Chapter 158: Claim for Compensation

Chapter 158: Claim for Compensation

What Rowan feared most was the penalty fees.

But in her mind, the Jenkins family would never be the ones demanding them.

Yet reality proved her wrong. The Jenkinses showed up—and they were the first to ask.

Clarence's way of addressing her: "Your daughter?"

How could they change their attitude so fast?

He used to call her by her first name—Rowan.

She turned to Natalie. "Mrs. Jenkins?"

Natalie gave her only a brief, indifferent glance before looking away without a response.

Rowan's heart plummeted into an icy abyss. She fled the living room and retreated to her bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed as she dialed Ryan's number.

No answer.

She called again.

It wasn't until the fifth attempt that he finally picked up.

"I'm busy. We'll talk later."

Ryan's tone was cold. He hung up without waiting for her to say a single word.

But Rowan had clearly heard the chaotic noise of a bar in the background.

She stared blankly at her phone. After a long moment, her body tipped backward and collapsed onto the bed.

She hadn't eaten dinner. Her blood sugar dropped. It took half an hour before she slowly came to.

Downstairs, Henry and Brooke were furious that the Jenkins family had led the charge in demanding penalty fees.

Henry's face was taut as he stared at Clarence. "Clarence, what's the meaning of this? The kids are about to get engaged, and you're coming after us for penalties?"

Clarence's expression was equally hard. "Business is business. That endorsement fee belongs to all the shareholders. I have to answer to them."

Henry raised his voice. "I'll pay back the principal—isn't that enough?"

Clarence refused. "Henry, we signed a contract. It's on file with the company. This isn't up to me."

"Henry, we're not trying to strong-arm you here," another man chimed in. "The contract is crystal clear. Your daughter breached it first. Even if this goes to court, you'll still owe the money."

Henry's regret gnawed at him.

Back when these people wanted Rowan as their spokesperson, they'd sung her praises to high heaven.

Now that she'd fallen from grace, they'd turned on her in an instant.

Tenfold penalties.

Thirty million dollars per company. Ninety million total.

But the contracts were binding. There was no way out.

A fire burned in Henry's chest. He bit down hard and conceded. "I'm not saying I won't pay."

"But you have to give me some time."

The creditors exchanged glances. Finally, Clarence spoke. "Fine. We'll give you ten days."

Without another word, they turned and headed for the door.

Natalie lingered behind. Her tone was icy. "Clarence and I have discussed it. Your daughter is not suitable to be a daughter-in-law of the Jenkins family. The engagement is off."

"What?" Brooke's eyes went wide. "The kids are about to get engaged, and you're just canceling it?"

"Engaged?" Natalie looked as if she'd been struck. She pointed a trembling finger, all composure abandoned. "Because of your morally bankrupt daughter, the Jenkins family not only lost Claire—a bride from a top-tier family—but we've also offended the Montagues. And you still want to talk about an engagement?"

Her voice grew shriller with every word, her chest heaving with rage.

They had been so close. So close to a marriage alliance with the Montague family.

An alliance with the Montagues—something countless families could only dream of.

And the Blackwells had destroyed it.

She'd treated Claire poorly before. What if the Montagues decided to retaliate on Claire's behalf?

The thought alone terrified her.

So there was no time to waste. They had to sever ties with the Blackwells immediately and make their position clear.

"The engagement was arranged by our elders. How can you just cancel it?" Brooke tried to salvage the situation.

Rowan's reputation was ruined. If the Jenkins family backed out now, where would they find another family of equal standing?

Natalie sneered. "Who was originally supposed to marry into our family? Don't you know?"

"It was Claire. The Montagues' daughter. Not your morally bankrupt one."

Natalie had no interest in continuing the conversation. She swept out of the Blackwell mansion like a gust of wind.

No sooner had that group left than another arrived.

This time, it was the investors in Henry's new energy project.

Six of them.

They'd collectively invested a hundred million dollars.

Henry quickly composed himself and ushered them into his study, ordering the staff to serve the best coffee and pastries.

But the visitors had no appetite for refreshments. Impatience was written all over their faces.

"Henry, you need to come clean with us today. Who exactly is this big shot backing you?"

"That's right. We invested in your project because of whoever's behind you. Now the Blackwell family has offended the Montagues, and the Montagues are tied to the Thornes through marriage. You've essentially crossed two of the most powerful families in the city. To put it bluntly, if they wanted to destroy the Blackwells, they wouldn't even need to lift a finger—just say the word."

Henry's heart gave an involuntary lurch.

Ever since the news broke that Claire was the Montagues' biological daughter, he'd felt like he was being roasted over an open flame.

Vincent's purchase of his shares was a done deal, yet an inexplicable unease still gnawed at him.

He looked up at the investors. Each face was more serious than the last.

He knew that if he didn't give them an explanation tonight, they wouldn't leave.

With a heavy sigh, he retrieved a document folder from the file cabinet, pulled out the papers inside, and handed them over.

"See for yourselves."

The group crowded around to read.

'Share Transfer Agreement.'

Purchaser: Leo.

"Leo? Isn't that the Thorne Group?" one of them asked.

Henry nodded. "That's right. But he's acting on Vincent's behalf."

"So the person buying your shares is Vincent?" They all looked up at once, disbelief in their eyes.

Henry caught their expressions and felt a surge of satisfaction. "Does his backing carry enough weight?"

"Then there's no problem." The tension drained from their faces, replaced by smiles.

The contract clearly stated that Henry had sold 44% of his shares to Leo.

The investors assumed Henry still held at least 30% or more.

Henry's new energy project—he'd publicly claimed it was a corporate investment.

Which meant Vincent had a stake in it too.

The Blackwell family may have offended the Montagues, but Vincent was a businessman. He wouldn't make a losing deal. If the project had his share in it, he wouldn't let it fail.

Nothing to worry about. Just sit back and wait for the profits to roll in.

"All right, Henry. We won't keep you." The men left with cheerful smiles.

On their way out, they were still marveling. "Henry's got some serious luck—landing Vincent as a backer."

"That's just fate. Can't be jealous."

Suddenly, one of them spoke up. "Wait—something's not right. I just had someone check. The Blackwell Group—Vincent doesn't own any shares. There's no proxy holding either. Eighty-one percent of the shares are under Nathaniel's name."

"Are you sure?" Their faces turned grave in an instant.

They all pulled out their phones, ordering their legal teams to verify.

Within minutes, they all had the same answer.

Nathaniel owned 81%.

"Henry lied to us!"

The group turned on their heels and stormed back into the Blackwell mansion, fury blazing in their eyes.