Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 32: Action Stefan

The next morning, the tension in the conference room was thick enough to cut through.

Papers rustled, pens tapped against notepads, and the quiet hum of whispered discussions filled the space.

Ruby sat beside Stefan, her fingers flipping through one of the many contracts sprawled across the table. Everyone from the legal team was present, their brows furrowed in concentration as they combed through the ten-year lease agreement with the troublesome Mr Sherlock.

Every now and then, one of the lawyers would point out a clause, murmur a possible lead, or scribble down a note. The urgency in the room was palpable—this wasn’t just another corporate strategy meeting. This was a mission, a desperate search for a legal lifeline to sever ties with a man whose negligence was endangering lives.

Ruby glanced at Stefan, who sat still beside her, his jaw tight, eyes hidden behind dark glasses. Even though he couldn’t see the chaos of documents in front of him, he was clearly tuned in to every word being said. Naomi stood on the other side of the table, flipping through pages of older contracts, highlighting differences between the drafts.

"It’s got to be here," muttered one of the senior attorneys. "There has to be a clause on safety violations or breach of operational standards..."

Just then, the heavy wooden door to the conference room slammed open with a loud bang, startling everyone. All heads turned sharply as Richard Winters stormed in, his face flushed with anger and disbelief.

"What the hell is going on here?" he barked, eyes sweeping across the room until they landed on Stefan.

The lawyers froze, unsure whether to speak or retreat. Ruby stiffened, her back straightening as she closed the folder in front of her.

Stefan didn’t flinch. Calmly, he turned his head toward the sound of his uncle’s voice and said, "Exactly what you think, Uncle. We’re going through the contract, again." fre(e)webnove.l.c.om

Richard took a step forward, fury radiating off of him. "You’re going to ruin everything we’ve built with this foolishness," he snapped. "That man is one of our best-paying investors. You can’t just kick him out over some drama stirred up by workers."

Ruby stood up, her voice calm but firm. "Drama?" she repeated. "What we saw yesterday wasn’t drama—it was disaster. People are getting hurt. Someone is in the hospital, fighting for his life. And you want us to sit back and pretend like everything’s fine just because you care more about the money than the people?"

Richard turned to her, his tone sharp. "And since when did you start poking your nose into business matters, young lady?"

Ruby didn’t back down. "Since I married into this family," she replied without hesitation. "And as part of this family, I won’t keep quiet and let lives be destroyed for the sake of profit."

face twisted with anger. "You have no idea

also know that a business

eyes narrowed at her before shifting back to Stefan. "You’re letting her speak for

"No," he said, his voice calm yet final. "She’s speaking for herself—and everything she said is right. You’re obstructing the legal team’s work, Richard. If you’re not here to help, I suggest

was a moment of tense silence. Richard’s chest rose and fell rapidly as he looked between his nephew and Ruby. When

again, but this time it was laced with something else—respect. A few members of the legal team glanced at Ruby with newfound admiration. Naomi gave her a small nod of approval,

Ivy wasn’t the one they knew. She had probably hit her head somewhere, resetting all

down again, her heart still racing. She hadn’t meant to go toe-to-toe with Richard, but it felt necessary. She looked over at Stefan, unsure of how he

said, quietly but firmly, "let’s get back to

back to life—this time with more urgency

Richard stormed out of the conference room, slamming the door

for his attention to detail, sat up straighter in his seat. "There it is," he said, tapping his pen against the contract page as if he’d just uncovered a

Naomi looked

it would be enough to go against Richard and

the document slightly, holding it up as if presenting a piece of evidence. "It’s subtle, buried under legal jargon, but it’s here." He cleared his throat. "The contract can’t be terminated arbitrarily, yes. But there’s a clause under Section 4, Subsection 9. It states that if the company deems that the investor is repeatedly failing to implement safety protocols and has been found negligent with no attempt to make amends despite formal notification, the contract can be dissolved at the company’s

again. And then—a smile broke out on every

it," Naomi said, her voice almost a whisper before

swell with relief and pride. "He’s definitely been negligent, and yesterday proved

calling Mr. Sherlock in for a meeting. If he

him like this—so composed, so determined—it stirred something warm in her chest. It wasn’t just about business anymore. He wasn’t letting his blindness define his leadership;

"I’ll contact his office

at noon,"

with a small

him. "You were brilliant back there," she said in a hushed voice meant only for his ears.