On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 152: Struck by Lightning

The Rivers Residence.

The bodyguard answered his phone. A man’s frantic voice came through the receiver: "I lost the lawsuit! The court ordered me to pay six million in damages. What do we do now? We agreed on this before—out of the five hundred thousand, we’d pay that woman three hundred thousand and I’d keep the remaining two hundred thousand. But now I have to pay this much! What am I supposed to do?"

"What are you panicking for?" the bodyguard said coldly. "I’ll arrange for another lawyer to appeal. You won’t be paying her a dime. Just wait for my call."

"Are you sure?" the man asked, unconvinced.

The bodyguard’s tone was certain. "I’m sure. You can put your mind at ease. And don’t call me unless it’s an emergency."

He hung up and turned to Ruby Lynch, who was sipping her coffee. "Ma’am, I’ll arrange for another lawyer to appeal right away."

Ruby Lynch’s face darkened. "Who is the opposing counsel? How did they manage to win?"

"He’s a lawyer who’s made a name for himself in the last couple of years. He’s got a bit of a reputation in the industry. His methods are quite effective."

A vicious glint flashed in Ruby Lynch’s eyes. She ordered, "Send someone to have a ’chat’ with him. Tell him not to poke his nose into other people’s business. If you want to make a living in a place like Crestfall, you need to know who you can’t afford to offend."

The bodyguard nodded. "Yes, ma’am. Then... who do you think would be best for the job?"

Ruby Lynch’s eyes darted around for a moment before she said, "Never mind. You go contact the lawyer. I’ll handle this matter myself."

’Six million isn’t a huge sum to me,’ she thought, ’but I’d rather squander it on luxuries and shopping than pay off some worthless little bitch.’

"Yes, ma’am." The bodyguard turned and left.

Ruby Lynch set down her coffee, rose, and went to her walk-in closet to change.

「An hour later.」

A black sedan pulled up in front of a law firm.

The driver opened the door, and Ruby Lynch stepped out, striding into the firm with an air of arrogance.

Seeing the visitor was a wealthy-looking woman, the receptionist said respectfully, "I’m sorry, ma’am, but we aren’t seeing any clients today."

Hearing this, Ruby Lynch’s expression immediately turned cold. "What do you mean? Do you have any idea who I am?"

The receptionist bowed repeatedly in apology. "I’m truly sorry. Our boss said we’re expecting a very important client today, so we’re not accepting any other appointments. If you have a legal issue you’d like to discuss, I can schedule you an appointment with one of our lawyers. Could you perhaps come back tomorrow?"

The boss had given instructions in advance, so there were no scheduled clients for the day. The receptionist was certain this woman didn’t have an appointment.

Ruby Lynch was filled with disdain. "And if I can’t wait until tomorrow? Are you going to turn me away?"

"That’s not what I meant."

Just then, a business van pulled up at the entrance.

At the same time, three men in formal suits emerged from inside the firm, walking briskly toward the door.

The van door opened, and a handsome, composed man stepped out.

The three men from the firm greeted him with enthusiastic reverence, each shaking his hand.

A look of astonishment crossed Ruby Lynch’s face. ’It’s Charles Sterling!’

’What’s he doing here?’

’Could he be the important client the receptionist mentioned?’

At this thought, Ruby Lynch grew even more contemptuous. ’What a backwater operation,’ she scoffed internally. ’So unsophisticated. Ignoring me, the esteemed Mrs. Rivers, to fawn over some small-time boss.’

’From the looks of it, Charles Sterling must have made something of himself. But it’s nothing special. In a place like Crestfall, if you throw a brick, you’re likely to hit five people, and three of them will be small-time entrepreneurs who started their own businesses. They’re hardly worth mentioning.’

After exchanging pleasantries, Charles Sterling was invited inside, only to be met by Ruby Lynch’s disdainful gaze.

Ruby Lynch scoffed. "Charles Sterling. Long time no see."

A look of disgust flashed in Charles Sterling’s eyes. He ignored her and continued walking.

Seeing this, Ruby Lynch’s expression soured. "What’s the matter, walking away without so much as a hello? Feeling insecure?"

"Insecure?" Charles Sterling stopped, his tone icy. "Not in front of someone like you."

Ruby Lynch sneered, glancing at the receptionist. "So this is your important client? Are you sure you want to turn me away for him?"

The others present didn’t know the relationship between Charles Sterling and this woman and looked on in confusion.

Ruby Lynch continued, "Mistaking fish eyes for pearls. Are you sure you won’t regret this?"

Her words were a clear accusation that the law firm’s staff were blind, mistaking Charles Sterling for an important client.

The head of the firm, a middle-aged man with a righteous air, spoke up. "Ma’am, please watch your words. I don’t care who you are. If you don’t have an appointment, our firm will not see you today."

"You..."

"Mrs. Rivers!" Before Ruby Lynch could continue, Charles Sterling cut her off coldly. "You may only be part of a branch family, but you still represent the honor of the Rivers Family. I suggest you act like it."

One of the men beside him murmured, "So she’s one of the Rivers."

’No wonder she’s so arrogant.’

However, the men showed no fear. A mere branch family of the Rivers was nothing compared to the top pharmaceutical conglomerate in Country A. The gap between them was immense.

Charles Sterling said to the three men, "Shall we continue our discussion inside?"

"Yes, yes."

The four men walked inside, completely ignoring Ruby Lynch.

Ruby Lynch’s face turned ashen. At that moment, the receptionist beside her kindly advised, "Mrs. Rivers, I know the Rivers Family is powerful, but the Apex Group of Country A is not to be underestimated..."

"The Apex Group of Country A?" Ruby Lynch had, of course, heard of such a powerful conglomerate. Her face was a mask of astonishment. "Are you saying he’s with Apex Group?"

The receptionist said, "He’s the President of Apex Group."

Upon hearing this, Ruby Lynch felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her mind went completely blank.

’How is that possible?!’

’How could Charles Sterling be that powerful?’

’He was so down and out back then! How could he possibly become the president of Country A’s top pharmaceutical group?’

Seeing her expression, the receptionist said no more.

Ruby Lynch turned and walked out. She got into her car, her mind racing with a montage of memories.

She remembered persuading Rose Lynch to marry Warren Sterling, remembered abandoning a not-yet-ten-year-old Chloe Sterling in the countryside, remembered all the things she had done since Chloe returned to Crestfall, and remembered how she had just mocked Charles Sterling.

’If Charles Sterling finds out he has a daughter, that Chloe Sterling is his child, will they acknowledge each other? Will he find out about everything I’ve done?’

’If they do, that little bitch Chloe will become even more insufferable.’

’Even if Esther Sterling marries Tristan Sinclair, she’ll have to give Apex Group some face. She wouldn’t dare touch Chloe so easily.’

’How could this have happened?!’

Ruby Lynch gripped her purse tightly, seething with hatred at this sudden turn of events.

’No, I absolutely cannot let Chloe’s identity be exposed. I can’t let her and Charles Sterling acknowledge each other.’

「Crimson Wing Dojo.」

"So what’s your plan for the Apex Group matter? Are you really going to help them? What if your identity as Lynn Chester gets exposed?" Jean Kensington asked.

Chloe Sterling said, "I’ll be careful."