The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 261

Inside the banquet hall, every single pair of eyes was glued to Claire Jenner.

The cloud-silk cheongsam shimmered with a soft luminescence under the chandeliers. The gold thread embroidery caught the light with every subtle movement she made, screaming that it was a priceless masterpiece.

Harvey Sutton's tone was incredibly sincere. "Ms. Jenner, I'd like to offer three million dollars to purchase that dress you're wearing. Would you be willing to part with it?"

Claire instinctively looked to Miles Zimmerman at her side.

He gave a relaxed nod. "Since it was originally the crown jewel of Summit Garments, we'll return it to its rightful owner after the banquet. There's no need to discuss money."

Harvey let out a booming laugh. "A while ago, Dr. Zimmerman went out of his way to fly to Northport to operate on my mother, and now you're gifting me this masterpiece. I've only just arrived in Empire City, but I know a true friend when I see one!"

The guests' gazes toward Miles shifted, becoming intensely complicated.

The absolute titan of Summit Garments, freshly arrived in Empire City, was deliberately choosing to align himself with the exact man who had just been kicked out of the Zimmerman family.

"However, I recall hearing someone refer to this cloud-silk cheongsam as a piece of trash?" Harvey's cold gaze swept deliberately over Yvonne Zimmerman. "It seems this forest is big enough for some truly blind birds."

"Since it's my first day here, I'll let it slide. But if this happens again, even if you think you're a tiger, Summit Garments will rip the teeth right out of your mouth."

Yvonne swallowed hard in pure terror, not daring to utter a single syllable as she quietly shuffled backward. The people around her instinctively scattered, terrified of being caught in Harvey's crosshairs.

Harvey extended a polite invitation. "Dr. Zimmerman, may I steal you for a moment?"

Miles nodded. He glanced down at Claire, noticing that the fabric near the collar of her cheongsam was damp. It must have happened when she threw the champagne.

"Mr. Sutton, could you ask your assistant to bring my wife a shawl?"

Harvey snapped his fingers, and his female secretary immediately got the message.

He lowered his voice to speak to Claire. "If you're tired of standing, go sit over there. I'll be right back."

The moment the two men walked away, Harvey's secretary approached with a shawl and gently handed it to Claire.

"Thank you."

The sharp, professional secretary gave a light smile, her eyes filled with obvious envy.

"Ms. Jenner, I never would have imagined that after all these years, destiny would bring you and Dr. Zimmerman together. Is this what they call fate?"

"Huh?" Claire was completely caught off guard. "Fate...?"

It had absolutely nothing to do with Lauren Sinclair's name. It was the voting code for her *Nova* Series.

At this exact moment, her mind went totally blank. Did Miles know her back then? Or did he just genuinely love the Nova Series design?

But regardless of which it was, that note had absolutely zero connection to Lauren.

Claire pressed her lips tightly together.

"Nati, hello! I'm the design director for Rowan Apparel. Are you open to discussing a collaboration?"

"Ms. Jenner, Iverson Design Group can provide you with a massive creative platform to perfectly recreate the legend of the Nova Series."

"I've crossed paths with you a few times, Ms. Jenner, but I never in my wildest dreams imagined you were Nati."

...

A swarm of industry elites flooded toward her the moment her true identity as Nati was confirmed.

Standing in the background, Yvonne gritted her teeth so hard she nearly cracked them. Miles had already been completely thrown out of the Zimmerman family, so why was she *still* the one being completely overshadowed?!