Their Queen's Back - Chapter 31: Chapter 31
You are reading Their Queen's Back, Chapter 31: Chapter 31. Read more chapters of Their Queen's Back.
Richard solemnly announced, "This is my eldest daughter, Skye."
The room erupted in shock at the news. The senior shareholders of Hughes Corporation jumped to their feet, voices trembling with disbelief as one of them shouted, "Is it really Skye? Your eldest daughter, Skye?"
The senior shareholders were overjoyed. "Thank goodness! Miss Skye is alive—she's finally back!" they exclaimed, barely able to contain their excitement.
Richard's expression stiffened as he watched these old foxes get so worked up—the very ones who usually spoke to him with thinly veiled sarcasm.
Richard nodded. "That's right. She's been abroad for the past decade and has just returned."
One of the shareholders scoffed, "Skye? Never heard of that name! Richard, you must've been duped. Wasn't your eldest daughter supposed to be dead? The plane exploded—how could she possibly have survived?"
Exactly! Now we're supposed to accept someone we know nothing about as our boss? Who in their right mind would agree to that?
"Hughes Corporation isn't some playground for amateurs."
Richard, you should really think this through before you act.
One of the senior shareholders sneered, "Even if she really is your own flesh and blood, what gives her the right to this position? What makes her think she deserves it?"
"Because I'm the largest shareholder of Hughes Corporation." A cool, commanding voice rang out before its owner appeared—the voice alone made it clear this was someone extraordinary.
The conference room doors swung open, revealing a stunning, statuesque figure.
She stepped out in a vintage black qipao embroidered with golden motifs—a vision of stunning yet icy elegance, like a formidable beauty emerging from an ancient painting.
Richard stood well over six feet tall, but in her high heels, Skye nearly eclipsed him. Her presence was even more overwhelming—the moment she walked in, everyone in the room felt a sudden tightness in their chests.
One of the senior shareholders gasped, "Miss Skye... it really is you!"
Skye nodded. At that moment, Rowan burst into the room and declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, Hughes Corporation is owned by our CEO, Ms. Sky. If you don't believe it, check the documents—Mr. Richard was merely acting as interim manager."
Richard's expression darkened. The shareholder who had questioned earlier shouted, "Even if this company is yours, it's still your father's! He's managed Hughes Corporation for decades, and now you just waltz in and force him to step down? What kind of daughter does that?"
One of the senior shareholders sneered, "Exactly! Let's not even discuss whether you're capable of managing Hughes Corporation or leading it to new heights. Just look at your age—what makes you think you're qualified to run this company?"
The senior shareholders protested: "We won't stand for this, Mr. Richard! You're the only CEO we'll accept. Either you come back to lead, or we're all resigning!"
"That's right, we're quitting!" the others chimed in.
"We quit!" the others echoed.
"We quit!"
Richard was deeply moved. "See? All these years of dedication weren't for nothing. So many people are still willing to follow, support, and trust me," he thought.
Skye remained impassive, as if none of this mattered to her—and indeed, it didn't.
She knew these were all Linda's people. Over the years, Linda had stuffed Hughes Corporation with her own cronies—just dead weight who never actually did any real work.
Honestly, I was just wondering how to get rid of these deadweights without too much hassle. Who would've thought they'd make it so easy for me?
"Fine," Skye said.
Seeing her apparent concession, they breathed a sigh of relief, their arrogance flooding back. "Just as we thought—what can some young thing possibly do? A few words from us were enough to intimidate her into retreating," they sneered to themselves.
But before those smug smiles could even settle on their faces, Skye cut in with a voice as cold and sharp as ice.
Skye said coldly, "Anyone who just announced they're quitting—go submit your resignations to HR immediately. I won't stop any of you."
"Wh-what?!" the shareholders stammered, staring at her in shock.
The group stared at each other, wide-eyed and panic-stricken, at a complete loss.
One of the senior shareholders stammered in disbelief, "Y-y-you... you actually mean you're firing us?!"
Skye swept an icy gaze over them and commanded, "You said you're quitting? Then get out—all of you."
W-we... we...
Now it was truly their turn to be at a loss. "Shouldn't she be begging us to stay?" they thought in disbelief.
"Sh-she... she actually just told us to resign?!" they thought in utter disbelief.
Th-this... this is...
Richard opened his mouth, about to say something. But as he lowered his gaze and saw Margaret's name written on the document on the table, his mind went utterly blank—no words came out.
Mr. Richard, we've been with you all these years—say something, will you?
"Yeah, Mr. Richard, she's really going to fire us! How can you just stand by and let this happen?"
Richard took a deep breath, clearly about to plead on behalf of the others. Skye frowned at him. "Father, is there something you want to say to me?"
Richard hesitated, then finally spoke up. "Skye, these are all long-serving employees of the company. They may not have made great contributions, but they've put in a lot of hard work over the years. What do you think... maybe you could reconsider?"
