The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 173

Quinn was dressed in a tailored shirt and slacks, a pale lavender coat draped over her shoulders, her hair pinned up loosely. She walked with purposeful strides, radiating an undeniable aura of authority.

Her sharp gaze swept across the banquet hall before finally landing on Claire.

For a brief second, their eyes met in the air.

Claire instinctively turned away to avoid her gaze.

Seeing the OCHH Luxury team, Yvonne's eyes lit up. She muttered to herself, "She actually came."

She grabbed a glass of wine and quickly walked over to greet her. "Quinn..."

Quinn gave a polite nod, her tone entirely formal and distant. "Hello."

Then, she smoothly bypassed Yvonne and walked straight toward Martha at the main table.

She presented two master-crafted porcelain cups. "Martha, it's been a long time. Happy birthday, wishing you all the best."

Martha chuckled warmly and glanced at Claire. "You two... even your birthday wishes are exactly the same. You really were..."

Julian subtly nudged her arm just in time. Martha caught herself, gave an awkward smile, and left the rest unsaid.

Feeling ignored, Yvonne swallowed her irritation and prepared to network with the OCHH executives instead.

She forced a poised, elegant smile, but when she turned around, she realized the entire OCHH team had flocked over to where Claire was standing.

"Claire! It's been way too long!"

"We haven't pulled an all-nighter for a strategy meeting in ages. I really miss our college days."

Someone lowered their voice and asked, "Nati, want to come back and play around at OCHH? The money doesn't matter, we just want to pull off something huge."

In the distance, Yvonne clenched her fists tightly. She couldn't hear their conversation, but reading their lips, she swore someone had mentioned 'Nati'.

That bitch Claire! She must have found out about her plan to poach Nati and ran over to stir up trouble.

But why did the OCHH executives look so familiar with Claire?

She felt something was terribly wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Claire clinked glasses with the group one by one.

They were all original founders of OCHH Luxury, there since the brand's inception back in college, and they were very familiar with both Julian and Martha.

"Guys, you might not care about money, but I do. I've got a whole team to feed and bills to pay!"

Claire tilted her head back and downed her wine, her voice dropping a register. "Besides, I haven't been Nati for a long time."

As the burning liquor slid down her throat, her restless emotions slowly began to settle.

The group fell silent. They instinctively looked toward Quinn before retracting their gazes.

Someone murmured softly.

"Actually, Quinn kept a very close eye on you while she was abroad. When you faced the raw material crisis and order backlog at Sterling Holdings, Quinn was the one who pulled the strings behind the scenes to help."

"All these years, she even kept an office exclusively for Nati."

The hand holding Claire's wine glass froze mid-air.

As the atmosphere thickened, Yvonne noticed Quinn leaving the main table and immediately chased after her.

"Quinn, please wait!" Yvonne stopped, adopting a look of utmost sincerity. "I apologize for the intrusion, but I'd like to discuss the acquisition proposal for OCHH Luxury."

Quinn stopped. Her expression was calm, but a flash of impatience flickered in her eyes.

She didn't answer right away. She simply stared at Yvonne with a cool, condescending scrutiny.

She intentionally let her humiliate herself in front of everyone! But she had never even offended Quinn. Why would she do this?!

Not far away, Claire couldn't hold back a laugh.

It was the first time she had ever seen Yvonne eat dirt like this.

Yvonne scrambled up, grinding her teeth. "Don't get cocky, Claire. I have plenty of ways to acquire OCHH! Don't think sucking up to Quinn is going to save you!"

She limped out of the banquet hall, an absolute miserable mess.

Claire felt a wave of satisfaction, but when she recalled what the OCHH executives had just told her, a heaviness settled over her chest.

Quinn, didn't we agree to go our separate ways and never see each other again?

She set down her wine glass and walked out of the banquet hall.

The resort's rear garden was completely quiet, the salty ocean breeze washing over her face.

A jacket carrying a familiar, comforting scent was draped over her shoulders from behind.

After a brief silence, he spoke. "Done staring? Is the view better than me?"

"No... the view doesn't even come close," Claire initiated a hug, wrapping her arms around his waist and speaking with a soft pout. "Yvonne tried to bully me just now. What are you going to do about it?"

Miles pinched her nose, his voice entirely indulgent and helpless.

"Claire, are you ever reasonable?"

"She fell flat on her face like a complete fool, and you're telling me she bullied you?"

Behind them, a pair of venomous eyes was locked onto their intertwined figures.