Chapter 160: As Long as You Act Weak, Your Wife is a Sure Thing

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: As Long as You Act Weak, Your Wife is a Sure Thing

CLICK.

Miles Warren suddenly switched off the only floor lamp in the study.

The room was instantly plunged into darkness. Before she could react, a hand wrapped around her waist. The grip was gentle, yet it brooked no resistance.

"Miles Warren, you..."

He steadily lifted her onto the desk, then plucked the resignation letter from Claire Kendall’s hand.

"Miles Warren, what are you doing?"

"You."

"Stop fooling around. Why did you really resign?" ’Miles Warren loved his job. He wouldn’t give it up so easily, but...’

Miles Warren’s tone was light, betraying no hint of trouble. "Two jobs are exhausting. I wanted a break."

"Besides, the old man parachuted someone into the pharmaceutical company to challenge me. The situation isn’t great, and I’m stretched too thin."

’Claire Kendall had never imagined his situation was this difficult.’

’Now that Felix Warren was back, the situation at the Warren Group was even more dire.’

"Don’t worry about it. It’s just a leadership position. If worst comes to worst, you can quit. I’ll support you."

She added, "If you’re under financial pressure, you can tell me. OCHH and Moonstone are both starting to turn a profit."

He lowered his gaze, a silent smile playing on his lips in the darkness. ’Just as I thought.’

’All he had to do was show the slightest weakness, a hint of vulnerability, and her heart would ache for him. She would draw closer, focusing all her attention on him.’

’Playing the victim was the perfect way to keep her tethered to him, and he didn’t mind playing the part to perfection.’

Miles Warren rested his head in the crook of her neck, his breath hot against her skin. The tension between them was stretched taut.

"Alright. It looks like I really do need you to support me now..."

His rough fingers slid along her side, his warm palm pressing against her skin. Claire Kendall clearly heard the sound of him undoing a button.

"Don’t... Not here..." Claire Kendall pushed against him.

The computer, keyboard, and papers on the desk trembled from the movement.

"We’ve never tried it here," Miles Warren’s voice was low and husky. "This spot is perfect."

Claire Kendall felt like she was on fire. ’So this is what they mean by beauty being a fatal temptation.’ She was finding it hard to resist.

He rained a flurry of soft kisses on her, and she responded in a daze.

BZZZ—

Her phone vibrated urgently.

"My phone."

Claire Kendall struggled, leaning out of his embrace.

She hastily wiped the moisture from her lips, picked up the phone, and answered.

An anxious voice from a public relations employee came through the line.

"Claire, Ian Rhodes has lost his mind. He’s telling the media that all the fabrics used in OCHH’s new autumn/winter collection are defective."

"He’s claiming that’s why the fire in the western suburbs couldn’t be contained. The online comments have exploded, the story is still gaining traction, and our PR department can’t cool it down."

The news shocked Claire Kendall sober. She scrambled off the desk, not even bothering to fix the pajama strap that had slipped off her shoulder.

"Don’t panic. I’m on my way. Pull up all the surveillance footage, quality inspection reports, and warehouse receiving logs you can find."

Miles Warren grabbed his car keys. "I’ll drive you."

"No, you just got out of the hospital. You need to rest."

Claire Kendall walked over to him, stood on her toes, and gave him a reassuring kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Don’t worry, I can handle this myself."

With that, she grabbed her jacket and rushed out of Regency Gardens.

Miles Warren stood where he was, the pad of his finger slowly tracing the spot she had kissed.

A sinister coldness churned in the depths of his eyes, then slowly iced over in the darkness.

’A bunch of relentless scum.’

「At two-thirty in the morning, Claire Kendall arrived at OCHH.」

#OCHHBrandFabricFailsInspection#

#PartnerIanRhodesConfirmsNewFallCollectionIsAFireHazard#

#FamousDesignerProfitsFromShoddyMaterials#

The comment section was a cesspool.

The office was in complete chaos. Everyone was watching the "evidence" video on a loop, with some even suspecting it was a fake. Why would Mr. Rhodes suddenly backstab them?

