Chapter 008

Amber said, "Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you I ran into Claire on Ghost Street. She hit me, but honestly, she looks like she's doing terribly. Wearing cheap clothes from street stalls, no makeup. She was probably there to scavenge for bargains. And you know what? She had injuries on her hand. Her husband definitely beat her. Just thinking about it makes me feel so satisfied…"

Those words made Rachel pause. Her mood lifted.

She was having dinner with her family at the moment. Seeing everyone looking at her, she put the call on speakerphone.

News of Claire being abused was too good not to share.

Rachel continued, "How could she end up so miserable? She's truly pitiful."

She put on an innocent, kind expression and turned to her parents. "Dad, Mom, Finn，Claire's doing so badly now. Should we help her?"

Marilyn looked disgusted. "She already cut ties with us. Why should we help? Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with us."

Finn said, "That's true. But if she's willing to come back and apologize, the Sullivan family doesn't lack one more mouth to feed. We could use her as a free servant. We wouldn't lose anything."

Victor's face was cold. "Every woman who entered Begonia Villa died that same night. The fact that Claire came out alive—who knows what shameful things she did. That kind of filth, even if she comes back begging on her knees, you'd all do better to stay away from her."

Ryan chimed in, "Mom and Dad are right. Yesterday, Claire was the one who wanted to cut ties with us. She chose this path herself. If she gets beaten to death, she deserves it. Sis, don't be too soft-hearted or kind. Don't worry about whether she lives or dies."

Rachel felt a surge of superiority. The contemptuous, smug curve of her lips couldn't be suppressed.

……

Ghost Street.

Though it was called Ghost Street, it wasn't actually haunted.

It was a marketplace that only opened at night. All kinds of businesses operated here. The crowd was a mixed bag, which was why people called it Ghost Street.

Past the bustling area, around a corner, stood the apothecary owned by Unity Alliance.

It was a quiet spot amid the chaos. The shop was large—the biggest apothecary under 719.

Claire didn't use the main entrance. She took the private passage.

The person in charge was a fifty-year-old man named Sean Gray.

When Claire arrived, he was already waiting at the door. He removed his hat respectfully. "Alliance leader Sullivan!"

Claire reached out and held his hand. "Sean, let's skip the formalities outside. Let's go in and talk."

"Yes, yes."

Sean gestured. "Chief Sullivan, please!"

He came from a family of medical practitioners and was proficient in medicine. He'd once been a highly sought-after figure by countless research institutes and organizations.

But no matter how skilled Sean was, he couldn't save his own father.

Four years ago, Claire saved his father.

He unconditionally joined Unity Alliance and served Claire.

Even though Claire was only a fourteen-year-old girl at the time, Sean treated her with nothing but respect and deference.

As they walked inside, Sean said, "Chief Fuller already briefed me. Aside from the Skygrass, which is hard to find, all the other medicinal ingredients you need are ready."

Claire nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

As they passed through the apothecary's main hall, there was a commotion at the entrance.

Claire glanced over. It was Amber.

Amber stood at the door, speaking politely and deferentially to the staff—completely different from how she'd acted in front of Claire.

Claire smiled coldly and continued walking inside. She instructed Sean, "Pass the word down. That woman is banned from entering any apothecary owned by Unity Alliance."

"Understood."

Sean didn't ask any questions. He agreed immediately.

They went up to the fifth floor of the apothecary.

This was the top floor. No medicine was stored here, and no staff usually came by. The Alliance had prepared it as a private research lab for Claire.

Many of her specially formulated medicines had been developed here.

Sean brought her a bottle of juice to drink, then retrieved the prepared medicinal ingredients. "Chief Sullivan, aside from the Skygrass, all the herbs you requested are here."

"Once the Skygrass is found, I'll notify you immediately."

Claire nodded her thanks. "Thank you, Sean."

Sean waved his hand quickly. "No need to be so polite with me, Chief Sullivan. Oh, right."

He turned and handed her a brand-new laptop. "This is the computer you requested. The specifications are all customized according to your requirements. Please check if there are any issues."

"No need to check."

Claire trusted Sean's work.

She tucked the laptop into her bag.

Sean stood nearby, watching her carefully. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't dare.

Claire didn't look at him. She said coolly, "Sean, if you want to say something, just say it."

"It's nothing major. I just heard you moved out of the Sullivan family. Is that true?" Sean asked cautiously.

Claire nodded calmly. "It's true."

Sean immediately grew excited. "Good! That's great! You should've moved out ages ago. Those evil people in the Sullivan family—how dare they treat you that way?"

"They should think about it. Without you, the Sullivan family wouldn't have been able to break into high society in a hundred lifetimes."

Thinking about everything Claire had endured, Sean felt both angry and heartbroken.

Of course, the Sullivan family had no idea what Claire had truly done for them.

Claire had given them so many good projects from Unity Alliance.

Clients Finn couldn't sign, projects that ran into trouble—Claire had solved all of it behind the scenes.

Without Claire, the Sullivan family was nothing.

Listening to Sean defend her, Claire smiled bitterly.

Yes. Everyone else could see it clearly. Only she couldn't.

Just to cling to a pitiful scrap of family affection, she'd wronged herself too much.

Fortunately, Claire had been given a second chance. There was still time to fix everything.

She stood at the desk, her knuckles slowly tapping the surface. A cold, bone-chilling smile curved her lips. "Sean, pass the word down. Cancel all cooperation previously given to Sullivan Group."

"I really want to see if, without me, the Sullivan family can still hold onto their position among the elite."