Chapter 516: Yeats Family’s Claire Yeats Gets Scolded

Chapter 516: Chapter 516: Yeats Family’s Claire Yeats Gets Scolded

"No wonder Claire Yeats always found some excuse to object whenever Estelle Lockwood proved her innocence. She sounded so high and mighty, acting as if she were doing it for everyone’s sake. In the end, this whole farce was her doing! Slander, rumors, mudslinging—is there anything she wouldn’t do?"

"She looks so delicate and fragile on the outside, constantly fawning over ’Estelle this’ and ’Estelle that,’ but behind her back, she bribed Benjamin Carter! If Benjamin had succeeded... I can’t even imagine!"

"The Yeats family claimed that Liza Shelby was the whistleblower and that Claire was innocent. Hah! Liza was just a sacrificial lamb pushed out by the Yeats. If Claire hadn’t started those slanderous rumors, would Liza have reported anything? Besides, how did Liza even know about ’Estelle seducing a judge’? I refuse to believe Miss Yeats didn’t have a hand in this."

Claire trembled all over. Waves of dizziness washed over her, making her feel as though she could pass out at any moment.

She fumed inwardly, "Benjamin... that idiot Benjamin!

"He was clearly threatened by Estelle and Mr. Lynch. He confessed everything, and he obviously failed! Yet he lied to me just to squeeze more money out of me!

"It’s all his fault that I’ve been reduced to a public laughingstock!"

"I did nothing wrong," she told herself frantically. "I did nothing wrong. The Yeats family will help me. I am a daughter of the Yeats, the champion of the last competition. I’ll be fine..." But no matter how much Claire tried to comfort herself, the mocking voices around her and the endless stream of sarcastic comments on the live broadcast wouldn’t stop.

[Where are the fans who just said Claire Yeats looked down on Estelle Lockwood and wouldn’t stoop to framing her?!]

[Old Mrs. Yeats bribed the judges to guarantee Claire a free pass. Heh, if Claire was really that confident, why would she need to buy off the judges?]

[The evidence is out now! Where are those stubborn fans!]

[Claire sent Benjamin Carter to do *that* to Estelle. If he succeeded, Estelle’s reputation would be completely destroyed. If he failed, she could still smear Estelle’s name. That is just too vicious!]

[So... could that be how she won the championship last year, too?]

The contestants at the venue were just as scathing.

"If Miss Yeats could use dirty tricks to secure the championship this year, did she really earn the title last year?"

"Seeing how fiercely Old Mrs. Yeats protects Claire, who’s to say she didn’t bribe the judges last time, too?"

"We can’t even trust these judges anymore. Benjamin Carter is a liar, and Mr. Ellis was the one who swapped out *Cloud Sea Building*. As for the rest, they knew Estelle was framed but turned a blind eye because they were threatened by the Yeats family."

"Is this even the XM Design Competition? It’s clearly the Yeats family’s personal playground."

"No, last year... last year Claire won with her own abilities..." Zion Yeats blurted out defensively.

"Bah!"

Before he could even finish, he was cut off by the friends and families of the other contestants standing nearby.

"Before Miss Lockwood brought out the evidence, you all kept saying Claire was innocent, pure, and kind-hearted. Who would believe the nonsense you Yeats spout?"

Zion opened his mouth, his face flushing beet red as he stood there at a loss.

"We aren’t... Claire? Claire!"

Suddenly, Claire went limp and collapsed to the floor. Old Mrs. Yeats’s expression changed drastically, and she began to scream, curse, and roar at the top of her lungs. Evan Yeats’s face darkened as he glared fiercely at Estelle and the contestants who had just spoken up, looking as if he wanted to burn a hole right through them.

With such a severe scandal unfolding, the design competition could no longer proceed as planned. The judges who had accepted bribes were subjected to an immediate investigation. As for whether Claire would be allowed to continue competing, the debate raged on endlessly.

Ms. Foster furrowed her brows and stated sternly, "We will thoroughly uncover the truth. As for last year’s contestant, Ember, I can guarantee the legitimacy of Ember’s participation. Her championship win was entirely justified, without a single shred of fraud."

