The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 223

Chapter 223

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Claire paused, her voice brimming with desperate sincerity. “Ms. Summer, I’m genuinely here to ask for your help this time.

“You might remember that Ms. Coleman pointed out a lot of serious problems with our new dog food project. I want to offer you a generous fee to be our nutrition evaluation consultant for this product.

“Ms. Nina Summer, I want to sincerely apologize for all the mistakes I made before. Please, I’m begging you, just give me a chance to apologize to you in person and make things right.”

She paused, then revealed what she thought was her strongest bargaining chip. “This isn’t just my idea. Aunt Joanna wants this too.

“She always thinks highly of you. She said that even if you’re not a Summer by blood, you’re someone we’re willing to invest in. She believes you shouldn’t be limited to a small town like Jelasburg.”

Classic selling dreams. Instinctively, Nina wanted to shut her down with a cold reply. Yet, when Claire brought up Joanna, a spark of inspiration flashed through Nina’s mind. A brilliant plan began to take shape in her mind.

Nina’s eyes flickered, and when she spoke again, her voice was tinged with flattered hesitation and a hint of hope. “Aunt Joanna really doesn’t care that I’m not actually part of the Summer family?”

She thought as she spoke, ‘I could win an Oscar for this.

Claire was stunned for a second, but then, as if grabbed onto a lifeline, her voice turned instantly confident and even a bit flattering. “Absolutely! Aunt Joanna is a huge fan of your talent. She even chewed me out for being too narrow-minded.

“I’m sorry, really sorry. I shouldn’t have been jealous of how amazing you are. That’s why I did all those stupid things.”

Listening to Claire trying so hard to show off her remorse, Nina’s lips curled into a cold, amused smirk.

‘Do these people in the Summer family really think that just because the head of the family is dead, they can finally relax and live in peace forever?’ Nina thought.

Nina’s lashes quivered, her voice filled with wistful hope. “Honestly. I’ve always loved coming up with new food for animals. It’s been my dream to create something that could really shake up the market one day.

“I never expected Aunt Joanna to have so much faith in me. She has always treated me kindly, ever since I was a kid.”

Immediately, as if realizing she had misspoken, she cut herself off and changed tack, “I can give you one chance. But given your past record, my trust in you has long been broken.

“I’m only doing this out of respect for Aunt Joanna. This has nothing to do with trust, and it’s not about forgiveness at all. I can’t forgive what you’ve done.”

Claire mumbled on the other end, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’m really, really sorry.”

Chapter 223

“I want two million dollars as a consulting fee, plus a cut of profits from the whole product line. And throughout the entire project, you’ll follow my lead, no questions asked. Can you handle that?” Nina pressed.

Claire only paused for a heartbeat before blurting out, “Yes, I can!”

‘Agreeing that fast? Yeah, she’s definitely up to something, Nina thought to herself.

The mockery in Nina’s eyes grew even sharper, but her voice remained cool. “Alright. Next Wednesday, at the Summer Tower. We’ll go over the details then.”

As if it had just crossed her mind, Nina tossed in, “By the way, send me your product proposal first.”

Once the call ended, Claire quickly added Nina on WhatsApp and sent the proposal over. She finished it off with a standard, “Looking forward to our cooperation.”

Nina chuckled as the file transfer finished. ‘Of course, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll use your money to raise my own army, then come back and finish you off. There’s no sweeter partnership than this.’

Back in Jelasburg, it was already way past midnight. Forest Isle Zoo lay silent under the moonlight. Nina couldn’t stop yawning, feeling like every ounce of energy had been drained from her body.

The past couple of days felt like a wild dream, all mountain climbing, cliff scrambling, and mind games. If it hadn’t been for the takins toting her around like a superhero, she would’ve collapsed in the mountains.

By contrast, Simon was still vibrating with energy, as if he were forged from iron and his battery perpetually full. He deftly released the animals from their travel crates and got them settled in.

“Nina,” Simon called, digging out a handful of meds from the car’s glove box and passing them over. “You’ve really burned through your stamina these last couple of days.”

He continued, “You’re the type to catch a cold, and you get sore muscles easily. Drink some medicine when you get home, just in case.”

Before Nina could answer, Simon slipped a membership card into her hand. “That’s for the acupuncture clinic down the street. My colleagues go there whenever they pull a muscle or feel sore. Treat yourself to a full-body massage to loosen up your muscles.”

Nina was so exhausted she was swaying like a sleepy koala, clutching the meds and the card to her chest and mumbling, “Yeah, yeah. I’m not that much of a wimp.”

Simon noticed the faint circles under her eyes and sighed, his voice softening even more. “Just listen to me, go home and get some sleep right away. For the next few days, just rest and don’t worry about a thing.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking the peaceful silence. His voice immediately turned serious after he picked up. “Captain Cole, I’m on my way!” After hanging up, he ruttled her sleep-mussed hair. “Nina, I have to head out.”

“Mm. Night, Simon.” Nina’s head drooped like she was nodding off, mumbling.

10:39 Tue, Jan 20

Chapter 223

Tabby King meowed at Simon, “Don’t worry, I’ll get Ms. Summer back to her room safe and sound!”

Simon gave his ear a gentle tap. “Much appreciated.”

Tabby King paced steadily at Nina’s side, moving with feline elegance like a silent bodyguard.

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The Squirrel Bros bounded nimbly around her feet, scampering ahead to lead the way and always glancing back to make sure she was okay.

Bathed in moonlight, Nina, half-asleep and guided by muscle memory, made her way safely back to her room at the zoo, watched over by her loyal cat and two squirrels.

Inside, Nina forced herself to give both herself and Pearlie a quick shower, then practically crashed face-first into her soft bed. Within moments, her breathing grew steady, and she was fast asleep.

Pearlie was a born cuddle bug, always wanting to stick to Nina like glue. Now that the weather was getting colder, Pearlie rightfully took on the role of her hot water bottle, burrowing under the covers every night to warm up her bed.

“Nina, I’m here to warm up your bed!” The little critter slipped under the covers with practiced ease, getting straight to work with all the dedication.

Pearlie used its warm little body to carefully heat up Nina’s ankles and lower back, which always got cold, making sure every inch was toasty before finally curling up by her neck, totally satisfied and ready to sleep.

But as soon as Pearlie’s tiny paw brushed Nina’s forehead, the crazy high temperature made it jerk back instantly, startled by the heat. “Oh my gosh! So hot!” It squeaked.

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