The Trash Son-in-law Is A Hidden Billionaire

Chapter Eleven

The words hit like a thunderclap. A low murmur rippled through the air as the guests spoke in hushed tones, their eyes flickered between Charlotte and Mr Macaulay 

Charlotte's face was drained of color. "There must be some mistake," she stammered. "That's not what yesterday's press conference said. I haven't received any notification about my company's listing being terminated."

Her phone buzzed.

She hesitated, her heart hammering, before she finally looked at the screen, opened the text message, and scanned it with her eyes.

"Your company's IPO has been halted due to suspected violations. You are required to submit all relevant evidence within three days or face a formal investigation."

Charlotte's hands shook so violently she almost dropped the phone. What's happening? This can't be true, right? She felt her whole being tremble.

Daniel. Yes, Daniel. He had a lot of connections and had been the one who made this possible for her in the first place. She thought and clutched Daniel's sleeve.

"Babe, what's happening?" she said, showing him the message that matched what the sponsor had just said. "Just tell me it's not true. There must be a way out, right? You have connections; you were the one who made it happen in the first place. I'm sure you can do something."

Daniel felt his throat go dry. 'What am I going to do now? I have no fucking connections; I don't even know anyone related to Nasdaq. Everything had been a fucking lie!' He thought as panic sets in.

Anna gasped, utterly stunned. Her eyes darted between Charlotte and the sponsor. "What's going on?" she blurted out.

Mark, however, remained calm. He placed a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder and gave a slight shake of his head. Telling her not to worry.

At that moment, a grey-haired, middle-aged man suddenly entered the hall, almost half-running. He was followed by two burly men in suits who looked like bodyguards.

The grey-haired man bowed deeply before Anna. She was surprised and quickly tried to stop him.

"Allow me, miss. I owe you this. Let me introduce myself; I am the host of today's bell-ringing banquet."

"The host, someone of that caliber bowed to her?" The crowd exclaimed.

"The setback for your company was entirely our fault." The host continued. "A clerical error on our part wrongly affected Sico Technology's IPO listing, causing it to be delisted," he explained.

Anna gasped in shock.

The host continued, "The mistake has now been uncovered. All of your assets that were wrongfully frozen have been returned to your name. I deeply apologize for the unintentional harm caused to you and your company."

He waved his hand, and a man in black appeared immediately, carrying a golden tray covered with a white handkerchief. The handkerchief was lifted, revealing a pure gold mallet.

"Ms. Anna, I formally invite you to the podium to strike the ceremonial bell."

Anna covered her lips with both hands, her eyes reflecting her joy. She felt so overwhelmed that she couldn't even react.

Charlotte's breathing became heavy. Today's events had happened in a flash; one moment she was going to ring the bell at the Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony, and the next, it was another person. Rage and desperation filled her heart until she could not think straight. She narrowed her eyes fiercely and immediately made a dash forward.

"That should be mine!" she shouted, trying to snatch the mallet from the golden tray.

Immediately, the two bodyguards who had come with the host blocked her.

"What are you trying to do? Step back!" they scolded.

"Step aside!" she cried, struggling against their grip. The calm atmosphere of the banquet shattered instantly. The guests gasped, and cameras flashed.

Completely overpowered, she screamed, glaring at Anna and Mark, "You planned this! The two of you must have plotted everything from the start! She seduced you, didn’t she? That’s how she got my company’s secrets and used them against me to cancel my IPO!"

The guards tried to hold her back, but she continued, hurling insults. “Scheming whore!” she screamed at Anna. 

“Do you think I don't know that you slept your way up here?" She turned on Mark, trembling with anger. “You traitorous parasite! You betrayed me for her? You both deserve to die in pure misery!"

The grey-haired host frowned, his face darkening with visible anger. "Take her out of here!" he barked at the guards.

Daniel was so shocked by the turn of events that he didn’t even move for a moment. Not wanting to be implicated, he quietly slipped into the crowd and disappeared. Abandoning her.

"Go ahead," Mark said cheerfully to Anna as Charlotte was being dragged away. "Go and ring the bell. This is your moment. I'm rooting for you."

She nodded at him gratefully, forcing back the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes. Under the lead of the host, she stepped toward the podium with the crowd following her.

While this was going on.

Liam approached Mark discreetly. “Boss,” he said, bowing slightly, “I owe you an apology. I arranged the honorary guest title without consulting you first.”

Mark nodded. “You did well.”

Liam straightened. “Regarding Willstark Company, the one you left under my supervision, have a suggestion. Since we’re no longer gifting it to your ex-wife, Charlotte, I’d like to turn it into a cooperative venture to compensate for the damage to Miss Anna’s company. It could help her recover quickly.”

Mark paused for a moment, then replied, “Proceed, but through proper channels. Make sure it doesn’t look like a favor. I’ll speak with her later and suggest she joins the bidding.”

“Alright, boss. I’ll do as you said.” With that, Liam quietly slipped back into the crowd.