Because Ablett was there to cover for him, Dane had been able to slip away.
"Dane!"
"Mr. Green!"
The men at the table immediately greeted him with profound respect.
Waylon was the only one staring in utter confusion.
"Mr. Green, what brings you here?" Quentin asked, much faster on the uptake.
Judging by the reverent way these powerful men addressed him, it was obvious Dane was a titan.
Dane's predatory gaze locked entirely onto Waylon. "I heard someone was making a move on my fiancée."
"Your fiancée? Who?" Waylon was still too slow to connect the dots.
But when he saw everyone staring at Claire, reality came crashing down. "Wait, you mean... Claire is your fiancée?"
The moment the overly familiar name left Waylon's lips, Dane's eyes turned lethal.
"That's right. I'm her fiancé."
Waylon had already guessed it, but hearing Dane confirm it still stung bitterly.
How could she be engaged to this guy?
Wait, so she really was taken?
He didn't know who Dane was, so he shot a confused look at his cousin.
Quentin had called him 'Mr. Green,' which meant this man held serious authority.
Waylon suddenly recalled the short list of untouchable families his father had warned him about.
One of them was the Greens.
Even though they were technically just a business family, his politician father had told him never to cross their path.
Waylon wasn't completely brainless. This man had to be the heir to that very empire.
Quentin gave his cousin a subtle shake of his head, silently warning him to back down.
That only fueled Waylon's resentment.
Why was there always someone he wasn't allowed to offend?
What was so damn special about this Green guy anyway?
"Mr. Green, my cousin and I are just here to discuss Luminate. We had no idea Claire was your fiancée."
"Please forgive our intrusion," Quentin said, smoothly apologizing on Waylon's behalf.
Waylon tried to protest, but Quentin forcefully yanked him aside.
Owen let out a mocking laugh.
"I already told you, Mr. Dale.
Luminate isnt looking poet
investors right now. You and Me Hudson can see yourselves out."
"You're trying to demand unearned equity in Luminate?" Dane immediately saw through their scheme.
Waylon tried to step up again, but Quentin beat him to it.
"Not at all. We just saw Luminate's immense potential. We thought an investment would help it scale faster."
He wanted to make it clear they were offering real money, not just demanding free shares.
"Bullshit. You just saw a cash cow and wanted a free ride."
They were all investors, but dealing with an idiot like Waylon was an entirely different game.
Waylon was a liability, and Quentin was a parasite.
Letting either of them in would poison the company.
The one who had spoken up was Xavier Vance.
Xavier himself didn't have direct ties to this industry, but Serena Wade's family did.
That was why he had brought his fiancée along tonight.
Ironically enough, Serena and Waylon were cousins.
But Serena had always despised him and kept her distance.
Waylon clearly preferred hanging around Quentin anyway.
Serena couldn't stand Quentin either.
Her aunt loved leeching off their political connections, and the Dales had only risen
to power by riding their family's coattails.
But looking at them now, their ambition had clearly grown out of control.
The last time e her aunt visited, she had actually tried to sink her claws into Serena's father's company. She kept dropping hints that since
Serena's father didn't have ne
busness shouldnt go to an
a son, the
'outsider.'
५
So what if she was a woman?
Her family and the Vances already had a rock-solid agreement.
l.ne
She would eventually take over the Vance family's operations too. Wasn't that infinitely better than
The empire overt a greedy
nephew like Quentin?
"You!" Waylon snarled, ready to curse Xavier out.
Serena shot him a glacial glare. "Waylon, are you leaving or not?"
She didn't even acknowledge Quentin's existence.
Quentin ground his teeth in silent fury. He absolutely loathed his haughty cousin!
The nerve of a woman, thinking she could monopolize the family empire!