Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Chapter 790: Kate's frighteningly warm demeanor

That former wealthy capitalist had once been her patron. Even without solid finances, the connections and favors he had sown were enough to live wonderfully and indulge.

A life many envied and could never experience. Yet in the face of death, everything he had collapsed into nothing.

However, that capitalist was the one who wanted her life. If not for her friend's persistence and care, Kate might not even have known how she died the next day.

For the first time ever, she realized the cruelty and savagery of the capitalist world. The ruthlessness that went beyond fierce market competition.

Kate was enlightened. In this cruel world, where she had initially believed wealth was all that mattered and had sworn to herself to utilize all means to climb up, she was just a bigger sheep among the flock—raised to be fleeced several times.

Sure, she possessed immense wealth, nearly a multimillionaire by net worth definition. But in front of bigger capitalists, she was just a small fish.

In front of brutal and violent means, without a proper level of protection through legal means, networks, and core raw power, Kate understood the powerlessness and couldn't help but agree with the infamous The Godfather movie script.

Two men could speak and discuss law, rules, and truth. A gun versus a gun. A knife versus a knife. Talks were still possible.

Gun against a knife—truth lay in the hands of the former. A gun against bare hands—utmost mercy depended solely on the former. The gun represented power; the knife represented wealth.

Even the script agreed that money must take three steps back when power spoke.

Watching her former patron's comedic news coverage brought a sudden sullenness over her. Kate couldn't laugh because she knew this was by no means an accident.

Not the funny kind of fallout caused by a lack of energy, with people mocking him and telling everyone to restrain themselves in terms of carnal desires—not to lose control.

She wasn't stupid when she clicked on the news online after receiving an unknown email with links and an online direct message from Ling Qingyu.

Although both contained nothing short of mere information—particularly the latter, which implicitly warned Kate to reduce her carnal activities through a tease—Kate understood the deeper meaning.

Perhaps Ling Qingyu had also meant to warn her about her indulgence while informing her that the deed was done.

Only now did Kate realize what Ling Qingyu had meant back in the SUV before the terrorist attack occurred—not to worry, and that she would handle everything.

Damn well she did.

Before Kate even had time to lament the surprising gift and sigh over a meal at her penthouse, her bodyguards swarmed in.

They were the two female guards that Ling Qingyu had found for her. Frankly, she quite liked their characters. Of course, as an appearance simp, she also found the two women fairly attractive.

Over the past week, the two of them and Kate had entered into deep conversation. She empathized with their plight and was happy to help while also gaining their protection.

The relationship between the employer and employees had warmed up a lot. The only complaint was her subordinates having to undergo training the entire week, with all fifteen members deploying back and forth.

Only now had they finished the specialized training. Even then, they were glad to learn more.

"What's wrong with you girls?" Kate asked.

"Boss, have you read the news?" the two women asked.

"Hmm, it's a lesson not to be obsessed with sex," Kate winked.

Her bodyguards exchanged glances, and one of them spoke in a softer voice. "Boss, I think we need to ramp up our security. Please try to consult with us…"

The two women were experienced and had seen similar cases in their homeland, where wealthy people suddenly got knocked out of their windows, got into car accidents, and so on. Far too many of them, at that.

Kate: "…"

She knew her subordinates were worried about her and was relieved that they took their job seriously, but she really wanted to say that the culprit was related to her.

Let it be. It didn't hurt to retain due vigilance.

When Kate arrived at the morning meeting, she sensed apprehension among the board members.

Many cast suspicious glances toward her, only to dodge whenever she met their gazes. Obviously, the news had spread fast, and speculations against her had already formed.

No evidence, no accusations directed at her—but the one who stood to benefit the most became the suspect. That was the norm among elite circles when they calculated such things.

Among them, a handful of men looked scared, as if Kate were a demon about to devour them whole without mercy. Kate sneered inwardly at their reaction.

She believed they were aware of her patron's plan to assassinate her and had been planning to rob away her wealth once she fell.

All those subtle movements to drain away assets through several incognito layers in order to instantly swap ownership when she disappeared.

