Chapter 182

Chapter 182

He wore an amused look on his face, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.

"Great! You two are something else! Soft Verse Studios is falling apart, and here you are getting all romantic. Maybe we should just hand the company over to Hannah."

"You two should retire and get married on the spot."

"Go home and live your little life!"

Henry's smile never quite reached his eyes. He spoke as he handed over a document.

The person behind him took it and passed it to Nora and Jasper.

"You probably haven't heard yet — just last night, the Whitaker Family broke ground on their resort project with Steven!"

"And Claire has already registered a branch of the CF Group in Rosewood City. If I'm reading this right, the CF Group is going to carve up every bit of Soft Verse Studios' business."

"Oh, and the latest news I've got — Frederick now knows Aaron isn't his and Claire's son. Claire has been taken into police custody on suspicion of child abuse."

"While Claire is tied up with the police, you should use this time to find the best way forward."

"Otherwise, our partnership probably won't last more than a year. Once their resort takes off, we're done."

Henry finished speaking.

Claire walked toward them through the crowd of stunned faces.

She made her way over and finally stopped beside Brenda.

"Looks like Mr. Peterson's intel is running a little behind!"

"I did run into some trouble a few hours ago, but it's all sorted now."

"Brenda, let me introduce you. Nora Hearst — daughter of the Hearst Family, and also my closest friend back in Suncrest City."

"Before the Whitaker Family found me and brought me back, she was the one who took me in. Without her, I never would have made it back to Rosewood City."

Claire was wearing the same custom couture gown as Nora.

She looked like a princess who had just stepped out of a medieval castle.

Beautiful. Polished.

Every move she made carried the scent of extravagant money.

She had borrowed the dress from Steven after being released on bail.

Nora hadn't expected Claire to show up here.

She stepped forward and faced her coldly.

"So you do remember we were friends!"

"Anyone watching would think I was your enemy!"

Jasper hadn't expected Claire to be so close to Brenda either. Seeing Claire standing at Brenda's side, with Brenda showing no sign of pushing her away, he frowned and turned to Brenda.

"Ms. Brenda Whitaker, I've heard Claire is your half-sister and that the Whitaker Family just held a welcome ceremony for her not long ago. But does the Whitaker Family really know who Claire is?"

"Are you aware that Claire's personal life is a complete mess? She even faked her own child's identity. She has zero integrity."

"Having someone like her as a sister won't do you any good. She'll only use you."

Claire let out a cold laugh when she heard Jasper's words.

"Jasper, if you have the time and energy to worry about us, you'd be better off worrying about Soft Verse Studios."

"Henry's right. The CF Group is coming after Soft Verse Studios."

"Nora, this is the CF Group's acquisition offer. If you're smart, you'll sign it right now."

As she spoke, Claire pulled a contract from her bag.

Nora took it, flipped through it quickly, then tore it to pieces.

"Big ambitions — but can the CF Group actually swallow Soft Verse Studios?"

"Claire, listen carefully. Starting now, Soft Verse Studios is a subsidiary of the Hearst Group. If you want to acquire it, go talk to Oliver."

Nora had never been one for drama.

Five years ago, she was weak and Frederick was powerful.

She never fought him head-on.

She stayed low, waited for the right moment, and when it came, she left without hesitation.

Now, Soft Verse Studios clearly wasn't strong enough on its own. Sheltering it under the Hearst Group was her best move against Claire.

So she transferred Soft Verse Studios to the Hearst Group without a second thought.

That way, even if Claire wanted to make a move on Soft Verse Studios, she'd have to think twice about whether she had the strength to take on the Hearst Group.

"Ms. Hearst, Claire has a proud streak and a sharp temper. She got carried away just now — please don't take it to heart."

"The acquisition talk wasn't serious."

"Everyone here today came to celebrate the Gonzaga Group's 40th anniversary. Let's keep things friendly."

Brenda hadn't expected Claire to walk in and stir up this much trouble.

Her eyes went quiet for a moment. Considering that Nora had the Hearst Group behind her, and that Oliver's reputation in Rosewood City was only growing, she made up her mind quickly.

She grabbed Claire's hand and pushed her to apologize to Nora.

"Claire, apologize to Ms. Hearst right now. You just got out of the police station — do you really want to go back?"

Claire didn't care how powerful the Hearst Group was. All she wanted was to beat Nora.

She just wanted to watch Nora fall apart in front of everyone.

She refused to apologize.

She clenched her jaw. With Frederick gone, Aaron's identity exposed, and nothing left but the Whitaker Family's backing and the foundation Frederick had once built for the CF Group, she had little left to fight Nora with.

"I'm not apologizing!"

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I?"

"Nora refused to work with the Whitaker Family, and it nearly sent Dad to his sickbed. If I hadn't brought Steven in, the Whitaker Group might have..."

Claire never finished the sentence, because Brenda spun around and slapped her — fast, clean, and hard.

Among Rosewood City's four great families, the Whitaker Group looked powerful on the surface, but it had been hollowed out from the inside long ago.

The whole push to partner with the Hearst Group and build the resort together was meant to pump money back into the Whitaker Group.

The news that the Whitaker Group was on the verge of bankruptcy — Brenda had let that slip to Claire one night when she'd had too much to drink.

She never imagined Claire would almost blurt it out in front of all these people.

"Claire is out of line, and as her older sister, it's my responsibility to keep her in check."

"Claire, you listen to me. Today is an important day for my husband's family."

"I just found out I'm pregnant. You'd better behave yourself and stop causing me trouble — or don't ever think about setting foot in the Whitaker Family home again."

Brenda was done with Claire.

She had thought Claire was sharp. Now she could see that the moment Nora was involved, Claire completely lost her head.

Thinking about how she had handed Austin's child over to her, Brenda regretted ever reaching out to her — let alone tying herself to her.

"I'm not dropping the acquisition this easily."

"The CF Group isn't the hollow shell it used to be. If you won't help me, I'll do it myself."

Claire caught herself before she said too much. She steadied herself, gave Brenda a cold look, then shot a hard glare at Nora and walked away.

"Ms. Hearst, I'm sorry — Claire just went through something difficult and isn't quite herself right now. Please don't hold it against her."

"Since she's going to be part of the Whitaker Family, I'll make sure she stays in line."

"I won't let her hurt you."

Today, Brenda was not only the eldest daughter of the Whitaker Family but also the daughter-in-law of the Gonzaga Group.

Her words were polished and gracious, leaving no room for criticism — but there was very little real respect underneath them.

She appeared to be taking Nora's side, but she and Claire were clearly on the same team.

"Ms. Whitaker, Claire is not someone to take lightly. I hope you mean what you say and actually keep her in line."

Nora could hear the indifference beneath Brenda's words.

She gave a small nod — whether Brenda took it to heart or not, she had said what needed to be said.

Then she turned to Brent with Elise beside her.

After a brief word with Brent, Nora and Elise left the event.

Jasper didn't feel comfortable letting Nora and Elise go home alone — he was worried Frederick might still be waiting outside the hotel — so he followed after them.