Looking at her parents ridiculing Charlie, Claire sighed and said, “Dad, Mom, don’t blame Charlie for this. It was my idea, I just don’t want our family to be looked down on anymore. Haven’t we suffered enough all these years?”

Claire’s mother blurted, “But still, you can’t take on such a task. It’s not just you—even if your grandma goes in person, they wouldn’t entertain her!”

Charlie managed a bitter smile as he watched the bickering. He bet that his snobbish in-laws would never believe that he was the real owner of Emgrand Group.

At this exact moment, there was a knock on the door.

“I’m coming…”

Elaine heaved a distressing sigh as she walked to the door and opened it.

Charlie shifted his gaze to the door and saw a young man donning an Armani suit standing at the door. The man looked very charming and alluring with a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, which seemed to be worth at least four million dollars.

Elaine shrieked excitedly, “Hey, Wendell! Why are you here?”

The man was Wendell Jones, the young man of the Jones family who had been pursuing Claire relentlessly.

Wendell donned a smile and said, “Auntie, I heard about Claire’s negotiation with the Emgrand Group, so I’m here to give her some ideas.”

“Wow, you really are our family’s life savior!”

Elaine was very excited and thrilled, and she looked at him like she was looking adoringly at her son-in-law. She quickly welcomed him into the house and said, “Wendell, could you help Claire to win Emgrand Group’s contract?”

Wendell nodded with a polite smile. He ignored Charlie entirely, treating him like a lowly ant. He walked straight to Claire and said gently, “Claire, why didn’t you tell me anything about this? This is huge. Anyway, don’t worry, my family has some connections with Emgrand Group. I’ll speak to my father, let’s see how we can help you with this.”

Frankly, Wendell’s father wasn’t as influential as he claimed to be, but he was simply trying to win Claire’s heart by saying so.

Claire knew that Wendell had feelings for her all along, so she said indifferently, “Wendell, I appreciate your kind offer, but no thanks, I’ll find a way myself.”

Elaine gaped in bewilderment and chided, “Claire, are you crazy? Mr. Jones is kind and generous enough to pay you a visit and help you, how could you say such things?”

Claire remained quiet, but Charlie asked Wendell intriguingly, “Mr. Jones, I’m curious, how can you help Claire? Emgrand Group is so big and I don’t think you’re much of an influence to them, right? And now you claim that you have a way to help Claire win the contract?”

Wendell sneered contemptuously and said, “What do you know? The Jones family and Emgrand Group have always been cooperating partners for years. This time, our family can get at least one-third of their two billion dollar project! Until then, I’ll ask my father to allocate ten million dollars as a subcontract to Claire—mission accomplished, isn’t it?”

Charlie gaped in surprise, “Wow! I didn’t know that the Jones family has such an intimate relationship with Emgrand Group!”

Wendell sneered. “Of course! Everyone in Aurous Hill knows about that!”

He then glared at Charlie disdainfully and uttered, “Charlie Wade, let me offer you a piece of advice. A frog in the well like you had better leave Claire now. A hopeless man like you can’t bring her happiness, you’ll only be her burden.”

Claire said coldly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Jones, I don’t need your help and please watch your mouth!”

Dumbfounded, Wendell said in disbelief, “Claire, I’m helping you, why are you still taking this loser’s side? Why are you so protective of him?”

Claire said in a serious tone, “He’s not a loser, he’s my husband!”

A gloomy cloud hovered over Wendell’s face. He growled furiously, “Okay! You asked for it, do as you please! I want to see how you’re going to solve this problem! Don’t come crying at me for not giving you a chance later on when you fail!”

Then, Wendell turned around, slammed the door, and left.

Elaine went after Wendell hurriedly, but he was long gone. She slapped her thighs indignantly, pointed at Charlie’s nose, and screamed, “You! How dare you! What else can you do besides being Claire’s burden? Mr. Jones had kind-heartedly lent a hand but you chased him away!”

