Chapter 138: A Slap for Everyone Who Insults My Husband

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: A Slap for Everyone Who Insults My Husband

Stella Locke’s gaze fell on Claire Kendall.

She’d long expected to run into her here. An opportunity this good to meet the head of Wallace Apparel was something Miles Warren would never let her miss.

What she hadn’t expected was for Claire Kendall to show up wearing a collector’s piece qipao from Wallace Apparel. ’Miles really went to great lengths for her.’

Stella Locke spoke up. "That qipao suits you. Cherish it."

She wasn’t talking about the qipao, but the man.

Stella Locke turned and walked away, and an indignant Yvonne Warren hurried after her. Stella was the new designer she’d hired for the Warren Group, her trump card to crush OCHH. Yvonne didn’t dare offend her.

Yvonne trailed behind her, muttering under her breath.

"That Claire Kendall is just riding on Miles Warren’s coattails. Now that Miles isn’t part of the Warren family anymore, she’s got nothing!"

"Heh," Stella Locke sneered. "Back in college, she was already qualified to be your teacher."

Stella Locke had no desire to waste her breath on Yvonne. It felt like a waste of brain cells.

She had only agreed to join the Warren Group’s design department upon returning to the country for a chance to compete with Claire Kendall. But now, it seemed Yvonne had inherited none of the Warren family’s exceptional genes. She was stupid, malicious, and ignorant—a complete clown.

Claire Kendall stood frozen, her mind a complete blank.

’Former aunt-in-law, broke, the laughingstock of Aethel.’

Yvonne Warren’s words sparked a terrifying thought in Claire’s mind.

The gossip post on X about a wealthy family’s secret affairs she’d read two days ago... The comments from that post flooded her mind.

Her thoughts were in turmoil. She could no longer be bothered with meeting Wallace Sutton. She spun around and walked straight toward Miles Warren. She had to get a clear answer.

Beside the champagne tower, a few bursts of derisive laughter pierced Claire’s ears.

"Hey, hey, did you guys see? Look, over there! Miles Warren is here too."

"It really is him. Wasn’t he kicked out of the Warren Group and stripped of his inheritance? How pathetic, a stray dog like him showing up at a place like this."

"Tsk, tsk, look at that self-righteous act. He still thinks he’s the crown prince! And it looks like he’s limping. Serves him right!"

"My dad was always comparing me to him. I’d like to see how we compare now."

...

The words grew more and more vile. Every syllable of their slander against Miles Warren stabbed at Claire’s heart like a knife.

She strode over, her aura frigid, and came to a stop before the group.

"Gentlemen, since you’re having such a pleasant chat, why not speak up so the whole room can hear?"

The men, caught gossiping red-handed, looked awkward, but their arrogance returned in a flash.

’Miles Warren’s wife? The two of them have lost the Warren family’s power. They’re just a couple of ants anyone can step on.’

"Well, well, if it isn’t the young mistress of the Warren family. What? Still trying to put on airs?"

Claire Kendall’s eyes were terrifyingly cold. Her lips curved into a faint smile as she mercilessly exposed their dirty laundry.

"Chase, if your father hadn’t suppressed it, that video of you bullying a minor would have gone viral long ago."

"And you, the second son of Joyce Pharmaceuticals. Have you forgotten how your family practically got on their knees to beg Miles Warren for help getting into the hospitals?"

The surroundings fell silent in an instant. Onlooking guests turned their heads, listening to the confrontation as the atmosphere grew tense.

Claire knew full well that after causing a scene like this at Wallace Sutton’s welcome banquet, any exclusive partnership with Wallace Apparel was definitely off the table.

But compared to Miles Warren, none of that mattered.

"Even without the Warren family, Miles Warren is still a top-tier doctor who saves lives and is widely respected. He dedicates himself to helping others, his conscience clear."

"Unlike scum like you. Are you even worthy of slandering him?"

