The Return Of the Invincible Heiress-Chapter 336

Just then, Claire walked in with a plate of chicken potpie, a plate of greens, and a plate of spaghetti. "Alaric, hurry up. Guys, keep quiet. I want to watch TV."

On-screen, Lockwood’s Detective Diary had finished its intro and was diving into the plot.

The group fell silent, munching on snacks while watching.

Avery observed how Brandon, who worked over ten hours a day, dropped everything to deal with the Stevens family. She thought, It seems the Stevens family has really done a lot to wrong the Carter family to provoke such a patient family into action.

However, no matter how firm the Carter family was, the Stevens family, with their greedy tendencies, wouldn’t back down easily.

Moreover, as relatives on Claire’s side—with both old and young among them—Brandon wouldn’t actually be able to harm the Stevens family. The Carter family had too many public figures, and if things escalated, it wouldn’t benefit them at all.

Avery needed to find another way, one that would be thorough yet leave no trace.

After finishing the TV show, the three ladies headed back to the annex.

Once Josie entered her room, Avery quietly asked Maria, "I want to help Brandon deal with the Stevens family. Can you tell me about them, like their characteristics? That way, I’ll know what to expect."

When Maria mentioned the Stevens family, her eyes filled with disgust. "I refuse to call them Grandpa or Grandma or acknowledge them as relatives. I’ll just use their names."

She spent over ten minutes giving a rough overview of the Stevens family’s situation.

Finally, she added, "Avery, you’re so beautiful and capable. Just make sure the Stevens family doesn’t target you. To them, we’re just an ATM. They don’t really care about us."

Avery smiled confidently. "Don’t worry. I know how to deal with them."

At this point, she had already come up with a plan.

It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.

As Ronan and the others had anticipated, after finishing their meal, they refused to pay the bill and couldn’t contact the person who brought them. They ended up being sent to the police station by the restaurant owner. The police station wasn’t a place where they could just bully their way out.

After police intervention, the restaurant owner gave them a 20% discount, but they had to empty their savings to pay for their meal.

Once out of the police station, they huddled in a corner, either squatting or sitting—the older ones cursing while the younger ones cried—drawing whispers from passersby.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit walked up to them, a sympathetic look on his face.

"You must be Zayn’s family, right? I’m Zayn’s friend, Shane. Since Zayn can’t be reached, I can’t just leave you on the street.

"If you don’t mind, I’ll take you to a hotel for the night, and tomorrow I’ll help you find Zayn."

Ronan and the others loved a good deal and were thrilled to hear this. "Thank you so much."

Quentin, however, was skeptical. "You’re not going to do what that guy did and just run off after booking us a room, are you?"

Shane smiled. "You can watch me pay first before checking in."

Hearing this, the Stevens family eagerly followed Shane.

Shane led them to a four-star hotel a thousand feet away, ordered three deluxe double rooms, and even paid for their breakfast the next morning.

Seeing him really cover all the costs, Ronan and the others felt at ease and expressed their gratitude profusely.

Shane guided them to their rooms, smiling warmly. "I bought a few bottles of wine and ordered takeout. Just enjoy your time. I want to know more about your relationship with Zayn so I can help you."

Shane was Andrew’s new assistant. He wasn’t there to help the Stevens family.

Andrew was currently filming a historical drama in CineCraft Studios, and when he heard about the commotion the Stevens family caused that afternoon, he immediately sent Shane to gather information and find ways to make things difficult for the Carter family.

Seeing Shane’s generosity, the greedy Stevens family began to sob and exaggerate about how they raised Claire, boasting about how they made her beautiful and smart, and how they sent her off to the city to find a good job and husband. Then they complained about their hard life—how the elderly over seventy had to grow vegetables and raise chickens despite their ailments, and how they couldn’t even afford milk for their great-grandsons. They lambasted Claire and Wesley for being unfilial, only caring about their own happiness and ignoring the needs of the elderly.

Shane looked at their crude demeanor and felt deeply disdainful, thinking, I never expected the Carter family to have such impoverished, spineless relatives. If it were me, I wouldn’t acknowledge them either. Now that these relatives have shown up, the Carter family can forget about living in peace!

