Chapter 386: It’s Just a Seat? So What If I’m Being Petty?

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: It’s Just a Seat? So What If I’m Being Petty?

When that person originally came, she refused to reveal her identity or background, using a pseudonym. They couldn’t even find out her real name; she only left behind a photo.

Unfortunately, those people wouldn’t let Claire see the photo.

But it didn’t matter. Claire Yeats had been Miss Yeats for at least two decades and had countless connections. The fact that she couldn’t find a single trace of that person after investigating for so long proved that the person couldn’t show her face in public. Moreover, whenever the former judges mentioned the champion, their tone was tinged with regret, occasionally dropping phrases like, "If only she were still around..."

So, there was an eighty percent chance the champion was already dead!

Claire unapologetically claimed her credit.

Evan Yeats also spoke up. "Although Mr. Lynch rejected my proposal, if the shareholders bring it up again, I’m sure Mr. Lynch won’t refuse."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Yeats is right."

One shareholder suddenly frowned. "It’s just that... Mr. Lynch said that any requests from the Yeats Group must be approved by Estelle Lockwood. Given the usual tension between her and Miss Claire... What if she disagrees?"

Evan spoke self-righteously. "Estelle is also one of the Yeats. Grandpa loves her so much; surely she wouldn’t damage the Yeats Group’s interests over personal grudges? Even if Grandpa agreed to it, I would fight her to the end!

"Besides, even though I’m Estelle’s brother, I have to say this: she is inferior to Claire in every way. She only got this project lead position because of her special status. In reality, it would be much better for Claire to take charge.

"She’s already snatched the project lead title from Claire. Are you gentlemen really going to stand by and watch her interfere with the design too?"

The shareholders exchanged glances and gritted their teeth. "You’re absolutely right. We will definitely help you."

Even though Mr. Yeats’s reputation right now was... hard to describe. And his management of the Branch of Yeats Group was... leaving everyone speechless. But those who had disagreed with Evan had long been driven away, simply returning to Capital City.

Those who stayed were the ones who couldn’t survive at the Yeats Group in Capital City, having been looked down upon by Quentin Yeats. They wanted to follow Mr. Yeats to gamble for a way out. These people were either fools or sycophants who only knew how to flatter. Only a few genuinely cared about the development of the Branch of Yeats Group. Since everyone was kissing up to Claire and Evan, those few naturally found it hard to speak up.

Claire hypocritically stood up and bowed to everyone. "Thank you all for your trust in me. This is all part of my duty. Estelle isn’t as bad as everyone says, and I’m perfectly willing to assist her. Mr. Lynch might not know about the internal affairs of the Yeats Group, which is why he trusts Estelle. As the saying goes, don’t wash your dirty linen in public. We don’t need to gossip about Estelle in front of Mr. Lynch."

The shareholders applauded enthusiastically, praising Claire’s magnanimity.

One of the shareholders deliberately scoffed to curry favor. "True, Mr. Lynch is in the dark, but we know the truth! Handing this collaboration over to Estelle Lockwood is a recipe for disaster. We agreed to have a meeting, yet the so-called project lead hasn’t even shown up. If Mr. Lynch weren’t busy today... I’d really want him to see Estelle’s true colors!"

"Exactly," another chimed in. "Miss Lockwood is far too irresponsible. What does she think this collaboration is? Child’s play?"

"She only has a title. Other than that, how can she compare to Miss Claire?" added a third.

Claire shook her head frantically. "Please don’t say that, everyone. Estelle’s status is more prestigious than mine, and Mr. Lynch values her position. I won’t compete with Estelle over that..."

"I didn’t realize Miss Yeats cared so much about my status. Are you jealous?" a faint female voice interrupted Claire.

Claire froze, her eyes subconsciously turning red. "Estelle, I’m not..."

"Being jealous won’t help. Why don’t you pay more attention to your status next time you’re reincarnated?"

"Estelle Lockwood!" A shareholder slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Who gave you the right to speak to Miss Claire like that? Watch your status!"

Estelle spread her hands. "A moment ago, I’m told not to be so smug about my status, and the next, I’m asked what status I have and told to watch myself. I’m curious... what do you think I am? A mystery box?"

"..." The shareholder choked on his words, his face instantly turning beet red.

Truthfully, it was just a slip of the tongue. After all, he was used to using ’status’ to suppress people whenever he couldn’t win an argument. So, for a moment, he actually forgot that Estelle Lockwood was the rightful young lady of the Yeats Family.

Estelle walked in, her high heels clicking, her faint gaze sweeping across the room. Suddenly, she smiled. "Didn’t you say we’re having a meeting? Why didn’t you leave a seat for the project lead?"

The shareholder coldly pointed to a makeshift seat at the back. "Is Miss Lockwood’s eyesight poor? Isn’t there another one right there?"

The conference room featured a long rectangular table, and everyone was seated in high-end, comfortable leather chairs that were wide and heavy. But the temporary seat he pointed to was a small, low stool without a backrest, normally used by the shareholders as a footstool.

Estelle’s gaze swept over the crowd and landed on an empty chair next to Claire, which had several bags placed on it.

"Oh, my apologies. Isn’t this because Miss Lockwood arrived late?" the shareholder said smugly. "We all brought our briefcases to the meeting, and there was nowhere to put them. So, seeing an empty seat here, we just placed them on it.

"Miss Lockwood wouldn’t want to sit here, would she? That would require everyone to move their bags. Sigh, that would just waste time.

"Besides, we’re all a bit older than Miss Lockwood, so we count as your seniors. Miss Lockwood surely wouldn’t expect us seniors to stand up and serve you just for a seat, right?"

The shareholder was gloating, willing to say anything to curry favor with Evan and Claire. It was such a childish display of dominance.

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "No problem. Since you seniors are unwilling to move your asses, then let Miss Claire, who shouldn’t even be here, leave.

"After all, if I remember correctly, Miss Claire isn’t on the collaboration list."

If they wanted to play power games, she could play too.

Sure enough, the entire conference room fell silent. Everyone’s expression turned ugly. The shareholder stammered, "You... you..." for a long time but couldn’t form a sentence.

"You... you are out of line! It’s just a seat; do you really need to be so petty? What are you doing? Wasting everyone’s time? Wasting time is a small matter, but delaying the collaboration is a big deal! Can’t you be a little more sensible?!"

Estelle nodded. "Alright then. I’ll go have a word with Mr. Lynch. I’ll tell him that during the Branch of Yeats Group’s meeting, I, the project lead, was marginalized. I’ll ask Mr. Lynch to replace me immediately."

The shareholder’s face turned green. He wanted to replace her too! But Mr. Lynch had explicitly stated that if the project lead wasn’t Estelle Lockwood, the collaboration would be canceled!

Instantly, no one dared to utter a word.

Estelle nodded in satisfaction and looked at Claire. "Since that’s the case... Miss Claire, would you mind moving?"

Claire bit her lip tightly, feeling utterly humiliated. She wondered what gave Estelle the right. Wasn’t it just because she had the status of Silas Lockwood’s daughter? If she yielded, wouldn’t it be an admission of inferiority?

"Estelle," Claire began, her tone placating, "the shareholders are right. We don’t have much time left, so let’s start the meeting first... There’s no need to be so particular about a seat..."