“Thank you, Vivian Sullivan.
You’ve given me fresh inspiration.”
Chloe Austin completely redesigned the piece.
Not only did she incorporate new elements, but she also changed the entire color scheme of the bracelet.
She wasn’t in a hurry to submit the new design draft this time; she had a plan of her own.
“Jensen, you’re back.” Hearing the familiar footsteps, Chloe knew it was her brother.
She didn’t even turn her head as she spoke.
“Chloe, what’s going on with the plagiarism accusations?
I’m seeing rumors everywhere that you were the only one who submitted the design draft on time, and now Tess Company is claiming we plagiarized…”
“Don’t worry about it, Jensen.
It’s just Vivian Sullivan and Caden Sterling making trouble for me.
Rest assured, I won’t let them walk all over me like this.
How could I be defeated so easily?”
Jensen turned and headed upstairs, and Chloe followed him back to her room.
The security department had sent over the latest surveillance footage.
Chloe initially suspected Zara Miller was the one who sold her out, but judging by the video, Zara didn’t have the guts.
“If it wasn’t her, then who?” she wondered aloud.
Chloe watched the footage repeatedly before finally locking her eyes on an intern sitting in the corner.
This intern was very talkative and eager to chat with everyone, coming across as the most smooth-talking person in the office.
Fixing her attention on him, Chloe logged into Winona Hayes’s account to pull up his personnel file.
“Chloe, there’s a banquet tonight, and I need a date.
Come with me,” Jensen said, knocking on her door.
“Most of the guests are older family friends.
You haven’t seen them in years, so making an appearance tonight will be good for your future.”
Chloe immediately closed her laptop and asked him to wait while she did her makeup.
When she came out, Jensen handed her a dress.
“Here.
While it might not be from a top international designer, it’s the only one of its kind in the country.” He made sure to emphasize just how difficult it had been to get his hands on it.
Chloe smiled.
“You planned this all along, didn’t you?
You weren’t asking for my opinion earlier; you were just informing me.”
“Of course not!
It’s just that since you’re divorced now, you have to start fresh.
As your brother, I have to pave the way for your future.”
Jensen gave her a bright, sunny smile.
Trusting his good intentions, Chloe changed into the dress, linked her arm through his, and headed to the venue.
Arriving at the hotel, Jensen asked, “Do you remember?
We used to have our birthday parties here when we were kids.”
“Of course I remember,” Chloe replied, holding tightly onto his arm.
“This was the best hotel in Kingsford back then.
Banquets here were billed by the minute.
My friends were jealous of me for months.”
Jensen smiled affectionately.
“Jensen!
I thought you weren’t coming tonight.
I heard you and your father secured a new project.”
“Uncle Wayne, you’re always the most well-informed,” Jensen said, clinking glasses with the older man.
“But I’m afraid I have to disappoint you this time.
That project doesn’t belong to Austin Corp yet.” He seamlessly shifted the focus to his sister.
“Uncle Wayne, I don’t think you’ve seen much of my sister.
This is Chloe.
She recently started working in the design department at my mother’s company.
We’ll be relying on your guidance for her in the future.”
“Is that so?
We should definitely collaborate more going forward,” Uncle Wayne said with a chuckle.
“I wanted to work with Ms.
Hayes before, but she never gave me the chance.” With that, he let Jensen and Chloe take their leave.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Jensen’s expression turned icy.
“You don’t need to pay any attention to him,” he told Chloe honestly.
“The designers working under him are all scoundrels.
They aren’t worthy of collaborating with the Austin Family.
“Even calling him ‘Uncle’ is a stain on our family’s name!” Jensen glanced back at Uncle Wayne, who was still mingling, and let out a disdainful scoff.
Chloe hadn’t even looked the so-called Uncle Wayne in the eye.
She knew perfectly well who was truly loyal to the Austin Family and who wasn’t.
“Jensen, Chloe?
Do you still remember me?”
“Uncle Paine!
Has your whole family moved back to the country?” Chloe broke into a bright smile as soon as she saw him.
“Yes, we have.
You’re such a good girl for remembering me,” Wayne Paine replied, his smile warm and grandfatherly.
Seeing him made Chloe feel as though she were back in the days when their families were neighbors.
Wayne felt an instant kinship seeing the two Austin siblings and nearly reached out to grasp their hands.
“If you run into our Ethan at the banquet later, please talk some sense into him for me.
Tell him not to run around everywhere right after getting back.
He hasn’t even familiarized himself with everyone yet, and I’m worried he might cause trouble.”
“Even if I do run into him, he probably won’t listen to me,” Chloe said, affectionately linking her arm with Wayne’s as the three of them walked toward their seats.
“Besides, it’s been so many years.
Does he even remember me?”
“You’ve grown so beautiful, Chloe.
I heard from your father a while back that you got married.
I wonder who was lucky enough to become your husband.
Is he here today?
Let me have a look.”
“Unfortunately, Uncle Paine, our Chloe is already divorced.
I’m afraid you won’t be able to meet him,” Jensen interjected.
As soon as the words left Jensen’s mouth, an awkward expression washed over Wayne’s face.
“I’m so sorry, Chloe, I didn’t—”
“It’s fine, Uncle Paine,” Chloe reassured him.
“Very few people even knew I was married, and no one here has ever met him.
This whole thing won’t have any impact on me.”
“Exactly!
You’re a daughter of the Austin Family.
Even if you’re divorced, it’s his loss,” Wayne said, patting her hand comfortingly.
“Now you can stay by your parents’ side and spend more time with them.
They’ve always doted on you the most.”
A waiter approached with a tray of drinks.
Jensen specifically warned Chloe not to drink alcohol.
“I know, Jensen.
I’m not a kid anymore; I know I shouldn’t drink,” she replied, holding a wine glass purely for show without taking a single sip.
“Chloe, why don’t you come over to our place tomorrow?” Wayne suggested.
“You and Ethan were such good friends when you were little.
Since you haven’t seen each other in so many years, you must have lost touch, right?”
“I’m afraid tomorrow won’t work, but the next time I’m free, I’ll definitely come by for a visit.”
Chloe smiled politely, but her attention was suddenly caught by a familiar figure in the distance.
Wasn’t that Vivian Sullivan and Caden Sterling?
As she stared at the two of them, her gaze sharpened with resolve.
“What are you looking at, Chloe?” Jensen asked, following her line of sight.
He quickly spotted the couple as well.
“What kind of banquet do they think this is?
How dare they show up here?
They clearly don’t know their place,” Jensen spat, his blood boiling.
He wished he could march right over there and beat both of those scumbags to a pulp just to vent his anger.
“President Sterling and Mrs.
Sterling are such a perfect match,” nearby guests murmured.
“President Sterling is so handsome and wealthy, and Mrs.
Sterling is a famous superstar who is even launching her own original jewelry brand.
They’re just incredible.”
“Yeah, I also heard that President Sterling always felt guilty for not giving Mrs.
Sterling a grand wedding, so he wants to make it up to her now.
Word is, they’re already planning the ceremony.”