Chapter 11
Zara’s POV
The boardroom fell silent after my father dropped the bomb so much so that the only thing sounding was the ticking of the clock and the swaying of the crystal chandeliers above us.
“She would lead us?”
“Where did she even come from?”
“What does she know?”
I could read these questions all over the faces of the Board members as they turned their heads uncomfortably. Backs stiffened, expressions shifted and distorted.
Their scrutinizing gaze could almost make one wish the ground would open up to receive them, but I stood tall.
Madilyn, still frozen in her seat, parted her lips as though she were disappointed in my father.
Evelyn, on the other hand, had a face laced with fury as though she could pounce on me at any point. She hasn’t always liked me from the start. I was a reminder of my mother, a woman she could never be. Ever since she became my stepmother, I had always seen that subtle hatred she had for me, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. I didn’t expect her to support me now. Especially when her daughter’s position is at stake.
I took a deep breath and regained my composure. Then I stepped forward, turning my attention to the Board—men and women in suits that spoke power. The look on their faces wasn’t encouraging, but I wasn’t here to beg but to lead.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself, honorable members of the Board”. I began, letting my voice fill the room.
“I am Zara Smith, daughter of Sarah and Joseph Smith. I was gone, but now I am back to take my place as the heiress of Smith Holdings. I may have been gone for a long time, but rest assured, I have not been lazying around.” Some members began moving uncomfortably in their seats as though the chair had begun to bite them.
“Do you even know how to run a business?” One of them finally broke the silence. Gideon Watson, I recognized him—his posture was rigid, his nose perpetually pointed like he could sniff a lie. He was one of those who made sure my father married another woman immediately after my mum’s death to keep the glorious image of the company, despite how early it was for me and my father. He had been a master strategist in manipulation behind everyone’s backs.
“Of course, I didn’t come empty-handed,” I answered smoothly.
“I have a line of evidence to prove that I didn’t spend the last few years frolicking around. I built my fashion empire after working as a model. I am a successful investor with a trail of booming startups to support that claim. And I definitely didn’t come here because I need the profits that come with the position, but rather, I came to help Smith Holdings grow better and bigger”.
At this point, a few heads started nodding in my favour, and eyebrows rose as Mia handed copies of my portfolio to each member.
But even if I couldn’t feel anything in that room, I could surely feel Madilyn's eyes rolling at me.
“Zara…Zara…Zara.” Madilyn finally broke her silence.
“ Look around you.” She gestured. Do you see any clothes being advertised? Or do you see cameras, makeup, and models?”
“What makes you think your expertise or whatever in modeling and fashion is what we need here at Smith Holdings? How do they even correlate? Did 6 years away from home make you forget we are an advertising and marketing company?”
A few members of the Board also nod their heads in her favour.
I let out a cold smile. Predictable as expected. She was still the same shallow-minded step-sister I left years ago.
“I’m not surprised you’re still small-minded, Madilyn”.
“Is it not obvious it’s my skills in Sales, Marketing, and Advertising that aided in building the multibillion-dollar business I have now?”. “I’ve built my brand from scratch using these skills that continuously sold out or collections in short moments. My work wasn’t just fashion. It was data collection, strategy, and marketing.
She parted her lips to let out a comeback, but nothing came out. She probably kept it shut after rethinking my point. She then folded her arms in defeat with a deep frown on her face.
I clapped my hands together, “Okay, having established that, let’s get to business”. I pulled out a chair beside the CEO, my father and sat down.
“I did my research before coming here and found out the company might be winding up soon”.
There were continuous gasps here and there, some subtle, some startled, but they weren’t surprising.
“Excuse me Zara, you can’t just waltz in here and belittle us or make us feel we haven’t been doing our job”. Gideon countered.
“I’ll explain”. I answered.
I opened a folder Mia had dug up for me and stopped on the page I needed. “Three quarters in a row, there has been a decline in the profit margin, and this has been blamed on the tech division for not setting the target right, but guess what? Our offers need to be blamed.”
Gideon scoffed. “What offers?”
“Exactly!. We have nothing. No offers. No promotional packages. No irresistible combos. How do we expect more clients to come to us for their various campaigns if we don’t shove enticing offers in their face?” They began to look like students taking in what their teacher was teaching them, and I liked that.
I continued. “I mean, how do we convince our clients that we can run their ad campaigns and create juicy offers for their customers if we haven’t been showing them our own offers? How would they trust us?”
The room was still. No interruption.
“Smith Holding has only been depending on old and traditional clients that might be going out of business soon. This is why I made my earlier claim” They then nodded one after the other in agreement.
“If we still intend to preserve the name of Smith Holdings as the number one advertising and marketing agency, then we have to be at the top of our game,” I said with a concluding tone.
To my surprise, applause started rising slowly from the far end and then loudly when it reached the front where I sat. I was pleased to see the smile and comfort I brought to their faces.
The whole time, Leo had been looking deeply at me as though he was taken aback by my intelligence. I mean, who wouldn’t be?
Evelyn’s face looked pale. Madilyn watched me with tightened fists and lips enclosed into a thin line. But my father looked at me with pride.
The board meeting came to an end, and we all walked out one by one. I didn’t make it five steps further before I was pulled back in by my step-mother.
“So”, Madilyn started.
“You just walk back in, ridicule us, and think you’ve earned a crown?”
Evelyn added, “And that stunt you pulled with your father. Next CEO?” She let out a scornful laugh. I ignored her.
I turned to Madilyn. “ Earned a crown? No dear, I inherited it and I’d also like to say I deserve it.”
Marilyn stepped towards me, close enough for our faces to be a few inches apart. “Do you think the Board or our father will be there for you when things get stormy? You don’t know what you have walked into.”
“I’ve walked through worse,” I replied softly.
She scoffed. “Okay. Let’s see how that works out for you”.
They both stared down at me and walked out of the boardroom with their heels echoing loudly as they took their steps.
Leo came in. “Well… that was a good performance.”
I gave him a strong glance. “Performance?. Please, I’m naturally smart. I didn’t need to pretend to know the business.”
He let out a smirk while raising his hands in surrender. “I was just kidding, princess”.
“So shall we?” He gestured towards the door and took my hand in his.
As we stepped out of the room, hand in hand, we paused at the sight of a strange female figure in front of us. Leo quickly removed my hands as though he had been caught cheating.
What the hell? Why did he drop the act? Who is she?
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