Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband? novel Chapter 436

All the shareholders seated around the conference table held a stake in the company—some large, some small. Mila, as Montgomery Holdings’ largest shareholder, took her place at the head of the table.

Only then did the meeting officially begin.

Things moved quickly. Most of Montgomery Holdings’ business revolved around industrial operations, with steady partnerships and established resources. The board only needed to briefly review major projects like oil extraction, energy supply, and the company’s overseas defense contracts.

Stability was the goal.

After each item was swiftly settled, Randall McKenna—a middle-aged man seated to Mila’s left—finally spoke up, revealing the true purpose behind this meeting.

Research and development.

“Chairwoman Sutherland,” he began, “AI-driven automation in heavy industry is the way of the future. Our subsidiary, Falcon Technologies, has already made significant progress in this area, but they’re facing a funding shortfall. I propose we allocate five billion dollars to formally launch the project.”

Falcon Technologies.

A sudden hush fell over the room. Instinctively, all eyes drifted to Mila.

Falcon Technologies had always been a sensitive subject. It was established by the previous chairman, Lysander, in the face of strong opposition, as a tech-focused offshoot of the group. That alone was controversial enough, but what really set tongues wagging was the persistent rumor that Lysander had gifted the company to his notorious mistress—Giselle.

Originally, Lysander and Giselle were the majority shareholders in Falcon Technologies. Now that Lysander’s shares had ended up in Mila’s hands, Giselle remained the company’s CEO.

It was all rather bizarre.

Ever since Mila’s unexpected arrival a year ago—and her rapid, iron-fisted restoration of order—the board couldn’t help but notice echoes of Lysander in her style.

Both were ruthless when necessary.

But for all her decisiveness, Mila had never once moved against Giselle, despite the endless online gossip and the media’s relentless digging. She simply ignored the notorious ex-mistress and let her be.

Some called it restraint. Others wondered if it was something else.

Whatever the reason, the rest of the board, having witnessed Mila’s methods firsthand, had learned to treat Falcon Technologies as if it didn’t exist. The topic was quietly buried—until today, when Randall brought it up again.

And not just brought it up. He wanted a huge sum allocated to their new project.

The room tensed, everyone sneaking sideways glances at the woman at the head of the table, her face unreadable.

Randall projected the proposal onto the big screen, calmly explaining how automation research would benefit the group. He emphasized that this was a vision Lysander had championed—a legacy project, even.

He looked straight at Mila. “Chairwoman Sutherland, you understand how crucial this initiative is. Intelligent automation could revolutionize management in all our major industrial sectors—predicting machine failures, streamlining maintenance, reducing energy waste, improving safety and risk assessment… There’s no downside.”