Who Do You Think You Are?

Evelyn watched every soul in that room. All except Zayne were staring at her like a hawk, expecting her resignation any moment. 

She crossed gazes with Preston. 

He was smirking at her. Not just him, but Brandon and Lyra as well. 

Had they all planned this? Was this outcome already expected before any of them arrived here? 

There was only one explanation so far. 

Not just Preston but Brandon and Lyra had met these shareholders behind her back. She couldn't pinpoint what they could have possibly talked about, but whatever they may have told these business people had to be thick enough to make them stand with him. 

If not, they had no reason cornering her like this to hand the corporation over. 

Evelyn steepled her fingers and lowered her head, smiling in sudden amusement. 

Preston really was looking down on her. Every single one of them underestimated her. 

Lifting her gaze, she asked, "What is your name?" 

"What?" 

The middle-aged lady blinked at her. 

Evelyn crossed her legs. "So far, I'm aware every single one of you is a shareholder of TDG, however, as the new owner of this corporation, I have no idea what your names are. I'll start with you. Go ahead and introduce yourself, please." 

The woman's hands balled into fists on the glass table. She peered into her eyes, searching, trying to intimidate, Evelyn however held her gaze equally. 

What made her think she could intimidate a woman like her who'd been raised harshly by a man like Sage Darkwood? Loved less and treated less than her own siblings. 

Alienated her entire life. 

The lady cleared her throat. "Marcella Moretti," she said. "I've had quite a lot of deals with your father. Competent man he is." 

"True, that he is," Evelyn didn't disagree. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mrs Moretti. The corporation, however—" 

The sudden sound of the door creaking open, dragged all attention, including hers. She turned her head, furrowing her brows as she crossed gazes with none other than Lincoln Darkwood, her uncle, and her father's younger brother. 

He had the same pair of green eyes, exactly as hers, and she'd often wondered why.

"Finally, decided to grace us with your presence, Lincoln?" one of the businessmen relaxed in his seat. 

Lincoln didn't look away from her. And she held his gaze. 

The man had never really been fond of her. Well, they'd never spoken much, he barely even interacted with her. But Preston, Brandon, and Lyra, he was very close to them. 

"A bit of a traffic issue." 

Lincoln finally averted his eyes, walking over to take his seat at the table. He was seated opposite Zayne, at her left-hand side, fingers coming up to run through his strands of dark hair. 

"Shall we continue where we left off?" Marcella asked. 

Evelyn gave way. "Go ahead." 

"As I've stated before, we are all well aware that your father has handed the corporation to you through a written will. However, none of us here thinks you're competent enough to handle TDG. We're all worried that we might end up losing, investing in a woman like you who has no idea what it takes to run a corporation. Therefore, we ask that you hand the corporation over to Preston." 

"We?" 

The voice belonged to Zayne, dragging all attention over to him. 

Lincoln cocked a brow. "Is there a problem Mr. Mancini?" 

Zayne narrowed his eyes at him. 

"I am not part of the majority who came to this conclusion. If she dares give the corporation up to anyone, I do not care who, I will sue her. Sage Darkwood wrote his will, don't you think he had a reason for choosing her as his successor?" 

"True," Lincoln agreed. "However, that does not negate the fact that she is incompetent." 

He looked at Evelyn. 

"Sage Darkwood is dead. Gone. Each and every one of us, including his sons, has invested a lot in this corporation. We're all hoping for the best, therefore the reason we came to this decision."

One of the men seated within the room, Mr. Romano turned to Zayne, saying, "We're all well aware that you're the biggest shareholder of TDG, but your displeasure cannot overthrow a majority vote. However, if anyone else disagrees, you may raise your hand." 

No one lifted their hand, no one, except Zayne. 

Mr. Romano half smiled. "Majority carries the vote, Mr. Mancini. My biggest apology." 

This time, the one who spoke was Marcella. "Kindly sign the documents, girl. This is not a place for such a young woman like yourself." She pushed the document over to Evelyn. 

Evelyn lowered her gaze to the piece of paper, with a pen by the side. She stared at it for a long ticking moment before she chuckled. 

This earned a brow raise from everyone within the room. 

She picked up the document and right before their eyes, she tore it into pieces. It scattered all over the table, all individuals within that room staring with confusion in their gazes. 

"What is the meaning of thi—"

"I refuse," she spat, not even an ounce of amusement evident on her face. 

Evelyn rose from her seat, hands shoved into the pocket of her slacks. She tilted her head, watching them with a derisive look in her eyes.

Zayne was just as taken aback. He was confused, having never seen her like this. Where had that mischievous woman gone? The one that was all smiles, cheerful, and aloof as if she were naive? 

This Evelyn was different, almost as if it weren't the same person. 

"Who do you think you are coming in here and assuming you have any right over me?" she questioned.

They blinked, stunned. 

"What gave any of you the impression that you have any right to overthrow my father's decision and intimidate me with your little games?"