Chapter 809
“I don’t even know if a fight broke out,” Shirley lamented.
She sounded genuinely regretful that she hadn’t been there to watch the drama unfold.
“Still, the Byron family is so ruthless to call off the engagement at a time like this.” Claire glanced at her, guessing she probably didn’t know Cindy’s true identity yet.
It made sense. Latham was obsessed with his public image and definitely wouldn’t want anyone to know.
So, he wasn’t going to broadcast it to the world.
Even with his divorce from Octavia, he would never admit it was because she had an affair.
Since he kept his mouth shut, very few people knew the truth.
As for how the Byron family found out, that likely tied directly back to Latham.
This engagement was originally meant to forge a powerful alliance between the two families.
But since Cindy wasn’t his real daughter, Latham would never let her reap any of the benefits.
Before, he kept her around because she was nominally part of the family and still had value as a marriage pawn.
Now that his family was bankrupt, Latham couldn’t control her anymore, making the engagement completely useless to him.
“Latham’s family is already bankrupt, and the Byron family has likely taken a massive hit as well,” Claire analyzed. “Breaking the engagement and using York to secure an investment is their best move.”
Although Shirley disliked Cindy, she felt she was an innocent victim in all of this.
“Does that mean it’s okay to just sacrifice Cindy?”
Resting her eyes in the back seat, Mary couldn’t help but think this young girl was far too naive.
She really didn’t understand how the real world worked.
There was no such thing as sacrifice here. Businessmen chased profits; it was just standard operating procedure.
Did she really expect the Byron family to go bankrupt right alongside Latham’s family out of solidarity?
The Byron family choosing to save themselves was the most logical outcome.
Shirley was just venting anyway. When Claire didn’t reply, she seamlessly shifted to the next topic.
“By the way, now that Dane has taken over the Westside Heights Project, is he really going to build a massive culinary hub there?”
“I got accepted into Apex State University, and it’s not far from the planned site. I can totally go there for food!”
Shirley loved to eat, but she gained weight easily.
Back when she was constantly competing with Claire, she had strictly dieted.
But things were different now.
She and Claire were good friends. There was no need to compete anymore, so she had let herself go a bit.
“Yes, it’s going to be a food plaza. You can definitely look forward to it.”
Vertex International had deep pockets, so their renovation of the Westside area was bound to be spectacular.
If they wanted to turn a profit, they wouldn’t skimp on the investment.
Claire was spot on. Within a few short years, the food plaza would become one of Apex’s top tourist destinations.
And alongside the plaza, the other must-visit spot in the Westside area would be Hearth & Kettle.
Not everyone could afford to dine at Hearth & Kettle, but people loved taking pictures right outside its doors.
It was genuinely stunning. Some executives at Vertex International had even suggested that since they were developing the Westside area, they should buy Hearth & Kettle as Well.
That proposal was immediately shot down by Dane.
Dane stated clearly: it was a private residence with immense historical significance
and needed to be preserved.
Hearth & Kettle wasn’t just
architecturally beautiful; as a private
restaurant, its incredible food would naturally draw in tourists.
There was absolutely no need to touch it. It would contribute to the Westside’s development all on its own.
That explanation hadn’t entirely
convinced the executives, but once they heard the asking price from the owner, even a powerhouse like Vertex International completely abandoned the idea of buying it.
Over a hundred million dollars!
It was an outrageously inflated quote.
But the owner’s message was loud and clear: the property was irreplaceable.