She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 454

Just as everyone was about to raise their hands to vote, Matthew suddenly said, "Guys, today might be my last day at the headquarters of Graham Group.

"Since it's such a joyous occasion, shall we take a ten-minute break and let everyone recover a little? Then, you guys can have the energy to celebrate my departure afterward, right?

"After all, you all didn't sleep well last night. Some of you even flew back from overseas. You must be tired.

"At the same time, I can reminisce about my last moments in Graham Group. Perhaps I will regret it and kneel in front of everyone to beg you to let me stay. Wouldn't everyone be really pleased then?"

Now that Matthew mentioned it, the directors do feel tired.

They had relied on their desire to take revenge on Matthew and teach Matthew a lesson to hold on for two hours just now. Now that things were settled, and they were left with the vote, they relaxed at once.

This was especially true for Nicolas. He was already in poor health to begin with. Coupled with the fact that he had not slept the entire night, he was exhausted.

"Dad," he said to Neil, "Since we're not in a hurry, why don't we take a break first?"

Neil closed his eyes. "Let's take a ten-minute break then."

All the directors looked at Matthew with a gloating expression and got up to leave the meeting room.

Some went to the bathroom while some went to the rooftop garden for fresh air. Others went to the smoking room to smoke cigars or headed to the pantry to eat fruits, snacks, and even drink alcohol.

Nicolas chose to smoke to refresh himself. Neil, on the other hand, chose to exercise by taking a stroll in the small garden.

No one paid attention to Matthew. Matthew looked indifferent as he walked to a corner of the conference room to play darts.

Archie looked around and sneakily walked to Matthew's side. He looked happy at Matthew's state while filled with sympathy and worry too. "Hey, Matthew, you should have thought such a day would come, right? Don't you have any preparations or backup plans?"

Matthew held a dart between his fingers and stared at the dartboard in front of him. He did not even look at Archie. "Are you happy now? If you are, go on, celebrate. You don't have to care about me."

"Hey, you're in trouble now and I'm the only one on your side. How can you say that?" Archie said in a low voice, "As much as I hate you, I hate these old guys even more. I still hope that you can win."

"You want me to win?" Matthew sneered and threw the dart. The dart hit the bullseye of the dartboard. "If I win, you will be beaten up even worse."

"You-" Archie covered his face and took a few steps back. He said angrily, "How ungrateful. I'm being nice but you don't appreciate it. If you're so capable, go and beat up those old biddies. Why would you hit me?"

"As you wish." Matthew gave a strange smile. "You'll see."

When Archie saw Matthew's smile, the hair rose on the back of his neck and his eyelids twitched. He had a bad feeling. He thought, 'Matthew, what are you playing at now?'

*****

At the same time, the directors' phones vibrated, indicating that they had received a new message.

When they opened the message, they were shocked. Their pupils dilated, their hands trembled, and their hearts jolted. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

They couldn't believe someone had taken such private photos of them secretly. If these photos were released, they would be done for.

Just as they were panicking, they received another message. [Don't make the wrong choice. Otherwise, we can get lost from Graham Group together!]

The board members were already old and managed to get to such a high position. They instantly understood that Matthew was threatening them.

Some of the photos, videos, and information had been taken a few years ago. Matthew had already gotten his hands on them but did not say anything. He held onto the evidence until now to deal them a critical blow.

Their scandals, and even criminal evidence, were in Matthew's hands. They would never dare to oppose Matthew again. No matter how angry or unwilling they were, they would not dare to do so.

At this moment, the bell rang. Neil's assistant came over to inform everyone, "Time's up. Please return to the conference room."

All the directors felt like they had aged decades in just a few minutes. Their footsteps were heavy, and their shoulders slumped.

It was abnormally difficult for them to walk. Their backs were bent, and their faces were no longer arrogant and smug.

When they walked into the meeting room and saw that the other directors were also devastated, they knew that the others were in the same situation as them.

When Nicolas heard these remarks, he finally felt that something was wrong. His eyes swept across their faces. "What's wrong with you guys? Why did you change your tune after the ten-minute break?"

No one answered him. They did not even dare to meet Nicolas' eyes.

Nicolas looked at the reaction of these people and suddenly smiled. His gaze landed on Matthew's face and he said sinisterly, "It's you! You must have used some devious and cunning method to force the directors not to vote for you."

Matthew remained calm. He glanced at everyone in the room. "Guys, go on and tell me how I force you to give up on voting. If I did, you're welcome to bring it up now. It's even better to call the police, otherwise I'll be slandered."

All the directors shook their heads. "No. It's not like we did anything wrong. How could we be threatened by you?"

Someone added, "Nicolas, we really think Matthew did more for the company than the mistakes he made. He earned a second chance, so stop criticizing him."

Another man asked, "Mr. Neil Graham, can we end the meeting now? I'm tired and want to go back to sleep."

"Dream on!" Nicolas stood up from the wheelchair in rage and slammed his hand on the table. He turned to Neil. "Matthew must have used despicable tricks. Dad, I request that Matthew be kicked out. We will reconvene and vote-"

"That's enough!" Neil picked up an obsidian paperweight and slammed it on the table. "The voting is over.

"Apart from me and Matthew, a total of 13 directors voted. More than two-thirds voted, and only one person voted for impeachment.

"I declare that the impeachment of Matthew has not passed. Matthew is still the CEO and director of Graham Group. With that, the meeting is adjourned."

Neil stood up and strode out with his walking stick. He did not say another word.

The directors felt drained physically and mentally. They left quickly.

Archie secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at Nicolas and Matthew who were at odds with each other. He wanted to say something but did not dare to. He quietly made a face and ran away too.

Only Nicolas and Matthew were left in the conference room.

Nicolas glared at Matthew and roared, "What did you do to threaten so many directors to give up on impeaching you?"