Chapter 64 The Fate Of Tanner Group
Tristan took Sophie to the dining hall for a simple breakfast, and by the time they finished eating,
the yacht that was supposed to pick them up had arrived. After bidding farewell to Ysabelle, Tristan
led Sophie onto the waiting yacht.âWhat's this? Mr. Tristan is leaving his niece here and heading
back first?"âRight? Now that Mr. Tristan has left, what's the point of staying here?"âl wish I could
leave with him. Alas, I dare not tell him that.ââYou? Even if Mr. Tristan wanted to take someone with
him, it'd be me. Why would he take you with him?""Why youâ"With Tristan gone, all that was left
behind were the ladies and their wild imaginations.Over at Tanner Group, Yale had arrived at the
office bright and early that morning.The annual shareholdersâ meeting would be held that day, and
he couldn't make a single mistake.Charmaine, who held five percent of Tanner Group's shares, had
also gone to the office that day.Yale's secretary cautioned, âMr. Tanner, many shareholders have
strong opinions over the strategy you employed the last quarter of the year. Today's meeting may
not be favorable to you.ââI know that. But as Tanner Group's largest shareholder, even if they're
displeased with me, there's nothing they can do to me. Am I right?"To Yale, Tanner Group was meant
to belong to the Tanner family.The secretary was well aware of Yale's character. He's too stubborn,
and his abilities are mediocre. If it weren't for him, Tanner Group wouldn't have turned into what it
was today.The secretary did not say anything more, thinking it was probably time to start searching
for a new job.âI'll go and prepare for the meeting, then."With that, the secretary left the conference
room immediately.âAre you sure there won't be any problems?â Charmaine pressed.Although she
did not know what had happened to the company, she did know that the dividends she received
had gradually decreased due to the companyâs less-than-stellar profits over the past few
years."What problems could there be? Stop cursing me with bad luck,â Yale snapped irritably, in a
foul mood. His eye had been twitching over the past week, and he was worried that it was an omen
that something would go wrong.I'd rather die than let Tanner Group slip through my hands!"Why
are you getting mad at me? Tanner Group's profits have only plummeted lower and lower in your
hands. I honestly have no idea how you did that!â Charmaineâs temper also flared as she thought
about how her life was getting increasingly difficult.âIf you can't say anything good, then shut up.
Otherwise, get lost!â Yale yelled, infuriated.If it hadn't been for me, Tanner Group would be in a
much worse state now!Meanwhile, Tristan had driven Sophie right up to the lobby of the office
building of Tanner Group.âDo you want me to go in with you?â The car had come to a stop, yet he
was reluctant to let her go in and face the criticisms and judgments alone."That's okay. Are you
busy? If not, stay here and accompany me for a while.âl donât want to head up just yet. Ill go to the
shareholdersâ meeting directly later. If I go up now, I'll only have to listen to a bunch of
nonsense.âI'm not busy,â he replied.As long as she needs me, I'll make time even if I'm busy.Taking
out his phone, he sent a text message to his assistant, asking the latter to delay his morning
meeting by half an hour.âSophie, if you really need me to be there, I can attend the shareholdersâ
meeting with you.ââIt's all right. I just donât want to go in so early and see the others, that's
all."âOkay."Thus, they sat in the car for more than ten minutes. Seeing that it was almost time,
Sophie got out of the car.âThank you so much for today,â she said before leaving.Tristan alighted
from the car, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his embrace."Remember this, Sophie. No matter
what happens, call me first thing,â he reminded her. I believe she can handle these matters by
herself. Since she doesn't want me to interfere, I'll respect her decision. It's just that she has to
protect herself.Sophie beamed at him.âIt's only a shareholdersâ meeting, not a congregation of evil
monsters. I'll be fine. Honestly!â she responded. Isn't he thinking too little of me now? Then, she
continued, âOkay. I should really get going now."Tristan murmured an acknowledgment.l believe in
her.Just before the meeting was about to start, all the shareholders took their seats.Yale had also
arrived at the conference room five minutes earlier. Seeing no sign of Sophie as he settled into his
seat, he visibly heaved a sigh of relief.He did not know why, but he was terribly afraid Sophie would
attend the shareholdersâ meeting that day despite knowing she only held twenty percent of the
shares.Charmaine let out a relieved sigh as well.As long as Sophie doesnt turn up, there won't be
any hiccups at the shareholdersâ meeting today. After all, we have forty-five percent of the shares in
our hands. Together, we're the company's largest shareholders.âIs everyone here?â asked the
secretary behind Yale."Except for Ms. Sophie, the other shareholders have arrived.â"Let's begin,
then.â"But Ms. Sophie isn't here yet. She has a twenty percent stake in the company.ââI'm her father.
I can represent her."That had been Yale's plan all along. As Sophie's father and guardian, naturally,
he would be able to make a statement on her behalf if she did not show up."Thereâs no need for
that. I can represent myself.âAt that moment, Sophie pushed open the door and strode into the
conference room.She had changed her clothes and was dressed simply in blue jeans and a white
sweater with her hair tied up.Yale's face fell slightly.She could've arrived at any time, but she must've
deliberately chosen to show up at this very moment.After picking a seat at random and sitting
down, Sophie said, âIsn't there still one minute left? I'm not late, so you don't have to look at me like
that."The other shareholders exchanged glances, wondering which camp Sophie belonged to.âYou
may begin now."The person presiding over the meeting that day was Lionel Jennings, the general
manager of Tanner Group.He glanced at Yale and waited until the latter nodded before making his
opening remarks.Sophie did not pay the slightest attention to what he said.Instead, she pulled out
her phone and started playing a game. A shareholdersâ meeting like this is so dull! The other
shareholders could not refrain from frowning when they saw her playing a game on her phone at
such a time and place.As expected, sheâs just a child. If Old Mr. Tanner hadn't given her twenty
percent of the shares out of pity, she'd have nothing. Even though sheâs here for the shareholdersâ
meeting today, her presence probably won't affect the outcome of todayâs meeting.The
shareholders kept shaking their heads, thinking that there was no hope left in the Tanner family.On
the contrary, Yale was pleased with Sophie's behavior.It doesn't matter if sheâs present for today's
shareholdersâ meeting. As long as she doesn't stir up any trouble, I can put up with her.Noticing that
Sophie did not seem to be listening, Lionel calmed down at once. She's nothing but a silly little girl.
Anyway, I've done up all the reports for today flawlessly. Even Yale Tanner didn't suspect a thing, let
alone a foolish girl like her.The other shareholders listened carefully as Lionel continued with his
report. When it came to the portion of the profits, the expressions of several shareholders
darkened.We didn't invest all that money into Tanner Group to get a pittance. If the company goes
on as it is, we'll definitely lose everything!It was then that Sophie finally set aside her phone and
raised her head to glance at Lionel.âNext, I'd like to invite our CEO to say a few words.â
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