Charlie said flatly, “Mom, he’s all talk. He can’t even win a contract with Emgrand, how can he help Claire?”

“Bullsh*t!” Elaine scolded, “What do you know, you ignorant fool! The Jones family can get one-third of the two billion dollar contract!”

Charlie was inexpressive but deep in his heart, he was grinning as he thought, ‘I don’t know how powerful the Jones family is, but I know that my Emgrand Group will never have any connection with them anymore! Even if they did work together on many projects previously, from now on, all of this will be terminated!’

Of course, Claire couldn’t read her husband’s mind. She turned to her mother and said, “Mom, don’t blame Charlie. Just wait until I return from Emgrand Group!”

“Huh!” Elaine sighed in great dismay, feeling that God was unfair to her. She had married a useless husband, while her daughter had married an even more useless man!

What had she done to end up like this!

The next morning, Claire brought the file filled with proposals that she had prepared overnight and went to the Emgrand Group office with Charlie.

Standing in front of the 100-story building, Claire suddenly felt as if her heart was hollow and empty.

How could such a magnificent company like Emgrand collaborate with the Wilson family? Not to mention that they were aiming for a thirty million dollars deal.

It was like a beggar approaching a wealthy man and asking for a thirty million dollar change. It was absolutely ridiculous.

However, she had promised her grandmother and accepted the challenge in front of everyone, so she had to go for it no matter what…

Sensing her anxiety, Charlie stroked her head tenderly and said, “Dear, don’t worry, go ahead, you’ll make it. Trust me.”

Claire sighed dejectedly and murmured, “Alright, let’s hope so! Wait for me here.”

She took a deep breath and walked through the door.

As he watched her walking in, Charlie took out his phone and called Doris.

“Doris, my wife is going up to see you as we speak. You should know what to do!”

“Yes, Mr. Wade. Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill your missus’s every request.”

“By the way, I heard that Emgrand Group has a rather close connection with the Jones family. Is that true?”

“Yes, we did have a lot of projects with them, completed and ongoing. They wish to collaborate with us again on this new megaproject and they’ve submitted the proposals and materials for my review. However, it is up to you to decide, Mr. Wade.”

Charlie said coldly, “I don’t want the Jones family to be involved in the new project and any other projects in the future.”

“Yes, sure. Don’t worry, I’ll do as you say!”

***

Meanwhile, Claire walked into Emgrand Group’s office building and waited for her appointment at the front desk. She didn’t even know if Doris Young, the company’s vice-chairman, would like to see her.

Not long after, a graceful female assistant approached her and began, “Hi, are you Miss Claire Wilson? Miss Young is waiting for you in her office, please follow me.”

Claire nodded in a trance. She was still waiting in line to make an appointment, how did Miss Young know she was here and call her in already?

Could it be that Doris Young knew she was coming?

It didn’t make sense though…how could a prominent individual like Doris Young know about her?

Although she couldn’t figure it out, she might as well grab the rare opportunity as she was given. She quickly followed the assistant and she was escorted directly to Doris’s office.

Doris stood up from her chair and greeted Claire respectfully. “Hi, Miss Wilson, I’m Doris Young, vice chairman of Emgrand Group, nice meeting you.”

Claire was a little nervous as she met the most famous businesswoman in Aurous Hill. She spoke, her voice trembling anxiously but staying calm, “Hello, Miss Young, thank you for seeing me. I’m here to talk to you about the hotel project. Although Wilson Group is not as strong and prominent as other companies, I can assure you that we work very hard and have established a very positive reputation in the interior design and decoration industry!”

She handed over a document file and continued, “Miss Young, this is Wilson Group’s portfolio, please have a look.”

Doris smiled gently and took the document from her. After a brief glance, she said immediately, “Miss Wilson, I’ve seen your documents, I think you are the perfect partner for us.”

“Really? Is it true?” Claire gaped in bewilderment. Why did it go so quickly and smoothly? It was a little too easy, wasn’t it?

