Chapter 603: Making an Enemy

Chapter 603: Chapter 603: Making an Enemy

Corinne Linden had no interest in such pointless nonsense. She refused coldly, "I don’t care if you’re really her friend or not. Ethan told me to take good care of the Third Miss Tanner today, and I won’t let any irrelevant people near her. Please leave immediately. You’re not welcome here."

Claire Sinclair narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice dropping a few degrees. "And what if I’m here as a reporter from the Astoria Daily to offer some support to the Third Miss Tanner? Are you going to stop me then, Miss Linden?"

Before Corinne Linden could speak, Claire Sinclair added, "Can you even stop me?"

In other words, could she withstand the public pressure from the Astoria Daily?

Corinne Linden was a smart woman; how could she not understand the unspoken threat? Her anger flared.

"Claire Sinclair, I see you’re just here to cause trouble! Do you really think I’m afraid of you?!"

Claire Sinclair’s expression didn’t change. "Don’t get so worked up. I made an appointment with a doctor last week to take the Third Miss Tanner for a full-body check-up today. I’m just taking her for a physical. I’ll bring her right back when it’s done."

Corinne Linden was about to say something else when she was suddenly cut off by a sharp reprimand. "Corinne, let her take the girl!"

Corinne Linden froze, turning her head. "Mom," she said instinctively.

Mrs. Linden walked up to them, first glancing at her daughter, Corinne, then turning her gaze to Claire Sinclair’s face.

"Claire Sinclair, you can take her. But I must remind you of one thing: the moment you walk out that door with her, you’ve made an enemy of us. You’d better think this through."

’As expected of the Linden Family’s matriarch,’ Claire thought. ’Her words come with their own dramatic soundtrack, commanding instant awe.’

Fortunately, Claire Sinclair was no longer the weak and helpless person she used to be. Rising to the occasion was her specialty—the stronger the opponent, the stronger she became. Facing Mrs. Linden, her presence didn’t falter in the slightest; she even offered a smile.

"If making an enemy of you means getting my friend out of danger, then I’d be more than happy to."

Hearing this, Corinne Linden couldn’t stay quiet any longer. She cut in, "Claire Sinclair, what’s that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know perfectly well what I mean, Miss Linden. I won’t expose you, just to save us all the trouble." After speaking, Claire Sinclair turned and waved to Ivy Tanner. "Ivy, come here. Let’s go."

Ivy Tanner nodded, broke free from Owens’s grasp, and quickly ran over.

Claire Sinclair took her by the wrist and, without another word, led her away under everyone’s watchful eyes.

Corinne Linden’s hands clenched into tight fists, her heart already a raging inferno.

’Claire Sinclair, how dare you ruin my plans. Just you wait!’

–

After they got in the car, Claire Sinclair immediately asked, "Are you okay?"

Ivy Tanner shook her head gently. "I just took a fall, but I’m fine. Why did you suddenly show up?"

"I called you, and they said Corinne Linden had taken you away. I was worried, so I came after you."

"Corinne Linden was trying to set me up with that fatso from the Lowell Family. She almost succeeded. And you know what? There were dozens of people there, and not a single one of them stepped in to help me. They all just watched coldly. I was thinking then that if that pig really... got his hands on me, I probably would have jumped off the balcony."

"There’s a reason they say birds of a feather flock together. Corinne Linden is the very definition of a sanctimonious hypocrite. Of all her family’s friends and relatives who were there, how many of them could possibly be good people?"

Ivy Tanner looked at her face and suddenly noticed something. "You seem to have gained some weight," she said, pleasantly surprised.

Claire Sinclair was taken aback. "Uh, really? A lot?"

"Not a lot, you’ve just filled out. You look much better like this. You were too skinny before."

Claire Sinclair touched her face, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. ’Since I’m pregnant,’ she thought, ’I have to eat more to help the baby grow big and strong.’