Downstairs.
The receptionist maintained a professional smile. "I’m very sorry, Mr. Yeats and Miss Yeats. Since you don’t have an appointment, we cannot just let you in. It’s our job, so please understand."
Claire was furious, a ferocious glint flashing in her eyes.
She furiously wondered if these lowly peasants knew she would soon lose her title as Miss Yeats and were deliberately slighting her.
Beside her, however, Mr. Yeats was perfectly mild-mannered. He nodded with a gentle smile. "Alright. It was presumptuous of us to visit without notice anyway. Claire, let’s wait a bit."
Claire instantly put on an innocent, pitiful look. Biting her lip lightly, she said obediently, "Okay, Evan."
Upstairs, Nathaniel’s eyes grew cold. "You said Claire called that man her brother?"
Luke White nodded. "Yes, many people heard it. But does Young Mr. Yeats have another brother? I’ve never heard of him."
The Yeats family had always been mysterious. It made sense for them to keep things private to protect their heirs. However, Nathaniel had heard of this Mr. Yeats. He was Quentin’s younger brother, Evan Yeats. He had given up his inheritance rights from a young age and devoted himself to art. He had gone abroad to study in his early years and was now a famous painter.
However, he was with Claire, and they had come together to look for him and Estelle.
Given that Estelle was the true Miss Yeats who was about to return to the family, this behavior seemed somewhat... inexplicably strange.
When Estelle heard they were waiting in the lobby, she raised an eyebrow. In truth, very few people would wait in a corporate lobby like that, especially since Evan and Claire had specifically asked to see Nathaniel and Estelle.
These two were from the Yeats family. If they were seen sitting in the lobby, onlookers would inevitably think Nathaniel was being a poor host. Therefore, anyone visiting with genuine intentions would typically wait in a reception room before getting Nathaniel’s reply.
Estelle knew that sitting blatantly in the busy lobby was nothing more than a stunt to apply pressure through public opinion. Onlookers would think that no matter what, they were members of the Yeats family, and Mr. Sloan shouldn’t neglect them. They would assume that even if it was just a simple visit and he didn’t have time to receive them right now, leaving them hanging in the lobby without even a glass of water was too much.
Nathaniel easily realized exactly what Estelle was thinking.
His expression darkened slightly. "Who said they wanted to sit in the lobby?"
Luke answered respectfully, "Claire Yeats."
Earlier downstairs, after Claire agreed to stay, Evan had smiled and asked the receptionist, "There should be a reception room here, right? We’ll go wait for Mr. Sloan there."
The receptionist smiled and replied, "Hello, yes, we do. I’ll take you two there right now."
"Evan," Claire called out. Her eyes suddenly reddened as she bent down and gently touched her ankle. "I think I accidentally sprained my ankle. It hurts a bit. I want to just sit in the lobby."
The lobby sofas were right next to them. Although Evernight International’s lobby was incredibly luxurious, it still couldn’t compare to a private reception room.
But Evan was worried about Claire and didn’t overthink it. "Alright, I’ll help you over."
Claire’s eyes darted around. She took a seat on the sofa closest to the main entrance, then deliberately struck up a conversation with Evan. In her words, she made sure to drop the name ’Yeats’ several times.
Many employees coming in and out learned that these two were a young master and lady of the Yeats family, here to see Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, but were turned away at the door and left waiting.
Listening to the report, Estelle clicked her tongue. "Classic Claire. How clever."
Luke asked, "Mrs. Sloan, should we invite them up?"
Estelle smiled brightly. "Yes, but we can’t just invite them up like that. Since Claire is scheming against me, I can only give her a taste of her own medicine."
She thought it was incredibly stupid for Claire to use such petty tricks against her.
Estelle and Nathaniel went downstairs.
They soon realized that when Luke said Claire was sitting very close to the main entrance, he wasn’t exaggerating—in fact, his description was far too mild.
Using the excuse that her chest felt tight and she wanted to sit by the door, Claire had convinced a completely unsuspecting Evan to sit with her at the very front of Evernight International’s lobby. They were so close to the entrance they were practically standing with the doormen.
Today, two CEOs had come to discuss business with one of Evernight’s subsidiaries. They had visited the headquarters first as a gesture of goodwill, bringing along their wives and children. In the business world, when choosing partners, one would always consider the other party’s preferences. For instance, they were here to show goodwill to Nathaniel, and they had learned that, given equal conditions, Nathaniel tended to choose partners with happy, harmonious families. Thus, these two potential partners had coincidentally both brought their families to showcase their domestic bliss.
Upon entering, they wanted to ask the receptionist to arrange a reception room for them, but right then, they happened to spot Evan and Claire.
Evan had always kept a low profile and was only well-known in the art circle, so the two businessmen didn’t recognize him. However, they did recognize the high-profile Miss Yeats.
The Yeats family was not to be offended. They absolutely couldn’t pretend they hadn’t seen Claire. Therefore, the two CEOs had no choice but to walk up with smiles and greet her.
After exchanging pleasantries, one of the CEOs asked with a smile, "Why are you sitting here, Miss Yeats? Are you also here to visit Mr. Sloan?"
Claire wore a sorrowful expression. She bit her lower lip lightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately just shook her head.
Instead, it was Evan who spoke up. "We came to see Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, but they probably don’t know Claire and I are here yet."
Claire curled her lips into a subtle smirk, knowing she couldn’t be the one to say that; she had to maintain her image as the pure, innocent, and naive young lady.
Sure enough, upon hearing Evan’s words, the two CEOs and their wives exchanged complex glances.
This... Mr. Sloan had never been such an unreasonable person before. No matter what unpleasantness existed between him and Miss Yeats, he shouldn’t just leave them sitting here. Even if he was in the right, this treatment would make him look like he was in the wrong. Even if he didn’t invite them upstairs, he should at least arrange for them to wait in a reception room, right?
Just as they were feeling puzzled, Claire sighed helplessly. "Evan, forget it. After all, Estelle is mad at me. It’s only natural she doesn’t want to see me."
The two CEOs suddenly seemed to understand. So it was because of Mrs. Sloan.
But would Mrs. Sloan really offend the Yeats family and disrespect them so blatantly over a personal grudge? This would make people think she was very immature and ignorant of the bigger picture.
Claire’s goal was achieved.
Estelle had to die, but she didn’t mind ruining Estelle’s reputation before that happened.
As everyone harbored their own different thoughts, the sound of two sets of footsteps suddenly rang out from behind.
They turned around and were instantly shocked. It was Nathaniel and Estelle! Why had they come downstairs personally?
The receptionist and other staff followed respectfully behind Nathaniel. Nathaniel’s gaze fell on the two CEOs, and he gave a slight nod.
Estelle spoke up first. "Miss Yeats, Mr. Yeats, I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect you two to be waiting here for so long. Nathaniel and I just finished a meeting. Since you didn’t have an appointment, I had no idea you would be waiting downstairs for me.
"But you see, as soon as I found out you were here, I came right down. By the way, Miss Yeats, why didn’t you wait in the reception room?"