Athena bit her lips to refrain from calling out Alfonso; from rehashing the evidence of the abominations committed by him and his daughter in front of the shareholders. That would be against the council rules.
Instead, she inhaled deeply, reclined in her chair, and asked lightly, "And who could you have in mind, Mr. Alfonso?"
Alfonso shook away the dread that enveloped him as he met Athena’s steadfast gaze—and not just hers, but also Old Mr. Thorne and Aiden, both impressive generals in their own right. He had done his research, of course.
Yet, he could never be intimidated by a woman. No matter what! No matter how fast and how much she had wrecked his life upon her return from exile.
"Who else but my daughter, Fiona? She is Ewan’s fiancée after all and the closest to him. They have been close since childhood, so I think she surpasses Sandro in the closeness ratio. She also has a degree in business."
At her father’s praise, Fiona sat up proudly in her seat, attempting to project the calm of a businesswoman, as if that alone would make her one.
Murmurings broke out among the shareholders.
Athena felt a notable anguish when she heard one suggest that they allow Fiona to take the seat.
Were these people daft? Handing over a man’s sweat and blood to someone with no real experience in business? A generational business at that?
Over her dead body! Athena mentally screamed. Being a CEO herself, she knew how draining it was, handling a company with subsidiaries. So, why would she let another man’s hardwork go to waste?
Yes, she had evidence against Fiona and her father, but it would be useless in this boardroom. The only way to tackle these foolish goats was to approach it from a business perspective.
"Did you just mention Fiona?" She finally asked, calmly, leaning forward and placing her hands on the table.
Old Mr. Thorne and Aiden smiled, relaxing in their seats. Athena would take care of this spectacularly without breaking any rules.
Alfonso furrowed his brow, his expression dramatically scanning the room. "I guess everyone heard my option a few seconds ago, Doctor Athena. I am sure you have grievances against my daughter, considering your past, but this is business..."
"You must think so highly of yourself and your daughter, Alfonso..." Athena interrupted, causing an amused atmosphere to permeate the room. "But sorry to burst your bubble—the world doesn’t revolve around you two. Grow up!"
Smiles bloomed on the lips of shareholders, eager for drama, a mere shadow of the laughter stirring in their minds.
Alfonso chuckled snidely. "Get to your point, Athena... don’t waste our time. Your choice, Sandro, isn’t here. My daughter is the next option..."
"She isn’t even an option in the first place. I know she is your precious daughter, but this is business, as you said, Alfonso. This is somebody’s sweat and blood; we surely can’t pass it down to someone who has never worked in her life, who has never utilized the business degree you claim she has, who has spent her life living off Ewan’s money because she saved his life years ago. No, Alfonso. We can’t do that unless we want to sink this empire..."
She paused, cocking her head at Alfonso, whose fists were clenched in his lap. "Or do you want to control things behind the scenes? Was that your plan?"
For a second, Alfonso was stumped, especially with the growing murmurs around him.
The people were swallowing Athena’s true deductions hook, line, and sinker. He gritted his teeth. Why had Morgan failed him? He hadn’t even injured Athena enough to incapacitate her until this meeting was over!
The smirk on Athena’s lips indicated that she had an inkling of his thoughts. The source of this content ɪs NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
He was about to speak again, but Fiona was done being defended. She was a human being too. Before opening her mouth though, she arranged her thoughts carefully.
"Athena, that’s not true." Her soft voice calmed the murmurs as everyone leaned in to hear her defense. "I know you hate me, but you shouldn’t lie in front of all this dignified people."
A pause, where she expected her charm to take effect on the egos of the older people.
"I worked while attending college; I even managed a coffee shop at one point..."
Athena’s laughter escaped her before she could contain it.
"Please pardon me..." She said, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Go on, please. Where else did you work?"
Fiona paused, glaring hotly at Athena, not bothering to hide her disdain. "That is none of your business!" She retorted, her voice now higher than usual before turning to the others.
"All you need to know is that I have worked, and I can handle the company. I even help Ewan with the business in the evenings..."
Another laugh escaped Athena, and this time, she wasn’t alone. Old Mr. and Mrs. Thorne, Zane, and Herbert joined in, while Aiden struggled to contain his amusement.
Help Ewan with what? That evil witch couldn’t even calculate her own expenses!
"Why are you laughing?!" Fiona screamed then, slamming her hand on the table, unable to hold it in any longer.
Glaring at Athena and her entourage, her shrill scream only provoked more laughter, and soon the other shareholders joined in.
Alfonso bowed his head, feeling fresh embarrassment wash over him. Athena... he would kill her, no matter how long it took him!
Seeing that everyone laughed at her, Fiona would have loved to walk out, but she needed to see if this plan would work in their favor. It would make things better. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Athena had heard enough.
"Please, sit down, Fiona."
(The latter had stood up while hitting the table.)
Reluctantly, Fiona sat down, left with no choice.
"I apologize for my behavior, and the shareholders too..." But as Athena spoke, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips, irritating Alfonso and Fiona further.
"But we just couldn’t hold it in since the lies pouring from your mouth keep getting funnier!"
Fiona attempted to speak again, but Athena raised her hand, silencing her.
"Fiona, you never help Ewan with the business. You seem to forget that Zane right here is his friend and a frequent visitor to the Giacometti mansion. Secondly, how can you compare your work—that is, if it’s even the truth—to an empire ? Thirdly..."
Athena threw her hands up, laughing mischievously. "You didn’t even finish college. So what degree are you talking about?"