Chapter 273
Isabella's words hit John and Bianca like a ton of bricks.
The temperature in the conference room plummeted. The senior executives all looked down, shoulders hunched, not daring to say a word.
Silence hung heavy in the air, but a few exchanged quick, nervous glances. The middle-aged woman in the red suit gave Isabella a long, unreadable look before retreating into silence.
Bianca's voice was icy. "Isabella, what are you trying to say? You think you can do better than John? Business isn't a game. You really think you have more to offer than him?"
"Oh, please. You just want those companies so you can marry rich. Is that how you repay Grandpa for all his hard work?" Isabella shot back, standing up and slamming the table.
Bianca stood up too, meeting her head-on. "Don't you dare bring up that old man! I'm his granddaughter too, but he never showed me any love! Ask these execs - do they care who owns this company? No, they care about their wallets, and I can fill them!"
The senior executives forced awkward smiles. They all knew it was true, but hearing it out loud was still uncomfortable.
The silence hung heavy. Isabella realized that Bianca had a point. Family loyalty wouldn't work on these senior execs. They weren't family.
The woman in the red suit shook her head slightly, looking at Isabella with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
To Bianca, Isabella's silence was a victory. She lifted her chin, triumphant. "Jasper transferred his shares to me. I'm the chairwoman now. If you're not gonna help, then leave. We need to continue the meeting."
Isabella's gaze hardened, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"My father transferred the shares to you? How come I didn't know about this? He clearly transferred the shares to me." Isabella laughed and took out a USB drive.
The senior executives in the room all looked at Isabella in surprise, while Bianca and John frowned at the USB drive in her hand.
"I don't understand what you're getting at," Bianca's voice was edged with disdain.
Isabella handed the USB drive to her assistant. The assistant nodded and quickly plugged the USB drive into the computer in the conference room. Soon, the big screen started playing a video.
The background of the video was an empty house, and faint gunshots could be heard in the distance.
In the video, Jasper smiled at the camera and announced that he had given all his shares to his daughter Isabella.
"This is fake, this video must be fake. Jasper is still in the hospital, how could he have recorded this video?" Bianca immediately screamed, pointing at Isabella angrily.
John's eyes narrowed at the screen, memories of that night at the Moonlit Lounge flooding back. He couldn't shake the suspicion that the video was genuine.
Isabella, now seated and radiating calm, looked directly at him. "If my video is fake, where's your proof? I could just as easily claim that the contract you're holding is a forgery. Do you have any idea how serious the consequences are for forging a contract?"
"Maybe this video is a fake. With AI tech being so advanced these days, who knows?" John replied, trying to keep his voice steady. Deep down, he knew the video was probably real, but admitting that would ruin everything he'd worked for.
'Jasper, you son of a bitch, you scammed me and recorded this damn video. Do you have any idea how much trouble this is causing me?' John fumed silently.
"My video can be authenticated by experts to determine if it's AI-generated. But those contracts you have? They only have signatures and fingerprints. How do I know you didn't forge them? Signatures can be copied, and fingerprints can be taken while my dad's unconscious in the hospital." Isabella's eyes were cold as she addressed John and Bianca, her arms crossed defiantly.
The senior executives exchanged uneasy glances.
Isabella's composure was unshakable. Her confidence made many in the room start to believe that the video was likely real.
At the same time, they realized what Isabella said could be true. Signatures can be forged. As for the fingerprints, the hospital police guarding Jasper could be easily compromised by John's power.
John surveyed the room, his expression darkening as suspicion clouded the faces around him.
John quickly thought of a countermeasure. He fixed Isabella with a cold stare and said, "If I remember right, Jasper got shot that night, didn't he? How can you prove that this video was recorded willingly by Jasper and not under duress from you?"
The senior executives suddenly realized an important piece of information they had been ignoring.
Jasper was now shot and lying in the hospital, and the background sound in the video could be heard as intense gunshots.
Isabella maintained her composure, though internally she winced, knowing John had struck a nerve; they had indeed used a gun to force Jasper to record the video.
"If you say I used a gun to make my father record the video, then please provide evidence. It's unfair to ask me to prove something I didn't do," Isabella retorted with measured calm.
This time, John remained silent, and the attention of the senior executives shifted between the two.
The woman in the red outfit looked at Isabella. A faint smile appeared on her face, seeming very satisfied with Isabella's actions.
Suddenly, the woman in the red outfit stood up. "Looks like there's no way to verify the contracts either side has right now. We'll have to wait for Mr. Taylor to recover."
All the senior executives of the company nodded in agreement. This seemed like the most sensible approach for the moment.
John and Bianca's faces were grim; this seemed like the best course of action.
Isabella, on the other hand, let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even though she didn't get the shares, as long as John and Bianca didn't get them either, she still had a shot.
Just then, the conference room door swung open again, and a group of people walked in.
"Is everyone here? I've got an announcement. Mr. Taylor sold his shares to us before he went into a coma, so we're now shareholders of the company too." The group's leader held up a contract, and the others behind him did the same.