"We have the quality inspection reports, but no one online believes us because Ian Rhodes was our partner."

Claire Kendall sat at the head of the conference table. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep, but her voice was steady.

"Contact a professional, accredited quality inspection agency to perform another round of tests. Livestream the entire process."

"Contact our lawyers and prepare to sue Ian Rhodes for libel and commercial disparagement. He wants to act crazy? Fine. I’ll play along."

In the parking lot below the OCHH building, a black sedan sat parked in silence.

Inside the car, he dialed his assistant.

"Bury this story."

The next morning, cries of surprise erupted from the PR department. For some unknown reason, all the negative news about the fire in the western suburbs had vanished from social media.

Claire Kendall changed into a sharp business suit and headed to a private kitchen across from the city’s administrative building.

She had scheduled a meal with the heads of three departments: the Quality Inspection Bureau, the Fire Department, and the Bureau of Industry and Commerce.

’The public wouldn’t believe her denials. Only a joint statement from these departments could quell the rumors for good.’

Inside the private room, Claire Kendall offered a toast to the three officials, her attitude humble and respectful.

"Director Lowell, Fire Chief Stone, Director Walsh, here are our quality inspection reports. OCHH’s products are available for re-inspection at any time."

"OCHH may not have been in Aethel for long, but our revenue is strong, and we pay a significant amount in taxes. If this public opinion crisis is allowed to fester..."

The officials exchanged glances. None of them wanted to get dragged into this mess.

’Issuing a statement would require a thorough investigation. If a real problem with OCHH surfaced later, they, as public officials, couldn’t bear the responsibility.’

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A waiter entered and whispered something in Director Walsh’s ear.

He rose to his feet. "Ms. Kendall, something has come up. Please excuse us for a moment."

Claire Kendall was taken aback. Before she could say a word, the three men had already hurried out.

「The Private Room Next Door」

Miles Warren was leaning back in the seat of honor, a cup of steaming tea before him.

Standing before him were seven or eight people. In addition to the three officials from before, there were also heads from the Urban Planning Bureau, the Public Works Administration, and even the Board of Education.

"I will personally cover the full budget for this year’s municipal public works projects."

The eyes of every official in the room lit up instantly.

"But there’s a condition. Regarding the fire in the western suburbs, I want an official report issued today clarifying that there were no quality issues with the fabric."

Director Lowell from the Supervisory Bureau looked troubled. "Mr. Warren, that process takes three days at the absolute minimum."

"Today."

Miles Warren raised his eyes. His gaze was sharp and decisive, and every word he spoke carried an immense, crushing weight.

"I don’t care about the process. I only care about the result."

The roomful of powerful officials fell silent as cicadas in winter; not one of them dared to object. Who would risk offending this veritable God of Wealth?

"We’ll get right on it. The announcement will definitely be out today."

A dozen or so minutes later, the three officials hurried back to Claire Kendall’s private room.

"Ah, Ms. Kendall, regarding the clarification, we just discussed it outside. OCHH is a high-quality enterprise that Aethel was proud to welcome. Our bureaus should naturally be expected to protect and support such an outstanding brand."

Fire Chief Stone chimed in, nodding in agreement.

"That’s right. We have full confidence in the quality of OCHH’s products. The fire department can issue a joint statement immediately. We’ll publicize it along with the inspection reports and turn this whole situation around."

Director Walsh had already taken the official seal out of his briefcase and placed it on the table, his voice laced with an eagerness to please.

"Ms. Kendall, if you have any requirements for the content of the statement, please let us know. We can finalize it right here, right now."

’Claire Kendall couldn’t understand what had caused such a sudden, drastic change in their attitude.’

"Thank you all for your support. After this storm passes, OCHH will be sure to pay a formal visit to express our gratitude."

The three officials insisted it wasn’t necessary, showering her with even more pleasantries than she had offered them.

Their attitude had done a complete one-eighty. Their eagerness was almost unnatural.

Her phone vibrated. Claire Kendall picked it up and saw it was a message from Miles Warren.

"Are you done? I’m waiting downstairs."