Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169: A Dramatic Entrance

Hearing what Elliot Grant said, everyone present looked at each other. Many of them were new and didn’t know what had happened in the past. They began whispering amongst themselves, trying to understand the situation.

"What are they saying?"

"Who is Eleanor?"

"Was Mr Whitmore only the acting chairman? I thought he was the chairman."

"You didn’t know? He was always the acting chairman."

"But I saw his name listed as chairman on the company website."

"Oh, that’s because he used the title ’acting chairman’ at first. Later, he started calling himself the chairman. But technically, he was still acting chairman."

"How long has he been acting chairman?"

"I think it’s been around thirty years."

"That long? Are you sure?"

"I may not be exact, but it’ll be around that time."

Some of the older shareholders remembered what had happened and answered the questions around them. This also gave them a sense of superiority, knowing they were more informed than the newer shareholders.

Amidst the chaos, William Whitmore missed one critical detail from Mr Grant’s statement. He had referred to Eleanor as Miss Eleanor Langford. But William wasn’t in the right state of mind to notice the subtle implication in the old man’s words. He was just one step away from claiming the full company.

Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter. The unexpected outburst immediately silenced the room. Everyone turned their eyes towards him, anticipating a sudden twist.

William clapped slowly, mockingly, and said, "Great performance, Mr Grant. I never would have guessed you could deliver such theatrics at your age. You truly surprised me."

"But," he continued, his tone sharp, "this is a shareholder meeting, not a political rally where you can win sympathy votes. You have to talk with documents, not empty words. When Eleanor turned twenty, she transferred all her shares to me. This is the transfer deed, signed by Eleanor herself."

He opened the folder in his hand, pulled out a document, and extended it towards the board members on the high platform. Mr Grant gestured to Julian Rivers, who stepped forward, collected the document, and handed it to Amelia Hawthorne. Amelia examined it carefully, then passed it down the line.

William stood proudly, confidence returning to his posture. As the document made its way through the directors, he watched them with a smug expression.

When the last of them had checked it, he spoke again.

"As you can see, I’ve been the rightful chairman of the company for a long time. You appointed me acting chairman, and I accepted it without objection. I didn’t care for a petty title while I worked to hold this company together. But now, swayed by this old man’s words, you ignore my decades of service. This is nothing short of injustice."

A few of his supporters clapped from their seats. Some shareholders even began to feel that the meeting had been orchestrated to corner William Whitmore unfairly.

Just as William prepared to speak further, Henry Smythe raised his hand and called out loudly, "Stop your monologue, Mr Whitmore. Who do you think we are? Do you expect us to be fooled by a transfer deed that hasn’t even been signed?"

His voice rang through the room, sharp and angry.

William was startled by the accusation. He stammered, "W–what? She clearly signed it. It was also witnessed. Please check again."

Rupert Caldwell scoffed. "Now I see why the company’s performance has been so poor in recent years. We should’ve looked into this long ago. This man isn’t fit to run anything."

The document was now in Marcus O’Donnell’s hands. He held it up for everyone to see.

"Your deed looks well prepared," Marcus said coldly. "All the legal points are in order... except for one thing. No one signed it. Not Eleanor. Not any witnesses. You didn’t even try to forge the signatures. Honestly, it’s disappointing."

William’s eyes widened. He quickly stepped forward, snatched the document from Marcus’s hand, and scanned it with trembling fingers. But no matter how frantically he looked, there were no signatures. The document was blank.

"How could this be?" he muttered under his breath.

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