The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 119

Kevin let out a sharp laugh, more out of anger than amusement. Rubbing his hands together, he stood up and walked over to Selena.

"Well, Ms. Langley sure has some nerve, doesn't she?" he said.

The room stilled as Kevin raised his hand and slapped Selena across the face.

"Since Mr. Langley doesn't seem capable of teaching his daughter, I guess I'll do it for him," Kevin said coldly.

The smack was loud and crisp, echoing in the tense silence.

His expression darkened as his sharp, icy gaze locked onto Selena. "Who do you think you are, yelling at us like that?

"Back when we were helping Mrs. Langley Senior build this company from scratch, you were still swimming around in amniotic fluid.

"What's the matter? Did Diana drink too much alcohol while she was pregnant with you and mess up your brain development? It's no wonder Mrs. Langley Senior didn't give you any shares.

"Look at yourself. Don't they have mirrors in your house? Or if you don't have a mirror, surely you can find a puddle somewhere to check your reflection.

"You have time to doll yourself up before coming here, but not the self-awareness to see what kind of clown you look like right now?"

Kevin's fiery temper had always been well-known. He had been by Grace's side from the very beginning, even back when Langley Group was just a small, struggling company.

Unlike others who made lofty promises, Grace had always been honest with him. She had laid out the risks clearly, making no guarantees of success.

Her integrity and straightforwardness had left a lasting impression on Kevin, so he decided to throw his lot in with her.

Over the years, Langley Group had grown from a fledgling business to Amberton's top corporation. That success wasn't just Grace's, it was the result of the tireless efforts of countless people.

As the second-largest shareholder in the company after Grace, Kevin had earned his place through hard work and loyalty.

Over the years, Kevin hadn't visited Langley Group often, but he had never stopped caring about the company.

At his age, he could have retired and enjoyed a quiet, peaceful life, but Langley Group was like a child to him. He was willing to let it grow and thrive on its own, yet he couldn't resist occasionally checking in, just to make sure everything was on the right track.

A few years ago, when Langley Group faced a major crisis, Grace had arranged a private meeting with Kevin and the other key shareholders.

To everyone's surprise, she had brought Natalie with her. It was during that time that Natalie took the lead, working alongside them to steer the company out of trouble.

Later, the truth came to light.

While it seemed as though Victor was running Langley Group, with Grace making decisions behind the scenes, many of the company's key strategies and successes had actually come from Natalie.

Grace and Natalie had deliberately kept this a secret, never allowing anyone to give Natalie the credit she deserved.

Because of this, Victor foolishly believed that Langley Group's success was entirely his doing and that the company had flourished under his management.

During that private meeting, Grace had been direct with Kevin and the other shareholders.

She warned them that Langley Group would eventually be ruined if it remained in Victor's hands. She made it clear that Natalie was the true heir to the company.

Grace had instructed them to follow Natalie's leadership when needed.

However, if Natalie ever failed to meet their expectations and the company began to decline, they, as shareholders, had the authority to hold a meeting and appoint someone with real ability to take charge.

As for Victor, Grace had advised them to treat him as nothing more than a figurehead—a joke, even.

For the past few years, the shareholders had played along, flattering Victor on the surface to avoid conflict. But in truth, none of them took him seriously.

Recently, however, Victor's behavior had become increasingly erratic.

He began making unilateral decisions, pushing through his ideas without consulting anyone else. Even worse, he kept these actions hidden from the other shareholders.

It was only after his orders had been carried out that the shareholders learned what had happened.

Strictly speaking, Victor had been the one to violate company policies first.

As for Selena, her position in the company was entirely arranged by Victor.

When HR initially raised objections, Victor had lashed out, yelling at them to either do their jobs or leave. After that, no one in HR dared to speak up again.