Chapter 123: Chapter 123: He’s Not That Important

Jude Sheridan took a deep breath, suppressing the panic he felt.

"Cecilia, you know full well I can’t produce that many shares right now. Are you really..."

Cecilia Croft spoke, mercilessly cutting him off.

"I don’t know."

"I only know that Vantage is in this mess today because of you. Sebastian Hawthorne is suppressing Vantage now, also because of you."

"I’ve already been merciful enough to offer 1% of the shares. What more could you want?"

Jude Sheridan shot up from his chair, planting his hands on the desk with a furious expression.

"Nothing! In that case, let’s just drag this out. Let’s wait until Vantage becomes more and more worthless."

Cecilia Croft nodded. "Fine by me."

She agreed readily, her expression unchanging. His threat didn’t faze her in the slightest.

Jude Sheridan gritted his teeth, his hands on the desk clenching into tight fists.

"Cecilia, why does it have to be like this between us? Do you really want to see this through to mutual destruction? Have you forgotten how we struggled together, how we built Vantage into what it is today?"

Cecilia Croft’s lips curved into a smile. "All good things must come to an end. I’m not one to cling to the past. Besides, people change, don’t they?"

Jude Sheridan’s brows furrowed, a storm of irritation raging in his eyes.

After a long moment, he suppressed his anger and spoke in a low voice.

"I’m sorry."

With Big Mason present, an "I’m sorry" was all he could manage.

Cecilia Croft didn’t reply, just gave him an indifferent glance. ’Even looking at him for a second longer feels like a jinx.’

Seeing her silence, Jude Sheridan lowered his tone, dropping his previous confrontational stance and adopting a negotiating posture.

"Vantage is in a really tough spot right now. We’re losing clients, and partners are terminating their contracts. If this keeps dragging on, something catastrophic is bound to happen."

"Cecilia, can we please prioritize the big picture for now? As long as Vantage gets through this crisis, I’ll accept whatever punishment you want to dish out or however you want to deal with me afterward."

He looked at Cecilia Croft expectantly, a hint of pleading in his eyes.

Cecilia Croft just sat silently in her chair, still unmoved by his pleas.

Jude Sheridan secretly gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he turned his back to Cecilia Croft and took a few deep breaths, feigning an effort not to lash out at her.

"Cecilia, think it over. I’ll be waiting for your call."

With that, he strode out of Cecilia Croft’s office.

He walked very slowly, silently wondering with each step when Cecilia Croft would call him back.

However, he reached the elevators with a grim face, and the person in the office still hadn’t said a word.

The trick that had worked for him a hundred times before had actually failed.

His hopes were dashed, and a flash of panic flickered in his eyes.

Jude Sheridan stood by the elevators, hesitating to press the down button.

He closed his eyes, and just as he was about to swallow his pride and go back into Cecilia Croft’s office, a hand reached out in front of him and pressed the down button.

Jude Sheridan glanced sideways, casting a cold look at Big Mason, who had walked up beside him.

Big Mason’s demeanor was calm, his face bearing a professional smile.

"President Croft asked me to give President Sheridan a message."

Upon hearing this, Jude Sheridan’s ugly expression softened slightly.

Big Mason continued, "President Croft says that back then, President Sheridan gave away a significant number of shares to win over Vantage’s senior executives and isolate her. If you take those shares back now, it will completely solve Vantage’s current predicament."

"She also said she’s giving you only three days to resolve this matter. Otherwise, you should prepare to dissolve Vantage."

The color drained from Jude Sheridan’s face. He spun around to charge back into Cecilia Croft’s office but was grabbed and held back by Big Mason.

Just then, the elevator doors opened. Without a moment’s hesitation, Big Mason swung his arm and shoved Jude into the elevator.

Jude Sheridan’s build and strength were on a completely different level from Big Mason’s; his struggles were useless.

Hearing the commotion, Cecilia Croft walked out of her office.

Jude Sheridan gritted his teeth and glared at her.

"Cecilia Croft! Vantage isn’t beyond saving! It’s just a small hurdle, and you want to dissolve it? Does it really mean so little to you?"

Cecilia Croft looked calmly at the enraged Jude Sheridan, her tone measured and unhurried.

"Vantage’s success, to me, is just the icing on the cake. I can have it, or I can give it up."

Jude Sheridan’s expression turned strange, and he felt a dull ache tightening in his chest.

Before he knew Cecilia Croft’s true identity, Jude Sheridan had always been convinced that she would never give up on Vantage.

But now, compared to Cecilia Croft, he was the one who needed Vantage more.

He couldn’t let it go as casually as Cecilia Croft could.

All of his prestige was tied to Vantage.

If he were stripped of his title as President of Vantage and tried to start his own business again, it would be incredibly difficult to succeed.

He needed Vantage now, more than anyone.

Jude Sheridan clenched his fist tightly. Just as he was about to punch the elevator wall, the doors slid open.

The employees waiting for the elevator were all startled to see his disheveled hair and a large rip in his shirt.

’Is this still our dashing, handsome President Sheridan?’

Under everyone’s gaze, Jude Sheridan finally lowered his fist and straightened his clothes slightly. The moment he looked down, he noticed his shirt was ruined.

His jaw tightened. With a cold expression, he strode out of the elevator and said gruffly to a nearby employee.

"Get Manager Quinn to my office."

The employee froze for a second, then quickly replied, "Right away, President Sheridan."

With a grim face, Jude Sheridan walked toward his office, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Before entering, he angrily threw the torn shirt into a trash can.

He used so much force that he knocked the trash can over.

Seeing this, the employees in the office area were so scared they didn’t dare to breathe.

Cecilia Croft immediately received news of Jude Sheridan’s tantrum downstairs.

She heard that Manager Quinn had been called to his office and that the two of them had been in discussions for over an hour.

When Manager Quinn came out, he didn’t look too happy.

Afterward, Jude Sheridan summoned the other senior executives. When they came out, they, like Manager Quinn, had grim faces, looking as if they’d just eaten shit.

Cecilia Croft didn’t need to think to guess what they had discussed.

Back then, to win people over, Jude Sheridan had generously given away some of his own shares to certain senior executives as a reward. Some other executives, optimistic about Vantage’s future, had also bought shares from him at a low price.

Among these people, Manager Quinn was the biggest beneficiary, holding a full 5% of the shares.

Knowing Manager Quinn’s personality, he wouldn’t last long before he started secretly looking for a buyer to sell off his shares.

The others would surely follow suit.

Cecilia Croft already had the next step of her plan figured out. She was just waiting for them to take the bait.

Once all the shares fell into Sebastian Hawthorne’s hands, forcing Jude Sheridan out would be the easiest thing in the world.