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Chapter 2

Author: Goodtale
Clara stared at me for several seconds.

"Adrian, don't joke with me."

"I'm not joking."

She lowered her eyes to the report in front of her.

"But I don't have anything."

Everyone in the Sutton family was fighting over inheritance.

Clara was the only one who genuinely believed she had nothing.

I flipped to the last page of her report.

"Phase Three Risk Review—Horizon Port Project.

"You wrote this?"

She nodded.

"No one asked me to.

"I noticed something strange in the cash flow from the first two phases, so I recalculated it myself."

Her tone was calm, almost as if the report had nothing to do with her.

But her fingertips were pressing so hard against the paper that the edges had gone white.

She wasn't blind to opportunity.

She simply wasn't used to putting her own name in front of anyone.

Across the room, Serena's expression changed completely.

"Clara."

Her voice sharpened.

"Do you even know what kind of event this is?"

Clara's shoulders drew in slightly, like a small white flower bent by the wind.

But she didn't pull the report back.

I flipped through another two pages.

The report was clean, with no filler: three major risks, seven groups of transactions, twelve suspicious payment accounts.

It was clearer than the report Sutton Group's finance department had given me.

When I reached the final page, Clara instinctively pinned down one corner of the paper, as if she were afraid someone might tear it up. Her touch was light, but she never let go.

Every transaction could be traced back to a contract number.

She had even marked the gaps between payment dates and warehouse receipt dates.

I looked up at Serena.

"Have you read this report?"

She bit her lip.

"It's an intern's report.

"Why would I waste time on it?"

I nodded.

"That explains a lot."

She frowned.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

I closed the report.

"I just think the Sutton family's standard for choosing an heir is impressively consistent.

"Whoever understands the project least gets the seat at the head table."

The ballroom went silent again.

Charles Sutton finally stood.

He was fifty-seven, dressed immaculately, with a dark blue pocket square in his jacket.

The engagement banquet had been unraveling for almost an hour, yet even the angle of that pocket square had not moved.

"Adrian.

"Have you made enough of a scene?"

I looked at him.

"Chairman Sutton thinks I'm the one making a scene?"

"Aren't you?"

He pointed toward Clara.

"Clara is from the junior side of the family.

"She has never participated in Sutton Group's core decisions.

"Serena has been the designated heir for years.

"Dragging Clara out now just to provoke Serena—is there a point to this?"

Clara lowered her head.

She didn't argue.

Her hands only tightened in her lap, her nails digging into her palms until they turned white.

I placed the report back in front of her.

"There is."

Charles's eyes darkened.

Helen immediately stepped closer and shielded Serena.

"Adrian, have some decency.

"Serena is pregnant and still willing to put your name down as the father.

"She's already made this easy for you.

"Now you're humiliating her in front of everyone and dragging Clara into this.

"Are you trying to embarrass the entire Sutton family?"

I looked at her.

"Mrs. Sutton.

"You're trying to hand me Lucas Grant's child and demand that I give him the inheritance of both families.

"I read one report.

"So which of us is short on decency?"

Helen's face stiffened.

Lucas gave a soft laugh.

He walked to Clara's side and glanced down at the document.

"When did little Clara learn how to manage projects?"

His tone sounded friendly.

His wineglass didn't.

It almost came down directly on her paperwork.

Clara instinctively leaned back.

I reached out and moved the glass away.

The red wine swayed but didn't spill.

Pity.

It would've looked excellent on his white suit.

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  • Her Baby, My Name, Their Heir   Chapter 12

    Horizon Port Phase Three restarted after nine days.Clara didn't reopen everything at once.She first removed three suppliers that could not produce original supporting documents.The project loss ended up two hundred million lower than forecast.Sutton Group's cash flow stabilized.The first time the board delivered a complete monthly report to Clara, she still sat near the far edge of the conference table.The difference was that everyone waited for her to speak."Use the second-choice steel supplier."She closed the file."The price is three percent higher."They can guarantee delivery."Someone objected."That increases cost.""One day of another shutdown costs more."Nobody argued after that.When the meeting ended, Clara stayed behind.She reordered quotations from three suppliers.Then she crossed out the lowest-priced company."They're cheaper."But their beneficial ownership overlaps with one of Miles's old suppliers."I looked at the list."You checked?"

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  • Her Baby, My Name, Their Heir   Chapter 9

    The Sutton family board met three days later.There was only one item on the agenda: whether Serena's status as heir should be suspended.Charles had already released a statement claiming I was using the Carter-Sutton partnership to interfere in Sutton family affairs.On the day of the meeting, Serena wore a loose white dress and sat beside the chair at the head of the table.Her pregnancy was impossible to hide now.She also looked more exhausted than she had at the engagement banquet.Helen kept pouring water for her.Lucas sat in the final row with a legal notice beside his hand.Charles tapped the table."This is an internal Sutton Group meeting."Adrian isn't a Sutton director."He doesn't need to participate."I moved the chair beside me toward Clara."She does."Clara looked up."Me?""You're the authorized project manager and the shareholder representative for the junior side of the family.""I didn't receive a meeting notice.""That's why I brought one for yo

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