Doris said with a smile, “Of course. I admit that Wilson Group does not match our requirements and qualifications, but our chairman thinks highly of you and he is willing to give it a shot.”

“Your chairman?” Claire said in a shocking tone, then asked, “May I know who your chairman is? ”

Doris smiled faintly. “Our chairman is Mr. Wade from Eastcliff.”

“Mr. Wade?”

Claire frowned in confusion. “I don’t think I know anyone by the last name of Wade except for my husband.”

Doris nodded gently. Charlie had ordered her not to disclose his identity, so she could only say that much.

Other than Charlie Wade, Claire didn’t know anyone by the last name of Wade, but she would never have guessed that her useless husband, who was an orphan, would be the Mr. Wade that Doris was referring to.

Then, Doris added, “Miss Wilson, I see in your proposal that your quotation for the agreement is thirty million dollars?”

Claire nodded anxiously and asked timidly, “Is it too much?”

Doris smiled and answered, “Oh no, it is actually less than what we have budgeted for.”

Claire furrowed curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Our chairman told me to increase the quotation to sixty million dollars.”

In the middle of the conversation, Doris retrieved a contract and handed it to Claire. “Look, we’ve drafted the contract in advance for a total of sixty million dollars. If you have no problem with it, we can sign the contract now.”

“Huh? This…”

Claire gaped, dumbfounded.

She had never expected that Emgrand Group, which seemed so unreachable from Wilson Group’s perspective, would prepare the contract beforehand!

Moreover, the amount had doubled!

Grandma’s goal for the project was 30 million dollars, but the contract literally stated 60 million dollars in black and white!

Suddenly, she recalled her husband’s serious and earnest face when he had asked her to accept the task at the family meeting the previous night.

Why was he so confident?

When they were at Emgrand Group’s entrance, she was very doubtful and pessimistic, but he seemed so positive and undaunted.

Could it be that he had known the outcome all along?

Who was he...

For an instant, an abrupt and outlandish thought appeared in Claire’s mind.

The Mr. Wade that Doris mentioned—could he really be her husband, Charlie Wade?

When she processed it again, she found it to be too preposterous.

How could it be!

Charlie was an orphan who grew up in a welfare home!

However, who else in the world would treat her so well besides Charlie?

Thirty million dollars was an extravagant hope, but they gave her sixty million…

She couldn’t help but asked curiously, “Miss Young, may I know if your chairman is Charlie Wade?”

Doris’s heart skipped a beat. The boss had already demanded her to keep his identity secret, only to reveal his last name to the public. She would be blamed if his wife guessed it!

She shook her hands frantically and said, “Miss Wilson, I hope you can drop it. Our chairman is the descendant of a prominent family in Eastcliff. His identity is highly confidential and I have no right to disclose it.”

Claire nodded gently. She composed herself upon the mention of the descendant in Eastcliff.

Charlie was an orphan, he was definitely not a so-called descendant from a prominent family. Indeed, she was overthinking it.

***

Claire still felt a little dizzy and confused when she exited Doris’s office.

She was holding a sixty million dollar contract between Wilson Group and Emgrand Group in her hand.

Everything unfolded like a dream.

As soon as she saw Charlie at the entrance, she rushed to him excitedly and said, “Charlie, I did it! I did it!”

Charlie grinned in his heart and thought, ‘Your husband is the owner of Emgrand Group, of course you’d get the deal.’

However, he pretended to be surprised and said, “Wow! You managed to strike the deal for such a tough project! Dear, you’re so incredible!”

“Not really, it’s not that I’m good at it, but it seems that they had given the project to me for free.”

“Huh?” Charlie donned a confused look. “Why do you say that?”

Claire was afraid that Charlie would be jealous if she told him about the chairman’s intention, so she quickly diverted his attention and said, “It’s a long story. Let’s go back to the office now and tell everyone the good news!”

Charlie laughed. “Okay! This time, that b*stard Harold must honor the bet and kneel before me!”

