Lucas Moreau stared at Oswald Moreau in a daze, his face filled with utter disbelief.
"What did you say? The formulas of our family's best - selling products were all provided by Claire Wentworth's mother?"
"Lucas, find a way to make peace with Claire Wentworth as soon as possible," Madame Moreau said anxiously, grabbing Lucas's arm.
Lucas looked at his mother with a bitter smile and sighed helplessly, "How can I make peace with her? I don't love her, and besides, she's already married to that paralyzed man."
Madame Moreau retorted indifferently, "So what? Lucas, Claire Wentworth likes you. Just give her a little hint, and she'll surely come back to you without hesitation. It all depends on whether you're willing or not."
"What about Victoire? If I go to make peace with Claire Wentworth, what will happen to Victoire?" Lucas asked worriedly.
Madame Moreau glared at him in frustration, "What time is it now, and you're still thinking about Victoire Wentworth! Victoire has been abandoned by the Wentworth family. Even if she's an excellent fashion designer, she can't create any value for us at present."
"But Claire Wentworth is different. She holds the lifeline of our family in her hands."
"Young Master Montfort has at most a few months left to live. If you paint a beautiful future for Claire Wentworth, how could she not be tempted? Once she calms down and turns her heart back to you, won't you be able to have your way with her?"
"Besides, your mother didn't say you had to marry her."
Lucas looked at his mother in shock, "Are you asking me to deceive her?"
"How can this be called deception? We have no other choice. If Claire Wentworth hadn't exposed our products first, would we have treated her like this? Lucas, you'd better think it through. Is it better to coax her a little to resolve the crisis, or watch the entire Moreau family be plunged into irreparable disaster?"
Lucas fell into silence.
...
Claire Wentworth's old - fashioned mobile phone suddenly rang.
It was a message from Lucas: "Meet at CosyBrew Café at ten."
Claire Wentworth slightly lifted her eyelids, a complex emotion flashing through her eyes.
CosyBrew Café used to be her favorite place in her previous life. It wasn't because the coffee there was particularly delicious, but because it was the place where Lucas first invited her to have coffee.
In the past, if she had received such a message, she would have gone to the appointment regardless of all difficulties. But now... Hehe, times had changed, and everything was different.
Claire Wentworth unhesitatingly removed the SIM card from the old mobile phone and casually threw it into the trash can.
On the other side, Lucas waited at CosyBrew Café from ten o'clock until twelve o'clock, but Claire Wentworth never showed up. He could only get up desolately and slowly walk out of the café.
The street outside was still bustling with traffic, and the neon lights were flashing, full of prosperity and noise.
The emotional ups and downs he had experienced in the café seemed to be out of tune with this lively world, not affecting anything around him at all.
Lucas just felt that something deep inside him had quietly slipped away, leaving an indescribable emptiness.
At this moment, the phone rang, and Victoire Wentworth's gentle voice came through, "Lucas, have you gone to sleep? I revised my entry manuscript again today and have sent it to the mailbox. I'm sure I can win the championship this time!"
"Actually, I also want to ask you how things at home are going. If there's anything I can do to help, you must tell me."
"Lucas, I will unconditionally support and help you whenever it is."
Victoire's gentle and considerate words instantly soothed the restlessness that had just welled up in Lucas's heart.
In his heart, Victoire was the kindest girl in the world, unparalleled.
How could Claire Wentworth, that woman, be compared with Victoire?
The reason why Victoire was abandoned by the Wentworth family was not that she had done something wrong. On the contrary, it was precisely because she was eager to help the Wentworth family turn things around that she pretended to be Young Master Montfort's savior.
But what about Claire Wentworth?
Obviously, Young Master Montfort had already decided to leave the Wentworth family, yet she insisted on stopping him and pestered him to marry her. After getting married, she watched as Young Master Montfort vented his anger on the Wentworth family without saying a word.
She could even write a divorce agreement just to marry that dying Young Master Montfort!
