Chapter 1051: New COO of the Pierson Corporation

"Since the chairwoman is retiring, I am certain she has taken everything into consideration. As she steps down, I believe this decision ensures that the Pierson Corporation and the Pierson Family will stay united—stronger than ever!"

"What a touching statement," Dean snickered quietly, studying everyone’s reaction. "He should’ve entered the politics instead."

Some of them were swayed, which wasn’t surprising, as William’s speech was quite moving. Using Zoren and even the chairwoman for such a grand statement definitely had an impact. Zoren’s credibility was one thing, but the chairwoman’s was another. Having them both mentioned in one sentence was enough to shift people’s opinions.

"I know this is a surprising turn of events, but instead of arguing, we should stick together!" William added, offering his hand to Jonathan, urging him to stand up. "Jonathan, come up here."

Once Jonathan was standing, he smiled charmingly at everyone and spoke politely. "First, I want to apologize for causing so much trouble. However, I give you my word that I will do my best to help my brother and the company in any way I can."

"Also..." he trailed off, turning to face Zoren. "CEO Pierson, thank you for accepting me and believing in me. When I first met you, I expected the worst. However, your immediate acceptance and consideration of my well-being touched my heart. So, I promise you I’ll help you in every way I can and learn from you. I also thank the chairwoman for giving me this chance to prove I can be of help."

Not everyone was approving of this, as it felt like the room had automatically accepted Jonathan. The First Branch, in particular, wasn’t pleased. However, continuing the argument would only drag things out, and it might make them look like the ones causing unnecessary trouble.

When Zoren nodded, those who still wanted to fight were overwhelmed with bitterness. They glanced at Dean, but he wasn’t reacting anymore. Instead, Dean seemed to be watching Zoren. Finn, too, remained quiet.

After a moment, Zoren drew a deep breath and rose from his seat.

"Thank you all for being honest and for expressing your opinions openly. Openness and debates are sometimes good to create a healthier environment," Zoren said. "Please take your seats, and let’s start with today’s meeting agenda."

Deep lines formed on everyone’s foreheads.

"CEO Pierson, we’ve been discussing one of the main subjects on today’s agenda for about half an hour now," William’s lackey laughed, repeating while stressing each word. "We already started. Half an hour ago."

"CEO Pierson, are you even listening? Or were you enduring some pain while everyone was arguing?" William frowned deeply, subtly referencing Zoren’s health issues. "The board just agreed to your plans of acknowledging your half-brother because we trust you."

Jonathan smiled at Zoren as the latter glanced in his direction.

"Mr. Jonathan Russel is not part of today’s main agenda," Zoren replied coldly. "There were more pressing matters and important topics we still need to discuss, which have been delayed because of the troublesome articles."

"Not part of the main agenda?" Dean murmured, furrowing his brows, confused. For some reason, he found himself glancing at Finn, only to see the latter flashing him a smile. "What’s going on?"

"CEO Pierson, I don’t quite get it!" William exclaimed. "Is having your half-brother here and getting the chairwoman’s approval not a pressing matter to discuss?"

"And why would it be a pressing matter I need to discuss with my board and shareholders, Director William?" Zoren tilted his head slightly. "As Director Dean mentioned earlier, and even Mr. Davis added, this shouldn’t be an issue until those articles were released. Therefore, I let everyone vent and stayed quiet until you had unloaded the heaviness in your hearts."

"But—"

"Everyone seemed to have come to terms with it after half an hour of debate, which is why I didn’t mind pushing back our schedule if it helped bring everyone clarity," Zoren continued, cutting William off. "The chairwoman has made her decision, and I respect it. Just as you mentioned, Director William, I also believe the chairwoman made sound decisions and took the time to reconsider... or were you asking about my personal thoughts about having a half-brother?"

Zoren’s last remark caused the tense air to settle. His short pause after that question made everyone turn their heads to William and then back to Zoren.

"If having a half-brother fazes me, then do I still deserve the trust everyone has given me?" Zoren scanned everyone’s faces carefully. "Even if there were another ten or thousands of them, it doesn’t change the fact that I am Zoren Pierson. It doesn’t make me less, nor does it change who I am. So why would it alarm me?"

"Pfft—" Dean snickered, wiggling his brows at William as the latter glared at him. "I’m sorry for laughing, everyone. I just realized we’ve been arguing over something so trivial. Therefore, I apologize for pushing back our scheduled meeting."

A few who had remained silent but were now reassured couldn’t help but sigh in relief. "CEO Pierson is right. I shouldn’t have panicked, knowing the person leading this organization is Zoren Pierson."

"No wonder CEO Pierson didn’t argue and stayed quiet! This isn’t something he should argue about!"

Those who were reassured by Zoren’s words laughed it off, realizing that Zoren had a point. Having a half-brother doesn’t make Zoren any less. Even if Jonathan was his half-brother, Zoren had been fighting every member of his family since he was a child. Yet, look at who was sitting at the top.

"The half-brother is polite and charming, and I think he’ll be a good addition if that’s true."

"Even so, isn’t Director William acting overly dramatic about it just now?" another one joked. "It’s true that this news is important, but I don’t think it’s important enough for the shareholders to discuss it."

Seeing how many people were swayed by Zoren after just a few remarks, William mentally panicked. ’Is he trying to dismiss his half-brother again?!’ he groaned, only to recall what Zoren had said the day before.

"If introducing your half-brother isn’t part of today’s main agenda, then why did you say you wanted to introduce someone?!" William yelled, backed by a few of his lackeys. "CEO Pierson, did you just say that to confuse us and embarrass us like this?!"

"Director William, how is it my fault that you feel embarrassed for your actions and words?" Zoren replied kindly, earning more snickers from people in the room. At the same time, Benjamin approached Zoren from the side and whispered something to him.

Zoren lowered his head slightly before nodding, then snapped his gaze at everyone. "It is not my intention to embarrass or confuse anyone, nor do I want to encourage assumptions. However, it is true that I am here to introduce someone very important to this board."

"As we are all aware, the chairwoman is retiring. However, she promised everyone in this room before that she would never leave the Pierson Corporation hanging. Therefore, as she steps down, she has decided to give her last gift to not only everyone here but to all the families who have been relying on the Pierson Corporation."

Zoren raised a hand to his side as he announced, "I would like to introduce you to our new Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Atlas Bennet."