"Hold on a second, Claire!"
Waylon shamelessly stepped into her path, blocking her escape.
Claire's expression hardened with annoyance. "Mr. Hudson, we hardly know each other. Why are you stopping me?"
Waylon let out a sleazy laugh. "We might not be close now, but that doesn't mean we can't get close later."
"How about I treat you to a late-night snack?"
Claire swatted his hand away. "Not interested!"
Waylon wasn't fazed by the rejection. He just kept grinning like an idiot.
"Come on, Claire. I'm genuinely trying to be your friend."
"Don't be so hostile. Even if we can't make a deal, we can still be civil."
"I know Luminate turned down our investment, but there are plenty of other ventures we could partner up on."
"I heard you're skilled in holistic medicine. Could you whip up some vitality tonics or supplements?"
"Quentin runs a pharmaceutical company. It'd be the perfect collaboration."
Claire couldn't stand Waylon because he was a reckless playboy with zero boundaries.
But her disdain for Quentin Dale went much deeper.
Quentin was a ruthlessly calculating man, driven purely by greed.
He was so obsessed with profit that he was willing to antagonize the Churchill family.
He had even tried to leverage Mayor Hudson's political power to pressure Owen. Luckily, Owen had been decisive, choosing to partner with a few other heavy hitters instead.
That strategic move had effectively neutralized Quentin's pathetic scheming.
Truthfully, the Churchill family's sheer influence was enough to make Quentin think twice about making any sudden moves.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have stooped to using Waylon as a pawn to bolster his own standing.
The Churchills certainly weren't afraid of Waylon, but Owen preferred to handle his own business affairs without relying on his family's wealth unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, this was a venture between him and Claire; he didn't want the family meddling in it.
That was why he had opted for a more tactical approach to handle his competitors.
"No collaboration, thank you," Claire rejected him flatly.
Before Waylon could argue, she cut him off. "Mr. Hudson, I'm out with my friends. Please stop bothering us."
"Otherwise, I won't hesitate to take this straight to your father."
After their first encounter, Claire had asked Dane for a rundown on Waylon.
She learned that while Waylon was a complete trainwreck, Mayor Hudson was a man of integrity who refused to spoil his son.
On the contrary, his father had reached his current position precisely because of his unwavering principles.
Waylon's mother was the one secretly covering up his countless mistakes.
Given their family's status, many
people were eager to assist Waylon, hoping
The to curry favor, even without
the Mayor's direct involvement.
As a result, Waylon could act out as much as he wanted, knowing someone would
always be there to clean up his messes.
Whenever his father found out,
Waylon would get severely
disciplined, but he was smart,
enough to never cross a point of no return.
nes
After all, he was still his son. Unless Waylon committed a truly
unforgivable crime, Mayor Hudson wasn't going to completely discw him.
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Mayor Hudson was deeply devoted to his constituents, his demanding job leaving
him with very little free time.
It inevitably meant he neglected his own family.
He couldn't monitor Waylon's every move twenty-four-seven.
But if someone were to formally complain, the Mayor would absolutely launch a full investigation into his son's behavior.
Just as Claire predicted, the mere threat of a complaint made Waylon shrink back.
He suddenly recalled the last time his father had taken a belt to him.
God, that had hurt like hell!
"Claire, come on, don't be like that. I just wanted to be friends."
Waylon kept his smooth-talking tone, but thankfully, he stopped advancing.
"I'm calling the Mayor's office right now!" Claire wasn't bluffing; she whipped out her phone immediately.
Even though Waylon knew the hotline wasn't operational at this hour, the sheer terror of his father's wrath was enough.
He frantically waved his hands. "Okay, okay! I'm leaving! I'll leave, alright?"