After Charlie walked out of the hall, he realized that Claire hadn't gone far.
She was standing in the corner beside a pillar, crying quietly.
Charlie slowly approached her, took off his coat, draped it over her shoulders, and said gently, “Honey, don't be sad. Being the director of the Wilson Group is just an ordinary position. You can achieve much more than that.”
“No, you don't understand,” Claire sobbed. “If I became the director, my parents would finally be able to hold their heads high in the family again. How could Grandma go back on her word like that?”
Charlie comforted her, “Who knows? Maybe they'll come begging you to become the director. Look at you—you've been crying so much that your makeup is all messed up. You won't look very good if you go back onstage like this.”
“No way. It's impossible. Grandma has already announced the appointment. There's no going back now. You go back inside. Just leave me alone for a while.”
At that moment, Lady Wilson and Harold rushed out of the hall.
The old lady was panting heavily after running, while a large crowd of curious guests followed behind them, eager to watch the drama unfold.
The moment Harold spotted Charlie and Claire, he rushed over.
He looked at Claire's tear-streaked face and anxiously blurted out, “Claire, hurry up and find Miss Young! Ask her not to terminate our contract!”
Claire stared at him in confusion.
“Terminate our contract? Why?”
Harold shouted angrily, “Stop pretending! You must have instructed Miss Young to humiliate me in front of everyone! If you don't fix this, I won't let you off!”
Slap!
Lady Wilson slapped Harold across the face again.
“How dare you speak to your sister like that, you idiot!”
Harold clutched his cheek in disbelief.
“Grandma... didn't you say you wanted me to become the director?”
“If it weren't for you constantly persuading me, why would I have changed my mind in the first place?”
Lady Wilson glared at him furiously.
“If you continue behaving like this, get out of the Wilson family!”
Harold was furious after being slapped twice, but this was not the time to lose his temper. He could only swallow his anger.
Lady Wilson turned toward Claire and pleaded, “Claire, please, I'm begging you. You're the director of the Wilson Group now. Please explain the situation to Miss Young. Otherwise, we're completely finished!”
Claire looked at Charlie in confusion.
Charlie shrugged.
“I told you they'd come begging you to become the director, but you didn't believe me. Look at you now. Your makeup is all smudged.”
Claire blushed slightly and quickly wiped away her tears.
“Then I'll try contacting Emgrand Group.”
She took out her phone and called Doris.
Everyone's attention immediately turned toward her.
After a short while, the call was answered.
“Hello, Miss Young. My grandmother would like me to tell you that I'll be appointed director of the Wilson Group and will be responsible for the project with Emgrand Group. I hope you can give us another chance.”
Doris replied with a light chuckle.
“Of course. If you're the director and the person responsible for the project, then there's no problem. We can continue our cooperation. But if someone else is appointed, then the agreement is off.”
“Miss Young... thank you. Thank you so much.”
Claire was completely bewildered by everything that had happened.
It seemed as though the Emgrand Group was deliberately helping her, which was extremely strange.
Doris then said with a smile, “This was all arranged by our chairman. Perhaps he'll explain everything to you personally someday.”
Claire became even more confused.
Who exactly was the chairman?
She had never even met him, so why did he keep helping her?
“Then... could you please come back into the banquet hall?” Claire asked nervously.
She assumed Doris had left because she was offended by the Wilson family's behavior. It felt rather embarrassing to ask her to return.
To Claire's surprise, Doris agreed immediately.
A short while later, Doris's car returned to the hotel entrance.
The sight sent a shockwave through the crowd.
Everyone stared at Claire with a mixture of admiration and fear.
Just moments ago, she had been humiliated and stripped of her position.
Now, the entire situation had completely reversed.