Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 275: The War Is Far From Over (1)

Adrienne looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled deviously, admiring her outfit. She opted to wear a sleek black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. The dress accentuated her confidence and gave her a mysterious allure, perfectly matching the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You look stunning," Lennox said, his eyes roaming over her body. "It’s a pity I couldn’t witness your performance today. I wish I could accompany you, but I don’t want others to doubt your worth with me being present."

Adrienne smiled, walked up to him, and fixed his dark tie. She placed her palms against his chest, her heart filled with gratitude for his unwavering love and support.

"It’s enough that you think of me, Len."

Lennox smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear. "You are perfect, Addie. Don’t let your father’s words get into you."

Adrienne looked at him and nodded. Lennox noticed a flash of hatred in her eyes, and he hoped she wouldn’t let it consume her entirely. When they first met, he knew Adrienne’s reason for living was for her mother and her quest to exact revenge on the Jiang family.

Lennox would instead take the Jiang family down by himself if he could. He’d never let her dirty her precious hands if it were up to him. But he could tell that Adrienne needed to be the one to do this, and he couldn’t take this from her.

"When I was younger, all I ever wanted was a family I could call mine, a husband that would love me and whom I could live in a home filled with love and laughter," Adrienne started with a bitter smile. "But when I saw how my father treated my mother and older brother—how he allowed his mistress to harm us—I didn’t want to believe in love anymore. I want no part of it if being miserable is what I’ll get for it. But you...."

Lennox gently stroked her hair, his heart breaking for her. There was no doubt Adrienne had lost her naivety and the innocent way she viewed life after witnessing such a traumatic family situation. Lennox understood her reluctance to believe in love, given the pain she had experienced. However, he was determined to show her that not all relationships were filled with misery and heartache.

"You haven’t given up on me. I’m sorry for making you wait."

"I’ll wait as long as it takes," Lennox whispered, his voice filled with sincerity. "Because deep down, you’re worth every moment of patience and effort."

Adrienne never showed or admitted her vulnerability to anyone like this aside from him, which showed how much she trusted him now—seeing her sad made Lennox want to protect her from every bit of pain she had to experience. If possible, he tried to take away the sorrow from her eyes.

A month had passed since her mother woke from her coma, and now Adrienne was ready to face her father again. It took her some time to get all the legal aspects of her mother’s properties that were now under their shared ownership, but now she felt confident and prepared to confront him.

There was an emergency shareholders’ meeting at Jiang Corporation, and Adrienne decided to attend today. She wanted her father to experience what it felt like to be betrayed and abandoned by people he trusted.

Adrienne arrived just in time for the meeting. Many eyes were immediately drawn to her, not expecting her participation today. Following behind her were Myrtle, Irina, and a man in his thirties. Some businessmen were surprised to see Rowan Zhang, a corporate lawyer known for his ruthless tactics, accompanying Adrienne. Clearly, she had come prepared to make a statement and wasn’t backing down easily.

Her uncles, Alfred and Waylen, looked at her with contempt, each hating her for various reasons. Adrienne ignored their scathing look and didn’t bother to greet them.

The tension in the room grew as Adrienne took her seat. When her father arrived with Cayden, their faces immediately contorted with anger. Adrienne had no doubt her father wanted to lash out at her but couldn’t in front of the shareholders.

Once Lewis Jiang was seated, he looked at Adrienne, his gaze not like a father watching his daughter with affection but rather an enemy he wanted to destroy viciously.

"What are you doing here?" He didn’t waste time questioning her, as if her mere presence was an eyesore to him.

"Did Mr. Jiang forget that I’m also a shareholder of this company?" Adrienne said nonchalantly.

"Stop this nonsense and get out!"

Lewis Jiang turned to his secretary beside him and shouted, "Call the security. Tell them to kick her out! What does a little girl know about running a company?"

"CEO Jiang, you shouldn’t act like this." Rowan Zhang pushed the bridge of his glasses and gave Lewis Jiang a disapproving look.

"My client might be young, but she has every right to be here." He added.

The rest of the shareholders agreed with Rowan but couldn’t help how Adrienne’s presence could affect the Jiang Corporation now. They knew that Adrienne was named the heir of the Jiang family, but since her mother’s accident, she was stopped groomed by her father, who focused all his attention on Cayden instead.

Lewis Jiang was furious. His face was livid. His secretary looked worried and didn’t know what to do. If he listened to his boss, the other shareholders would complain, causing a larger scene than this; however, allowing Adrienne Jiang to stay would also infuriate his boss further.

One of the shareholders cleared his throat and said, "Should we start this meeting then?"

However, as soon as he said this, the door to the room suddenly opened. Just as everyone thought they had witnessed enough surprise today, Chairman Qi’s presence stunned them in place.

He was the rival company’s owner. What was he doing here? They all wondered, but only Adrienne knew why Chairman Qi came today. After all, she was the reason he was here.

Lewis Jiang’s face turned ashen. He heard the news of someone buying out the shares of Jiang Corporation recently, and he never thought it would be their fierce rival.

"Ah? I would have never thought there would be a day I would be here." Chairman Qi looked around, and then his eyes stopped at Adrienne.

"Miss Jiang," he said, greeting her with respect. "Fancy to meet you here."

"What is the meaning of this, Adrienne?"

"What does it have to do with me, Mr. Jiang? Chairman Qi and I only met once before, and it was purely professional." Adrienne’s voice was calm. "Let’s start this meeting."

However, a deafening silence filled the room, each trying to gauge the situation. The agenda of this meeting was about the sudden deepening of the market shares of Jiang Corporation. Everyone was worried about how it would affect the company’s future, but with Adrienne and Chairman Qi of Qi Industries being here, they needed to figure out how to proceed.

Discussing their plans before their enemy would be a suicide move, especially with Adrienne and Chairman Qi present. They knew that any misstep could potentially give away their strategies and put the company at a disadvantage. The tension in the room was palpable as they waited for someone to break the silence and take the lead in navigating this delicate situation.

"What’s the matter? Why’s everyone silent?" Adrienne asked, her voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere.

The shareholders exchanged glances, hesitant to speak up. They were acutely aware of the weight of their words and the consequences they could have on the future of Jiang Corporation. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Chairman Qi stepped forward, breaking the silence.

"I must have made all of you uncomfortable by being here," He started, "However, I gained substantial shares in Jiang Corporation. I didn’t come here to threaten all of you but to offer a collaboration between our companies."