Chapter 622
You Have Your Battlefield, and I Have Mine Too
Grandpa Sterling didn't say things very nicely, and Grandma Sterling tugged at him, signaling with her eyes for him to say less.
True feelings show in hard times. She knew the old man had already accepted Claire Bennett in his heart; otherwise, there was no way he would have swallowed his pride and asked Mrs. Parker to go support her on the opening day of the jewelry store.
It was just that mouth of his. No matter how good his intentions were, once they came out of his mouth, they somehow seemed to take on a different flavor.
He obviously wanted to tell Julian to trust his other half, to trust Claire's ability, so how did it come out sounding so unpleasant?
Claire Bennett didn't mind at all. To put it bluntly, old Mr. Sterling just had the temperament of an old child. She truly was grateful to Grandpa Sterling for what he'd done for the new store's opening.
She gave Julian Sterling a push.
"Grandpa's right. You have your battlefield, and I have mine too."
"Trust me. I can handle it."
If she had to rely on Julian Sterling for everything, then the jewelry store might as well shut down early. How was she supposed to break into the high-end market and build connections?
Julian Sterling was on the same wavelength as her and understood what Claire Bennett meant.
He naturally trusted her and respected her decision as well.
"Okay, then I'll see you at the venue."
"Mm."
As soon as Julian Sterling left, Molly Lee saw that the car they'd called had arrived too, and shouted to Claire Bennett.
"Boss, the car we called is here too. Let's go."
Claire Bennett nodded, but before leaving, she turned her steps and walked over to the sofa.
"Grandpa, thank you."
She thanked Grandpa Sterling playfully. On the surface, the old man didn't react at all. He even turned his head to the side as if he couldn't be bothered to look at her another second.
He waved his hand impatiently to shoo her away.
"Go on, get going. Quit dawdling."
Grandma Sterling looked at the smile on her old man's face that he just couldn't suppress with Claire out of sight, and felt speechless.
He obviously cared a lot, so what was with pretending to be impatient?
"Okay, I'm leaving. Grandma, take good care of Grandpa."
Grandma Sterling nodded and looked at her with a loving expression.
"All right. Be careful on your way out."
Claire Bennett got into the car and told the driver to take a shortcut to the dress shop.
But once they got onto the main road, even the driver was puzzled.
"Why take a shortcut? The main road isn't even jammed today."
Not jammed?
Molly Lee was confused too, because it was clearly the dress shop that had called to say traffic was too bad and they couldn't deliver the dress. This dress had been rushed specifically to match the jewelry Claire Bennett had designed, and she had designed the dress herself too, then handed it over to the dress shop to make.
There had been a little mishap in the middle, so the dress wasn't finished until today. They were the ones who had said they'd personally deliver it, and now they were also the ones saying they couldn't get it there because of traffic.
Otherwise, there was no way Claire Bennett would have been sitting at home waiting, thinking she could leave together with Julian Sterling for the cocktail party.
Now she seemed to understand something, and her face turned ashen.
"Since the main road isn't jammed, then let's take the main road. As long as we can get there as quickly as possible."
Molly Lee nodded. "Please drive a little faster, sir."
Claire Bennett paid extra for the fare, and for the money's sake, the driver drove very fast. In no time at all, they arrived at the dress shop.
The moment she walked in, she saw Ava Bennett sitting in the VIP area drinking tea, along with her assistant Olivia Lawson.
"Boss, they're actually here too!"
At this point, Claire Bennett completely understood how her dress had been delayed until now without reaching her hands. So Ava Bennett had been the one behind it.
The moment Ava Bennett saw her—especially when she saw the displeased look all over Claire Bennett's face—she felt especially refreshed, and walked over to her in her thin high heels.
"Isn't this my sister? You came to pick out a dress too?"
After Ava Bennett walked closer, Molly Lee got a clear look at what she was wearing and was shocked.
"Boss, what she's wearing—isn't that—"
Claire Bennett had noticed it long ago, and raised a hand to stop Molly Lee.
Molly Lee was so angry her face turned red. This Ava Bennett was too shameless. How could she wear a dress that had already been custom-made for someone else?
Unable to swallow it, she turned and shouted at the dress shop staff.
"Get your manager over here and give us a proper explanation. How did the dress our boss custom-ordered end up on someone else!"
Ava Bennett didn't care in the slightest about what Molly Lee was doing. Instead, she smugly spun in a circle in front of Claire Bennett.
"What do you think of this dress, Sister? Doesn't it suit me especially well?"
Claire Bennett let out a cold laugh.
"From the past until now, that nasty habit of stealing other people's things really hasn't changed."
Seeing the angry look on her face, Ava Bennett felt incredibly pleased. She didn't take one or two sarcastic remarks from Claire Bennett to heart at all.
"I just can't change it, so what? What can you do about it?"
Without a dress, she wouldn't be able to go to the cocktail party, and yet she still delusionally wanted to attend and expand her market. Dream on. There was no way Ava Bennett was going to give her that chance.
Claire Bennett's eyes were cold. She didn't know how Ava Bennett had found out she was going to the cocktail party, or who had told her about the dress.
But if Ava Bennett thought this would stop her from going to the cocktail party, then she was being far too naive.
She opened her mouth and sneered right back.
"Well, of course. A dog can't stop eating shit."
"Since you like this dress so much, I'm giving it to you."