Summary: After her father's sudden death, Misaki Ayuzawa agrees to a marriage in order to continue running his company. She certainly never expected to be marrying her college rival.
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"Yukimura, I need those contracts on my desk now." Misaki yelled at her assistant as she entered the office. He obediently followed behind her, trembling as he tried not to agitate her further.
"I have them right here!" Yukimura handed her the stack, which she yanked from his hand. "Ms. Ayuzawa…are you sure you should be here? Your father's funeral was yesterday, wasn't it?" Misaki tossed the pile of papers onto her desk, though she calmed slightly at the mention of her father.
"Please don't speak about my father." Misaki sighed, not wanting to terrorize Yukimura further. It wasn't his fault that her father had passed away, leaving the entire business in her hands.
"Y-yes Ms. Ayuzawa…you have a meeting with the board in ten minutes." Yukimura retreated, leaving Misaki alone in her office. She calmed herself and smoothed out her clothing before making her way to the conference room. This meeting was bound to be interesting.
"Gentleman," Misaki greeted the members of the board, ignoring her immediate feeling of hatred towards the men. The business world had always been overwhelmingly dominated by males, much to Misaki's displeasure.
"Ms. Ayuzawa, let's get straight to the point," Kaoru Amaka, the CFO, spoke. He was the eldest of all the board members. "You aren't equipped to run this company."
"Excuse me?" Misaki scowled, knowing exactly where this conversation was going.
"You're a woman without an MBA, and you think you should take your father's place?" Another member piped in, further pissing Misaki off. This was obviously a group decision that had been made without her.
"I am a woman, and I'm also a Harvard educated business attorney. Not to mention, my father spent nearly a decade training me for this. I might not have years of experience, but I certainly have the qualifications." Misaki argued, standing up and glaring at the board.
"That may be true, but without the support of the board, you will not run this company. Combined with the shareholders, we own 55% of Ayuzawa Inc., which means we can and will appoint a new CEO." Mr. Amaka spoke again, smirking at Misaki as she resisted the urge to strangle the man.
"I'm still the acting CEO, appointing a new director will take time. My family owns 45% of this company, what's stopping me from acquiring more shares and throwing all of you out?" Misaki threatened, hoping the board wouldn't take it that far. The men laughed at her threat; buying more shares would be nearly impossible. She slammed her hand down on the table to shut them up, "What if I acquire enough shares to make me majority shareholder? I would be able to overpower your decisions."
"Technically, yes, but the shareholders are loyal to us. It would be a hopeless endeavor." Mr. Amaka spoke, he was obviously the leader of this little takeover attempt.
"How are you so certain that the shareholders will support you?" Misaki demanded, placing her hands on her hips as she addressed him.
"The shareholders trust us, and though they trusted your father, you're not him. If we advise them to appoint a new CEO, they will follow our lead." The board members all vocalized their agreement.
"Give me one week. I'll prove you wrong." Misaki responded, her anger was so strong it was almost seeping out of her pores. Mr. Amaka chuckled at her audacity as he answered.
"Fine, one week—and If you fail, you step down as CEO immediately." Misaki thought it over for a moment, though she already knew her decision. If she couldn't do this, she didn't deserve the company.
"We have an agreement." Fire burned in Misaki's eyes as she shook his hand. "Meeting dismissed." She ordered, calmly walking out of the room and back to her father's office.
"Yukimura, schedule a meeting with Walker for tomorrow. Tell his secretary that I have a business proposition for him, he won't turn that down." Misaki ordered before she entered the room and locked the door behind her, finally letting out her frustration.
"Damn it!" Misaki muttered, kicking off her heels and throwing her blazer onto the sofa as she began to pace up and down the room. In theory, Misaki could understand the viewpoint of the board, but the truth of the matter was that she was the best suited to take over. She knew everything there was to know about the company, it's partnerships, and even the employees. No newcomer would have that type of knowledge.
Unfortunately, in order to become the majority shareholder, she needed at least 6% more of the shares. There was only one shareholder who owned more than that: Richard Walker, CEO of Walker Corporation.
The company was a huge rival of theirs, and Misaki's father owned a portion of their shares as well. She figured it was possible to barter some sort of deal to trade their shares, but it meant she would have to meet with Richard. He had been running Walker Corp. longer than she'd been alive, convincing him to agree to a deal benefitting his competitor would be incredibly difficult.
This was why she hated men. They treated women like they were unable to do anything on their own. She had spent years building up her reputation, but still, they didn't trust her or believe she was capable of filling her father's shoes. If doing the impossible was what it took for them to take her seriously, she'd do absolutely anything to achieve it.
One thing was for sure: if the board wanted a fight, she was sure as hell going to give them one.