Claire knew the White family worried that once she left for college in Cabinda, she would be too overwhelmed to focus on Daniel's treatment.
Her reassurance finally set their minds at ease.
The White family didn't own any property in Cabinda, so they tasked Chrystal's son, Ramsey, with buying an estate there.
It would serve as a recovery retreat for Daniel in the future.
Claire booked her flight to Cabinda for right after SUNNY's autumn launch gala.
She had originally promised the Churchill family she would arrive early, but this event had delayed her plans.
They had initially invited the Churchill family to the Ivy Gala to test the waters and see if anyone was still tracking Melissa and Agassi.
But there hadn't been a single ripple of suspicious activity.
Claire couldn't be sure if her family had guessed wrong, or if the people watching the James and Churchill families had simply given up.
After all, so much time had passed. Their enemies might have moved on to other targets long ago.
Still, the total silence kept both the James and Churchill families on edge.
If those operatives had shown up, it would have been proof that Agassi and Melissa might still be alive.
Instead, their absence only deepened the agonizing uncertainty of whether the couple had survived.
"Claire, what's on your mind?"
Jenny, who had fully embraced life in Solenia, waved a hand in front of Claire's face.
This SUNNY launch gala was critical. It would determine whether the brand could fully dominate the Solenian market and secure its foothold.
Even though many international brands acted arrogant, they desperately coveted Solenia's consumer base.
Solenia had a massive population with staggering purchasing power.
One only had to look at the wealthy women traveling abroad, clearing out entire shelves of designer clothes, bags, and cosmetics to see the truth.
Wherever Solenian shoppers went, they were a major economic force.
Because of this, Jenny's objective was crystal clear.
They had to conquer the Solenian market.
"It's nothing," Claire said, shaking her head.
The gala venue was already buzzing with activity, and Jenny was swamped with preparations.
Claire told her to focus on her work, prompting a groan from Jenny. "You could have helped me shoulder some of this but now its all piled on The..."
Claire cut her off with a bright smile. "With great talent comes great responsibility."
The launch was hosted at The VIA Grand, a luxury hotel owned by the VIA Group right across from the mall.
Edison was personally overseeing the mall's operations, making Claire feel her presence was entirely unnecessary.
For this launch, the guest list included fashion elites and A-list celebrities.
Naturally, it also featured SUNNY's most loyal VIP clients.
These were people who had spent
bet
hundreds of thousands of spent
the brand, many of them prominent socialites from across the country.
Claire recognized a few faces among them, like Mabel.
Shirley was there too, courtesy of an invitation Claire had personally arranged.
It all started because a couple of
girls from Shirley's former inner
circle had begun relentlessly
Venet
mocking her after the James
family's downfall.
fo FindNovel.net
Those two had somehow snagged invites to the gala and couldn't resist flaunting
them in Shirley's face.
Shirley had clashed with them.
Specifically, it had escalated into a physical fight.
It was two against one.
Naturally, Shirley had lost.
She had vented her frustrations to Claire, absolutely seething.
"So what if the James family went bankrupt? What do they have to be so smug about?"
"When we used to hang out, they freeloaded off me all the time, and I never made a fuss about it."
"Now the tables have turned. My family is broke, theirs hit it big, and suddenly they're stabbing me in the back."
"It's not like I haven't bought SUNNY before. Why are they acting so high and mighty?"
"I could still afford it if I wanted to, I just don't feel like it!"
After listening to her endless rant, Claire had quietly prepared VIP invitations for
both her and Sophia.