Even though the conversation had been lively and cheerful just moments ago, the mood shifted the second business was on the table. Neither side was willing to budge, and the negotiations quickly turned intense. Claire, though, looked like she was having the time of her life. She enjoyed her food, occasionally using the serving chopsticks to offer Jenny a bite, not missing a beat.
Edison couldn't help but glance at Claire several times. He was starting to suspect that his niece and Jenny knew each other a little too well. Thinking back, it all seemed to line up. The day Jenny called to decline the partnership, then called again to change her mind, just happened to be before and after she met Claire. The pieces fit. The staff and manager at the mall had offended Claire, who then noticed VIA Metropolis's shortcomings and tipped off Jenny. Jenny's sudden refusal to cooperate had definitely embarrassed the mall. It made perfect sense. Later, when Jenny changed her mind again, it was even easier to explain. After all, Claire had already confirmed the mall was family property. Any small flaws in her own family's business could be fixed. If the issue was with that uncle and his nephew, firing them solved everything.
By the time Jenny finally got to enjoy her meal, Claire was already full. During the dinner, Jenny had sent Claire a few pleading glances, but Claire just pretended not to notice. When they finished eating, Jenny suggested they go out for a walk since she hadn't really seen much of Apex yet. Claire quickly made up an excuse about having homework and left Edison to play tour guide.
Edison hadn't expected his niece to ditch him like that. He gave her a look, but Jenny was already waiting for him. “Alright, I'll take Jenny out. Go home and do your homework, and don't stay up too late," he said.
Claire was doing extra tutoring these days, so homework was a reasonable excuse. Once Edison agreed, she grabbed her bag and left. Edison turned to Jenny. "Let's go. I'll show you around the night market."
“Is this your first time in Solenia, Jenny? You look like you're part European.”
"It's not my first time. I came here once when I was really little. It was here that I met the most important partner in my life."
They walked and chatted easily. Edison's English was perfect, so there was no awkwardness at all.
When Claire got home, she noticed
Sophia had sent her a video. It was a clip of Molly's mom sitting on the
floor crying, followed by an interview where Molly's parents explained what they wanted. They hoped Claire would accept their apology and ask the authorities to let Molly out. During the interview, they cried their hearts out, accusing Claire of having no empathy or school spirit. They glossed over what Molly had actually done, while making Claire out to be cold and heartless.
Online, discussions were blowing up. Most people were blaming Claire for being ruthless.
“So what if Claire wins a gold medal at an international competition? Her character is shady. She'll probably betray the country one day."
"She has no loyalty to her classmates. Acting all high and mighty. All Molly did was post a couple of things online, and now she's in jail? That's just too much."
“People like her shouldn't be allowed to compete.”
Over the phone, Sophia was fuming. "Claire, these people are so out of line. They don't even know what really happened and they're already trash talking you. They're calling you 'Poison Rose' now. Guess they think theyre clever. The worst part is they want you banned from the
competition. Isn't that exactly what Molly wanted?"
Claire tried to calm her down. “Don't get mad, Sophia. It's not worth it. This is just the media trying to get clicks. Of course there might be. someone behind the scenes making things worse. We'll have to look into that." Claire's words carried a hint of something deeper. Contént