It was like walking into her worst nightmare.
After Claudia moved out of her way and offered to drive her wherever Noémie wanted to be, they both got into the car and drove to the address Vincent had texted. Noémie being too nervous and petrified to think straight, Claudia took it upon herself to cooperate with Vincent Halest as he guided her over the phone through the shortest route they could take to avoid the jam-packed roads because of the heavy downpour.
The hard rain pelted the roof of the car as Claudia glanced over to her side and noticed how badly Noémie’s hands were shaking.
She tried to distract her older sister with frivolous conversation, but Noémie failed to fixate on anything but the man she had loved for so long but couldn’t ga
Vincent didn’t trust her one bit. Taking out his phone from the pocket of his jeans, he tapped through the app and scrolled down the notifications. And there it was. A new video posted by Claire Berkeley. It had already been shared a few million times. Vince couldn’t hide his surprise as he skimmed through the messages. Only a handful of people were criticizing him now. He went through the messages. No hate messages there either, not since this morning at least. No one was attacking him for being like his bastard father.He felt his chest loosen up a little; a heavy exhale left his mouth. No words could explain how relieved he was to get his reputation back. All hell had broken loose since the moment she branded him for impregnating her. His own family struggled to believe him.“Are you happy now?” he heard her say as she stood next to him, trying to take a peek at the screen.Vincent turned off the phone and dropped it back in his pocket.“Yeah. Whatever
Claire pursed her lips tight and glared harder. Holding back the pang and the itch to argue, she concentrated on the contract instead. However, this time, she sat down and read it attentively.“What the hell is this now?” A few minutes later, she grimaced at another point he had added to the contract. “I’m not allowed to speak of our relationship?”“Are you that desperate to embarrass yourself?” He looked at her as if she had gone crazy.“Why can’t I call you my boyfriend? That should work, right?”“You’re not my girlfriend, Claire,” he gritted his teeth and averted his gaze, fingers curling into a fist. “You didn’t earn that right.”“But we have to give this a name… whatever you think we have, shouldn’t we?”“You can be my mistress if you’re that hellbent on it
Claire hadn’t expected Vincent to prepare the contract so soon. It took her by surprise when the same delivery men appeared at her grandma’s place the next day and brought her back to the old Halest Villa.According to the giant clock hung in the drawing room, it was exactly 9 o’clock in the morning. The old Halest Villa was dreadfully quieter than the previous day. The maids and guards were the only people she noticed since the moment she walked in and took a seat on the couch, waiting for Vincent to make an appearance.Claire was nervous. Her legs were shaking with anxiousness after every passing second. The conversation she had with Marvin the previous day didn’t make her feel any better either. It made her feel even worse. She knew she shouldn’t be hiding something so important from Vincent—especi
[Nine Months Ago]A man in a white lab coat punched a six-digit code and waited calmly as the heavy metal door groaned and slowly slid open. Behind him, two tall and hefty men stood. One of them carried an unconscious woman in his arms.The door revealed a restless lab, with men in similar lab coats bustling here and there. The pungent scent of chemicals and something acidic hung heavy in the air.As the three men entered the lab, the man in the lab coat paused and lifted a hand to guide the two large men.“Take her to cube number five,” the man said, and without waiting for a response, headed in the opposite direction.The two hefty men followed the order and stationed the unconsci
Marvin pursed his lips, settling back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine. Let’s talk about something else, then.”Just by the shift in his tone, Claire could tell what was coming next.“Would you like to explain that video about your pregnancy?”“Not really.”“Claire!”Claire groaned and held her head in her hands. “Why do you even care?”“You’re doing that to get that Halest boy, aren’t you?”“So what?”“You need to let him go!”“I can’t. You know I…I can’t do that.” How could he even ask her such a thing?“It’s not fair to him, Claire. He doesn’t know—”“He doesn’t have to know.”“Claire!” He leaned forward, his gaze hopeful and brimmed with concern. “Don’t do this. You’re just hurting yourself. And him. It’s not fair…” He reached out and cupped the back of her hand with his. “…to you, too.”Claire yanked her hand away. “Drop the act, Marvin. We both know you don’t give a crap about me.”“I don’t know what I’ve done to make you feel like this.”“Are you serious?
The second the elevator doors of Grandma’s apartment building opened, Claire groaned at the sight of Marvin, her older brother. God, what was he doing here? she thought to herself.After the intense conversation with Vincent, the exact delivery guys dropped her back at the place they picked her up from.“What are you doing here?” she asked exasperatedly as she shuffled out of the elevator while rubbing her temple.At the sight of her, Marvin peeled his back off the wall and stood up straighter. “I’ve been out here for almost an hour,” he grumbled. “Where have you been?” Adjusting the collar of his shirt, he demanded with a deep frown.“First off, that’s not the answer to my question,” she paused in front of him to fix him with an annoyed look. “And second, why are you outside again?”In response to her question, Marvin only sighed deeply in his chest, scratching the back of his neck. “She won’t let me in,” he muttered with a shake of his head, clearly talking about Grandma. “I would h