Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1278

1278 /1280

“You can see it from everything that’s happened lately. Audrey Williams isn’t just another spoiled heiress. She’s got real skill and nerve.”

Once one person spoke up, the rest found their courage too. Alison, who’d failed at recruiting Robert last time, wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, “And, sir, you haven’t been around The Smith Group much lately. There’s talk everywhere about your health, people saying you’re stepping away from the company…”

“Yeah, and now there are even rumors about a complete shakeup in management at The Smith Group. All these stories are making our partners nervous, and that’s why we’re facing these problems with our projects.”

In business, everyone wants stability. Nobody wants their partner to suddenly run into trouble. By the time anything goes wrong and losses start stacking up, it’s too late to regret it.

Jordan Smith used to be the face of The Smith Group. But after everything that happened with the Smith family, he’s barely been seen in the business world. He was either getting medical treatment overseas or spending long stretches in Cabinda. And people in Harrisburg pretty much knew what he was up to over there.

Before he realized it, his influence had faded. He didn’t have the same authority anymore, not even as much as Walter Wilson. The shareholders were starting to get restless.

One major shareholder spoke up, not bothering to hold back in front of everyone. “Mr. Smith, what’s the point of getting angry now? Is it going to help anything? The only reason The Wilson Group and NextGen Technologies are going after us is because you provoked them in the first place.”

Another older shareholder nodded along. “He’s right. This all started when you got mixed up with Sandra Taylor. Ever since then, The Smith Group has been going downhill.”

With the first few people daring to speak up, the others followed. Instead of talking about the business losses, they started airing out Jordan’s personal mistakes.

Jordan’s face darkened, but he couldn’t really argue back. He had made a lot of mistakes. Standing there at the head of the table, he went quiet, like he was really starting to reflect on what he’d done to The Smith Group.

Most of the shareholders just watched him. They weren’t blaming him outright anymore, but the admiration they used to have for him was gone.

Everyone started thinking the meeting was about to wrap up. They’d always been used to following Jordan’s lead, and even if he lost his temper sometimes, he wasn’t exactly wrong. Maybe they could just let it slide.

But then Jordan spoke up. The anger from earlier was gone, replaced by something steadier. He didn’t yell at his team; instead, he looked at the shareholders and spoke seriously. “I haven’t been fulfilling my responsibilities. I promise all of you, from now on, I’ll do everything I can to turn things around for The Smith Group. I’ll be here, in person, to handle everything.”

He knew he couldn’t let his feelings get in the way anymore. Emotions didn’t get you anywhere in this world. He had to pull himself together and become the Jordan Smith he used to be.