Revenge After Prison: Never Forgiven - Chapter 247: Chapter 247

"So this is why they're backing Gabriel?" Abigail slammed the contract onto the table.
"Exactly. Even when your grandfather was alive, those old men on the board never wanted you in. They only grudgingly agreed after he secured several major projects. But now that all those ventures are losing money, of course they can't stand you anymore," Warren said.
Abigail's gaze turned icy. She didn't say a word for a long moment, her grip tightening around the fountain pen in her hand.
Sebastian said to her, "I bet they don't want Gabriel in jail. They're hoping he comes back and keeps his grip on Gibson Group."
"Him?" Abigail scoffed in disbelief.
"You showed up out of nowhere," Sebastian said casually. "And you're aligned with Ren. They can't control you, and that scares them."
Abigail's gaze sharpened, her voice like ice. "Then we'll see how the Gibsons play this. If they want to avoid prison, they better behave. Once I've figured out how to run this company, I'll deal with them one by one."
Warren reassured her, "With the company's 150-million-dollar debt, letting them keep their shares for now might not be a bad thing."
Soon, it was time for the meeting. Sebastian remained in Abigail's office while she and Warren entered the conference room. Eli still had enough connections to bail out Gabriel, Bianca, and Stephen.
When Gabriel saw Abigail, he couldn't quite meet her eyes. Guilt was written all over his face. Abigail knew full well he wanted to avoid jail, so he'd probably cut a deal with Eli.
Warren sat down and said bluntly, "Let's get to the point. I'm busy and don't have all day."
Eli turned to Abigail, calm but commanding with the kind of quiet authority that came from age and power. "Gabriel's still your father. And your brother, your mother—they're your family. What they did back then was wrong, no doubt.
"But now that your grandfather's gone and left Gibson Group in chaos, it's your family's responsibility to clean up the mess."
Abigail stayed silent while Warren idly twirled his pen, a knowing smile playing on his lips throughout. His phone sat nearby, quietly on a call, where Sebastian was listening on the other end.
Eli continued, "So, the reason I called this meeting isn't for business. I'm here to ask you to show some leniency—for Gabriel's sake. In court, submit a letter of forgiveness.
"Let the public and the court know you're willing to move past this, because after all, they're still your family—"
Before Eli could finish, Warren slammed his fountain pen onto the table with a sharp clatter, cutting him off. Warren adjusted his collar and smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, majority share rules the floor, right?"
"What do you mean by that?" Eli demanded, his face hardening.
Warren rose to his feet, slipping his hands into his pockets with a smile. "Seems like I forgot to mention that several shareholders have privately sold me substantial stakes. I now own 31% of the company, so why exactly are you the one calling the shots here today?"
A flicker of unease crossed Eli's face. He recalled that Abigail already held 20% of the shares, and as stipulated in Wyatt's will, his 10% stake would automatically be transferred to her in the event of his demise.
Warren turned to Abigail with a tilt of his head, smiling as he asked, "So, Abby. What do you say? You feel like forgiving the people who wrecked your future?"
Abigail replied coldly, "No, I don't."
Warren said as he took his seat, "So, Mr. Monroe, let's skip the fantasy talk. Abby's not in the mood for it. If you want to stay at the table, change your approach."
Eli's face turned solemn with barely contained fury.
Abigail didn't bother being nice either. "Let's be real, Mr. Monroe. You just don't want me as the CEO of Gibson Group. Fine, I'll step down and even return my shares to you all. But Ren's initial investment needs to be pooled together and wired back to him today."
Abigail thought, 'If it weren't for Wyatt, no one would even care about this stupid company. They thought they could use the group's mess to pressure me? They clearly picked the wrong person to mess with.'
Just as Eli was about to speak again, the other shareholders shot him warning glances.
Abigail stood her ground. "Since everyone's here, I've got something to say too. Aside from Ren's capital, and factoring out the losses from my grandfather's projects, the company has 230 million dollars of debt.
"Every one of you who's taken dividends over the years is responsible for part of it."
Abigail paused briefly, then smirked. "After discussing with Ren and exercising my authority as the biggest shareholder, I've decided to implement dividend cuts starting today until the 230-million-dollar debt is fully repaid."
"What the hell do you mean?!" A shareholder sprang to his feet, demanding angrily.
Abigail leaned back in her chair, calm and unbothered. "It means your dividends are going toward debt repayment. It's not that hard to understand, right? Given how serious Gabriel, Stephen, and Bianca's roles were, they'll cover 100 million dollars of it.
"The remaining amount is on the ten of you. Payouts will be docked according to how many shares you hold. And just to be clear, Ren and I are exempted from this."