdict.
Andrew, however, remained as relaxed as ever, lounging in his chair without a care in the world. All he hoped was that Tiana would not do anything foolish.