Claimed by the Crown Heir novel Chapter 33

Max walked in. "Yes, Mr. Grant?"

"Go to the finance department personally and wire 7.5 million dollars to Vanessa's private account," George instructed.

"Right away, sir."

At the end of the corridor, Giselle had just hung up her phone when she spotted Max slipping into the finance office.

Suspicious, she quietly followed him.

When she heard Max order the finance director to transfer 7.5 million dollars to Vanessa's personal account, she bit her lip hard, her eyes swelling with a toxic mix of fury and grievance.

It was outrageous!

Her father had never been that generous with her, yet he was secretly wiring Vanessa a fortune.

When Max stepped out, he froze the moment he locked eyes with a red-eyed Giselle.

"Giselle, what's wrong?"

Giselle clenched her fists, barely keeping a lid on her emotions. "Max, does my dad always make you secretly transfer money to Nessa?"

"Oh, no, you've completely misunderstood," Max waved his hands frantically. "That has never happened. Both you and Vanessa receive your standard three hundred thousand a month, automatically issued by finance."

"Don't try to lie to me, I just heard exactly what you said!"

"Well..."

Max stumbled over his words, completely unsure of how to explain.

He was just following orders and had no idea what the money was actually for.

Seeing him speechless, Giselle felt a heavy lump form in her throat.

She turned and ran away.

Max felt a massive headache coming on. Terrified of the situation escalating, he quickly spun around and reported the entire incident to George.

...

Vanessa spent the entire day digesting the core operational files.

Pressing her slender fingers against her throbbing temples, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the city's neon lights as her stomach gave a loud rumble.

She dialed Seraphina's number.

"Dinner?"

When Seraphina finally sat down across from her, one side of her face was visibly red and swollen, and her eyes still carried an irritated flush. It was obvious she had been subjected to hell.

"Did she hit you?"

"I'm used to it by now!"

Seraphina played it off casually, but her bloodshot eyes betrayed her true emotional state.

She used to have a perfectly happy family, until her father was killed in the line of duty.

Her mother had sunk into a deep depression, eventually forcing herself to pull it together for Seraphina's sake.

The two of them had leaned on each other to survive.

When other kids bullied Seraphina and mocked her for being fatherless, her mother was always the first to charge in, shielding her like a fiercely protective bird. She would make her favorite meals, softly sing her to sleep, and take her to the amusement park.

Then, in middle school, Stella met Charles.

He was a real estate developer. Even after being rejected multiple times, he never backed down, pouring on the charm thicker and thicker.

Under the relentless barrage of his grand romantic gestures, Stella caved.

From that moment on, she became Mrs. Thorne, transforming into a fragile vine dependent on a man, her entire existence revolving around Charles.