Unfortunately, their godfather fell short and slipped. None of them were escaping. Only liquidation awaited them.

Her friend Qingyu had prepared evidence against this faction and several others—the latter of which Kate could exploit to her favor to gain more allies.

In fact, she even desired to kill them outright completely to weed out any roots, specifically the traitors desiring her neck but that would be too obvious for government to involve.

Even now, she still had to answer police questioning soon. In order to completely play her role without mistakes in the upcoming theater, she began her speech.

Kate stood at the head of the table, her gaze sweeping slowly across each face. The room quieted on its own.

"I assume everyone has seen the news this morning."

No one answered. A few avoided her eyes.

"What happened last night is regrettable," she said evenly. "A man is dead. Whatever his position or affiliations, that isn't something to take lightly. We've worked together before—there were results, real ones."

She let the words settle, her fingers resting lightly against the table.

"But we're not here to speculate."

Her tone stayed calm and composed.

"This meeting was scheduled for a different reason. Unless anyone believes the company's direction has suddenly changed overnight or thought this wasn't coincidence…" she paused, "…we proceed as planned."

A director shifted. Another adjusted his glasses.

Kate's gaze lingered a second too long on a small cluster of men before moving on.

"Events like this unsettle people," she continued. "That's normal. Even I pull some strings to check."

A faint curve touched her lips.

"I can see some start imagining things. Others worry about what might happen next."

Silence hung in the air.

"If anyone has concerns," Kate said, her voice softer now, "you can raise them. Openly. I'll try my best answering."

No one spoke. Most deep in thought, trying to discern her speech and behavior.

Her expression didn't change.

"Good. Then it seems we understand each other and our unity remains strong."

She straightened slightly.

"The company is stable. Operations will continue. Anything external will be handled."

A brief pause.

"As for internal matters…" her gaze swept the room again, slower this time, "I trust everyone here has kept their affairs in order."

The air tightened.

"In times like this, things tend to surface on their own."

One of the men near the end of the table stiffened, almost imperceptibly.

Kate looked away as if she hadn't noticed.

"I'll cooperate with any official inquiries," she added. "I expect the same from everyone else, if it comes to that. Do not worry. Tell the truth."

Her fingers tapped the table once—light, controlled. Kate's expression never depicted a cold demeanor that Ling Qingyu always embodied.

She sounded relax and very heartwarming like a kind neighbor but her words contained firm sharpness.

"Transparency helps those with nothing to hide."

Another pause, quiet but heavy.

"Now," she said, her tone returning to neutral, "let's move on. Our next topic is to check discrepancies and investigate why this happens in the first place."

Suddenly, those men with guilty consciences couldn't sit still. This was directly stripping off their pants, yet they didn't dare voice any opposition.

Lacking leadership, everyone in their group pressed the others to volunteer while they themselves held back.

They knew their leader had planned to assassinate Kate, but he had been directly counter-killed—and quite ruthlessly at that. Even in death, his name would be engraved in the hall of shame.

Naturally, Kate noticed their movements and smiled, pausing her speech midway. "Is there anything you want to ask?"

Everyone followed her gaze. These men froze and gulped, quickly shaking their heads.

All of them shared the same sentiment: prepare to cut the losses and raise a few scapegoats.

Meanwhile, the others lowered their complicated gazes. Even though the undercurrent had been hidden before, they had already anticipated the dead man's conspiracy to remove Kate through their informants.

Plus, they had received a subtle campaign to draw their support once everything settled. No one would refuse a ready favor owed to them when they merely needed to be fishermen.

Nonetheless, who would have expected fate to play such a big joke? The storm had turned deadly. Kate wasn't just an ordinary businesswoman with talent. She was a ruthless devil.

If their speculations were true and Kate was somehow involved, that meant the fight had overturned all the rules that elites followed in the first place. It also meant the dead member had intended to kill Kate first because the latter was far more capable than him—so capable that she didn't need to resort to killing just to secure her position and wealth.

Her methods and resourcefulness were meticulous and extraordinary.