Chapter 397: Mr. Lynch’s Right and Left Arms?

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: Mr. Lynch’s Right and Left Arms?

Old Mrs. Yeats listened to the compliments showered upon Claire, looking as though she shared in the glory.

"It seems Claire is the only one capable of taking charge of the big picture!" she declared. "Claire, when the people from Aethel Group arrive later, you will be the one to receive them!"

Claire pursed her lips into a soft smile. "Understood, Grandma. I’ll make sure they are well taken care of. However, Estelle..."

She hesitated for a moment before sighing helplessly. "Grandma, Estelle is young and ignorant after all. Please don’t be too hard on her. Just let her reflect on her mistakes for a couple of days, and she’ll understand the severity of the situation."

"Hmph!"

Claire’s words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. As expected, Old Mrs. Yeats’s anger flared even hotter. "Young and ignorant? You aren’t that much older than her. That is no excuse!"

At this point, Old Mrs. Yeats caught sight of the Green Jade Token in Estelle’s hand and scowled fiercely. "Someone! Smash this jade token! I won’t have the people from Aethel seeing it and disgracing the Yeats Group for nothing!"

Evan sneered as he snatched the Green Jade Token right out of Estelle’s hand. A bodyguard standing nearby promptly took it away. From beginning to end, no one bothered to ask for Estelle’s opinion.

Claire put on a look of helpless sympathy. "Estelle... Grandma is just acting on impulse. You won’t hold it against her, right?"

"Why are you bothering to ask her? Enough, Claire. Where is the real jade token? Bring it out quickly, the people from Aethel are already at the door!"

Claire smiled demurely. "I’m so sorry, Estelle. Could I trouble you to step aside for a moment? I really didn’t mean to steal your thunder, it’s just... Sigh. I truly apologize."

Estelle simply nodded. Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched Claire put on her one-woman show, waiting for the real spectacle to begin.

Before long, Claire brought out a box. She opened it to reveal a flawlessly pure cream-white jade pendant.

"Goodness, look at the craftsmanship!"

"Only high-grade cream-white jade of this caliber is fitting for Mr. Lynch’s status!"

"It seems Miss Yeats’s jade token is indeed the real one!"

Old Mrs. Yeats beamed with immense pride. "Claire, what a good girl. Excellent, just excellent!"

The shareholders breathed a collective sigh of relief and began showering her with praise. "Miss Claire, you truly are the savior of our Branch of Yeats Group!"

"Certain individuals really need to take a good hard look at themselves. Playing petty mind games when the big picture is at stake—it’s just... I don’t even have the words!"

The more glorious Claire appeared in this moment, the more the crowd despised Estelle.

However, Estelle couldn’t help but wonder. When these shareholders found out later that her jade token was the genuine one, and that Claire and Old Mrs. Yeats had orchestrated a massive deception—not only "smashing" the real token but also trying to pass off a fake just to steal her position as the representative—would that count as "playing petty mind games when the big picture is at stake"? What kind of expressions and excuses would these shareholders make then?

Claire couldn’t resist glancing at Estelle. Seeing her still standing there so calmly, an indescribable wave of hatred inexplicably surged within Claire’s heart.

She wondered what gave Estelle the right to be so composed. Shouldn’t she be feeling ashamed of her own inadequacy by now, crying and begging for forgiveness? Shouldn’t the whole world be seeing the stark difference between the two of them?

Claire gently bit her lip. "Estelle, why aren’t you saying anything? You’re not angry, are you?"

The crowd turned their attention back to Estelle.

One of the shareholders scoffed coldly. "Miss Yeats, you are far too kind-hearted. You still care about what Estelle thinks, yet she has never once cared about you or the Yeats Group!"

"That’s not true. Estelle is just young and doesn’t understand how serious the consequences of this matter could be. She’s actually a very good person." Claire hurriedly shook her head before looking back at Estelle.

"Rest assured, Estelle, I’ll put in a good word for you with the people from Aethel. After all, you are the representative personally appointed by Mr. Lynch, so they won’t do anything to you. However... today’s farce was caused by you. It is your fault. When they arrive, I hope you will take the initiative to apologize to the Aethel representatives."

If Estelle apologized, she would be admitting fault. Even if Mr. Lynch wanted to continue protecting her, he would have to think twice!

Afterward, Claire offered a few more polite, diplomatic remarks, leaving the crowd to marvel at how beautiful and kind-hearted Miss Yeats was.

Estelle chuckled. "Apologize?" She nodded. "Someone will indeed be apologizing later."

It was just a shame that the person wouldn’t be her.

Having failed to get the answer she wanted, Claire felt a flare of irritation. But on second thought, Estelle’s stubborn refusal to admit defeat would only make her more thoroughly despised. With that in mind, Claire offered another helpless smile.

"Estelle, you... Never mind. If you don’t want to speak, you don’t have to. Everyone, please don’t take it to heart. Let’s just treat this as a minor hiccup..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, an assistant came sprinting in from outside. "Old Madam, Mr. Damian White from Aethel Group has arrived!"

Estelle raised her eyebrows. Damian White? His surname was White?

Nathaniel Sloan had mentioned he would send a trusted aide over. Estelle had been guessing who it might be, but now that she heard the surname White... Could he be related to Luke White?

At first, the bystanders had no idea who Damian White was.

One of the business partners attending the ceremony suddenly widened his eyes in shock. "Damian White? That’s Mr. Lynch’s right-hand man!"

"He’s different from Mr. Sherman," another person chimed in. "Mr. Sherman mainly handles external affairs and executes Mr. Lynch’s decisions."

"But Damian White is Mr. Lynch’s personal confidant and can directly represent him," a third added. "Sometimes even President Sherman has to follow Damian’s orders. Don’t be fooled by his title as an assistant—if he were to jump ship and start his own company, he would instantly vault into the ranks of top-tier wealthy families."

"To think the person arriving would be Damian White... It seems Mr. Lynch takes this collaboration extremely seriously. Even though he isn’t in Crestfall himself, he sent his most capable assistant."

Someone quickly turned to Old Mrs. Yeats. "Old Madam, it’s a good thing you had the foresight to throw out that Green Jade Token and have it smashed. Otherwise, if Damian White saw a fake, how could we possibly explain ourselves?!"

"We really have Miss Yeats to thank..."

Showered with praise, Old Mrs. Yeats and Claire couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear.

"Quickly, invite Mr. White in!"

Soon, a young man in a sharp, tailored suit strode into the room. Despite his youth, his commanding presence was not to be underestimated. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, causing even the seasoned old foxes of the business world to shudder.

It was hard to imagine that such a formidable figure was merely an assistant.

"Mr. White!" Old Mrs. Yeats hurried forward. She couldn’t hold back her fawning attitude, yet she desperately tried to maintain her lofty status as the matriarch of the Yeats Family, resulting in a rather bizarre, contorted expression. "You’ve arrived! Please, have a seat!"

"There is no need for seats. I am only here today under Mr. Lynch’s orders to sign the collaboration agreement. May I ask who the representative is?"

Everyone turned their gazes toward Claire.

Following the crowd’s line of sight, Damian naturally spotted Claire. Without a shadow of a doubt in his mind, he offered a polite nod and a smile. "It appears you are the representative personally appointed by Mr. Lynch. If I recall correctly, your surname is Lockwood. May I address you as Miss Lockwood?"

The smile froze on Claire’s face.

W-Wait a minute.