Chapter 205
Eleanor picked up the first stack of shareholder agreements and began reading, poring over every clause and the organizational chart at the end.
“Relax. The contract’s airtight,” Ian said with a slight lift of his brow.
She reached for a pen and started signing. There were eight documents in total, and halfway through her hand started to ache.
Gavin, seated nearby, watched as Eleanor paused to massage her wrist. He couldn’t help but marvel-did Miss Sutton have any idea that, with just a few strokes of her pen, she was about to transform into a billionaire overnight?
lan kept his gaze fixed on her, silent and intent, as if afraid she might miss a signature.
Finally, Eleanor finished signing the last agreement. Ian spoke up, “Don’t leave just yet. I’m about to call a shareholders’ meeting, and you’ll be attending as the company’s second-largest shareholder p>
Eleanor’s eyes widened. “Excuse me p>
lan explained, “Since our companies have close ties, you’ll be representing all your holdings at today’s meeting p>
Eleanor had the distinct sense she’d just been maneuvered into something, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
At ten o’clock sharp, the Goodwin & Co. shareholders’ meeting began.
Eleanor took her seat among a cluster of middle-aged executives, looking distinctly out of place. Young, striking, and poised, she drew more than a few curious glances.
But before long, the room’s attitude shifted. Once it was announced that she now held shares in eight of Goodwin & Co.’s companies-making her the second- largest shareholder, outranked only by lan-no one dared underestimate her.
When Gavin finished the announcement, the shareholders were left in stunned silence. Eleanor might be young, but she now wielded a fortune of nearly a billion dollars.
So this was the elusive Mrs. Goodwin. Clearly, there was much more to her than anyone had guessed.
Throughout the meeting, Eleanor sat with her brow furrowed. The discussion sailed past her-corporate jargon and numbers, most of which sounded like a foreign language. Every so often, she’d feel lan’s inscrutable gaze on her.
Once the meeting adjourned, lan asked her to step into a separate lounge.
“If you’d like, I can recommend the best managers to run the companies for you,” lan said. “You’ll be free to focus on your work in the lab p>
Managing companies wasn’t her forte, but she saw no need to ask for his help. “No, thank you,” Eleanor replied flatly.
“There’s still a lot you don’t know about running a business p>
She cut him off, her tone cool. “If I need advice, there are plenty of other people I can ask p>
lan’s expression darkened. “Other people? You mean Xavier Vaughn p>
Eleanor didn’t want Xavier dragged into this mess. She shot her ex-husband a sidelong look. “My business is no longer your concern p>
“Xavier and I grew up together,” lan replied, voice low, the implication clear- she’d do well to keep her distance from the men in his circle.
Eleanor had no intention of continuing the conversation. She grabbed her bag and left.
Meanwhile, outside the Goodwin & Co. building, a man in his early fifties was sitting in his car, phone pressed to his ear. He was Gina Quinn’s cousin and one of the company’s shareholders.
“Did you hear what lan did?” he said. “He just transferred eight companies to his ex-wife. That’s close to a billion dollars in assets p>
“What?” Gina’s voice crackled with disbelief on the other end. “How much p>
“Ian gave her his eight most secure investment firms. You really should have stopped him p>
Gina was in her living room when she heard it, and the news nearly made her vision go black. She never imagined her son would give Eleanor so much in the divorce.
“Alright, I’m heading to the office right now. I need to see this for myself,” Gina said furiously. She called for the driver to pick her up, then quickly dialed her daughter’s number.