Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1046

The moment the shareholder caught the signal, he jumped up from his chair.

“Hold on. I have an objection.”

Cadence’s brows pulled together. “What is it?”

“Emmy’s votes should be thrown out.”

He jabbed a finger right at Emmy, who was sitting at the head of the table, his voice rising for everyone to hear. “She disappeared for a whole year. There were rumors everywhere. That’s done serious damage to the reputation of both the Nelson family and Nelson Corporation.”

He was getting more fired up by the second. He yanked a thick stack of papers from his briefcase. “Nelson Corporation has a hundred years of legacy. How can we let a woman with a ruined name decide the fate of the company? These… these are all the negative things about her online. Please, take a look.”

The documents were covered in ugly headlines and nasty comments.

Emmy looked up and gave him an icy stare. The shareholder actually shivered, but his embarrassment quickly turned into anger as he tried to pass the papers around.

Suddenly, the whole conference room felt like the air had been sucked out. James was practically radiating cold, and it seemed even harder to breathe.

Emmy noticed. She glanced at him, and just as James was about to speak, she shook her head the tiniest bit. Her lips moved silently: Calm down. Let me handle this.

She stood up, her voice as cool and clear as glass, slicing right through all the noise. “It seems you skipped over my statement. Since there are so many doubts about me, why not let me finish before you decide whether my vote counts?”

James glared at Tyler across the table, his eyes cold enough to cut.

Tyler narrowed his eyes, convinced Emmy was just making a desperate last stand. He shot a look at Cadence. As long as Cadence was on his side, as long as he controlled the narrative, he figured Emmy could talk all she wanted. It wouldn’t clear her name.

Every look aimed at Emmy changed in that instant. Shock. Awe. Disbelief. This wasn’t some scandal-ridden woman. This was a living, breathing gold mine. Maybe even something a little frightening.

Only now did the board really get it. They realized why, through all the rumors over the past year, Tyler not only left her assistant Joshua alone, but even used the company’s PR to quietly push down negative stories about her. It wasn’t kindness. He just couldn’t afford to lose her.

Without Emmy, Nelson Corporation’s financial report this year would have been a disaster.

Under the table, Tyler’s fists clenched tight, knuckles white. He hated admitting it, but the truth was clear. When it came to business instincts, even he and James together might not measure up to this woman. That kind of talent was enough to make people jealous… or scared.

The shareholder who still clung to those “online rumors,” the one who had tried to drag Emmy down, was frozen in place, pale as a sheet. He looked ridiculous. The profits she’d made on her own were enough to crush the combined efforts of every director in the room.

If she didn’t deserve her seat, then what did that say about the rest of them?