The Cherished Wife



He always played the game by his own rules, driven by profit or whim. If he was not into it, nobody could make him budge.

Joseph looked down, his gaze growing heavy. "I get where you're coming from, Sir Hoffman. I really didn't want to bug you with this. However, it's about Frotconn's future, and I had to swallow my pride and ask for your help. You have no idea how much we've put into this deal-three months of non-stop prep. Now... Sir Hoffman, if you don't care about the effort, could you at least remember when I saved Mr. Henry Hoffman's kid?"Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Clarisse, who had been listening all that time, finally got it. Joseph was there to drum up some business. Pushing hard did not work, so he turned to pulling heartstrings. She had figured out her son was not keen on working with Joseph, but since Maxwell had already made a promise, Joseph was in full panic mode, begging Maxwell for a favor.

"I think you've come here for nothing today. That Mr. Henry Hoffman's daughter you saved? She's not actually a Hoffman by blood."

"What... how can that be, that Layla..."

"You think you can waltz in here with a sob story about a switched-at-birth kid who isn't even a true Hoffman

and expect us to owe you one?"

Clarisse's voice was icy, her gaz

piercing. "Let me guess, this isn't your first time at this, is it? Everyone knows you can run up any debt, but a debt of gratitude? That's a life sentence!"

The Hoffmans were old money, the kind of family that kept their laundry clean and private. Joseph knew that and had been playing his hand over and over, using the life-saving favor he once did for them as his trump card. However, Clarisse was not playing the polite society game today, sh. Shed it all out without a hint of subtlety.

Joseph, no stranger to thick skin, still found his cheeks burning under Clarisse's public call-out. "Madam Baker, how can you be so cruel? Layla, switch-up or not, was once under the Hoffman roof. And I..."

"Please." Clarisse cut him off, her eyes narrowing. "You're just here to cash in a favor from the Hoffmans, aren't you? However, groveling won't get you anywhere. The head honcho of the Hoffman estate is my son now. You'd do better to show up at Callosus Group with something they actually want. However, hey, if you're so set on collecting that favor, the Hoffmans will 'pay' you back."

Joseph's eyes lit up at her words, not even caring if she was mocking him.

Clarisse eyed Joseph, her inner

mockery cranking up a notch.

"Favors come in all sizes, and from what I've seen, the Hoffmans have paid you back plenty. You've got to learn to be grateful, then you can stay happy!" She scoffed. "We're not the big shots from Colossus Group, so don't expect any grand projects from us. However, hey, you can pick out a little spot in one of Colossus's malls for your Frotconn goods. Whether you make it big or not, that's on you and your hustle."