The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 331

For the first time in months, business was finally looking up.

The reports sitting in front of me finally contained more good news than problems. Our latest quarterly figures showed steady growth, improvement in investor confidence, and two major deals that had been delayed during the scandal Eva caused had finally gone through.

Dhark Holdings was recovering.

More importantly, it was recovering without my having to spend every waking hour putting out fires started by a woman who had once claimed to love me.

I glanced at the financial report on the conference table while our chief financial officer walked the board through the figures.

“Revenue has increased by twelve percent compared to the previous quarter,” he explained. “Our overseas investments are performing better than projected, and the renewed confidence from our existing investors has opened the door to several new opportunities.”

A few members of the board exchanged pleased looks.

Director Whitmore nodded. “Excellent. I believe we can confidently say our worst days are behind us.”

“Not quite,” another director remarked. “Not when we’re giving the public another reason to question our judgment.”

I lifted my eyes from the report.

The man, Richard Lawson, had been unusually quiet throughout the meeting. He was one of the older members of the board—the sort of man who believed every problem could be solved by protecting the company’s reputation and every difficult situation could be managed with the right public statement.

My father said it was important to keep those kind of people close.

“What are you getting at, Lawson?” I asked.

He adjusted his glasses. “There’s been another development in the media.”

I leaned back in my chair. “There are always developments in the media.”

“This one concerns Claire Moreau.”

The room seemed to grow quieter.

My fingers stopped moving against the edge of the report.

“What about her?”

Lawson cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’ve seen the allegations circulating online. The claims about her university years and her alleged relationships with professors.”

“I’ve seen them.”

“Then you’ll understand why I’m bringing this up.”

“No, Lawson. I understand that you’ve decided to waste valuable meeting time discussing rumors about our attorney’s personal life. I’m asking why.”

His expression tightened, but he continued.

“I’m not suggesting the allegations are true. However, whether they’re true or not, they’re becoming a public controversy. Given the scandal this company has only recently survived, I believe we should be cautious about anything that might draw unwanted attention to us again.”

I stared at him.

“And how exactly does Claire’s alleged university history concern Dhark Holdings?”

“She is representing the company in the case against Eva Sterling. If her reputation comes under serious scrutiny, it could affect how the public perceives our legal team.”

“Her reputation is being scrutinized because someone has decided to spread unverified allegations about her. That doesn’t make those allegations true.”

“Of course not. But public perception isn’t always based on the truth, Mr. Dhark. You know that better than anyone.” He argued.

And unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong about that.

I knew precisely how quickly public opinion could turn against someone. I had watched it happen to me when Eva accused me of assaulting her and causing the miscarriage of a child that had never existed.

For months, people had looked at me as though they knew what had happened behind closed doors.

Executives had questioned my judgment. Business partners had distanced themselves. Investors had pulled out. Every statement I made had been dissected, every denial dismissed as the desperate excuse of a powerful man trying to escape accountability.

I had survived it because the truth eventually emerged. Barely.

Claire had helped me do that. And now they wanted to punish her because someone was doing to her what Eva had done to me.

I wasn’t going to entertain it.

“What are you proposing?” I asked, already suspecting I wouldn’t like the answer.

Lawson glanced around the table.

“I believe we should consider whether Claire should remain the lead counsel on our case.” He declared.

My expression hardened. “Consider what?”

“Replacing her, temporarily. At least until the allegations have been resolved.”

I said nothing.

Perhaps my silence served as encouragement to him, because he continued.

“From what I know, Margot Sinclair is recovering. If necessary, she could take over the case herself. Alternatively, Sinclair & Co. has several other competent attorneys who aren’t currently at the center of a public controversy.”

Another director, Mr. Bennett, nodded. “I agree with Lawson. We need to protect the company’s interests first. We cannot afford to become entangled in another scandal, especially when the previous one cost us several important partnerships.”

“Claire Moreau is an excellent lawyer,” Whitmore said cautiously, “but I understand the concern. Perhaps a temporary change would prevent unnecessary distractions.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify