Millionaire Girlfriend

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 - Dream come true

"You’ve got this, babe. Show them who’s boss," Ashley said as she straightened Clara’s tie.

Clara was dressed to perfection that morning. She wore an impeccably pressed white shirt with a neatly knotted black tie beneath a fitted black vest, all covered by a perfectly tailored black blazer. A high-waisted black pencil skirt hugged her figure elegantly, while black pumps completed her sophisticated and confident look.

She was on her way to the shareholders’ meeting, where the company’s new CEO would be chosen. Her father had unfortunately fallen into a coma after being shot in the right side of the chest a few days earlier.

"You’re the one I want to show who’s boss," Clara retorted, giving Ashley’s ass a playful squeeze.

Ashley was wearing nothing but the bra and panties she’d slept in. She leaned in and gave Clara a quick kiss.

"Don’t tempt me, or you’re going to be late again," Ashley warned, wrapping an arm around Clara’s neck.

"Hmm?"

Clara looked as though she were genuinely debating whether to stay another hour or leave for the shareholders’ meeting, which would begin in thirty minutes.

Eventually, she had to leave.

She was the obvious choice for the position, after all. Still, she needed to make a good impression on the shareholders as a sign of respect, even though her father owned the majority of the company’s shares. As his heir, Clara was expected to inherit those shares eventually.

But her father was still alive, even if he was currently unconscious. His shares were still his, and Clara had no legal claim to them yet.

For now, she had to earn the position on her own merits.

She crossed the lobby, and heads turned as people looked at her as though she were a goddess.

Clara was used to being treated that way, but this time felt different.

She was thrilled.

She had finally reached the moment she’d always dreamed of, and she was ready.

Now, all she had to do was make sure the board was on her side.

Theoretically, that should have been easy.

Every member of the board was a Turner and a shareholder in the company. There wasn’t a single outsider among them.

In reality, that was exactly what made things difficult.

The Turners weren’t known for going easy on their own family.

Clara waited for the elevator doors to close, but at the last second, a hand stopped them.

An old man stepped inside.

"Well, Clara. Are you ready for the big day?" Carter Turner, her grandfather, asked.

"Good morning, Grandpa. Yes, I’m ready," Clara replied confidently.

"Good. I’ve been waiting to see this. The others aren’t going to make things easy for you, even if you are Clovis’s successor," Carter warned.

"I don’t care if they make it easy for me or not. I’ll be CEO whether they like it or not," Clara declared.

A few seconds later, they arrived at a large conference room where eight people were already waiting around the long conference table.

"Good morning, everyone. We’re here today to determine whether Clara is truly ready to take the reins of the company," the chairman of the board announced.

The man was Carter’s younger brother, making him Clara’s great-uncle.

Her great-uncle had taken over as chairman of the board after Clovis was hospitalized, temporarily filling the position his nephew could no longer perform while he remained in a coma. Clovis had previously served as both the company’s CEO and Chairman of the Board.

Clara looked around the table.

Nine board members. Her grandfather Carter.

Her great-uncle, who served as chairman.

Three of Carter’s cousins.

Catherine, Clara’s cousin, who had taken her father Collin’s seat on the board.

And three other members of the Turner family who held important positions within the company.

Every one of them was also a shareholder.

Not a single outsider.

In theory, this should have been easy.

In practice, Clara knew better than anyone that nothing was ever simple when it came to the Turners.

"Before we begin, I want to make one thing clear," her great-uncle continued. "The fact that your father owns the majority of the shares does not automatically make you CEO. His shares are still his. You haven’t inherited them, and you don’t control them simply because you’re his heir. The board still has to determine whether you’re capable of handling the position."

Clara pulled out a chair and sat down calmly.

"I know."

"And you understand that we won’t be voting based on family ties?"

Clara gave him a faint smile.

"I certainly hope not. I didn’t come here looking for your pity."

Catherine, sitting several seats away, gave her a small approving look.

Carter remained silent.

Her grandfather hadn’t come here to openly support her. Clara knew that.

He had come to watch.

"Very well," the chairman said. "Let’s begin with your qualifications. Clara, why do you believe you’re the best person to run this company?"

Clara straightened in her chair.

She had rehearsed this answer dozens of times.

But this time, it wasn’t practice.

This was the real thing.

"Because I know this company. I know its strengths, its weaknesses, its employees, and most importantly, its competitors. But more than that, I know where this company needs to go."

One of her great-uncles crossed his arms.

"And you really think knowledge alone is enough to run a company of this size?"

Clara’s smile disappeared.

"No."

She paused briefly.

"No, I know this position requires more than knowledge. It requires balls."

Nobody answered immediately.

Clara slowly looked around the table.

"My father put me on this path because he believed I had what it takes to run this company. I’ve been preparing for this since I was fifteen. I’ve spent years learning how this company operates, how its people think, and how to make decisions when the stakes are high."

