The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177 Strike Chance

Chapter 177 Strike Chance

Claire and her father, Charles, shared an excited look.

But the next second, Eloise’s tone turned icy as she cut straight to the point. “But you want to use high-gluten wheat, and its gluten structure is a burden on most dogs’ digestive systems.

“You don’t even know if your basic ingredients will work, and you’re already eager to go commercial?”

She fixed Claire with a sharp look. “At your current research level, you should focus on nailing the basics of your formula before even thinking about putting it on the market.”

Her merciless criticism landed like a heavy blow, leaving all three members of the Summer family completely stunned, unable to react.

Claire’s face turned sheet white, and in that moment, she swore she could hear the sound of her own confidence shattering to pieces.

Eloise wasn’t even trying to spare their feelings. She glanced at her watch and said, “Sorry, I’ve gotta head over to Forest Isle Zoo for their grand opening today. Catch you later.”

“Forest Isle Zoo?” Charles choked out, stunned.

He echoed the name, disbelief written all over his face: “Forest Isle Zoo?”

“That’s right,” Eloise said casually as she tidied up her papers, as if this was just part of everyday conversation.

She added, “Oh, and by the way, Nina-the director over at Forest Isle Zoo-she’s actually one of the top vets in the business. Nearly everyone recognizes her skills.

“On top of that, she’s an animal communicator. She can talk with the animals and get direct feedback from them on how trial products actually work.

“So, if you ever plan on developing animal-related products again, you’d better run things by a professional like her first.” She checked her watch, and her voice brightened. “I’m heading to Forest Isle Zoo to bring a gift for the grand opening-and to formally invite her to become our special advisor at the agricultural center.”

“You really can’t let talent like that slip through your fingers,” she added.

Eloise pushed up her glasses, her gaze lingering on the Summer family for a moment before realization dawned. “Oh, right -you all have the same last name. Are you guys related or something?”

Charles choked, not sure how to respond, but instinctively didn’t want to deny it.

Eloise added offhandedly, “Well, that’s perfect. You’ve got the inside track. With that kind of connection, it’ll be way easier for you to ask her for advice.”

Desperate, Claire darted forward and grabbed Eloise’s sleeve. “Ms. Coleman, we can totally come up with a different formula. Could you please give us another chance?”

Eloise gently pushed Claire’s hand aside, her tone polite but clearly dismissive.

“Since you already know Nina, there’s really no need to go out of your way to find someone else. When it comes to animal nutrition, her advice is way more valuable than mine,” she said.

Eloise glanced at the trucks waiting by the roadside, just as one of her students rushed over and said, “Ms. Coleman, all the fresh forage and premium corn for the zoo are loaded up now.

“I checked with the staff-the refrigerated trucks will go straight in through the back gate.”

Eloise nodded in satisfaction, motioning for her students to follow, “Come on, let’s not keep Ms. Summer waiting.”

The three hopped into the car and sped off without missing a beat. Right behind them, the refrigerated truck-stuffed to the brim with generous gifts-rumbled after, both caravanning toward Forest Isle Zoo.

Claire and Charles stood frozen, watching helplessly as the cars sped off, the dust they kicked up swirling in the air like a mocking taunt.

With everyone gone, only Claire and Charles remained, rooted to the spot. Charles’s face went from ashen to pale. Nina had completely snuffed the last shred of hope he had for turning things around out.

And now, even Eloise-whom he’d been bending over hackwards to coz un to-was heading straight to Forest Isle Zoo to give Nina an even bigger boost.

Successfully unlocked!

Claire and Charles climbed back into the car, the tension su suncanny it seemed to suck all the air from the cabin. They both wore grim expressions, neither uttering a single word.

1/3

Chapter 177 Strike Chance

“Forest Isle Zoo,” Claire murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She unlocked her phone and instantly got bombarded with hot search notifications about Forest Isle Zoo.

Almost instinctively, she tapped into the short-video app-only to find her feed packed with visitor-filmed clips of the animal squad cleverly busting up a group of thieves live on screen.

Staring at the screen packed with videos of enthusiastic crowds at Forest Isle Zoo, Claire’s eyes burned with rage as she recognized the parrots getting praised on the police officers’ shoulders.

They were the very same ones who’d been part of her animal crew back at Claire’s Cuddle Critters Indoor Park. “Those damn parrots? Why didn’t they ever pull off anything like this when I was in charge?” Claire grumbled, furious. ‘How on earth does that Nina get so lucky?’ Claire grumbled to herself, the bitterness rising in her chest. Claire dug her nails deep into her palm, fighting back tears as she said, her voice thick with indignation, “Dad, after everything we’ve been put through lately, all that humiliation, are we just supposed to let them step all over us?”

Charles slammed his fist onto the steering wheel, the horn shrieking in protest. “Since when did Nina manage to land someone as big as Ms. Coleman on her side?”

His eyes burned with a chilling, ruthless light, and his words ground out through clenched teeth. “If she’s going to leave us with nowhere to go, then she better be ready to face the consequences-I won’t hold back!”

Charles’s face darkened as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number with practiced ease.

The moment the call connected, his voice was chillingly cold, brimming with malice.

“Wait for the right moment-then do it,” he commanded, every word laced with icy intent.

Charles narrowed his eyes, focusing like a predator on the fading silhouette of that truck, his lips curling into a frosty calculating grin. “They’ve got a truck slipping in through the back gate.”

He ran the route in his mind from the agricultural center to Forest Isle Zoo, then added coldly, “Should hit the zoo in about forty minutes. Plate’s JA-”

His words dripped with poison. “That truck’s loaded with nothing but feed for those pathetic animals in the zoo.”

At that very moment, the feed truck was cruising purposefully down the road, heading straight for Forest Isle Zoo.

**

Inside Forest Isle Zoo, everything was finally starting to calm down. With the thieves rounded up, order gradually returned to the park.

The place was jam-packed as ever, but under the “watchful management” of the animal staff, everything ran smoother than

ever.

Visitors couldn’t tear their eyes away from the spontaneous performances the adorable critters kept putting on.

People were against animal performances, but good luck stopping these animals when they were determined to steal the show!

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