Chapter 1
I had worked at the company for five years without a single raise.
Last month, I won 10 million dollars in the lottery. My first thought was to quit and walk away without looking back.
But my financial advisor told me, "Your company's stock has dropped to rock bottom. It's a perfect time to buy in."
So I bit the bullet and quietly bought 38% of the company through an anonymous account—becoming the largest shareholder.
Then I went right back to work, acting like nothing had changed.
At yesterday's shareholder meeting, the CEO proposed cutting half the workforce.
The other board members exchanged uneasy looks and stayed silent.
I raised my hand. "I vote in favor."
The CEO's face went dark on the spot. He stared at me for a full ten seconds.
After the meeting, he cornered me outside the room. "Come with me to my office."
I'd been at Sliver Tech for five years.
My salary hadn't gone up a single cent.
Every day, I was stuck doing all the grunt work, while getting paid less than anyone else.
Last month, I hit the jackpot with a lottery ticket.
10 million dollars.
The moment I got the money, my first thought was to quit.
I wanted to slap my resignation letter right in the face of my CEO, Matthew Leigh.
Then I'd take off and travel the world.
But my financial advisor stopped me.
He pointed at Sliver Tech's stock chart, showing it had totally tanked.
"Ms. Jennings, your company's stock is at its lowest point ever, cash is tight, but the core tech is still solid," he said.
"Instead of quitting, why not scoop up shares while they're cheap?"
I stared at that neon green line on the screen, my heart was racing.
Five years of getting screwed over by the company and sidelined by my coworkers.
If I could just take over as the biggest shareholder here...
I clenched my teeth and made my decision.
Through a series of complex anonymous transactions, I dropped 9 million dollars to buy 38% of Sliver Tech's publicly traded shares.
I became the company's biggest—and most mysterious—shareholder.
After that, I headed back to the office like nothing ever happened.
I swiped in, did my job, and put up with all the usual crap.
Pretended nothing had changed.
Yesterday, the company called an emergency shareholders' meeting.
As a shareholder, I got an invite, of course.
But I didn't go to the main hall—instead, I sat quietly in the corner, posing as the meeting recorder.
Matthew, always in a sharp suit and never a hair out of place, sat at the head of the table, his face stormy.
"The company's been losing money for three straight quarters. We need to cut costs."
His voice was cold as ice.
"I'm proposing we lay off half the staff."
The room went dead silent.
A few of the senior shareholders, faces sour, sat there—none of them wanted to be the first to break the silence.
Laying off half the staff would take a huge hit on the company, and the stock price could drop even further.
Matthew looked around the room, his stare making it clear he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Anyone got a problem with that? No? Then—"
"I object," one of the senior shareholders finally spoke up. "Laying people off won't fix the real problem."
"I don't think that's right either. You're moving way too fast," another shareholder jumped in.
Matthew snorted, his tone icy.
"Anyone got a better plan?"
The room went dead silent again.
Everyone knew Matthew ran the whole show.
He was just going through the motions.
I sat quietly in the corner, taking in everything as it happened.
Watching those shareholders, who usually strutted around like they ran the show, now shrinking into silence under Matthew's gaze.
Seeing that look in Matthew's eyes—the kind of arrogance that said he was in total control, I knew he needed someone to say yes and break the stalemate.
He needed overwhelming support—a vote that would tip the scales.
I raised my hand.
Suddenly, every eye in the room turned to me—the meeting recorder tucked away in the corner.
Matthew's brows furrowed, making it obvious he didn't think I mattered.
"Which department are you from? This isn't your place to speak up."
The supervisor beside him hurried to explain, "Mr. Leigh, that's Yvette Jennings, the meeting recorder."
I ignored the supervisor and kept my eyes steady on Matthew.
"I'm not here as the meeting recorder," I said.
I paused, speaking each word slowly and firmly.
"I'm here as a shareholder, and I vote yes."
The whole room went dead silent.
A few of the senior shareholders stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
Matthew's face turned stormy in an instant.
He fixed his gaze on me, eyes sharp as knives, like he wanted to slice me open from the inside out.
He stared at me for a full ten seconds.
Then, through gritted teeth, he finally spat out a few words.
"Good. Very good."
After the meeting, everyone gave me a wide berth, like I was carrying some kind of plague.
I was just about to leave after packing up my things.
Suddenly, a tall figure planted himself right in front of me, blocking my way.
It was Matthew.
His voice gave nothing away.
"Come to my office," he said.
*****