The more Lucas thought about it, the angrier he became. In his eyes, Claire Wentworth's actions were both despicable and shameless.
This anger dispelled the inexplicable loss and melancholy in his heart.
...
Late at night, all was quiet.
Alexandre Montfort quietly entered Claire Wentworth's room.
He stood quietly by the bed, looking down at her sleeping figure.
Through the dim light, Claire Wentworth's slender body only formed a small outline under the bedsheets.
Her jet - black hair was scattered on the pillow like a waterfall, making her fair and pure face look even paler.
It seemed that she was having a bad dream. Her brows were tightly knitted, her tender lips were pursed into a thin line, and her breathing was slightly more rapid than usual.
Alexandre Montfort couldn't help but reach out his hand, gently caressing her brow, gliding along her eyebrows, and then slowly moving down along her hairline.
There was nothing unusual.
This showed that she wasn't wearing a disguise or a mask. She was just herself, the real Claire Wentworth.
Although she had changed a lot compared to before, this authenticity made Alexandre Montfort feel extremely at ease.
For him, this was enough.
Alexandre Montfort slightly bent down and planted a gentle and affectionate kiss on Claire Wentworth's glabella.
...
Early the next morning, when Claire Wentworth went downstairs, she found a strange man in the house.
The man was about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a well - tailored suit and a pair of gold - rimmed glasses. His every move exuded an elite air.
"This is the lawyer you need, Jasper Kingston," Alexandre Montfort introduced.
Claire Wentworth immediately broke into a bright smile and greeted him warmly, "Hello, Lawyer Jasper!"
Jasper Kingston nodded slightly in response. His eyes quickly scanned Claire Wentworth's figure and finally settled on her face.
Alexandre Montfort had extremely high standards. None of the famous ladies and noble girls in Metropolis could catch his eye.
This showed how outstanding the girl in front of him was.
However, what puzzled Jasper Kingston even more was that although this was the first time he had seen Claire Wentworth, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu deep in his heart.
"Have we met before?" Jasper Kingston couldn't help asking.
Claire Wentworth first looked at him, then turned her gaze to Alexandre Montfort.
Did the rich young masters in Metropolis all greet people like this?
"I don't think we know each other. I've never left Suncrest City," she replied politely.
Alexandre Montfort glanced at Jasper Kingston imperceptibly. The wariness in his eyes made Jasper Kingston start. He almost forgot that this guy was extremely possessive.
"I don't mean anything else. I just think you look familiar. But it doesn't matter. Now that I'm here, if you have any needs, just say it."
"Wait a moment."
Claire Wentworth quickly went upstairs and took down all the certificates of the real estate, properties, and shops left to her by her mother, placing them in front of Jasper Kingston.
Jasper Kingston flipped through these certificates and asked, "Do you just want to get these properties back?"
It didn't seem too difficult.
Claire Wentworth replied firmly, "I don't just want to get them back. I want to get them back in full, including all the wealth derived from these properties."
This was a bit more difficult.
Jasper Kingston thought to himself. Was this little girl being too harsh? That was her biological father after all. She didn't plan to leave him a single cent?
Jasper Kingston looked at Alexandre Montfort, trying to get some response from him to see if he knew the ins and outs of this matter.
"Is it difficult to handle?" A hint of disappointment flashed in Claire Wentworth's eyes.
Alexandre Montfort's eyes instantly turned cold.
"It's doable," Jasper Kingston said quickly, noticing Alexandre Montfort's gaze. "Are you in urgent need of money?"
Claire Wentworth replied calmly, "I just want to get back what originally belongs to me."
First, it was the property, then the reputation and status...
She wanted to get back everything that had been taken away, without missing a single bit.
All the insults and injuries those people had inflicted on her, she would return them intact, and even double them.
She wanted to expose those people and make them understand that what was stolen must be repaid, and the price would be painful.
She wanted to see with her own eyes what kind of glamorous life those people would lead when they could no longer suck her dry.