Chapter 620
Claire Bennett's First Battle Ends in Victory
Claire Bennett had just guessed through a whole round of possibilities, but she never in a million years expected that the person who had helped her would be Old Mr. Sterling.
Thinking of all the prejudice and opposition Old Mr. Sterling had shown her before, she felt something indescribable in her heart, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
Claire Bennett quickly returned to normal. She had Molly Lee keep Mrs. Parker company, then hurried off to the side to make a call. The phone had only rung twice before it was picked up, and Julian Sterling's deep, magnetic voice came through by her ear.
"How did the opening go today?"
Claire Bennett curled her lips into a light smile and said, "It was a huge success! You brought in so many celebrities to back me up that this place is practically being crushed by their fans. I feel like I'll definitely make the New York headlines tomorrow."
Not even counting those actresses on the level of award-winning queens, just the young male stars who showed up later were enough to draw a crowd.
Their fan bases were simply enormous.
Julian Sterling laughed when he heard that, then said softly, "I still owe you an apology."
Claire Bennett looked surprised. He still owed her an apology?
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"I've been busy with company matters these past few days and almost forgot about your opening. I didn't really help. Luckily Grandpa reminded me and had me invite some celebrities to support you."
Old Mr. Sterling again?
Claire Bennett truly hadn't expected that Old Mr. Sterling had helped her so much behind the scenes. Not only had he reminded Julian Sterling to invite celebrities for her, even those big shots he found to back her up had all been brought in by Old Mr. Sterling.
"So it was Grandpa Sterling. Actually, Grandpa Sterling is pretty much all bark and a softie underneath."
Claire Bennett used to be a little afraid of Old Mr. Sterling, but now she felt he was nothing more than an old child.
As for the grievances of the past, she would just let them stay in the past.
...
Claire Bennett's store scored a beautiful opening victory, and with the publicity push being strong enough, it posted impressive results on its very first day of business.
Online orders came pouring in like snowflakes, and the physical store had quite a few customers coming in all day long.
Meanwhile, on Ava Bennett's side, her store was deserted. She didn't even need to ask anyone about Claire Bennett's sales figures; one look was enough to tell her that she had lost to Claire again, and badly at that.
After returning to the Bennett family home, Ava Bennett smashed everything in her room to pieces in a fit of rage.
Hannah Bennett heard the commotion coming from her daughter's room upstairs and was scared out of her wits. She didn't go knock until the noise had died down a little.
"Ava, it's Mom."
"Come in!"
Hannah Bennett pushed open the door and couldn't help frowning at the room, where there was nowhere to step.
"What on earth happened to make you this angry? Didn't you already snatch up all the storefronts Claire Bennett had her eye on?"
Ava Bennett's face was dark, and this anger in her chest was practically torturing her to death.
"That bitch Claire Bennett!"
"Why is everyone helping her? Julian Sterling's already been kicked out of Sterling Group, and there are still people willing to help him. The moment Claire Bennett's store opened, it suppressed our store so badly we could barely breathe. On the first day of business, we didn't even make a splash!"
The Bennett family wasn't short on money, but what Ava Bennett was angry about was that even in Claire Bennett's current state, she still managed to beat her at everything, as if she could never be crushed no matter what. Was she still thinking about making a comeback and returning to the Bennett family someday to snatch everything away again?
The more Ava Bennett thought about it, the more terrified she became, her fists clenching tight.
"Mom, I have to come up with a way to make sure Claire Bennett can never get back on her feet."
Hannah Bennett felt sorry for her daughter and couldn't bear to watch her torment herself like this. She sat down beside her, thought for a moment, and said,
"That Julian Sterling isn't the head of the Sterling family anymore. What kind of good life can Claire Bennett have following him? If you want to deal with her, isn't that easy?"
"As long as you can win over Ethan Sterling, forget one little shop's business—even an entire shopping mall would still be just one word from the Sterling family."
"As long as her store can't stay open, she'll never be able to make a comeback."
Ava Bennett's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Hannah Bennett's hand, much happier now.
"Mom, you're the one with the ideas. How did I not think of that?"
"It's just that... I haven't really had much contact with Ethan Sterling before."
Hannah Bennett cupped her daughter's face and said, "My daughter is this beautiful. Ethan Sterling isn't blind. He'll definitely fall for you."
Those words gave Ava Bennett quite a bit of confidence, and she immediately lifted her chin and nodded.
"Mom's right. He's just a man, isn't he? With my methods, there's no way I can't win him over."
"Once I become the Sterling family's young mistress, let's see how Claire Bennett can still act smug in front of me. I'll make sure she never has a chance to rise again in the capital!"
She would never in her life be allowed to return to the Bennett family and take away everything that belonged to her.
...
Maison Verne had achieved such good results right after opening, and Claire Bennett was excited too.
She had been so busy all day that her feet barely touched the ground, personally working in the store the whole time. After all, this was now her own brand, unlike when she had been at Bennett Group before. If she hadn't seen Julian Sterling appear at the entrance, she might have forgotten it was already time to get off work.
Everyone had been busy all day and was definitely tired, so Claire Bennett called out to Molly Lee.
"Everyone worked hard today. Let them all get off work first."
Molly Lee glanced at the man by the door and smiled as she nodded.
"Okay, boss, then we'll head out first."
The teasing smile on the young woman's face made the tips of Claire Bennett's ears redden slightly. Having your boyfriend pick you up after work was pretty normal, right? It was just that Julian Sterling's looks and bearing were far too conspicuous.
Even if he were dressed in cheap clothes, standing beside the male models in the designer clothing store next door, he would still outshine the male model on the poster.