Chapter 128
128 The Seal
Irene frowned.
At first, she thought someone like Alice–a backwoods country girl–couldn’t possibly understand how board meetings worked.
But then she remembered that most college students have at least some exposure to that kind of knowledge.
Usually, these meetings end with a show–of–hands vote.
Obviously, Eric agreed.
He spoke up directly. “The fashion department falls under my division.”
As soon as he said it, he raised his hand.
It was obvious–anyone who agreed was expected to follow suit.
Alice wasn’t even on the board, but she still raised her hand–maybe just to boost the numbers or make a point.
A few shareholders hesitated at first, but Victor–recently humiliated in front of everyone–raised his hand without a second thought.
The rest had no choice but to follow.
Within moments, they secured half the votes needed for a majority.
Alice smirked.
“Honestly, Mrs. Irene, you always planned to hand the fashion department over to Mr. Eric, didn’t you? This whole meeting was just for show, wasn’t it?”
It was an obvious way out for Irene, but she didn’t take it.
“Mrs. Irene, you’ve been in your position a long time … Are you really planning to keep holding on to power?
“I thought you were ready to start handing things over to the next generation.
“Or is it that you don’t trust Mr. Eric? That you don’t want him to take control of the Nolan Group at all?”
These were things Irene couldn’t respond to.
The words simply wouldn’t come.
She looked around at the raised hands–more than half–and felt her heart burned with rage, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
“You… all of you!”
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128 The Seal
She was shaking with fury. She couldn’t catch her breath.
And just like that—she collapsed.
“Someone call an ambulance–now!”
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As the medical staff rushed in to take her away, Alice suddenly stepped forward and pulled the seal from Irene’s coat.
“Mrs. Irene was thrilled to hear Mr. Eric would be taking over the fashion department just a moment ago.
“You know how it is with older folks–too much excitement or shock can be overwhelming.
“But I’ve got the seal now, so let’s move forward with the handover. No point keeping Mr. Quinn waiting, right?”
A stunned silence gripped the room.
Talk about bold moves–if you’re going to make a play, might as well go all the way!
She took the seal right in front of everyone, and with the backing of the majority of shareholders–who could stop her?
Alice smiled sweetly as she handed the seal to Eric.
Eric slowly reached out to take it, but then–Alice wasn’t sure if she imagined it–did his fingers just brush her palm on purpose?
It tingled, like a static shock.
She instinctively looked up.
Eric’s expression was as cool as ever, no hint of emotion in his eyes.
Maybe she was just overthinking it.
Matt’s and Josh’s families had kept quiet until now–they weren’t shareholders, after all.
But now, they couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Alice! You had the nerve to steal the seal? Have you lost your mind?!”
Alice looked directly at Cheryl, her expression serious.
“But I took it because Mrs. Irene didn’t refuse me.”
A heavy silence settled over the room.
She’s unconscious ! How could she possibly refuse ?!
Sharon wanted to order someone to snatch it back, but the seal was already in Eric’s pocket. There was no way to get it back now.
Her face turned red with fury.
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“Don’t think just because you have the seal, you’re safe. I won’t let this slide!”
Alice smiled. “Okay, Cheryl. I’ll be waiting.”
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After that, Eric brought in his assistant Daniel and quickly took charge of the fashion department.
Before this, the entire department had been under Irene’s control.
Outwardly, the Nolans always appeared dutiful and respectful, so while she was in charge, no one dared to speak out.
But that also meant–since she held the power, everyone else got their slice of the pic.
The Nolans, led by Jimmy’s family, held the majority of control over the Nolan Group.
The rest? They depended on the fashion department to survive.
No wonder they were opposed to Eric taking charge.
Not long after, the police arrived.
The report was simple and direct.
Someone had witnessed Alice taking Irene’s seal, and now she was considered a threat to the Nolan Group.
She had to come in and give a statement.
When the officers showed up, Alice was on the phone with Emma.
She hadn’t heard from her since they’d last parted.
The lab she’d built was nearly ready–she just needed Emma to come in and make some adjustments.
But Emma was unreachable.
She figured Emma was probably doing another deep–dive project with her mentor and had missed the calls.
The cops showing up snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Of course. I’ll cooperate,” she said seriously.
The police had asked her to come down to the station and assist with the investigation. She didn’t even ask who had reported it or what evidence they had.
But the folks in the IT Department couldn’t just sit back.
“We didn’t attend the board meeting, but I trust Ms. Spencer wouldn’t do something like that!”
“Mrs. Irene is Mr. Eric’s grandmother. Eventually, he’ll be inheriting the company–why would she need to steal?!”
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“Exactly, officers. You’ve got to be mistaken.”
Alice looked around, a little surprised.
Her relationship with these people had always been… lukewarm at best.
In truth, most of them had been openly hostile toward her.
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