After raising a toast to Ronan, Quentin, Gavin, and the others, Shane sighed and told them,

"You guys are too naive and isolated. The Carter family has produced more than just a star like Zayn.

"Wesley is currently the CEO of a real estate company, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

"Claire runs a high-end restaurant, netting over 20 thousand dollars a day.

"Jaden has hundreds of acres of farmland in the countryside and several farm stays. The business is in full boom."

He embellished each member of the Carter family’s accomplishments, detailing how much money they made and what significant ventures they were involved in.

He even claimed that Josie was the most popular child star in the country, earning tens of thousands of dollars for a single performance.

Ronan and the others were left dumbfounded, either doubting they were hearing correctly or questioning their own understanding.

Shane pulled out his phone and showed them online reports, saying,

"You can see for yourselves.

"This is Carter’s Restaurant; I’ve sent you the address and phone number. You can check it out personally.

"Wesley works in this neighborhood. You can visit him too.

"This is the villa where the Carter family lives, valued at 100 million dollars.

"This is a video of Josie winning a talent show not long ago, with a prize of over 200,000 dollars, and she’s dubbed a future superstar."

Ronan and the others nearly fainted upon hearing this.

"Claire and the Carter family are heartless!" Quentin exclaimed, overwhelmed by jealousy. "We helped them so much back then, and now each of them has become a big boss or star, swimming in money while they never reach out to us. How heartless!"

"We’re going to confront Claire and the Carter family tomorrow," Ronan declared excitedly, waving his arms. "If they won’t support us, we’ll sue them in court."

Quentin added, "If they don’t help us, we’ll go cry in front of their companies and villas, letting others see how cruel they are."

Shane secretly chuckled at their naivety but said,

"You’re their family. Don’t think so poorly of the Carter family.

"I believe that if you go to them, they’ll help you. Just make sure to talk to them calmly, not to shout."

Then he stood up and said,

"I’ve sent you all the information about the Carter family’s companies and phone numbers. You can reach out to them anytime.

"Keep this money for travel expenses, and these snacks are for the kids. Don’t let them go hungry."

Ronan and the others stood up, bowing and thanking Shane as he left, saying,

"Shane, you’re a great person, and we will remember your kindness.

"When we find Claire and get compensation, we will definitely pay you back double."

Shane smiled, "Since we get along so well, let’s be friends. No need to be formal." After waving goodbye, Shane left.

Once he was gone, Ronan and the others quickly locked the door and began plotting what benefits they could demand from Claire and the Carter family.

A night passed. Shane drove a long limousine to take Ronan and the others to the set to find Zayn.

When they arrived at the location where Zayn had filmed yesterday, they discovered the crew had moved to another location and could not reach Zayn by phone.

They cursed Zayn before hopping back into Shane’s car and heading straight for Carter’s Restaurant in Rosemont City.

Meanwhile, after breakfast, Avery instructed Maria to call Quentin’s younger son, Joel.

When Joel heard it was Maria, he responded coldly and cautiously,

"We haven’t been in touch for over ten years. How did you get my number? What do you want from me?

"I’m married now and have three kids. The youngest was born just a few months ago, and I’m so poor that I can’t even afford milk. I’m rushing to the construction site to work."

Maria knew he feared she was seeking help, so she rolled her eyes and said,

"Joel, our family is rich now. Mom wants us to help our relatives, so you don’t need to go to the construction site anymore."

Joel’s tone was filled with skepticism.

"Where did your family get the money? How much could you possibly have?"

Maria replied,

"We live in a villa worth about 100 million dollars, and Mom runs a restaurant that’s thriving."

She briefly explained her family’s jobs and incomes, omitting any mention of Josie.

Avery wanted her to share this information because such news couldn’t be kept secret for long. The Stevens family would soon learn about the Carter family’s financial power, so it was better to disclose it all to Joel now and gain his trust.

Joel gasped,

"Really? Are you not lying to me?"

Maria replied,

"It’s easy to tell if this is true or not. Why should I lie?

"Besides, Grandpa, Grandma, and the others all know about our family and have already gone to look for Zayn. They’re preparing to come to Rosemont City to find us. We’re just curious why you guys haven’t come."

Upon hearing this, Joel found Maria’s words somewhat credible and grumbled,

"I wondered why I couldn’t reach them these past few days."

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om