Chapter 12
"What do you want, Ms. Anika? How, according to you, should we deal with this situation?" Mr. Hudson asked.
"All I want is what's good for the group. The group won't make any progress when conservativeness is preferred over competence, and when ideas of our subordinates are stolen."
"I want the passing of this project as a separate new company, affiliated with our group, and the CEO position of that company," Anika said.
"What! Are you taking us for fools?" All the right-wing members stood in shock.
"And do You see me as a fool?" Mr. Hudson yelled in anger.
"You lot don't even have shame. You stole the idea of your junior! Have you ever thought about the group's well-being? And now you have the audacity to scream here?" he said.
All of them went silent until one spoke. "But Mr. Hudson, how—"
But Mr. Hudson cut him off and continued. "Ms. Anika, tell me why you want the project to start with a new brand value and not under the K-C group."
"Sir, as you must've known, this project was previously rejected because we didn't have enough resources to enter a new field at that time," Anika said.
"But we can now. The only problem that will stop us is the image we've built in the minds of people," she continued.
"Image? What's wrong with that?" Mrs. Dolly said scornfully.
"Yes, image. The products and services we provide to people have created a rigid image of us in their minds, making it harder for any new product launched under the same brand value to make much progress."
"That's why I propose that we go with a new brand value: to create a fresh image in their hearts, where they can think that every product they buy from here will be the best," Anika continued, flipping the report memo to the page containing an elegant logo labeled 'IMAGE.'
"Hmm. Could you go into more technical and practical details about the idea, Ms. Anika?" Mr. Hudson asked with a frown.
'I must not make any mistakes. Mr. Hudson prefers to talk straight, and this is his warning,' Anika thought, gulping.
"I am, talking practically, Sir. That's the motive behind establishing the mall under a new brand value: to create trust in the hearts of our customers regarding all the products we sell there."
"From the analytics and flowchart, after plotting the mathematical equations according to the survey we conducted, if we look over here—" Anika pointed, showing a slide onto the projector screen.
"This is the expected profit we will make through this idea, and the red line here shows the total growth it would gain under the same brand value of the K-C Group over the same period of time," she said.
The flowchart described a blue and green line graph. Although they started from the same point at (0,0), the blue line soon showed steep growth, while the red one inclined less.
"Is this data correct?" Mrs. Dolly asked with a frown.
"Yes, Mrs. Dolly. We have double-checked it through the University of Commerce and Trade."
"Okay. We will talk about it later. Ms. Anika, please provide a more detailed report on that," Mrs. Dolly said after thinking a bit. On her signal, other right-wing board members also joined in.
"Hmm?" Mr. Hudson looked at them with a gaze full of disdain and contempt.
Noticing Mr. Hudson's gaze, they all quietly sat down.
"Ahem, I mean, let's decide this when all the board members are present. Every big decision must be taken through a unanimous vote, right?" Mrs. Dolly said.
"Oh yes, Mrs. Dolly, you are right," the others joined.
"Enough!" Mr. Hudson yelled at them with a stern gaze. "Behave like elders if you still have some conscience left."
"Let's decide about this here and now," Mr. Hudson said.
He knew very well about the competency of Anika's brother. Although he could stand completely in favor of Anika, there were some reasons he didn't do so. Most likely, he still noticed some areas where Anika could improve before taking over the position of CEO. Another reason was that he understood how important it was to maintain neutrality for the stability of the group.
This was why he was probably supporting Anika today. If this project wasn't decided in today's meeting, another chance like this would hardly come for her.
Anika also knew this very well. 'I can't let this happen. If it goes on like this, I won't get such an opportunity another time, and I won't be able to get revenge on them for stealing my idea,' Anika thought.
"But Mr. Hudson, how can we—" Mrs. Dolly opened her mouth, trying to refute.
"Mrs. Dolly, if we follow what you're saying, could you explain how Mr. Rahul is conducting a press conference without a majority vote or even, say, without calling for a proper board meeting?" Anika interrupted her.
"Or were they in some rush?" she continued.
Mrs. Dolly's expression turned speechless again as her face turned red. This was the first time in her life she had faced such humiliation, especially from a junior.
"Ms. Anika, why are you using the group for your own benefit?" With nothing more to say, Mrs. Dolly blurted out angrily.
"I mean Isn't it's clear that she wants to gain ownership over this business for her own gain? Why else would she push forward like this?"
She said this, clearly anticipating that others would join her, but no one did. Not a single voice came in her support.
Everyone knew how shameless it would be to continue debating this matter when they were fully aware of the hole in their own palate.
'She is absolutely right. I proposed this project because I want to be the one who gets its management rights. But how dare she be so shameless… Mrs. Dolly, just you wait. You'll be the first one on my hit list,' Anika thought, gritting her teeth.
"I am in favor of passing this project and giving its management rights to Ms. Anika," Mr. Hudson voiced.
Seeing his decision, others also joined in. Some tried to abstain or vote against it, but when Anika countered them with questions about why they voted against it, they chose to abstain instead.
Of the total 24 board members, only 3 weren't present. The result of the vote was 10 in support, 7 abstained, and 3 voted against it.
This was a satisfactory and expected result for Anika. As she was one of the major shareholders, she was granted one vote in the board meeting even though she wasn't a board member. That was also the main reason why her mother and uncle were after shares.
So with Anika's vote, it became 11 in favor, 7 abstain, and 3 against, passing the project with a majority vote, and the management rights of this project went to Anika.
"This concludes the meeting," Mr. Hudson said. "Ms. Anika, submit a proper plan and the budget allocation report to start the construction within this week."
"And I expect all the board members to behave as such and not steal their juniors' ideas from now on, or else you'll see," he continued with a stern and daunting gaze, leaving the room.
"Yes, Sir," Anika replied. 'This is my first step and the first defeat of you conservative people,' she thought, looking toward all the right-wing board members, who were also leaving one by one, whispering to each other.
Although she still had some frustration and anger left, this had elevated her mood. 'Just you wait and watch how I'll take back every niche and nook of what's rightfully mine.'
Just after they exited the meeting, a certain someone called the vice president—Anika's uncle. "Yes, Ms. Leon?" The V.P. answered the call.
This certain someone was Ms. Leon. She was one of the youngest among the board members and had a great sense of fashion—or so she thought.
"Sir President, the board meeting has concluded just now," she replied in a submissive tone.
"Huh? What's with the solemn tone, Ms. Leon?" he said. "Did Anika break a thing or two from frustration? Hahaha!"
"Was someone injured for you to be this serious?" he continued in a humorous tone.
He clearly didn't have any idea about what had happened. He probably hadn't even anticipated that Anika would turn the tables in such a manner.
"A new project has been passed by the majority vote of the members," she said.
"What!" His voice screamed in surprise through the mobile's speaker.
And just a little away from Ms. Leon, Anika, who just happened to pass by the same route as her, was listening to the entire conversation.