CHATER 1032

Estelle had switched up her lunch spot. Craig, holding his own lunch, came over with a chuckle, “I just

saw you munching under that tree, what brings you over here?”

Perched on a marble railing, Estelle responded with a straight face, “Someone told me I could only eat

lunch in a corner. I want to show her I can eat anywhere I damn well please!”

Craig almost choked on his laughter, turning around quickly to cough a few times.

His face turning red, he wheezed out, “Was it Clarice? Does she a bit mentally unstable? Does she

need to see a shrink?”

He had seen Clarice passing by earlier.

Estelle couldn’t care less. Even though Clarice now openly showed hostility towards her, squawking

around her like a mother hen, that was about as much damage she could do.

What was a few snide remarks to Estelle?

That night, at the Macclain Mansion,

Elizabeth had been feeling under the weather these past few days, so Bennett brought his wife Simone

to check up on her. Coincidentally, the whole clan of Garrett Macclain was there as well, so they all sat

down for a cup of tea and a chat.

Terrence, fiddling with his phone, was full of praises, “This designer named KING is really something,

bringing honor to our country!”This is from .

Garrett’s wife, Leonie, chimed in with a chuckle, “Of course, they are a top-notch international

designer!”

She glanced sideways at Simone, “Carmella’s design studio has been open for over two years now,

how’s it going?”

At the mention of this, Simone’s face soured, as she replied quietly, “It’s alright.”

With a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile, Leonie added, “Is that sb? I heard Carmella’s studio has been

bleeding money. If it weren’t for you and Bennett propping it up, it would have gone under ages ago!”

Simone’s face darkened even further. Leonie definitely knew and was rubbing it in!

Sure, Carmella’s studio was losing money. She and Bennett had pumped a lot of dough into it. They

tried to convince Carmella to close the studio but she was hell-bent on carrying on.

The whole thing had caused a family feud, and Carmella had been coming in late and leaving early for

the past two days. She hadn’t even shown up at the Macclain Mansion today.

At this point, Terrence piped up with a nonchalant comment, “They’re all designers, so what’s with the

huge gap? You guys should talk some sense into Carmella. If she doesn’t have the chops, she should

just quit. After all, she’s blowing the Macclain family’s hard-earned cash!”

Bennett quickly interjected, “Carmella has been working hard. It’s normal to face difficulties in the

startup phase. Simone and I have decided to back Carmella unconditionally.”

Leonie scoffed, “It’s been nearly three years and you’re still calling it a startup phase? Our Sallie has

even made it into Snowy Studios!”

Simone seethed, wanting nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off Leonie’s face. Sallie was just

an assistant even when she got into Snowy Studios, so what was there to be proud of.

Garrett shot Leonie a look. They were family after all. She should dial it down a notch.

“By the way,” Elizabeth, sitting on the sofa with a thin blanket over her legs, asked listlessly, “Bennett,

any news from your daughter Estelle?”

The Macclain family had shown distaste to Estelle in the past, even making some remarks that left her

feeling embarrassed. As a result, Estelle hadn’t come home for the past couple of years and seemed to

have disappeared.

Even Bennett couldn’t reach her anymore.

When Estelle was brought up, Bennett’s face darkened, “No news.”

Leonie sneered again, “Bennett, I don’t mean to be harsh, but you’ve really dropped the ball as a

father. Even I know where Estelle is and you don’t!”