Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 28

The Lockwoods were hit hard by their own hypocrisy, and the conversation ended in disaster.

Meanwhile, the Harrington family was having their own intense discussion regarding CFT.

The family board was completely divided, with some voicing strong support and others vehemently opposing the move.

Carter sat at the head of the table, his face an emotionless mask. A specific notification pinged on his phone, and he immediately glanced down.

[I checked out the site today, and I really love the location. To show my gratitude, let me buy you a coffee?]

The contact name at the top of the screen was simply a single letter: E.

Carter's lips curved into a soft smile as he typed back a quick 'Sure'.

From a distance, Scarlett watched him with an incredibly weirded-out expression. Was her ruthless brother actually smiling?

"I am taking full control of the CFT project. There is nothing left to discuss."

Carter stood up, adjusted his tie, and strode out of the room. His pace was noticeably urgent.

"Take me to the Ciel Cafe."

Carter gave the order, then mentally planned to buy her a gift on the way. He was so caught up in his own world that he completely failed to notice the little shadow trailing behind him.

Scarlett rubbed her chin in sheer amusement, her eyes practically sparkling with gossip.

"Ciel Cafe, huh?"

Inside the cafe.

Emma had arrived early. The ambiance and the desserts here were absolutely top-tier.

"I'm so sorry, but the blue box cake was already ordered by that lady over there. We just haven't brought it to her table yet."

The barista at the counter looked incredibly apologetic. The customer followed her gaze and saw Emma sitting gracefully by the window, sipping her coffee.

Emma naturally noticed her as well.

"Phoebe?"

"If I recall correctly, this cafe requires an exclusive membership."

Gillian marched over, making zero effort to hide her malice. She glared at Emma with aggressive disgust.

Emma arched an eyebrow. A membership? She genuinely hadn't known that.

"A fifteen-thousand-dollar membership card. Can you even afford to open one?"

Gillian narrowed her eyes. The tiny allowance Emma had lived on was all secretly funneled to her by Violet over the years.

Thinking about it made Gillian's blood boil. Her adoptive mother, Mrs. Pamela Palmer, had been destitute and chronically ill.

Gillian had been forced to drop out of school to work, barely earning enough to feed herself and pay for Pamela's medical bills.

Meanwhile, this fake daughter had lived in luxury. Even after being exposed as a fraud, she was sent abroad to study and still had people throwing money at her!

Gillian ground her teeth in furious resentment, her eyes dripping with pure hatred.

"Or did Carter just hand you a black card for this place? Makes sense. Someone like you, who would starve on the streets without a man, definitely wouldn't miss a chance to bleed Carter dry."