Chapter 97 Funding
"Of course, I don't have that kind of influence. If you want to meet Mr. Windsor, you'd have to go through Clara."
"But she keeps making excuses and refusing to help! You know her best—tell me, is Clara deliberately refusing to help Marshall?"
Emily raised her head, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Of course, she's doing it on purpose. Grandma, you have no idea how close Clara and Mr. Windsor are! When Mirage Fashion was struggling, Mr. Windsor directly invested a huge sum of money in the company, all for Clara's sake. And at that charity auction, when Clara admired a necklace, Mr. Windsor bought it for her on the spot without batting an eye."
These were all things Charles had indeed done before, though at the time he'd been deceived by Clara. Now, with Emily deliberately bringing them up, they took on an entirely different meaning.
Marshall's eyes turned red with anger as he slammed his fist on the table. "Why should she get that kind of treatment? What makes Clara so special to Mr. Windsor? Emily, if you can help me connect with Mr. Windsor, I'll make sure you're well rewarded."
As he spoke, his gaze began wandering over Emily's body again, and suddenly an idea popped into his head: if he could introduce Emily to Orion Greer, whom he'd met at a bar recently, it could work perfectly. Orion had plenty of resources and connections, and with Emily's looks, Orion would definitely be interested. Marshall could please Orion while putting Emily to good use—killing two birds with one stone.
Emily caught his calculating look and sneered inwardly, though her face remained helpless. "Marshall, I don't have that kind of power. Clara has Mr. Windsor backing her now, so she doesn't even respect you and Grandma anymore, let alone care about me. I heard she even said privately that if you cause any more trouble at the Windsor Group, she'll have Mr. Windsor kick you out of Emerald City."
Lauren's cane struck the floor repeatedly in her fury. "That ungrateful brat! I should never have let her into the Johnson family! Emily, you're so much more sensible. If you hear anything about Clara, make sure to tell me immediately."
She still looked at Emily with wariness, feeling that the girl was too good at pretending, too cunning to trust completely.
Marshall, however, wasn't focused on such concerns. He grabbed Emily's wrist. "Emily, I know someone with connections. If you could have dinner with him and make a good impression, he might be able to help us get an introduction. When I make it big, I definitely won't forget you!"
Emily felt a wave of disgust and yanked her hand away forcefully, her eyes immediately filling with tears. "Marshall, I... I just want to work honestly. I don't want to do those kinds of things. Please don't force me."
As she spoke, tears threatened to spill, making her look utterly wronged.
Lauren immediately remembered how Emily had caused a scene back home years ago, offending many people and humiliating the Johnson family. She definitely didn't want to be pointed at and gossiped about on the street again.
Even if she wanted to scheme against Emily, it would have to be done secretly, making Emily suffer in silence without being able to speak up.
Besides, Emily was still useful now, so they couldn't push her too hard. Marshall's plans could wait.
"You little bastard, what nonsense are you spouting! Emily's a young lady. How dare you treat her so shamefully!"
Emily quickly wiped her tears, choking out, "Thank you, Grandma. I'll definitely help you keep an eye on Clara and make sure she doesn't affect Marshall. I'll also try to persuade her to put Marshall's interests first. Clara's managing Mirage Fashion now, but how can a girl handle such a large company? The Johnson family's assets should stay with Marshall. Don't you think so?"
Both Lauren and Marshall were quite pleased with her flattery.
After a few more pleasantries, Emily deliberately avoided offering to pay for their meal. Lauren and Marshall, having drunk too much coffee and feeling hungry, finally made excuses to leave.
It wasn't that they wanted to save Emily the cost of a meal—they needed to go back and have a serious talk with Clara and Celeste.
After they left, Emily dropped her facade and picked up her coffee, sipping it leisurely. Talking to those scumbags made her feel like she'd dirtied her mouth.
She'd seen through Marshall and Lauren's intentions long ago, and she could use that to make them fight with Celeste.
Lauren used to help Celeste bully Scarlett, didn't she? Now with interests at stake, Emily wanted to see if Lauren and Celeste could maintain their previous harmony!
Meanwhile, not far from Emily's table, hidden behind a potted plant, Charles had been watching everything unfold.
He'd heard everything Emily said, especially about the things he'd done for Clara, and his heart churned with mixed emotions. When he saw Marshall putting his hands on Emily, he barely restrained himself from rushing over.
Emily had just stood up to leave when she saw Charles approaching. Her expression changed slightly, and she turned to take another route, but Charles blocked her path.
"Was everything you just said true?"
"Which part?"
"Are you still angry about those things? And what Marshall did to you—why didn't you tell me?"
Emily looked away, her tone cold. "It's none of your business."
"How is it none of my business? Those were all in the past. I was deceived by Clara back then. I won't give her any more opportunities. I'll protect you and give you more—ten times, a hundred times more than I ever gave her. Is that alright?"
Emily felt a surge of irritation. Always talking about giving her more, did he think she was just after his money and gifts?
She didn't want Charles's handouts! Whatever she wanted, she could earn herself!
"Charles, if this is the extent of your understanding, then we're really not suitable for each other. I have things to do. I'm leaving." Emily didn't want to argue with Charles anymore. She pushed past his hand and walked away without looking back.
Dealing with the Johnson family was annoying enough, and Charles being so clueless made it worse!
Charles watched her retreating figure and sighed helplessly.
Back at the company, he immediately called Nathan over. "Keep an eye on Marshall. Report any suspicious activity immediately. Also, what should I give when trying to win over a woman?"
"I wouldn't know about other women, sir. But if it's Emily... Obscura Fashion has been having some trouble lately. They need a rare gemstone material, and the procurement requires a substantial sum, about eighty million dollars. Since Obscura Fashion is under the Windsor Group, the funding should come through our normal channels, but the finance department has been stalling because of the large amount, plus Johnny Windsor on the board has been firmly opposed."
Charles raised an eyebrow. "Johnny? He's causing trouble again."
Johnny was an elder in the Windsor family who'd always coveted Charles's position—this was obviously deliberate sabotage.
After a moment's thought, Charles said, "Forget the finance department approval. I'll fund it myself. Handle this immediately and get the money to Obscura Fashion as soon as possible. Also, assign more security to protect Emily."
Nathan was stunned. "Mr. Windsor, eighty million dollars isn't pocket change. Are you really going to fund this personally?"
"If it helps her and protects her, the money doesn't matter. Besides, Obscura Fashion is her life's work. We can't let it suffer over something like this."
Nathan marveled inwardly at how much Charles was willing to spend for Emily's sake.
He nodded quickly. "I'll handle it right away."