Chapter 103: Taken
Rain hesitated, her discomfort growing. She had long distanced herself from her father’s name, but she couldn’t avoid the question. "Yes," she finally answered, her voice strained. "He’s my father."
Before the conversation could go further, Rock smoothly stepped in, his voice calm yet purposeful. "Don’t you two need to discuss business?" he asked, giving Alexander a knowing look. "Why not continue over dinner and take Attorney Clayton along? I’m sure she’s hungry by now."
Rain glanced at Rock, appreciating the subtle way he shifted the attention from her, and gave him a small, grateful smile. Alexander caught the cue and nodded. "That’s a good idea. Let’s wrap this up over dinner," he agreed, turning to Rain. "Shall we?"
Rain, relieved by Rock’s timely intervention, offered the elders a courteous bow and a polite smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you all," she said warmly before turning to walk alongside Alexander. As they headed out, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude, both for the diversion and for the smooth escape from the center of attention.
As soon as Rain and Alexander left, a surprised silence settled over the room. Vernice, ever quick to speak her mind, was the first to break it.
"So what if she’s Tim Clayton’s daughter? It’s not like she had anything to do with his past actions," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, though her lips twitched slightly as she glanced at Arlan, James, and Darwin.
"Don’t tell me," she scorned, "that you all suddenly see her differently after praising her, just because you found out her father is Tim Clayton?"
Eric, who had been watching the exchange with curiosity, finally spoke up. "Aunt, what’s the story with this Tim Clayton? I feel like I’m missing something here."
Vernice sighed, glancing at the older men before answering. "Tim Clayton’s got a history with these three. Let’s just say, his name still leaves a bad taste in some people’s mouths."