The Billionaire's True Heiress From Fake Jewel to Real Crown novel Chapter 1333

"Mr. Patton! Mrs. Patton!"

Rose greeted them enthusiastically, immediately moving in for a hug.

Completely oblivious to the fact that Claire—the girl she despised most—was sitting mere feet away.

She flashed her mentors a brilliant, sycophantic smile.

"What are you doing here, Rose?"

Patton and his wife frowned in unison.

They shot Randall a glare of pure disgust.

This was a critical business dispute. If Randall actually wanted to resolve it professionally, he shouldn't have weaponized his daughter.

Dragging her into this was a blatant attempt to manipulate their affection for her.

The Pattons exchanged a heavy look, whatever lingering fondness they had for the girl vanishing instantly.

Rose had always been an expert at reading the room. Noticing their icy demeanor, her stomach dropped.

Damn it!

She never should have come!

Her father might have been able to plead his case alone, but her presence had clearly backfired.

She tried to catch her dad's eye to signal him to back off, but Randall was entirely oblivious to her desperate looks.

Mrs. Patton, however, caught the exchange perfectly.

Mrs. Patton's frown deepened.

Rose felt a wave of bitter regret. She had completely misplayed her hand!

"Patton, my man, this is The Summit View's most exclusive reserve. Have a glass."

Randall completely missed the tension, eagerly reaching for the bottle to pour his friend a drink.

Patton covered his glass with a firm hand, disgusted by the charade. "I'm not feeling well. I'm skipping the alcohol tonight."

"Randall, we've been business partners for years. We were practically brothers. But you stabbed me in the back without a second thought!"

He was gambling everything on the hope that Vertex would respect his transparency and let him off the hook.

If they blacklisted him, his career in Apex was entirely over.

Patton refused to go bankrupt.

The collapse of The James Family was a cautionary tale for everyone in town; Latham couldn't even secure an entry-level job now.

Everyone had watched his humiliating downfall, and Patton wasn't about to end up in the same gutter.

"Patton, I think you're being overly... cautious!" Randall stammered, biting back the urge to call him paranoid.

He needed to pacify the man, not ignite a full-blown war.

"Look, their CEO is based in Cabinda. The suits they sent down here are probably just annoyed to be on a business trip. If we show them a good time and grease the wheels, you really think they'll dig that deep?"

Randall was pitching the only strategy he knew. Bribery.

To him, corporate inspectors were all the same. Buy them enough expensive dinners and slide them enough cash, and they'd sign off on whatever you put in front of them.