Claire spoke nervously, “Oh no, I can’t ask you to do that…”

Charlie warmly took her hand and replied with a gentle smile, “My dear, since Miss Young is offering her assistance, it’s best to accept her kindness as a sign of respect.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to accept her offer,” Claire explained, “but it feels like too much help…”

Charlie then took the check from Bobby and placed it in Claire’s hand. “Since Miss Young has stated that it’s free, you should keep the money. Emgrand Group is a massive company with a net worth in the hundreds of billions; they won’t mind covering your small rent. Besides, you’ll have future projects and collaborations with them. Let’s keep things simple and avoid unnecessary formality.”

Claire felt a bit touched as she considered Charlie’s words.

He was correct. Emgrand Group was the largest corporation in Aurous Hill, and its size was comparable to that of the entire Moore family. If she complicated things with Doris Young over the $180,000 check, it might give Doris the impression that she was being rigid and inflexible.

With that in mind, she graciously accepted the check and said, “Thank you so much, Miss Young!”

Doris smiled softly. “We are partners; we should support one another.”

Claire nodded and handed the check back to Charlie. “I don’t have any pockets in my dress; could you please hold onto it for me?”

“Of course!” Charlie replied, slipping the check into his pocket. “Now, let me introduce you to Miss Moore. The Moore family has some renovation projects that I think you’ll find interesting.”

Claire nodded, although she felt hesitant to engage with Jasmine. Standing next to her made Claire feel inferior and unaccomplished.

More importantly, she sensed an undercurrent of hostility masked by Jasmine’s polite smile.

A woman’s intuition is rarely wrong. Deep down, Jasmine was likely plotting to entice Charlie away from the Wilson family and into the Moore family, which fueled her unexpected animosity towards Claire. Though Claire noticed this hostility, she hadn’t yet pinpointed its origin or reason.

Checking the time, she realized it was already past 10 a.m. Her parents were expected to arrive by now. She gently tugged on Charlie’s sleeve and asked, “Charlie, Mom and Dad should be here by now. Why don’t you call them and see where they are?”

Charlie nodded. “They might be caught in traffic…”

Both he and Claire had woken up early to prepare the office for the reception. They had even asked their parents to arrive before ten for the opening ceremony.

Now, ten minutes had passed since the hour, yet they were still missing.

Charlie pulled out his phone, ready to make the call when suddenly, Claire’s phone rang. She quickly answered, recognizing her mother Elaine’s number.

Elaine’s frantic voice came through the line, “Claire, we’ve had an accident! Your dad has been taken to Silverwing Hospital. You need to come quickly!”