Chapter 212

The business world is a battlefield where no one dares show their hand too soon.

Sophia Laurent had barely arrived at Valdemar Holdings when she stirred up a storm. Her audacity turned heads.

Didn't she know the consequences of making enemies?

The Valdemar Group was riddled with factions. By targeting Raymond Huang, she risked setting off a chain reaction.

Raymond Huang stood frozen, his fingers trembling slightly.

"You want to take over the Eden Project?"

Sophia remained calm, her gaze sharp. "Correct. Until the police complete their investigation into the missing 1.1 billion, I'll be overseeing it."

She paused, then added, "Don't worry, Mr. Huang. Your personal freedom won't be restricted during the inquiry."

Raymond's face darkened instantly.

"Sophia! Do you realize you're playing with fire?"

He gritted his teeth. "Targeting a senior executive on your first day—are you trying to destabilize the entire company?"

A faint smile touched Sophia's lips.

"You misunderstand, Mr. Huang. I'm simply following protocol."

"Those who truly care about Valdemar will welcome this. After all..."

Her eyes swept the room. "No one wants parasites eating away at our collective interests, do they?"

A vein throbbed in Raymond's forehead.

"I can provide full accounting records! Don't let this little girl deceive you—"

Sophia chuckled softly.

"Such resistance to a professional audit... Is there something you're hiding, Mr. Huang?"

The boardroom fell silent.

Several shareholders who had been ready to defend Raymond quietly stepped back.

The Eden Project had an 800 million budget. Seven hundred million had been spent, yet less than half the work was completed. After Alexander Valdemar's coma, another 400 million was injected.

The irregularities were obvious.

But what truly unsettled them was this seemingly delicate woman's preparedness.

Sophia had studied dossiers on every key Valdemar executive until dawn.

She knew every shareholder in that room intimately.

Raymond Huang was merely her first warning shot.

With Patriarch Valdemar aging and Alexander comatose, oversight had slipped.

The Eden Project was the biggest loophole.

And Raymond Huang had walked right into her crosshairs.

"This is slander!" Raymond turned desperately to the other shareholders. "Someone speak sense here!"