Having been exposed by Claire, the rich kids lost face and flew into a rage.

"And you think you’re any better? If it weren’t for you, Miles Warren wouldn’t have been kicked out by Louis Warren!"

"You wife of a damned cripple, you still..."

"SPLASH!"

Claire Kendall snatched a nearby champagne flute and threw the entire glass of wine directly in the man’s face.

As the liquid dripped down his cheeks, before he could even react, she followed it with a hard slap.

The crisp sound of the powerful slap silenced the entire room.

"You dare insult my husband? That’s your reward!"

"You bitch, you dare to hit me! I’ll..." The short, stout man lunged forward, his hand raised, but before it could touch Claire, his wrist was seized in a powerful grip.

The man howled in pain. Miles Warren stood behind him, his expression filled with disgust, as if looking at a piece of trash.

"W-Warren, Miles Warren, let go... AHH!" Miles flung him away. He collapsed to the floor, and the people nearby took two steps back, no one moving to help him up.

Miles hurried to Claire’s side, looking her over from head to toe. "Are you okay?"

Claire’s lips trembled slightly. She bit down on them, unable to stop her eyes from turning red.

"Where are you hurt? Where did he touch you?" Miles grew frantic, his gaze on Claire filled with restrained forbearance.

"I’m not hurt, he didn’t touch me..." Claire’s voice was very low. She wasn’t upset because she’d been bullied, but because Miles had been disowned by the Warren family—and he hadn’t said a word about something so huge.

Her fingers unconsciously clutched the hem of his jacket.

The more she acted this way, the more anxious Miles became.

A sharp voice cut in.

"Well, if it isn’t my youngest uncle. Oh, wait, I can’t call you that anymore. You’re not part of the Warren family, so I guess I can only call you by your full name—Miles Warren."

Yvonne Warren sneered. After being overshadowed for so many years by this "youngest uncle" who was only a few years her senior, she could finally hold her head high.

Without Miles Warren, she was the true young mistress of the Warren family! Besides her father, she was the future heir to the Warren Group!

Yvonne looked at Claire. "You’re overestimating yourself, too. You’re just a second-rate designer, and you’re still so eager to defend a Warren? If it weren’t for Miles Warren back then, you’d be nothing!"

Claire took two steps forward, the corners of her lips curling into a sarcastic arc.

"Nothing? My Starlight collection is something you won’t catch up to in twenty years."

Yvonne crossed her arms and let out a harsh laugh.

"You’re just bluffing, using the name of the great designer Nati. You think we’ll believe you?"

The crowd’s doubtful gazes fell upon Claire.

Yvonne was about to spout more sarcasm when she was cut off by an authoritative voice approaching from a distance.

"She is indeed Nati. I was one of the judges at the international design competition that year."

Wallace Sutton strode over, a middle-aged man with an extraordinary presence.

When Yvonne saw Wallace Sutton, she instantly deflated and froze on the spot.

"No, impossible... How could she be Nati?"

Yvonne’s face was ashen. She couldn’t believe it.

"Nati is so brilliant! She’s just some minor designer from Moonstone!"

The onlookers’ gazes toward her now held a hint of contempt. Stella Locke quietly stepped aside. ’How embarrassing,’ she thought. ’I need to get out of here as soon as my contract is up.’

Wallace Sutton stopped in front of Claire Kendall.

"We haven’t seen each other since that time. It’s a pleasure to meet you again. A while back, Dr. Warren helped connect us for a small collaboration with OCHH. Once that project is over, we should have a proper chat."

The envious gazes of the entire room fell upon Claire.

’What does this mean? An exclusive partnership deal!’

Wallace Sutton looked at the qipao Claire was wearing.

"The original version of the piece you’re wearing was bought at auction some time ago by a Wall Street tycoon who operates primarily overseas."

He glanced meaningfully at Miles Warren—the man everyone had just been mocking for having no money or power.

"I never expected to see it on Ms. Kendall today."