CHAPTER 487: THE BOARDROOM VOTE

Luke was eavesdropping outside the door, his emotions surging so wildly he felt nauseous and dizzy.

It felt like his brain was about to split apart—Owen’s words nearly made him vomit blood.

... A good kid, kind-hearted?!

Did Owen really think Luke couldn’t hear the smugness dripping from his tone? Who taught him to play the fake angel act so well?

Luke slipped away quietly, making sure no one noticed him.

...

One hour before the shareholders’ meeting.

The front of Reid Group’s headquarters was swarming with reporters, the entire building surrounded.

Selina, as one of the major shareholders, was required to attend. The imposter, wearing Selina’s face, stepped out of the car with Joe by her side.

Everyone saw "Mrs. Reid" looking frail and pitiful, her expression a mask of sorrow, leaning on the Morris chairman for support as she stepped out. Facing the cameras, she let tears well up but stayed silent.

Reporters rushed forward.

"Chairman Morris, are you really siding with Owen and supporting the removal of Mr. Logan Reid as CEO?"

Joe frowned, his voice dark and heavy.

"I’ve said this before—Logan is unworthy of his position. He doesn’t deserve it. And he’s betrayed my daughter. The Morris family will not support him any longer!"

Hannah and Joe, one on each side, guided the imposter into the building, disappearing from the crowd’s view.

A reporter muttered, "Miss Clark and Mrs. Morris really do seem close—almost like mother and daughter."

Luke, disguised and squeezed in with the crowd: "?"

He watched the three of them walk away, looking harmonious, like a picture-perfect family.

But...

Why did he also feel the imposter and Hannah shared a certain mother-daughter vibe?

He remembered Logan once saying there was a striking similarity in Hannah and the imposter’s mannerisms.

If they really were mother and daughter...

Luke froze.

Wouldn’t that mean this entire thing was a massive conspiracy against Selina?!

Just then, the Reid family’s convoy arrived.

Several luxury cars pulled up. From the first car stepped Daniel, Amelia, and Owen.

The second car carried Grandpa Reid and Old Mrs. Reid.

"Mrs. Perry," a reporter asked, "as Mr. Reid’s biological mother, do you also support his removal from Reid Group?"

Amelia put on her best "long-suffering mother" act for the cameras.

"I can’t watch Logan keep making mistake after mistake. Today’s vote at the shareholders’ meeting is entirely about the company’s best interests—it has nothing to do with personal feelings."

"Logan has made far too many errors, too many outrageous choices. We all believe Owen is the best person to lead."

Daniel stepped up to take the microphone next.

"Because Logan was separated from us as a child, I always felt guilty. I gave him extra leniency, even at the expense of Owen for over twenty years. But Logan remained unrepentant, always convinced Owen was guilty of something. That’s why we finally..."

He sighed heavily for effect.

"If the entire company weren’t united against Logan, I’d still try to help him. But now, with all these scandals coming out, what choice do we have?"

Then a reporter suddenly asked: "How does the Reid family know for sure those allegations are true—that Mr. Logan Reid really did those things?"

Daniel stiffened for a moment.

The reporters outside today had all been handpicked by the Reid family—brought in to sling mud at Logan and paint the Reid family as innocent victims.

All the questions were supposed to be pre-arranged, rehearsed.

But this one...

Still, it wasn’t too dangerous.

Daniel deliberately sighed again, "All of this—everything—was told to us by Miss Clark."

The reporter pressed, "Selina?"

"Yes. Miss Clark is Logan’s wife. She knows too many of his secrets. Her conscience couldn’t take it anymore, so she chose to expose them. If it weren’t for her, how else would we have known?"

"So what you’re saying is—the Reid family is simply acting on Miss Clark’s word. Without her, none of this would be happening?"

"That’s right. Because when Miss Clark says something, the credibility is undeniable."

"I see. Thank you for your answer, Chairman Reid."

The reporter smiled, nodded politely, then melted back into the crowd.

