The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 99

"Mr. Joplin, the meeting's about to start."

Murphy knocked on the door softly when he returned from escorting Yvonne out. This was an important meeting, mainly to address the fallout from the recent string of controversies.

"Mr. Joplin, we've just received reports accusing our company of manipulating the stock market."

The recent rumors had hit Joplin Group hard. Shares had plummeted due to the bad press, and many shareholders had panic-sold their shares. Then, just as quickly, the market rebounded, leaving those who sold feeling cheated.

The pattern was obvious—a deliberate cycle meant to unsettle investors.

"People are venting all over the company's social media accounts," Murphy continued, handing over a report.

The comments were brutal.

"This is a scam!"

"How did the shares magically jump up right after I sold mine? Someone's rigging this."

"What about the money we've lost? Who's going to compensate us?"

Even the media had latched onto the story, fanning the flames with speculative headlines.

"Have we identified who's behind this?" I asked, skimming through the data. The fluctuations weren't natural. Someone was pulling strings in the background, but who?

"We're investigating," Murphy replied, his posture tense as if bracing for impact.

I gave a curt nod and headed for the conference room, where the board members had been waiting. The moment I stepped in, the accusations began flying.

"Cole, we trusted you with this company. Look what's happened now!" one of the older directors snapped, his face red with anger. "Stock manipulation? Scandals? You've turned this place into a circus. How do you plan to fix this?"

Their disdain was palpable. I had always known some of them wanted Hayden in this seat instead of me. They believed he was the more polished, diplomatic choice. And, of course, he'd let them get away with their shady dealings. I wouldn't.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" I asked, folding my arms.

One of the directors, a former confidant of my father, spoke up, "If you hadn't staged that sham wedding, maybe the press wouldn't be so fixated on you." He exuded an air of stern authority.

"Cole, this isn't just about you. The Joplin family name—"

"Don't lecture me about the family name." My voice was icy. "You've used it to line your pockets for years. Don't pretend you're here out of loyalty."

I didn't come here to be lectured by them.

If I stayed silent, would they really think they had the upper hand?

They were just employees of the company. Did they think that staying here long enough gave them the right to lord over me?

"I've turned a blind eye to a lot of things, but now you think you can come and control me?"

Every single person here had their own share of greed. Not one was clean. "Looks like I've been too lenient."