Skye said coldly, "Father, didn't you hear what they said? They themselves shouted that they were quitting—everyone in the room heard it loud and clear."
Richard was left speechless. Rowan reported, "Ms. Sky, I've completed the count—twelve individuals have declared their resignations."
One of the senior shareholders stammered angrily, "Y-you... you people! This is absolutely outrageous!"
Firing us all the moment you took over—what a well-played move!
One of the senior shareholders snapped, "You're not here to inherit Hughes Corporation—you're here to sabotage it!"
"Fire us then—see how long the company runs without us!"
"We can quit if we want, but you'd better think this through—without us, this company won't last."
Just remember—when you come begging us to return, we won't be coming back, no matter what.
The group started threatening her in unison, but Skye didn't even dignify them with a glance. She remained seated, fingers steepled on the desk.
Her frosty gaze lifted slightly as she said with icy finality, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
"You!" A dozen or so people stormed out of the conference room, their faces dark with anger, grumbling and cursing as they went.
"What now? That brat is really going to fire us!"
"What's there to fear? Hughes Corporation is just an empty shell without us. Let's see how she handles that—even if they try to hire, no one decent will want to work there."
One of them scoffed, "In the end, she'll have to come crawling back to us anyway."
One of them sneered, "Damn right, let's quit! When she comes crawling back begging for our help, I'll make her grovel on her knees."
Another person chimed in, sneering, "Same here! I'll make sure to knock that arrogant woman down a peg."
"Miss Skye..."
In the conference room, only three or four veteran shareholders remained. Their eyes welled up with tears at the sight of Skye's return—these were Margaret's contemporaries who had held steadfast to their posts all these years, waiting for the day they might see Skye again.
Gentlemen, your dedication over the years has been invaluable. On behalf of my mother Margaret, I sincerely thank you all.
You honor us, Miss Skye. Your return is all we've hoped for. Now we finally have our guiding light back.
"Yes, Miss Skye. With you at the helm, Hughes Corporation is sure to regain its former glory."
"We're all willing to stand with Miss Skye."
"Absolutely, Miss Skye."
A rare warmth softened Skye's otherwise icy gaze. "Alright," she said softly.
News of the CEO shake-up at Hughes Corporation spread like wildfire through the company, and soon everyone was abuzz with talk.
Rowan brought in a few cheerful bouquets and placed them around the office. After making sure everything was spotless and the space looked full of life, she beamed, clapped her hands in satisfaction, and exclaimed, "Perfect!"
Rowan said, "Ms. Sky, here are the resignation letters from those who just resigned, awaiting your approval. And there's something else..."
The room erupted in shock at the news. The senior shareholders of Hughes Corporation jumped to their feet, voices trembling with disbelief as one of them shouted, "Is it really Skye? Your eldest daughter, Skye?"
The senior shareholders were overjoyed. "Thank goodness! Miss Skye is alive—she's finally back!" they exclaimed, barely able to contain their excitement.
Richard's expression stiffened as he watched these old foxes get so worked up—the very ones who usually spoke to him with thinly veiled sarcasm.
Richard nodded. "That's right. She's been abroad for the past decade and has just returned."
One of the shareholders scoffed, "Skye? Never heard of that name! Richard, you must've been duped. Wasn't your eldest daughter supposed to be dead? The plane exploded—how could she possibly have survived?"
Exactly! Now we're supposed to accept someone we know nothing about as our boss? Who in their right mind would agree to that?
"Hughes Corporation isn't some playground for amateurs."
Richard, you should really think this through before you act.
One of the senior shareholders sneered, "Even if she really is your own flesh and blood, what gives her the right to this position? What makes her think she deserves it?"
"Because I'm the largest shareholder of Hughes Corporation." A cool, commanding voice rang out before its owner appeared—the voice alone made it clear this was someone extraordinary.
The conference room doors swung open, revealing a stunning, statuesque figure.
She stepped out in a vintage black qipao embroidered with golden motifs—a vision of stunning yet icy elegance, like a formidable beauty emerging from an ancient painting.
Richard stood well over six feet tall, but in her high heels, Skye nearly eclipsed him. Her presence was even more overwhelming—the moment she walked in, everyone in the room felt a sudden tightness in their chests.
One of the senior shareholders gasped, "Miss Skye... it really is you!"
Skye nodded. At that moment, Rowan burst into the room and declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, Hughes Corporation is owned by our CEO, Ms. Sky. If you don't believe it, check the documents—Mr. Richard was merely acting as interim manager."
Richard's expression darkened. The shareholder who had questioned earlier shouted, "Even if this company is yours, it's still your father's! He's managed Hughes Corporation for decades, and now you just waltz in and force him to step down? What kind of daughter does that?"
One of the senior shareholders sneered, "Exactly! Let's not even discuss whether you're capable of managing Hughes Corporation or leading it to new heights. Just look at your age—what makes you think you're qualified to run this company?"
The senior shareholders protested: "We won't stand for this, Mr. Richard! You're the only CEO we'll accept. Either you come back to lead, or we're all resigning!"