Amelia furrowed her brows, something about the question nagged at her.

But what exactly was strange about it? She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

...It shouldn’t be a big problem.

The reporter who had asked the question slipped back into the crowd, smirking, and sent a text message: [Your request has been carried out.]

On the other end, Selina’s lips curled into a slight smile: [Good.]

Yes—everything traced back to the imposter. Because of the imposter’s lies, the Reid family had turned on Logan, shouting that he was unfit to lead.

Even if Logan proved he’d never done anything to harm the company, the Reid family still had an escape hatch—they could simply claim they were deceived by Selina.

But what if... from beginning to end, this "Selina" was never real?

Wouldn’t it be worth asking why the Reid family had joined forces with an imposter to bring Logan down?

Selina pocketed her phone and climbed into the Foster family’s car.

"Let’s go."

"Miss, there’s a crowd in front of Reid Group. Where should we park?"

Selina slid on her sunglasses and glanced out the window.

Amelia was smiling as she introduced Owen to the company executives, while reporters aimed their cameras at him.

Countless glowing tweets and headlines praising Owen were already sprouting online like mushrooms after the rain.

It was as if, in this very moment, Owen was some kind of heaven-sent savior—here to rescue the world.

But didn’t the Reid family realize that lifting an incompetent man to heights he doesn’t deserve... is just another way to destroy him?

Selina pulled her gaze back.

"Park in Logan’s private lot."

The driver nodded. "Yes, ma’am."

...

The shareholders’ meeting officially began.

Though it wasn’t being broadcast live, every major financial outlet in Country M was there—websites, newspapers, magazines—the room was packed wall-to-wall with reporters, flashes popping, cameras rolling.

Twenty people were present to vote: the board of directors, minor and major shareholders, plus Logan and the imposter.

Naturally, because of Logan’s identity, several members of the Reid family and Owen himself were in the room too.

They weren’t seated at the table, but there were still cameras pointed at them.

The moment Logan entered, a board member across the room exchanged a subtle glance with Owen, then nodded faintly at Amelia.

Amelia’s heart bloomed.

That director had already sided with the Reid family. His nod meant he’d secured about 80% of the board—removing Logan would be as easy as snapping fingers.

Amelia had bought out plenty of shareholders, big and small, using connections or cash, whispering poison in every ear.

Now, there were hardly any left willing to stand beside Logan.

The more she thought about it, the more delighted she felt.

Logan, Logan, she thought, I told you long ago you should’ve just died out there. But no—you had to ignore me, you had to go and build this Reid Group empire.

And now? The shareholders and executives who once stood by him didn’t trust him anymore. They weren’t loyal—they were easily bought.

Even Ethan, swayed by the imposter’s tearful sob stories, believed Logan had cheated. The Drake family hadn’t lifted a single finger to help him.

Owen sat there, equally pleased. He was going to watch Logan taste the bitterness of betrayal.

After today, Logan would be nothing but the dog beneath his shoe, living on scraps of his mercy.

Logan cast a single glance at the two of them, his narrow eyes lowering faintly.

The middle-aged chairman presiding over the board cleared his throat.

"Since everyone is here, let’s begin the shareholders’ meeting."

Logan ignored the whispers and the atmosphere in the room, his face unreadable, until that director finally said:

"Regarding whether Mr. Logan Reid will remain as Chairman, we will now proceed to vote."

The room fell into dead silence.

Amelia could barely contain her joy, already savoring the moment she’d see Logan’s face crack.

Owen, too, was nearly trembling with excitement. He’d already bragged to the world that he would be the next Chairman of Reid Group.

Now, with the vote underway, Logan must be breaking inside.

No one would vote for him to stay.

Once Logan was gone, Owen would step up—legitimate, untouchable.

The entire Reid Group would be his prize. He’d smoothed every wrinkle, planned every step—the vote would go exactly as expected.

Or so he thought.

"—What’s going on?!"

A sudden cry of alarm shattered the room like glass.