?Chapter 616:


    As soon as Shepard and his children stepped out of the car, a swarm of reporters surrounded them.


    Cameras and microphones were thrust aggressively towards Shepard and Ernst, the reporters bombarding them with a barrage of questions. “Is it true that the Harper Group ns to grant Rosie Harper forty billion as a wedding gift?”


    “Could thepany be on the verge of bankruptcy because of this?”


    “We’ve heard whispers of executives seeking new employment. Any thoughts on that?”


    The security detail of the Harper Group strained every muscle to hold the reporters at bay. However, the journalists threw decorum out the window and surged forward with a relentless barrage of questions. After a grueling struggle, Shepard and the others finally pushed their way into the Harper Group building.


    Inside the elevator, Shepard, his mood as dark as a storm cloud, turned to Ernst and asked sharply, “Wasn’t this board meeting supposed to be confidential? How the hell did the media find out about it?”


    Ernst, who had worked until 3 a.m. and barely caught two hours of sleep, felt drained mentally, though youth still lent him some physical stamina.


    He said, “Dad, there are thirty-seven executives in the Harper Group. I emphasized the importance of confidentiality when I made the calls yesterday, but I can’t promise every one of them kept their lips sealed.”


    ncing at her father, Brenna saw how much more gray hair he had now. The recent events had taken their toll on him, making him look older than he was.


    She said, “Dad, don’t stress. We’ve got this. The three of us will handle it. I stayed up all night preparing solutions and will convince the board. Rosie was probably the one who tipped off those reporters.”


    Ernst immediately countered, “But I never informed Rosie about this meeting. How could she possibly know?”


    Dalton gave a derisive snort. “I knew it! She has obviously decided that if she can’t get her hands on the money, nobody else should, either. She is aiming for mutual destruction, in and simple.”


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    Brenna nodded seriously. “Exactly. Since she can’t get the shares, she’d rather drag the whole Harper Group down with her. A normal board change wouldn’t cause this kind of panic. But today, as soon as the market opened, our stock price plummeted to its daily limit.”


    She showed her phone, and the sharp drop in stock price made everyone’s faces tighten, especially Shepard’s.


    The Harper Group was his life’s work. Seeing it hurt like this made his eyes well up with tears.


    “Don’t worry, Dad,” Brenna said gently. “I have dealt with crises like this before. I stayed up all night working with Ethan. He helped mee up with a n. We can still fix this.”


    Shepard asked, “What are you nning to do?”


    Brenna had never been involved in managing the Harper Group before; she only ran two studios of her own. Yet, she carried herself with the poise of a seasoned executive.


    Brenna quickly showed some documents from her folder and began exining the n she and Ethan had worked on through the night. “The real problem isn’t from within. It’s from outside. Only one person in the family is colluding with Rosie.”


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