Daniel turned to her, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment. "As you wish, Ms. Natalie. I have been instructed to follow whatever you wish me to do."
What? The collective shock was seen among the guests, though no one dared voice it aloud. In their minds, they were all screaming the same question.
Daniel Cross, the most feared lawyer in the city, was instructed by the NextEra CEO to follow Natalie’s directives?
Whoever could command such a lawyer’s allegiance was undoubtedly powerful—but Natalie? What relationship did she have with the NextEra CEO? And wasn’t she already married?
Faye stood frozen, her mind reeling. She turned to her own lawyer for guidance. Though visibly shaken, he gave her a slight nod, urging her to proceed. It was too late to back out now. His orders were clear: escalate the matter and ensure Natalie was discredited in front of everyone.
-----
Meanwhile, in the Ford’s office...
"Why is she so calm?" Clara asked, her voice tinged with unease. "And what did she mean by allowing them entry even with a fake invitation card? Was she expecting this all along?"
"That’s not the real issue, Mother," Briena interjected. "Look at the screen—Daniel Cross is there, and he mentioned the NextEra CEO is supporting her. This makes things far worse."
Clara and Briena both turned toward Sephina, who hadn’t said a word. Her eyes were glued to the television. Finally, she spoke, her tone dismissive. "You two worry too much."
Briena’s concern didn’t waver. "What if Faye fails and implicates us? We can’t afford to be at odds with NextEra."
Clara scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "This has nothing to do with us. It’s all Amelia Brown’s doing—she arranged everything with Faye. If anyone is in trouble, it’ll be her."
"Ivan won’t be happy if this reflects badly on us," Briena countered, a hint of anxiety in her voice.
Clara smirked. "If anything, it’s a blessing in disguise. Ivan will stop listening to his mother so much and start valuing you more. Let Amelia deal with her mess."
Briena considered this, her lips curving into a sly smile. "You’re right. Let’s enjoy the show."
----
Inside the event hall
Faye said to Natalie, "I had my works already copyrighted under my name even after you rejected them. You must not know that, right?" Faye asked. "This formula was registered a few months back, and I am sure you must have registered yours recently after leaving Brown Industries."
"I invented it after leaving Browns, so of course, I registered it after that."
Faye scoffed. "Whether you agree or not, this already proves I was the first one to invent it and register it."
"Maybe it’s possible that we invented the same formula by coincidence?" Natalie commented.
"I am sure this is not a coincidence," Faye scoffed, thinking Natalie was trying to defend herself. "This perfume was my best creation, and I treasure it the most. I was waiting to propose it to get an investment and start my own company, but you beat me to it."
How can it smell so good? Faye couldn’t help but wonder. If I can truly prove it’s my formula, I will be famous and rolling in immense wealth, other than getting money from suing the daughter of the Fords.
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