chapter1471

"Stella, are you really going to abandon all of us who have supported you, and all for one man?!"

"No matter what," Stella said firmly, "I refuse to use someone else's life to secure my own gains."

"Stella, you are being hopelessly stubborn!" President Crawford yelled in frustration.

Time was running out, and Stella had no desire to argue with him any longer. She strode out of the office, leaving his voice behind her.

"Stella, you will regret this!"

Stella didn't know if she'd regret this later. All she knew was that if she didn't go now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

...

Stella arrived at the location quickly. It was a villa in a very remote area. Stepping inside, she found the main hall sparsely furnished with only a single sofa, giving the large space a cold, empty feeling, as if it were uninhabited.

Israel was sitting on the sofa, smoking a cigar. When he saw her enter, he glanced at his watch. "You got here pretty fast."

Stella looked at him coolly. "Where's Joshua?"

Israel didn't play games. After taking a drag from his cigar, he stood up and walked toward a room on the second floor. Stella followed.

He pushed the door open, revealing Joshua tied to a chair inside. Two burly men in black stood behind him.

Even though he was at their mercy, the man's aura was still composed and elegant, showing no signs of distress. He didn't look like a hostage; rather, he seemed like an invited guest.

Stella quickly assessed him and was relieved to see he was unharmed.

Israel's voice came from the side. "Stella, due to your recent series of disastrous decisions, The Williams Group has suffered heavy losses. And this man, Joshua, is very likely the one who leaked our company's secrets..."

"Get to the point," Stella cut him off flatly.

Israel sneered. "This man stole trade secrets from The Williams Group, and not only did you fail to deal with him, but you also sent people to protect him. Stella, I think you've been utterly bewitched! Since you're unfit for your position and can't manage the Williams Group

properly, then you shouldn't manage

it at all. Besides, those shares were never meant for you in the first place."

Stella stared at Israel's loathsome face in silence.

Israel paid her no mind and pointed to a corner of the room. "Stella, see that?"

Her gaze shifted to a camera.

Israel smiled faintly. "Everything happening here today is being live-streamed to the board of directors."

Stella's expression flickered. To the

board members of The Williams

Group, Joshua was a prime suspect for leaking company secrets. Regardless of whether they

hovel.n

supported her or not, they would all see his

death as no cat loss and..

would be eager to get rid of him. The death of one Joshua meant nothing

to them. If she clashed with Israel

over him today, she, who had already lost much of their trust, would disappoint them even further.

As for the despicable means Israel used to obtain the founding shares, no one would care. To everyone watching, her choosing Joshua. would be no different from

voluntarily giving up her shares. No Wonder President Crawford had come to her beforehand with that warning. It was clear now: if she chose Joshua, she would lose everything.

Stella's fists clenched unconsciously, and she remained silent for a long time.