Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 9

Dressed in a sharp, haute couture business suit that perfectly accentuated her slender figure, Melody looked every inch the powerful female executive. Her wavy, cool-brown hair fell flawlessly over her shoulders, and her designer stilettos clicked confidently against the marble as she gave rapid-fire instructions to the young female assistant trailing just behind her.

The current Melody Monroe certainly possessed enough polish and power to captivate any man.

As she finished giving her orders, Melody turned her head, and locked eyes directly with Hester standing by the entrance.

She halted abruptly, a tight frown creasing her forehead. She absolutely had not expected Hester to show up at the corporate office, let alone move this fast.

But Melody quickly composed herself. For the past five years, Hester had been a fragile, grief-stricken shell of a woman who had completely abandoned the business. There was no longer a place for Hester at YAH Jewelry!

Straightening her posture, Melody marched purposefully toward the glass doors.

The two security guards instantly dropped their hostile demeanor, slapping on sycophantic smiles and bowing as she approached. "Ms. Monroe!"

Melody glanced at them. "What's going on here?"

One of the guards laughed awkwardly, eager to please. "Ms. Monroe, it's nothing! This lady was trying to force her way in, and we were just verifying her identity!"

Melody didn't say a word. Instead, she shot a meaningful look at her assistant, Linda.

Linda was Melody's right-hand woman, entirely fluent in her boss's micro-expressions.

"This lady doesn't exactly look like she belongs in the corporate world, does she?" Linda took a step forward, her eyes raking over Hester with blatant, undisguised contempt. "Look, lady, this is one of the premier jewelry conglomerates in the country. I think you're severely lost."

Hester stared coldly at Linda. Did Melody really think a cheap stunt like this would break her?

Ignoring Linda entirely, Hester locked her gaze onto Melody, the corner of her lips curling into a vicious sneer. "Melody, when a dog bites its owner, there are always consequences."

...

With her majority stake combined with the other three shareholders, Hester had every legal right to ruthlessly kick Melody out of the company on the spot.

But she had severely underestimated the depths of Julian's devotion to his mistress. Julian had legally transferred 10% stake to Melody! The paperwork had been signed exactly five years ago.

Armed with Julian's shares and his unyielding protection, Melody had spent half a decade systematically purging the company of every single loyalist Hester had carefully recruited! The empire Hester had built with her own blood, sweat, and tears was now nothing more than a glittering trophy sitting on Melody's desk.

Hester's knuckles turned stark white as she gripped the transfer documents.

The boardroom was suffocatingly silent. The three minority shareholders sat awkwardly at the table, exchanging nervous glances, completely out of their depth in this brewing war.

Melody stood at the head of the table, looking down at Hester with the sickeningly sweet smile of a victor.