Chapter 4

"What?"

Vincent and Dali stood up immediately when they heard the secretary's words.

"The new CEO ignores us? This is outrageous!"

Vincent and Dali rushed to another conference room, leading the others.

When they reached the conference room door, they heard a woman's voice coming from inside.

She said, "That's it for today."

"Wait!" Vincent said angrily as he opened the door.

When he saw Theresa, however, the angry expression on his face was replaced by surprise.

"Theresa...

"How is this possible?"

Vincent and Dali were all prepared, but they did not expect that the new CEO who had bought 60 percent of the Schumann Group would be Theresa Schumann!

They thought she was dead.

Three years ago, the daughter of the Schumann couple, Theresa, who was the heir to the Schumann Group, was injured while skiing and went missing in the snowy mountains.

Vincent and Dali were called in, took over the management of the Schuman Group, and split Theresa's property and stock. And now she was back!

 

"Long time no see, Vincent, Dali," Theresa said, sitting back in the chair, enjoying the shock on their faces.

Vincent was the first to react, and he immediately pretended to look excited.

He walked up and said, "I am so thrilled, Theresa. I prayed every day, hoping that you were safe."

Theresa looked very indifferent, and she said, "It seems that you were not sincere enough, or I should have come back sooner."

Vincent and Dali stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Theresa turned to the executives and said, "You all know my style. I will not let the Schumann Group struggle to survive. You just need to do your job, and I will treat you right."

She stood up neatly after finishing speaking, turned her head to Vincent and Dali, and said, "Do you agree with me?"

"Yes. Theresa, you're right."

"I agree as well."

Vincent and Dali smiled awkwardly and then pretended to agree with her.

Theresa smiled and then left the conference room.

 

Vincent and Dali wanted to teach the new CEO a lesson, but Theresa made it go the other way around.

It was just the beginning.

The next day, Theresa carried out a major personnel reshuffle in the management team. Dozens of senior executives were fired, including several of the board members, led by Vincent and Dali, who had tried to give Theresa a hard time the first day.

Vincent's office was filled with people early in the morning.

"I don't care. I have worked for the Schumann Group for so many years, and I've been devoted to this company. On what grounds do you fire me? You must give me a reason!" shouted the deposed director.

A few other executives joined in the clamor, turning their usual suit-and-tie modesty gesture into a ferocious one.

Vincent tried to console them. "Calm down."

 

On the contrary, Dali looked completely indifferent. In fact, Theresa gave them the list the first time after her return. And the result was a mutual decision.

Theresa claimed to pull the plug on Dali and Vincent's golf course project because the company wasn't running well, so the two readily agreed to the list at once.

Theresa didn't want to waste time arguing with these dismissed executives, so Vincent and Dali had to step in to appease them.

 

Theresa returned to the Schumann's mansion.

The estate was purchased by Theresa's father when he was young.

Looking at the familiar surroundings, she felt guilty about the three years of indulging herself in loving a man. The Schumann Group, founded by her parents, was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Then she thought of Damien's indifference to her, and her heart began to ache again.

Yet now that she had decided to leave, she would try to let go of the past.

As the car pulled into the estate, Theresa couldn't wait to go see the roses.

 

San Francisco was home to a chapter of the American Rose Society. There were more than sixty varieties of roses here, which delighted Theresa, who loved roses.

However, when she got out of the car, she found that the rose planted by her father had long disappeared.

A surge of anger overwhelmed her instantly!

Then she heard some women giggling.

Theresa turned her head and saw two girls come out laughing and talking, each taking a man's arm.

One couple started kissing as if no one else was watching.

Then when the man saw someone not far away, he let go of the woman in his arms.

When he saw Theresa's face, he fell to the ground in terror.