Chapter 4
Eric spent three days making sure every fact was confirmed.
The legal director at ClaireCrust Bakery was a college classmate of Claire.
After Eric reached him through various channels, the only response he received was: "Ms. Sutton said she won't comment on personal matters. If you have business inquiries, please contact the brand department."
His ex-wife was addressed as Ms. Sutton.
He looked up the business registration for ClaireCrust Food Tech Co., Ltd. It showed: [Legal representative: Claire Sutton. Registered capital: 50 million dollars. Established: October 2019.]
October 2019 was when his startup crashed and burned. He was two hundred and seventy thousand dollars in debt and spent every day drinking away his misery.
He was sprawled on the floor, wasted, while Claire looked after him during the day and worked late nights baking bread at ClaireCrust Bakery.
He always thought she was running some tiny business that barely kept her afloat, but she'd already registered her own company back then.
He dug into the 2020 expansion history. ClaireCrust Bakery opened twelve flagship stores in its first year.
By 2021, there were fifty.
In 2022, they rolled out franchising and exploded to three hundred new locations in one year.
In 2023, they secured Series A funding with a valuation of one hundred million dollars.
In 2024, Series B funding pushed that up to two hundred and seventy million dollars.
A flawless growth curve was unfolding right in front of him. He never had a clue.
He remembered one night back in 2022 when Claire came home later than usual.
He asked what she'd been doing, and she said she was testing a new bread recipe at the shop.
Little did he know that same night, she sealed the deal for ClaireCrust Bakery's 100th franchise location.
He closed his laptop and slumped back in his chair.
The letter sat on the desk. He'd read it at least twenty times. Each read stung like a slap.
The phone rang. It was William. "Eric, I need to tell you something. I pulled a lot of strings to get some info from ClaireCrust Bakery.
"Their stance is pretty clear. As long as you're still at the company, they're not coming back."
"Why?" Eric asked.
"How should I know? Isn't it obvious?" William sounded annoyed. "This client would bring us twenty-seven million dollars. If you can't sort this out, you'd better figure out what you're going to do."
The call ended. Eric sat there, suddenly realizing how eerily quiet this 1,200-square-foot apartment was. It was so quiet that it was driving him crazy.
Vivian hadn't been in a good mood lately. Ever since she saw that letter, her attitude toward Eric had gotten a little weird. It was not getting cold, but becoming complicated.
"You said she's worth two hundred and seventy million dollars. So, what about all her assets? How did you guys split things up when you divorced?" Vivian asked.
"We didn't split a thing," Eric replied.
"What do you mean? Didn't you split anything?"
"Her company wasn't part of our joint assets. Though she registered it while we were married, she used her own money to fund it, and the way the shares were set up. I didn't get a single share."
Vivian's expression shifted. "So, were you the one who walked away with nothing, not her?"
Eric didn't say a word.
"Are you stupid, Eric? You seriously didn't notice any of this? Were you married to a woman worth two hundred and seventy million dollars for three years, and you got nothing out of it?"
"I didn't know back then..."
"You didn't know? You lived with her every day and still had no clue?" Vivian's voice rose. "You really believed she was running some bakery?
"You're an investor. How could you not look into your own wife's finances?"
"She was my wife, not some investment deal..."
"Give me a break." Vivian stood up. "Honestly, I'm starting to think your judgment is seriously messed up."
She grabbed her bag and walked out. The door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.
Eric sat alone on the couch, staring at Vivian's unfinished glass of red wine.
Suddenly, he remembered that when Claire was around, there was always a jug of water on the coffee table.
She used to say a baker had to keep their taste buds sharp, no booze, no spicy food.
For three years, he'd thought she was dull. But she was guarding the taste that made her empire possible.
He picked up the wine glass and took a sip. It was bitter.
*****
On her first day in Riverside City, Claire did three things.
First, she moved into an apartment right next to the ClaireCrust Bakery Riverside City branch.
It was a simple apartment with two bedrooms and one living room, which cost one thousand five hundred dollars a month.
Second, she went to the office and held a two-hour meeting. The Riverside City branch manager, David Hooper, was so surprised he nearly stumbled when he came to greet her.
"Ms. Sutton, you're here. I'm very sorry that we didn't prepare anything in advance," David stammered.
"If I'd told you, you'd have gone through all the trouble of arranging a pickup. No need for all that hassle," Claire replied.
Third, she visited the largest wholesale baking market in Riverside City.
Wearing a T-shirt and jeans, she crouched in front of a stack of flour bags, pinched a bit to smell, and bargained with the vendor.
The vendor had no idea who she was, figuring she was a newbie owner of some tiny bakery. "Hey, miss, how much flour do you need? No discount if it's under fifty pounds."
"I need four hundred thousand pounds," Claire replied.
The vendor's calculator dropped right out of his hand. "Wait, what?"
"Four hundred thousand pounds. Legal will send you the contract tomorrow, and you'll have your payment in seven days." Claire stood up and brushed off her jeans.
The vendor came to his senses and hurried after her. "Wait, who are you?"
Claire handed him a business card.
The vendor glanced down at the card: [Claire Sutton. Founder. ClaireCrust Food Tech Co., Ltd.] His legs turned to jelly.
On her third day in Riverside City, Claire got a call. It wasn't from Eric. It was an unknown number. "Hello, Ms. Sutton. This is Ryan Cooper, founding partner at Clearview Capital."