Chapter 385: Impersonation

Chapter 385: Chapter 385: Impersonation

Estelle Lockwood completely agreed.

Right. Looking on the bright side, maybe it wasn’t that Evan Yeats refused to see her, but rather that he was already dead.

And so, here she was.

The Branch of Yeats Group was holding a meeting about the collaboration, and they had only reluctantly notified her, the person in charge.

Just as she parked her car, Nathaniel Sloan called. "Are you at the Branch of Yeats Group?"

Estelle smoothed her hair. "Yes. Evan Yeats has been playing hide-and-seek for days now, so I had to come see for myself."

Nathaniel couldn’t help but chuckle. "They just contacted Mr. Lynch."

"Oh?" Estelle’s interest was piqued. "Why did they contact you?"

Nathaniel curled his lips. "They contacted Mr. Lynch... contacted me, to finalize the collaboration as soon as possible. They also asked where I wanted to use those artworks and how we should collaborate."

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "And then?"

Nathaniel gave a half-smile. "I told them that was something the person in charge should ask. But the Branch of Yeats Group said... if it comes to design, Claire Yeats can take over."

Estelle signaled for him to continue.

"They said Claire Yeats participated in a global design competition abroad and won the grand prize, ranking first. She was also the first person from Innerland to top this competition. The shareholders of the Branch of Yeats Group feel that Claire is exceptionally talented and more than capable of taking on the role of design director. So, they bypassed you, the person in charge, and came straight to me."

Estelle clicked her tongue. "What competition?"

"That’s the main point. If it were first place in any other competition, I might not have looked into it. But the competition she claimed to have participated in is the XM Global Design Competition."

The XM Global Design Competition was established by the founder of the XM brand 120 years ago.

Although the brand itself had faded into history, the design competition was preserved and retained its original name.

The competition rules mandated it be held once every five years. The most recent edition took place three years ago.

And the winner of the competition three years ago...

Nathaniel continued, "If I remember correctly, the one who won the competition three years ago was you, right? Aren’t the trophy and certificate still kept at Star Group’s headquarters?"

Nathaniel smiled. "The XM Design Competition is low-profile and doesn’t advertise in Innerland. Not many people here have even heard of it, let alone go out of their way to verify who took first place. Besides, Claire Yeats only brags about it internally. Theoretically, there is no chance of her being exposed."

Estelle chimed in, "It’s just a pity she ran into me."

Nathaniel agreed. "It’s a pity she ran into you."

Listening to Nathaniel’s phone call from the side, Liam Sloan was left speechless.

He thought, "You two really sound like villains!"

Estelle knew why Claire was so anxious and why she had to pose as the champion.

If her bet with Evan Yeats was exposed, the shareholders might not blame Evan; they would assume Claire had deliberately instigated it.

Therefore, Claire was rushing to secure an unshakable status for herself so that even if the shareholders grew displeased with her, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Though Estelle considered Claire the root of the problem, Evan was by no means innocent. Neither of them had the moral high ground.

She also had a theory as to why Claire chose to impersonate the champion.

When Estelle competed three years ago, she never disclosed her identity or background, and she "disappeared" right after.

She had only entered because Henry Kendrick had told her it wasn’t good to stay cooped up at home and suggested she do it for fun. Back then, she was legally a "dead person" in Innerland. Planning her revenge meant she obviously couldn’t show her face or compete under the name Estelle Lockwood.

Therefore, the entire competition was completed under the name Yara Lockwood. Not many people knew about it.

Well... it was also her own fault.

After the competition ended, the organizers asked if she would collaborate with them or stay on.

She had said, "I’m very sorry, but Yara Lockwood has something very important to do. After this, you all probably won’t see Yara Lockwood anymore."

Then she began preparing her revenge, and Yara Lockwood became the name of a psychologist.

Well...

She wondered, "No one would connect a designer and a psychologist together, right?

"So those judges from back then... wait, do they think I’m dead?!"

So, Claire Yeats thought the original champion was a dead person, which was why she was so bold.

Estelle felt like she had discovered the truth.

Meanwhile, in the conference room on the eighth floor of the Branch of Yeats Group.

Unaware of whatever latest foolishness Evan Yeats had committed, the shareholders felt somewhat relieved and satisfied seeing him sitting at the head of the table discussing the collaboration. It seemed Mr. Yeats had finally settled down and started handling real business.

Looking at Claire Yeats, they were even more satisfied. "Miss Claire, why don’t you share your thoughts on this collaboration?"

Not long ago, Claire had made a stunning announcement.

She was the Innerlander who had won the championship at the XM Design Competition three years ago.

The XM Design Competition had always been an exclusive industry event. To participate, one had to pass through layers of rigorous screening. Thus, every single person who made the final cut was a leading figure in the field.

Only thirty people were shortlisted, and the judges were all industry heavyweights. The entire competition was very low-key, unlike other contests that were eager to live-stream, run advertisements, and let the whole world know they were hosting an event.

XM was low-profile, and the Innerland champion had refused to be interviewed. She never showed her face in public, and it was only later that the other contestants and judges found out who she was.

But now, Claire Yeats was claiming to be that person.

The shareholders of the Branch of Yeats Group had never considered the possibility that Claire would lie about this. After all, she would intentionally or unintentionally drop mentions of "the design competition" or say things like, "Back when we competed..."

Moreover, although XM was low-key, if someone really wanted to investigate, a simple email would do. Even if the organizers wouldn’t disclose the name to protect the champion’s privacy, they could surely confirm whether or not that person was Claire Yeats.

The consequences of lying were too severe; no one thought Claire would be that stupid.

However, they didn’t know that Claire was taking advantage of this exact mindset.

Claire smiled. "Although Mr. Lynch didn’t specify the collaboration details, traditionally, collaborations with artists are mostly applied to packaging, merchandise, and cultural creative products.

"As for these designs... although I feel a bit embarrassed praising myself, I am indeed a professional. There’s no doubt about that.

"However, I will still need the guidance of you seniors for other matters. Whether Mr. Lynch allows me to be the design director or not, I will do my absolute best."

Everyone laughed, interpreting this as a display of Claire’s modesty.

She was the champion of the XM Design Competition! Who else could Mr. Lynch appoint as the design director if not her?

The shareholders were in a great mood. She truly was an exceptional young lady raised by the Yeats Family!

Claire kept the smile on her face, but a trace of viciousness flashed through her mind.

That champion...

No, she had already sent someone to investigate. After that Innerlander won the championship three years ago, she never appeared again. Many people speculated she might be dead, or that she had competed behind her family’s back and couldn’t let them know.