803 Chapter 802

As soon as Keira said this, Erin and Jenkins exchanged a look, then both shook their heads.

Keira frowned. “What’s the problem?”

Erin shrugged. “Ever since we left the South family, we’ve only kept in touch in our group chat. We haven’t met in person for years!”

She looked over at Jenkins. “You too? Haven’t seen her?”

Jenkins nodded.

Erin scoffed, “So, you didn’t even see her in person, and just one phone call had you running scared?”

Jenkins held her gaze. “What would you have done?”

Erin paused, quiet for a moment, her silence enough to tell Keira that she would’ve run, too.

Jenkins explained, “I built an empire in Country A, not by myself but with a team that just kept expanding. The bigger it got, the more I couldn’t control it alone.”

Keira nodded in understanding. She’d lived through that herself.

She’d built her first company from nothing, though her own journey had started much earlier. The first job she held was in a diner, waiting tables, back in middle school. When she left the Olsen family, Mrs. Olsen had given her some money to get by, but it was immediately taken by Poppy, who declared Keira unworthy of spending Olsen money. From then on, she’d been on her own. She started with a summer job at that diner. It was rough, but she was smart and a fast learner. She watched the chef work and could replicate a dish after just one demonstration. Soon enough, she’d step in when the chef was sick, cooking for an entire shift, perfectly following the recipes to the gram.

Eventually, she moved out of the dorms, giving her more time to work. High school and college weren’t free, and she needed funds just to stay in school and cover living expenses. A year of hard work later, she’d saved about ten thousand dollars—a safety net she intended to use to support herself through school. But academics came easily to her. While others struggled, she found that studying took hardly any time, leaving her more hours to work. As a result, her savings grew.

Then, just when things were looking up, the diner’s owner announced he was leaving Oceanion and selling the business. Keira’s heart went out to the staff who had been like family to her. And so, she spent every penny she had to buy that little diner.

Her hard work paid off, and over time, the business grew. She eventually expanded into other service industries, starting a courier company, then a property management business—ventures that helped those at the bottom of the ladder. Each new business met a basic need for everyday people, and it gave her a small measure of security.

From that diner came the empire she built, growing into the massive N Group, which brought in millions every year. But no matter how big she got, she kept that first diner open, providing jobs for the people who needed them most.

Keira glanced back at Jenkins. In Country A, she must have faced the same dilemma—growing a business that became too big to fully control. So when Clownfish threatened to blow up her company if she didn’t leave, she hadn’t had much choice.

For someone like her, walking away from her own life was unthinkable. But she’d done it for her employees’ safety, and that told Keira something about her character. It was this integrity that made Keira trust Jenkins.

Had Jenkins stayed, Clownfish might never have carried out the threat, but she wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Keira met her eyes. “So now Clownfish has taken over your company?”

“No.” Jenkins shook her head. “The board sensed something was up when I left. My most trusted people are still protecting my business, but I lost my financial stronghold. That’s why I came to Crera, to ally with the Olsen family and get their help in driving Clownfish out.”

Keira blinked. “The Olsens have that kind of power?”

Jenkins shot her a knowing look. “You really don’t know your father, do you? You think he’s just some average businessman? He’s the one who brought Olsen Group to the top of the five major families! Anyone looking for allies in Crera would go to him first.”

Keira’s gaze sharpened. “Then Clownfish will likely target my family too?”