Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Chapter 358 - : Gifting Shares
Old Madam Barker went straight to the point and said bluntly, “I’ll be chairing a board meeting the day after tomorrow. Please help me make arrangements.”
“Ah?” Ronald was stunned for a few seconds. “A board meeting?”
“Yes.”
Old Madam Barker hung up without waiting for Ronald’s response.
Samantha was confused when she saw the old lady’s resoluteness. “What are you going to do, Grandma?”
The old lady put on a mischievous smile. “I’m going to be your…magical genie!”
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“…You know that’s not what I’m asking.” Samantha was helpless.
“Sammy, my plan will help you stall Timothy for a while so he won’t be able to file a divorce with you. It’ll help you save Timothy, but at the end of the day, its success depends on you…”
After all, love was not something she could force onto someone.
The old lady had been entirely determined on pairing them together in the past, but at the moment…everything hinged on their fate.
…
Three days passed in a flash and it was finally the day Samantha had to give Timothy an answer.
At the same time, it was also time for Old Madam Barker to hold the board meeting.
The scene was inside the Barker Group’s meeting room at ten o’clock in the morning.
After Old Madam Barker handed over the Barker Group to Timothy five years ago, she had retreated behind the curtain and ignored everything that happened in the organization. No one thought that she would suddenly hold a board meeting.
When Old Madam Barker was in power, she was an iron lady whose methods were direct and ruthless. When Old Master Barker died and Timothy had yet to grow up, she supported the Barker Group by herself and produced a lot of good results. Many of the directors there had worked with her back in the day and respected her tremendously.
That was the reason that they were all present there.
None of them seemed impatient even when the clock had already shown it was five minutes past ten and there were still no signs of Old Madam Barker.
After all, everyone knew that Old Madam Barker had just undergone a major operation and came back from death’s door. Old people were frail and they would certainly understand if she was a little late.
Timothy sat in the main seat and his handsome face was as expressionless as ever. He kept quiet and tapped the table with his fingertips. His eyes remained indifferent and no one could tell what he was thinking.
Ronald could not just let everyone wait idly so he brought in some coffee.
Five minutes later, Timothy frowned slightly.
Being punctual was a very essential quality in the business world. A delay of even a minute would be a waste of everyone’s time and money.
Could she have turned senile and wanted to play with people in such childish ways?
Time passed by the second and Ronald watched as Old Madam Barker still did not show up. Sweat was starting to ooze from his forehead.
Could Old Madam Barker come to the company for a meeting if it was already difficult for her to get out of bed?
He started doubting whether or not the call he received that day was genuine.
If he had committed a huge mistake and left his big boss waiting for no reason with the directors, the only way he could apologize was probably through death.
Another ten minutes later, there were finally footsteps from outside the door of the conference room.
Ronald listened and breathed a sigh of relief. The old lady had finally arrived! He would be saved!
The door of the conference room was pushed open and the directors all stood up in unison.
Just as they were all about to respectfully greet ‘Old Madam’, they were all left stunned before they could even utter those words.
The person who walked in was not Old Madam Barker, but Samantha, along with a sleek-looking middle-aged man in a suave suit.
Everyone was familiar with that middle-aged man, who happened to be Old Madam Barker’s trusted lawyer, Tony Laycock. He happened to be a very famous lawyer in the legal fraternity too.
Old Madam Barker had requested to hold a board meeting but did not eventually come. Instead, Samantha was the one who arrived and she brought a lawyer too. For a moment, everyone exchanged glances and had a puzzled look in their eyes.
Ronald never imagined that it would turn out like that and he could not help but widen his eyes in surprise.
Timothy was the only one who smirked coldly. His black pupils glanced at Samantha and he subsequently looked over to Tony.
After Samantha walked in, she said to everyone in a very apologetic tone, “My apologies, Mr. Barker and the esteemed directors. I was late because of a traffic jam.”
She then bowed at a 45-degree angle to express her apology.
No one could say anything when she put on such an attitude. They all smiled and said, “It’s fine.”
“We didn’t wait long.”
“Please have a seat!”
Samantha pulled out the seat next to Timothy and sat down.
That seat originally belonged to Old Madam Barker.
As soon as she sat down, one of the board members could not hold back any further and asked directly, “Ms. Larsson, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you here today on behalf of Old Madam Barker? Outsiders aren’t allowed to participate in our board meetings though, even if you were entrusted by Old Madam Barker.”
Tony finally spoke up at that moment, “I’ll answer your questions, Sir.”
He raised his voice slightly, “Mr. Barker, board members, Old Madam Barker held this board meeting today for one purpose, and that is to make an announcement to everyone.”
“Old Madam Barker holds twenty-five percent of Barker Group’s shares. I was entrusted by her to give the entire of her twenty-five percent shares to her granddaughter-in-law, Samantha. The formalities were completed yesterday.”
“Ms. Larsson is now an official shareholder of Barker Group and its second-largest shareholder, second only to the thirty-five percent held by Mr. Barker.”
Although that possibility had been playing in everyone’s minds when Samantha appeared there, no one would have thought that Old Madam Barker would give all her shares to Samantha!
25% of the shares!
The old lady did not have any left and gave it all to Samantha!
She did not even take her own grandson Timothy into consideration.
The board members could not help but gasp in surprise, and they were all so stunned that they could not say anything at all.
Ronald gulped violently too. The news was so explosive that he could not digest it for a while!
Tony adjusted the glasses on his nose bridge and continued, “Old Madam Barker mentioned that she was getting old and her wish is to see her grandson and granddaughter-in-law getting along peacefully. It is time for the younger generation to shine, and she hopes that the two of them can join hands in sorting out the Barker Group and ensure its perpetual success.”
The implication was that the status quo would be maintained if the husband and wife got along well. After all, they would hold a total of 60% of the group’s shares.
If Timothy insisted on getting a divorce, then Samantha—with her 25% worth of shares—would not support him, thus ending Timothy’s autocratic rule over the Barker Group.
Upon hearing that, there seemed to be a tumultuous storm raging in the bottom of Timothy’s eyes and he stared coldly at Samantha.
Samantha then smiled at Timothy as if she did not sense his murderous aura.
