Chapter 3
"You were kicked out!" she hissed, stepping closer, eyes narrowing.
"Oh, I was," Kendall said, her smile steady. "But someone picked me up that same day."
Her gaze flicked across the room to where Ralph had just walked in.
There, she saw Ralph Stone making his entrance—tall and imposing, his suit perfectly tailored, his eyes cutting through the crowd like a blade.
The room went quiet, the chatter dying in an instant.
He strode over and stopped beside Kendall, his presence heavy as a storm.
Sharon took a shaky step back. "Mr. Stone," she said, her voice turning sweet as syrup. "So good to see you again. Remember last time? You saved me from that awful toast…"
Ralph didn't even glance her way. His eyes stayed on Kendall. "You're early."
"I don't keep people waiting," Kendall replied, her tone cool but familiar, like they shared a secret no one else knew.
Ralph's gaze slid to Sharon. "Sorry, what's your name again?"
Sharon's face went pale as snow. "I… I'm with the White family—"
"Right." Ralph's voice was cold as ice. "I thought Kendall was the White family's heiress."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Sharon looked like she'd been slapped.
Kendall sipped her champagne, her smile sharp and fleeting.
She knew why Ralph was backing her.
Three years ago, on a night no one else remembered, she'd saved his life. Back then, no one knew she was the true White heiress.
And now?
Sharon stood frozen as Ralph, the untouchable head of Stone Group, reached out and casually fixed the shawl slipping from Kendall's shoulder.
The gesture was small but intimate, enough to make the room's jaws drop.
"How about we sit together tonight?" he said.
Kendall nodded, her voice soft but loaded. "Sounds perfect. Let's show some people what it means to lose big and come back bigger."
She took Ralph's arm and sauntered toward the head table, leaving Sharon behind, her fists clenched so tight her nails drew blood.
Sharon got it now. This wasn't just a gala.
This was Kendall's comeback, her first shot in a war she was ready to win.
At the main table, lined with CEOs and finance tycoons, the White family was stuck at the far end—Dwayne and Sharon relegated to the cheap seats.
Ralph and Kendall took the prime spots, and not a single person dared to blink.
The host kicked off the announcements, flashing Stone Group's new partnerships across a giant screen.
When "White Group" lit up, the room buzzed with hushed whispers.
Dwayne's face darkened like a thundercloud. He leaned toward Sharon, his voice a low growl. "You said she had nothing! You said she was gone!"
Sharon's jaw tightened, her nails digging deeper into her palms. "I don't know how she got the board on her side… She's not even a businesswoman."
Before she could finish, the host gestured to the media section. "Next, a few words from White Group's new majority shareholder, Ms. Kendall White."
Kendall rose, her movements smooth and confident, and took the stage.
She grabbed the mic, her voice calm but sharp as a knife. "Thanks for being here tonight, and a big thank you to Mr. Stone for his trust in me and White Group."
She paused, her eyes sweeping the room before locking onto Dwayne and Sharon like a hawk spotting prey.
"Since taking over, I've ordered a full audit of White Group's books for the last three years," she said. "Every subsidiary, especially the Helios Medical Solutions fund pool.
"If there's been any shady dealing—embezzlement, hidden accounts, cooked numbers—I'll make sure it's handled. By the law."
The hall erupted in murmurs.
Sharon shot to her feet, her voice shrill. "Who do you think you are?!"
Kendall didn't flinch. "I'm the one with 51.3% of the shares, board approval, and—"
She took a document from her assistant and handed it to the emcee. "—the new ownership statement, out tonight."
The screen flickered, and bold text appeared: [White Group Ownership Update: Ms. Kendall Now Holds 51.3% Stake, Securing Full Board Veto Power.]
Dwayne's face turned the color of ash.
Sharon stumbled back, muttering, "No… that's impossible… You were cut off from the White family!"
Kendall lowered her gaze, a faint, dangerous smile curving her lips. "The White family can disown me all they want. But money? It doesn't give a damn about family. It only respects power."
The whole banquet hall went dead quiet.