Chapter 5

Seraphine didn't get the chance to ask what Clarissa meant before the latter abruptly hung up. That infuriated Seraphine, and she growled, "What a bitch!"

She had to make sure she and Clifford had a clean break. He wasn't worthy of her love! She gritted her teeth, her face turning slightly red from her anger.

After getting dressed, she saw that Lorraine had texted her to invite her out for lunch. She knew the latter was just worried about her being down in the dumps if she were alone and wanted to ask her out to lift her spirits.

Seraphine suddenly felt relieved that she no longer had to wake up early to cook and clean for Clifford. She could even sleep in if she wanted. She decided to love herself more in the future.

She headed to the bathroom to wash up. As she did so, she admired her reflection in the mirror, thinking that it was Clifford's loss to have missed out on someone as beautiful as her. He was unworthy of her!

After freshening up, she put on some light makeup. Once she and Lorraine ate, she planned to investigate Clifford's illegal human experiments. When the time came for his new product launch, she would be ready with a blow that he would never see coming.

…

Clifford had bought a villa for Clarissa. They'd lived there together since he'd proposed, practically joined at the hip. Their days were sweet and filled with affection.

Clarissa was Clifford's unattainable dream from the past. Now that she'd accepted his proposal, he treasured her all the more.

After getting up one morning, Clifford felt a dull ache in his stomach. He headed to the kitchen to find it bare. His expression darkened at that.

If Seraphine were around, she would've gotten up hours ago to prepare something nutritious for his breakfast, making sure that it would soothe his stomach. But Clarissa…

He pushed that thought out of his mind—he couldn't bear to have Clarissa do housework anyway. He would hire a housekeeper the very next day.

"Clifford, you're up! Seraphine called you earlier to threaten you into finalizing the divorce." Clarissa ran to him happily and clung to him, completely ignoring the paleness of his face.

She continued, "Do you think she'll lose her mind when she finds out you've lied to her about everything? I can't wait to see how upset she'll be!"

She had to use this to destroy Seraphine's reputation. On the day of Clifford's product launch, she would make everyone know that she was the woman who had his heart. When the time came, the Johansen family would have to accept her, whether they wanted to or not.

Clifford rubbed her head affectionately. "Alright, that's enough. The new product launch is in a few days. I'll take you home to meet my dad once the product successfully hits the market."

He didn't dare head home just yet. His father, Stephen Johansen, was furious about the proposal. But what could Clifford do? He loved Clarissa, and Seraphine had never been anything more than a stand-in for her.

His stomach throbbed dully, and his face became even paler. He felt horrible. "Clary, let's go out for breakfast. I'll head to work once we've eaten, and you can go shopping with Chels. Buy whatever you want."

Clarissa was delighted by that. She loved how generous Clifford was with his money. "Great! I've recently fallen in love with this one bag—I'll buy it today!"

"Alright." Clifford couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Couldn't she tell he wasn't well? Seraphine would've noticed at the slightest frown.

He realized he was thinking about Seraphine again and forced himself not to. She'd cared for him for five years—he just wasn't used to her suddenly being gone.

Clifford changed and took Clarissa to a breakfast place where he often ate. Coincidentally enough, he saw Seraphine lining up as soon as he entered the restaurant.

He was taken aback, and his stomach twisted painfully. That, and the anger of running into Seraphine again, made his gaze turn murderous. He stormed over to her and snapped, "Why do you refuse to leave me alone, Seraphine?"