She leaned forward slightly.

"I know I can run this company. I was born for it."

Carter lowered his eyes slightly, almost hiding a smile.

His younger brother, however, remained expressionless.

"And what happens if the board votes against you?"

Clara didn’t look away.

"Then I’ll come back tomorrow."

A brief silence followed.

"And the day after that. And the day after that, if I have to."

She placed both hands on the table.

"I’m not here to ask you to give me the position. I’m here to convince you that you have no reason to give it to anyone else."

"Besides, nobody else even wants this position," Clara added. "I mean, let’s be honest. I think you’d rather watch this company collapse than put someone outside the family in charge."

The chairman remained silent for a few seconds before clasping his hands together.

"Very well. You’re confident in your abilities. That’s a good thing. But now let’s talk about what could make you unfit to lead this company."

Clara said nothing.

"Clara, we all know you’re brilliant, ambitious, and that you know this company better than almost anyone. But we believe you may not yet have the mental resilience required to handle the pressure that comes with this position," Catherine explained.

"Don’t forget that you only returned to work a year ago after your little emotional breakdown. You completely fell apart for two years after your girlfriend left you," Catherine added with a laugh.

Clara hadn’t expected them to bring that up.

She would have preferred everyone to forget that embarrassing Chapter of her life. The Turners weren’t exactly known for being sentimental.

"I’m not obligated to explain to you why I fell apart," Clara said casually. "But I got back up. And you know what they say: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger."

"And that’s not just a figure of speech," she added. "My performance improved dramatically after I came back."

"And yet you’ve missed several days of work and shown up late dozens of times over the past few months, ever since your girlfriend came back into your life," Catherine shot back.

Clara gave her a look.

Catherine simply sighed.

"Don’t look at me like that. This isn’t coming from me. I’m just the person they appointed to play the villain. But everyone sitting at this table thinks the same thing."

"You know what? You’re right," Clara said.

Everyone looked at her.

"I’m crazy about this woman. I mean, have you seen how beautiful she is? Her skin is perfect, her eyes are mesmerizing, and she smells incredible even without wearing perfume."

"Nobody give a shit," Catherine retorted.

A few members of the board exchanged looks.

Clara shrugged.

" I’m just defending myself."

Then her expression became more serious.

"You know what? Let’s stop this charade. I know none of you actually have a reason to vote against me."

She leaned back in her chair.

"And we all know my father will wake up sooner than we think and take his position back anyway."

No one interrupted her.

"Until then, someone has to run this company. And I’m the person best prepared to do it."

She looked around the table.

"So let’s vote."

The chairman stared at her for a moment before finally nodding.

"All right. Let’s vote."

He looked around the table.

"Those in favor of appointing Clara Turner as interim CEO until Clovis is able to return to his position, raise your hand," the chairman said, making it clear that the position was only temporary.

Without much surprise from Clara, every single person around the table raised their hand.

Every last one of them.

The chairman nodded.

"Then, by unanimous decision, Clara Turner is hereby appointed CEO of the company, effective immediately."

He smiled.

"Congratulations, Madam CEO."

One by one, the board members congratulated Clara.

----

"I believe congratulations are in order, Madam CEO," Benjamin said, a cast around his neck from the accident with Carl.

Ben was carrying a cardboard box because he was moving into his new office. Since Carl was currently absent for reasons that some people still didn’t know about, Benjamin had been promoted.

Besides, he had already been doing most of Carl’s work anyway, so there wasn’t anything particularly new about that.

Except that this time, he would have more authority than before.

"Thanks. And congratulations to you too," Clara replied.

She headed toward her new office as well.

When she stepped inside, she stopped for a moment and looked around.

This was the office she had always dreamed of having.

And now it belonged to her.

Even if she knew it was only temporary.

Clara walked over to the desk and was about to sit down when she noticed a small dark stain on the chair.

Probably her father’s blood.

"Hmm. I think I’m going to redecorate this entire office," she muttered.

She picked up her phone to call her new assistant, but before she could even dial the number, there was a knock on the door.

Her assistant walked in carrying a stack of files so large that Clara could barely see her face behind them.

"Good morning, Madam CEO. I brought you all the urgent documents," she said, placing the files on the desk.

Clara stared at the mountain of paperwork.

"I was actually thinking about going out to celebrate my new position. Couldn’t we just deal with all this tomorrow?"

She really wasn’t hoping to spend the first few hours of her new position working like a maniac.

Now she finally understood why none of the board members had wanted this job.

Instead of answering, the assistant simply stared at her with a judgmental look, as if her eyes were saying, ’Are you serious right now?’

"Okay," Clara sighed.

She grabbed one of the files from the pile of what looked like at least thirty documents.

"Let’s get this over with quickly."

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