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-23-
The smell of chlorine clogged her senses. Everything around Clare was a blur of limbs and bubbles. But she managed to kick her feet to push herself back to the surface. The water stung her eyes, and she let out a cough. Clare swam to the edge of the pool and hoisted herself up. She wiped the water off her face. This was such a ridiculous thing to happen when all she wanted was some peace and quiet. Violet had to come and make everything difficult for her.
But it was then that she realized that she was alone, and Violet was nowhere in sight. Clare's thoughs stopped. She then looked back
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Violet considered bailing on the plan to the island that her peers proposed. Going on a trip together and pretending to be a lovey-dovey couple with Clare, not to mention seeing her ex, would be testing her sanity. The thought of it alone exhausted her. It'd been two days since Violet was made to stay in bed, and Clare had come with her meals like clockwork. Although Clare didn't try to force-feed her anymore, she still hang around the room, reading her books and wouldn't leave until the Duchess finished her food. With great disdain, Violet thought she had seen enough of that woman. But there were random flashbacks brought on by the memory of Clare in her swimsuit lurking around in Violet's mind. Despite being intoxicated, overworked, and sick, her memory was still sharp. She remembered being lifted out of the poolside like a drowned kitten. She could still feel Clare's lips on her own and her breath rushing down her throat to her lungs. The act was just too intimate for her comfor
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"Oh, how I miss coming to the sun-drenched island of Spain." Florence took a lungful of fresh air. She stepped out of the private jet that had landed at the Canary Island's international airport. The second person to follow was Clare. It was her first time on a private jet. She was still getting used to the special treatments that came with her status, but she was trying to be mindful and kept close to Florence.The whole flight was a smooth and easy journey, and Violet spent the entirety of it quietly working away on her laptop. If she wasn't typing, she was speaking on the phone. The Duchess dove straight to her work and hardly saw Clare again after their dinner night, but when they met during the trip, they had been somewhat cord
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Violet walked into the room, taking in its grandeur. The room was massive and was indeed splendid, but not in an old-fashioned way as Violet had expected. As she wandered around, the Duchess was rather impressed with the design and its hidden size. Violet felt the need to sit down on a cushioned sofa that looked incredibly inviting after a long flight. She observed the space and noticed the chestnut-colored floorboard that gave off a warm feeling. That was what she wanted for a home - a feeling of warmth and comfort. Like her mother, she would want a place to be some sort of sanctuary. It made her miss Averbury already. The bookshelf was overflowing with hardbound books. Just like a wine cellar stocked with fine wines, these shelves were for great collections of the classics and the valuables. Violet went to the credenza to pour herself a glass of cool water, which had slices of lemons in it. She flopped down again in a wing-back chair by the floor-to-ceiling window and looked outsid
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