Chapter 401: Face-Slapping and the Idiotic Shareholders’ Comeuppance

Chapter 401: Chapter 401: Face-Slapping and the Idiotic Shareholders’ Comeuppance

At his words, the entire venue fell silent.

Old Mrs. Yeats hurriedly tried to explain, but after hearing Damian White’s question clearly, she froze in disbelief.

What did Damian just say?

He said... Green Jade Token?

Where was Mr. Lynch’s real Green Jade Token?

Wasn’t the one Estelle Lockwood had just been holding a Green Jade Token?!

Instantly, everyone’s gaze snapped toward Estelle.

Expressions varied. The shareholders looked shocked and furious, while the guests watched with astonishment and amusement, their eyes darting back and forth between Estelle and Claire Yeats.

Whispers broke out in the crowd. "So Miss Lockwood’s was the real one... Then what was Claire doing?"

"Impossible!" Old Mrs. Yeats trusted Claire unconditionally and shouted without thinking.

Then, meeting Damian’s cold gaze, she choked on her words and subconsciously explained, "I—I mean, the Green Jade Token... Yes, there is a Green Jade Token."

She thought, "If I don’t placate Damian and we lose this partnership, not to mention our pride, how will I explain myself?"

She still needed this partnership to back Evan Yeats and help him compete with Quentin Yeats for that position!

At this thought, Old Mrs. Yeats could barely control her temper and roared fiercely at Estelle, "Where is the Green Jade Token?! Bring it up here! Are you deaf and dumb?"

Leaning to the side, Estelle clicked her tongue in amusement.

Was Old Mrs. Yeats stupid or just naive? She knew full well that the survival of the branch of the Yeats Group currently hinged on Estelle’s whim, yet she was still acting so rudely. Did she really think everyone in the world was her mother and the earth revolved around her?

Estelle didn’t hold back either. She asked languidly, "Is there something wrong with your head, Old Mrs. Yeats? Have you gone senile?"

The crowd was rendered speechless.

Old Mrs. Yeats nearly fainted from anger. "I am asking you—"

"How strange. Why are you asking me, Old Mrs. Yeats?"

Crossing her arms, Estelle lifted her eyes with a cold, mocking gaze. "I did bring a Green Jade Token, but I have no idea where it is now. After all..."

She smiled nonchalantly. "After all, Claire adamantly claimed that the Green Jade Token was a fake, and you believed her unconditionally. So... you snatched it from me and ordered someone to... smash it."

The last two words were spoken breezily, but they struck Old Mrs. Yeats like a bolt of lightning.

Smashed, smashed... Yes, yes, that Green Jade Token...

"Smashed?!" Damian was the first to lash out, sneering incessantly. "If you didn’t want this partnership, you could have just said so, Old Mrs. Yeats! It’s not like Aethel was desperate for your approval anyway! I didn’t expect you to act so deceitfully, making things difficult for our representative, and even smashing Mr. Lynch’s jade token!"

The guests below the stage were equally astounded.

"That was really Mr. Lynch’s jade token?"

"Old Mrs. Yeats is done for this time, right? Isn’t this a blatant provocation?"

"I wonder what the Yeats Family will do... Aethel really has no reason to go against the Yeats Family, but didn’t Old Mrs. Yeats provoke them first? Besides, she’s always thrown her weight around as the wife of the former family head. This time, the Yeats Family..."

"Shh, who are you to gossip about the Yeats Family? Why was Evan banished to Crestfall? Why is Quentin the heir to the Yeats Family while Evan only has this single company? Doesn’t that prove Evan has been abandoned?"

Old Mrs. Yeats’s mind was in total chaos. Drenched in cold sweat, she knew the consequences and was frantic with panic. Yet even now, she refused to look for the fault within herself. She only knew how to blame everyone else.

Glaring fixedly at Estelle, Old Mrs. Yeats cursed loudly, "You... why didn’t you say so earlier?! Did you do this on purpose!? You’re happy seeing Claire and Evan humiliated, aren’t you! You bitch! You Jinx—"

Estelle casually pointed to a reporter. The reporter handed her his voice recorder, and Estelle played a clip.

"This Green Jade Token of mine is Mr. Lynch’s real jade token."

The entire venue fell silent.

Estelle asked lazily, "I didn’t say so?"

Old Mrs. Yeats’s expression froze.

Estelle scoffed. "I said I was the representative and that I was in charge of this partnership, but you didn’t believe me, accusing me of stealing Claire’s credit. I said the Green Jade Token was real, but you didn’t believe me, claiming I’d resort to anything to snatch the credit. I said Claire’s White Jade Token was a fake, but you didn’t believe me, questioning if I just couldn’t bear to see Claire succeed. I said I knew nothing about pawning the token, but you didn’t believe me, insisting that Claire was sensible and saw the big picture.

"So..." Estelle paused, looking puzzled. "What else did you want me to say, Old Mrs. Yeats?

"I have no idea where Miss Claire found a White Jade Token to pass off as the real one, but such a forgery was bound to be exposed the moment Aethel’s people arrived. I thought you wouldn’t fall for such a simple trick, Old Mrs. Yeats. To my surprise, you actually believed it, and under Claire’s prompting, you smashed the genuine jade token."

Estelle clicked her tongue. "Old Mrs. Yeats, you aren’t going to blame me for this too, are you?"

The silence deepened.

Aside from those few useless shareholders of the Yeats Family, which of the other business partners present wasn’t a shrewd fox?

Although Claire hadn’t stated it explicitly, every word she spoke had been a subtle hint to Old Mrs. Yeats: Estelle’s jade token was a fake, Estelle was stealing her credit, her own jade token was the real one, she was the heroine of this partnership, and she was sensible and saw the big picture.

Damian let out a scoff. "No wonder. I was wondering where this sudden talk of ’pawning’ came from. Miss Claire hadn’t even clearly explained why she slandered Miss Lockwood about pawning the jade token before you, Old Mrs. Yeats, smashed the real one. Then, you both tried to make a fool out of me.

"What, do you think Aethel is easy to bully?

"Old Mrs. Yeats, since you refuse to give us any face, we have no reason to show you any courtesy either! Yes, Aethel’s influence might not match that of the Yeats Family, but we are not to be trifled with!

"I will report this matter exactly as it happened to Old Mr. Yeats and the Family Head, as well as the shareholders at the Yeats Group headquarters!"

It was true that the Yeats Group headquarters didn’t care about the branch’s profits, nor did they care about Evan, a young master with no right of inheritance.

But this was ultimately a disgrace to the Yeats Family. From stealing the painting to smashing the jade token and offending Mr. Lynch—every single act was incredibly foolish.

Old Mrs. Yeats’s legs gave way. She desperately shook her head. "No, Claire was... Claire was deceived by someone too. She didn’t do it on purpose..."

However, these words were far too feeble.

After his outburst, Damian declared that they would never cooperate again, revoked all the benefits and conveniences Aethel had provided to the branch of the Yeats Group, and promised to lodge a formal complaint with Old Mr. Yeats and the Family Head so that the headquarters would properly discipline them.

With the matter settled and the partnership ruined, surprisingly, the first to lash out were the shareholders of the branch of the Yeats Group.

The very shareholders who had previously been fawning over and flattering Claire were now flushed red with extreme fury.