The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 481

Seeing Tessa drag Sloane into the room, Willa turned slightly and made a polite gesture to the employees gathering around.

"Colleagues of Taylor Manufacturing Corp, I'd like to take a few minutes of your time."

Her voice was level, completely devoid of hysteria. Instead, it carried a cold, calculated restraint. "This is Sloane—the designated heir to the company in Mr. Jackson's will. However, she goes by a much more famous name at Riverdale University: Sloane Sutton. Today, I want to show everyone a few things so you can properly meet your new boss."

Sloane's heart violently lurched. She had only come today to decline the shares. She never expected Willa and Tessa to ambush her, and she had no idea what they were planning.

Tessa stood beside her and clicked the projector remote.

The screen flashed to a massive projection of an old newspaper front page—a five-year-old copy of The Metropolitan Gazette.

The bold headline read: Project Deep Ice Hero Sloane Taylor Perishes in Antarctica. Posthumously Awarded The Polar Merit Medal. Next to it was a photo of Sloane wearing a polar expedition suit, standing on the icy plains. It was a photo she had never seen before.

More and more employees gathered. Some poked their heads out of meeting rooms, others dropped their reports and stood up from their cubicles. Dozens of gazes locked onto Sloane.

Those eyes were filled with curiosity, shock, suspicion, and the visceral anger of people who felt deceived.

Another click revealed a candid photo taken outside the university gates. She was wearing a canvas tote bag, walking side-by-side with Josh, with the date stamped in the corner. Placed right next to the old polar expedition photo, it was undeniably the exact same face.

"We are not standing here today to settle a personal grudge," Tessa finally spoke. Her voice was steady and commanding, completely unlike the terrified daughter crying outside the morgue a few days ago.

"We are here to ask everyone to judge for themselves. Mr. Jackson entrusted the company's future to her. But can someone who doesn't even have the courage to admit her own identity—someone who faked her death to steal a national honor—truly have the capability or the right to lead this company?"

"If she can deceive the country today, she can deceive our shareholders, our clients, and every single one of you tomorrow!"