Chapter 393: Who Gives Who a Chance?

Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Who Gives Who a Chance?

Old Mrs. Yeats was the first to blow up. "What?! Are you saying you were the one handling the partnership all this time, and Estelle stole your credit?!"

Claire bit her lower lip. "Grandma, that’s not what I meant. I just feel..." She feigned helplessness. "I just feel that, as the person in charge, Estelle is being a bit too capricious. We are all members of the Yeats family, and everything we do is for the good of the Yeats Group. I don’t mind whether she takes the credit or not.

"But for the signing ceremony later, the person in charge needs to present Mr. Lynch’s jade token..."

The shareholders frowned in agreement.

"If that’s the case, Estelle is indeed being capricious!" one said.

"As the person in charge, she didn’t show up or contact us. If Miss Claire hadn’t been clever, this partnership would have fallen through."

"She hasn’t even arrived yet. She steals the credit without doing any actual work, and in the end, the glory of securing the partnership falls on her. How could she reap all the rewards without lifting a finger!"

"Miss Claire, why don’t we help you explain the situation later? We can nominate you to be the person in charge. That way, the people from Aethel can see Estelle’s true colors!"

Claire hurriedly shook her head. "Please don’t do that. After all, Estelle is my sister. I still want to give her a chance.

"Estelle doesn’t have the jade token. If she admits then that she hasn’t done her job well as the person in charge, I’ll step forward and help her out of the situation. But if she still refuses to admit it and forcibly claims the credit, then I... I’ll have no choice but to find a way to guide her back to the right path.

"Otherwise, we won’t be able to explain ourselves to Aethel."

A shareholder stood up. "Miss Claire, we all support you."

"That’s right, Miss Claire," another agreed. "No matter what, the jade token is in your hands, and Aethel takes orders from the token’s holder. It’s your kindness that makes you willing to give Estelle a chance, but we absolutely cannot watch her run amok!

"We can give her one more chance, but if she stubbornly refuses to admit her wrongs, then she can’t blame us for being ruthless!"

Claire couldn’t help but smile.

Now everyone knew that the partnership was her achievement and that she held the real jade token. If Estelle claimed the credit just to save face, she would face the wrath of everyone at the Branch of Yeats Group.

And then there was Mr. Lynch. If he found out that Estelle, the person in charge, had not only forged the jade token and skipped out on the collaborative work, but also ruined Aethel’s reputation, would he tolerate it?

Time ticked by. At eight-thirty, the partners, business associates, and financial reporters invited by the Branch of Yeats Group had all taken their seats. By eight-forty, the venue was fully set up, and the sound systems and various equipment had been checked. At eight-fifty, Claire entered the venue.

Due to Aethel’s mysterious nature and everyone’s admiration for Mr. Lynch, rumors had spread that the enigmatic Mr. Lynch had given the person in charge a jade token representing his identity. Before the signing ceremony even began, a few CEOs who were on good terms with the Yeats family couldn’t resist asking Claire about it.

"Miss Yeats, did Mr. Lynch really give out a jade token?" one CEO asked.

"Mr. Lynch’s influence in Capital City is not to be underestimated. It goes without saying what his token represents. Did he really just give it away like that?" another added.

"I wonder if we could feast our eyes on it?" a third chimed in. "Just to see what the jade token representing Mr. Lynch actually looks like?"

Claire blushed, but gently refused. "I’m very sorry, everyone. Once the signing ceremony begins, the person in charge will present the jade token to signify the completion of the partnership.

"Besides, I’m not the person in charge of this partnership. The jade token should be in Estelle’s hands. There’s nothing I can do if you ask me."

The crowd exchanged glances, each harboring their own thoughts.

Hadn’t they heard that Claire was the one handling the partnership and doing all the legwork these past few days? But it also made sense for the jade token to be with Estelle. After all, Mr. Lynch had facilitated this partnership out of respect for Estelle’s father.

Many sighed inwardly. Estelle was truly lucky. Her biological mother was the eldest daughter raised by Old Mr. Yeats, and her biological father was a painting genius who had caught Mr. Lynch’s eye.

It was just a pity that Miss Claire had contributed so much time and effort without reaping any benefits, doing all the grunt work just to hand the credit to Estelle.

"Estelle, you’re here."

Seeing Estelle arrive, Claire offered a gentle smile. She hurried over and hypocritically took Estelle’s hand. "This is your first time attending such a large-scale signing ceremony, right? Don’t worry. There’s no need to be nervous, I’m here for you."

The crowd looked at Estelle, unable to hide their disdain.

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking down on Star, or are you looking down on Evernight International?"

Claire’s expression stiffened.

The crowd was startled. They had almost been misled by Claire! Estelle had previously represented Star when signing a partnership with Evernight International. How could she lack experience?

Claire gritted her teeth. "Is... is that so? I’m sorry, I couldn’t recall it at the moment. I’ve been so dizzy with work lately... Ah, right, Estelle."

Claire couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. What was the use of Estelle being so arrogant now?

"Estelle, for today’s signing ceremony, since Mr. Lynch doesn’t have time to attend, we’ll need to use the jade token he gave you when we sign.

"Everyone wants to see what Mr. Lynch’s jade token looks like. If it’s convenient, let everyone feast their eyes on it later. It’s also a way to give back to them for their support.

"Estelle, I’m leaving this to you. You absolutely cannot mess this up."

Estelle quirked an eyebrow and glanced at her.

Claire’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. For some reason, meeting Estelle’s gaze made her panic slightly.

But... what was there to be afraid of? Estelle was the one who should be terrified! She must be extremely anxious right now. After all, she had never received any jade token!

At this thought, Claire relaxed, and her confidence returned.

"Sure." After a long pause, Estelle replied breezily, "Rest assured, Miss Yeats. There will definitely be no mistakes on my end. It’s your end, however..." She paused, adding meaningfully, "...that needs a bit of attention, hmm?"

With that, she brushed past Claire.

A cold sweat broke out on Claire’s forehead, and her expression stiffened slightly.

A moment later, she acted as if nothing had happened. She put on a gentle smile and feigned helplessness as she addressed the surrounding CEOs. "Estelle’s temper... But it can’t be helped, seeing as she’s the person in charge. Oh well... alright, alright, let’s not talk about it anymore. The ceremony is about to begin. Please, everyone, take your seats."

Ten minutes later, at nine o’clock sharp, the signing ceremony officially began.

Evan took the stage to deliver a speech. Afterward, he exchanged a meaningful look with Claire.

"Now, please welcome the person in charge of the partnership, Estelle Lockwood, to the stage!" Evan announced loudly. "As everyone knows, Mr. Lynch has a jade token that represents him. Miss Lockwood, please bring out the jade token and declare the signing complete!"

The crowd turned their eyes to Estelle.