Claire nodded. “Yes! He is always so snobbish and arrogant, let’s give him a taste of his own medicine!”

Truth be told, Claire had her own temperament too. Harold and the rest of the family members had always looked down upon her and her husband, but now that she struck the impossible deal, she intended to tame them to be a little bit more humble.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Wilson Group.

Everyone was sitting in the conference room, looking strange and peculiar.

They knew that Claire had gone to Emgrand Group early in the morning, but no one believed that she could make it, they were here to make fun of her.

Unexpectedly, she came back way earlier than they anticipated.

When Claire and Charlie entered the conference room, everyone was looking at them with a sneering and sarcastic look.

Harold started ignorantly, “Hey, Claire, you’ve come back in half an hour, huh? You couldn’t even get through their door, am I right? Hahaha!”

Wendy continued, “Claire, you’ve failed in less than an hour. Breaking a world record, I see!”

A gloomy cloud hovered over Lady Wilson’s face. She was annoyed. She knew that the project and Emgrand Group were difficult to tackle, but Claire should at least be serious and determined even if she failed! How could she give up so easily?

Lady Wilson glared at her and growled, “Claire Wilson, you disappoint me.”

Charlie frowned at their reactions.

Could they be more disgusting than this? They were ridiculing and chiding Claire without knowing the results yet!

Especially Harold Wilson, the cocky b*stard! Who did he think he was? How could he be so pompous? He should be getting ready to kneel before him!

Claire was initially very excited and thrilled, but facing the crowd’s mocking and teasing, the wrath of fury was burning inside her. She furrowed and said, “I’m sorry to let you down, but I’ve struck a deal with Doris Young of Emgrand Group!”

“What? You did it?”

“No! No way! Impossible! You couldn’t even meet Doris Young!”

Everyone recoiled in shock.

“Claire Wilson, do you think we’ll buy it?”

Harold regained his composure, slapped the table and said furiously, “Miss Young of Emgrand Group is a renowned elite in the city, why would she want to meet you? Are you not clear about who you are?”

Facing everyone’s doubts and accusations, Claire retrieved the contract and handed it to Lady Wilson. “This is the contract. Please take a look at it.”

The contract was like a bomb that exploded in the middle of the conference room, sending shock waves across everyone in the room!

Harold still refused to believe it, he shouted loudly, “She must have forged the document! I don’t believe that she can handle Emgrand Group!”

“He’s right!” Wendy added in great dismay. “Who does she think she is to strike a deal with Emgrand? It is a thirty million dollar project! If she can do it, I would’ve already gotten the deal a long time ago!”

Claire sneered. “My cousin, you’re wrong, it’s not thirty million dollars, it’s sixty million!”

“No way!” Wendy grinned. “Sixty million dollars contract? You find it funny to lie like that, don’t you? You think we’re all fools, don’t you? If you say the deal is sixty million, I can tell everyone that I’d get a hundred million dollar contract!”

Harold curled his lips in disdain and said, “Claire, you’re treating Grandma and us like fools!”

He then turned to Lady Wilson and said, “Grandma, this is outrageous! You can’t let her go just like that!”

Lady Wilson was so angry she was gritting her teeth indignantly. She already felt it was feeble to strike a thirty million dollar deal, but Claire came back half an hour later saying that the contract was worth sixty million dollars…

Did the young lady really play her for a fool in front of so many people?

Did she really think that, as the head of the family, she could be bullied like this?

If she didn’t kick the rebellious girl out of her family, how could she control the family in the future?

Furrowing furiously, Lady Wilson slapped the table and shouted, “Claire Wilson! Go to the HR department immediately to proceed with your resignation!”

Claire gaped in extreme bewilderment. Were these people out of their minds? How hard could it be to just flip the contract open and take a look at it?

At this moment, someone shouted abruptly, “D*mn! The official social media account of Emgrang Group has just released a statement! The sixty million dollar contract is real!”