"That's right, we're quitting!" the others chimed in.
"We quit!" the others echoed.
"We quit!"
Richard was deeply moved. "See? All these years of dedication weren't for nothing. So many people are still willing to follow, support, and trust me," he thought.
Skye remained impassive, as if none of this mattered to her—and indeed, it didn't.
She knew these were all Linda's people. Over the years, Linda had stuffed Hughes Corporation with her own cronies—just dead weight who never actually did any real work.
Honestly, I was just wondering how to get rid of these deadweights without too much hassle. Who would've thought they'd make it so easy for me?
"Fine," Skye said.
Seeing her apparent concession, they breathed a sigh of relief, their arrogance flooding back. "Just as we thought—what can some young thing possibly do? A few words from us were enough to intimidate her into retreating," they sneered to themselves.
But before those smug smiles could even settle on their faces, Skye cut in with a voice as cold and sharp as ice.
Skye said coldly, "Anyone who just announced they're quitting—go submit your resignations to HR immediately. I won't stop any of you."
"Wh-what?!" the shareholders stammered, staring at her in shock.
The group stared at each other, wide-eyed and panic-stricken, at a complete loss.
One of the senior shareholders stammered in disbelief, "Y-y-you... you actually mean you're firing us?!"
Skye swept an icy gaze over them and commanded, "You said you're quitting? Then get out—all of you."
W-we... we...
Now it was truly their turn to be at a loss. "Shouldn't she be begging us to stay?" they thought in disbelief.
"Sh-she... she actually just told us to resign?!" they thought in utter disbelief.
Th-this... this is...
Richard opened his mouth, about to say something. But as he lowered his gaze and saw Margaret's name written on the document on the table, his mind went utterly blank—no words came out.
Mr. Richard, we've been with you all these years—say something, will you?
"Yeah, Mr. Richard, she's really going to fire us! How can you just stand by and let this happen?"
Richard took a deep breath, clearly about to plead on behalf of the others. Skye frowned at him. "Father, is there something you want to say to me?"
Richard hesitated, then finally spoke up. "Skye, these are all long-serving employees of the company. They may not have made great contributions, but they've put in a lot of hard work over the years. What do you think... maybe you could reconsider?"
Skye said coldly, "Father, didn't you hear what they said? They themselves shouted that they were quitting—everyone in the room heard it loud and clear."
Richard was left speechless. Rowan reported, "Ms. Sky, I've completed the count—twelve individuals have declared their resignations."
One of the senior shareholders stammered angrily, "Y-you... you people! This is absolutely outrageous!"
Firing us all the moment you took over—what a well-played move!
One of the senior shareholders snapped, "You're not here to inherit Hughes Corporation—you're here to sabotage it!"
"Fire us then—see how long the company runs without us!"
"We can quit if we want, but you'd better think this through—without us, this company won't last."
Just remember—when you come begging us to return, we won't be coming back, no matter what.
The group started threatening her in unison, but Skye didn't even dignify them with a glance. She remained seated, fingers steepled on the desk.
Her frosty gaze lifted slightly as she said with icy finality, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
"You!" A dozen or so people stormed out of the conference room, their faces dark with anger, grumbling and cursing as they went.
"What now? That brat is really going to fire us!"
"What's there to fear? Hughes Corporation is just an empty shell without us. Let's see how she handles that—even if they try to hire, no one decent will want to work there."
One of them scoffed, "In the end, she'll have to come crawling back to us anyway."
One of them sneered, "Damn right, let's quit! When she comes crawling back begging for our help, I'll make her grovel on her knees."
Another person chimed in, sneering, "Same here! I'll make sure to knock that arrogant woman down a peg."
"Miss Skye..."
In the conference room, only three or four veteran shareholders remained. Their eyes welled up with tears at the sight of Skye's return—these were Margaret's contemporaries who had held steadfast to their posts all these years, waiting for the day they might see Skye again.
Gentlemen, your dedication over the years has been invaluable. On behalf of my mother Margaret, I sincerely thank you all.
You honor us, Miss Skye. Your return is all we've hoped for. Now we finally have our guiding light back.
"Yes, Miss Skye. With you at the helm, Hughes Corporation is sure to regain its former glory."
"We're all willing to stand with Miss Skye."
"Absolutely, Miss Skye."
A rare warmth softened Skye's otherwise icy gaze. "Alright," she said softly.
News of the CEO shake-up at Hughes Corporation spread like wildfire through the company, and soon everyone was abuzz with talk.
Rowan brought in a few cheerful bouquets and placed them around the office. After making sure everything was spotless and the space looked full of life, she beamed, clapped her hands in satisfaction, and exclaimed, "Perfect!"
Rowan said, "Ms. Sky, here are the resignation letters from those who just resigned, awaiting your approval. And there's something else..."
End of Their Queen's Back Chapter 31. Continue reading Chapter 32 or return to Their Queen's Back book page.