Jealousy Alpha's Regret novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197

WWE POV

4:.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. I stepped out, my black stiletto ankle boots striking the marble floor with deliberate, measured steps. The sound echoed through the otherwise quiet hallway of the Stone family business headquarters.

But the hallway wasn’t completely silent. From the conference room at the end of the corridor, angry voices carried clearly to where I stood. I couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at my lips.

“Perfect timing, I murmured to myself. “Catherine couldn’t have given me a better opportunity if she tried.”

I smoothed down my black pencil skirt and adjusted the matching fitted blazer. The outfit was professional, powerful, and distinctly un- fris–like compared to my usual style. But today wasn’t about being the Iris they knew. Today was about being the Iris I’d become.

The document folder in my hand felt heavier than its actual weight. Inside were the papers that would change everything–papers that confirmed I now owned the majority shares of Stone Family Industries. Thanks to my grandfather Jack and Ethan Lowell.

As I approached the conference room, the voices grew clearer. My uncle Thomas’s distinctive baritone rose above the others.

“You want to tell me how we’re supposed to maintain our position if we can’t even secure that property?” he shouted. “If you guys had any actual business sense, you’d figure out how to buy the damn land yourselves!”

I slowed my pace, savoring each step. This was Thomas finally admitting what I’d known all along–he was incompetent, running my father’s company into the ground while blaming everyone else.

My heart pounded against my ribs, but not from nervousness. This was anticipation. Excitement. For years, I’d been the family disappointment, the daughter who wasn’t pure enough, strong enough, worthy enough. Now I stood on the precipice of reclaiming everything that should have been mine all along.

“This isn’t just for me,” I thought, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach before I caught myself. “It’s for Dad. For the legacy he built that they’ve all but destroyed.”

I paused outside the conference room door. Through the frosted glass, I could see shadowy figures gesturing animatedly. I took a deep breath, pulling my shoulders back. I wanted them to hear me coming, to wonder who approached.

My boots clicked deliberately on the marble, louder now. The voices inside hushed immediately. I imagined their heads turning, their expressions curious and wary.

“Let them wonder,‘ I thought, feeling a smile spread across my face. “They’re about to get the surprise of their lives.”

The silence stretched as I stood outside the door. I could practically feel their curiosity building, their tension mounting. My conversation with Ethan Lowell replayed in my mind:

1/2

9:17 Mon, Apr 20 &

Chapter 197

watching Catherless dismantle any father’s work i

with one final dying hatなめす

The conference room feil completely silent. Eight pairs of eyes locked onto me, widening in shock as they registered who sout before them. My uncle Thomas sat at the head of the table, his mouth hanging open mid–se

I scanned each face slowly, enjoying their stunned expressions, Peter Stone, my father’s cousin. 2ows and Martin, the family accountants, Several board members whose names I couldn’t recall–they’d never bothered speaking to me directly anyway.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Thomas finally sputtered, his face flushing an angry red, “This is a private board meeting You base

no business-

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