However, there was one thing she left unsaid. Ember’s championship was authentic, but was Claire truly Ember? She remained highly skeptical.

Seeing Claire faint, the nearby contestants rolled their eyes in unison. She was certainly smart—whenever things got tough, she just passed out so no one could press her any further.

Online, public opinion regarding today’s awards ceremony had already boiled over.

Claire’s fans desperately tried to control the narrative, claiming she had no malicious intent. They argued that Claire and Estelle were sisters, and it was all just a harmless joke between them. Who would have thought Estelle would blow things out of proportion, take it seriously, and use it to attack Claire? To them, Estelle was the one being unreasonable.

But could public opinion really be contained?

Benjamin Carter, Mr. Lynch, and Ms. Foster—so many people had stepped forward to testify. In the end, even Liza Shelby confessed that she had only reported the incident because Claire had manipulated her into doing it.

No matter how hard the Yeats family and Claire’s fans tried to suppress the backlash, how many neutral observers would actually believe them?

In a flash, Claire’s reputation hit rock bottom.

Just a day ago, people praised Claire as a design genius, claiming she truly lived up to the Yeats family name. Now, any mention of her was met with disgust, loathing, and skepticism, alongside demands for her to withdraw from the competition.

Even the Yeats family’s partnerships with various corporations took a massive hit.

Once the farce ended, Ms. Foster regained control of the venue. She proceeded with the awards ceremony, offered her blessings to every contestant, and announced that the semifinals would begin the following day.

Meanwhile, in the backstage lounge of the venue.

The exterior of the building was swarming with reporters. Because of Claire’s attempt to bribe the judges and ruin another contestant, the press was terrified of missing a single scoop. They camped outside, completely blocking the four main entrances of the venue.

To make matters worse, driving was prohibited inside the venue grounds. If one wanted to catch a ride, they had to walk out first. That morning, to ensure everyone saw and flattered her, Claire had intentionally parked her car quite a distance away.

Now, she was caught between a rock and a hard place, leaving her with no choice but to hide in the lounge.

"That damn little bitch, she’s trying to get Claire killed..." Old Mrs. Yeats cursed with a vicious sneer.

Zion was equally anxious, entirely unsure of what to do. His assistant had just called to inform him that many of the investors who had approached them to collaborate with Ember were now showing signs of backing out. However, the funds had already been invested...

"Actually, there is still one way," Evan said coldly. "Even though many people are questioning Claire right now, it all boils down to Estelle. As long as Estelle steps forward and explains that this was all a fabricated lie born of her jealousy toward Claire—that Claire was just joking around with Benjamin Carter, and it was merely a harmless prank between sisters—then it can all blow over. She just needs to say Claire didn’t mean anything by it.

"Even if we can’t stop the public from speculating, it will at least save face."

Claire’s eyes darted around.

She thought, "He’s right... As long as Estelle, the ’victim,’ claims that it was all a joke, what right does anyone else have to hold a grudge? As long as Estelle..."

Zion opened his mouth and subconsciously mumbled, "But that would be too unfair to Estelle..."

"You want to talk about fairness when it comes to that little bitch?!" Old Mrs. Yeats exploded in a furious rage.

Claire bit her lower lip softly, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head helplessly.

"Uncle Yeats... never mind. I know Estelle must hate me right now, so just let her vent her anger. I didn’t think this through properly. Benjamin said he was friends with Estelle, and I believed him... I only gave him her room number because I thought he wasn’t that kind of person, but I never expected...

"I don’t mind that Estelle misunderstood me, and I’m willing to bear the consequences. It’s just... it’s just...

"I am a member of the Yeats family. No matter what I do, it is up to the Yeats family to discipline me. Not to mention our family’s status and position... For Estelle to disregard the family’s dignity like this is truly... I’m so sorry, Grandma. I’m sorry, Uncle Yeats. It’s all my fault. Please, don’t blame Estelle, okay?"