Chapter 341

Thom’s face changed in an instant. “Victor, what are you doing? I told you to leave them out of this. You were supposed to stick to my plan.”

Victor sighed, feigning helplessness. “Thom, it’s not that your idea was bad, but it’s too slow, and it gives Hazel too much time to see it coming. You’ve seen her now that she’s back. If we don’t succeed this time, we’ll never get another chance.”

Thom stared at the man before him, his uncle, who suddenly seemed like a stranger.

“Is reclaiming the inheritance really that important, Victor? So important that you’d risk the entire Noir family’s interests?” Thom said.

Making a move against Hazel would have major financial repercussions for the family. Yet Victor was still unwilling to back down.

Is he really going to force me to kill him? Thom thought.

“Thom, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs,” Victor said, his tone grave. “We sacrifice a little to gain a lot more. It’s a smart trade. Don’t say another word. I have everything under control. Trust me, I will put you back in your rightful place as the heir.”

In his mind, Thom being in charge was the same as him being in charge.

Julian glanced toward Thom’s table. “Who’s that woman?” he asked.

Clark Vance replied, “That’s Eleanor Yeast, Sir. She’s Mrs. Lynch.”

Julian frowned. “Didn’t old man Lynch die? I remember him as a man in his seventies.”

“Yes, Sir. After the head of the Lynch family passed away, Eleanor took over the family assets. She and Thom Noir grew up together. The Yeast family was once a major player, on par with the Noirs. But seven years ago, Mrs. Ford single-handedly bankrupted them. The once-great Yeast family was erased, and Eleanor married the head of the Lynch family shortly after.”

A smile played on Julian’s lips. No matter where she was, his wife was a force of nature.

Just like now. She simply sat there, and the entire room revolved around her.

Hazel was a vision of power in a sleek black dress, listening to the murmurs around her without so much as a flicker of her eyelashes.

Victor gave a subtle nod, and one of his planted men stepped forward.

“Miss Noir, if I may be so bold, you aren’t a true daughter of the Noir family. Isn’t it improper for you to be the heir? We hear that Thom Noir intends to take back control. Do you have any comment on that?” the man asked.

Hazel lifted her gaze and gave the man a lazy, dismissive look. “In his dreams.”

At her words, Victor stormed forward, his supporters trailing behind him.

“Hazel, don’t get ahead of yourself! Don’t think that just because your last name is Noir, you’re one of us. You’re an outsider. What right do you have to that seat? Now my nephew is back, and he is the rightful heir.”

“That’s right, a woman has no place leading this family!” another man chimed in. “Thom is a true Noir. You have no blood relation, no right to the inheritance.”

“We suggest you return what belongs to Thom. He is the true heir.”

Hazel’s gaze fell on Thom, who remained seated, unmoving, a conflicted look on his face.

“If you all claim it’s his,” she said, her voice dangerously calm, “then let him come and take it. If he has the guts, he can pull me from this seat himself. Otherwise, you can all stop your pathetic whining. I’m tired of listening to you little men bark.”

“You-! You! Hazel, you are completely out of line!”

“Exactly! You have no right—”

A cold smile touched Hazel’s lips. “Keep barking. I rather enjoy watching you insects squirm, knowing you despise me but can’t even touch my shadow.”