CHAPTER 39

Claire drove to the Gray mansion in her car. She had picked up flowers before coming, just like Donald told her to

Sharon had splatted makeup on her face to hide her eye bags. She was depressed, and she needed to hide it

As she drove into the mansion, she felt something strange

A car she didn't usually see was parked in the house. The driver looked at her suspiciously

As she entered the ground floor with the flowers in her hand, she felt something cold make contact with the back of her head

“Who are you?”

He asked, his voice resonating throughout the place

“I'm a friend of the family”

She answered

“That's not a good enough answer”

“Fuck you!”

Claire was scared, but she tried her best to hide it. She made an attempt to kick him in the gut, but he dodged and secured her hands at her back

The bunch of flowers dropped to the ground

“Okay okay! Don't believe me? that's okay.

Just take me to Mrs Gray and she'll confirm my identity”

“You might be here to kill Mrs Gray”

He searched her, then he grabbed her hand and went up the stairs with her

Sharon was still in her mother's embrace when her eyes locked with Claire's

Claire was in shock

She froze on the spot. Sharon was the last person in the world she had expected to see. She didn't have the courage to facr her yet, she didn't know what to say to her

“Claire”. Sharon called.

Arman let her go, but she didn't move

“Sh— Sharon”

“It's okay Arman, she's a friend” Sharon said

“You all know each other?”

“Yes” Mrs Gray answered

“I'll leave you to it then”

Mrs Gray went over and parted Claire on the back.

“It seems you two have a lot to catch up on”

Just like that, she was gone

Leaving Sharon and Claire to one another

“How's Donald?”

Sharon asked. There were no visible traces of anger on her face. Infact she looked genuinely concerned

“He got me a car”

Claire said, avoiding her question directly

“Well, that's — good”

There was an awkward silence between them

“My mum told me you've been coming to see her lately, thanks for that”

Claire couldn't contain her guilt. After everything she had done to Sharon, after abandoning her for so long, she had expected her to be angry

Not concerned

“I have to go Sharon”

Claire said as she turned to leave

“Wait”

Sharon called

“If there's anything you want to tell me, I'm willing to listen”

Claire cast one last glance at her

“I have no words Sharon, I have no words”

Claire greeted Mr's Gray briefly, and left the house as quickly as she came in

Before she would cry her makeup away

Before Sharon entered the car, Arman held her wrist gently and whispered in her ear

I know she's your friend, but you have to be extremely careful around her

She's a wolf with a sheeps cloak

********************

Luca's office door was slammed open, forcing his attention to the woman who was panting in front of him.

Her glasses were falling from her face, she was breathing hard

“Mr Rufus Pavilochenki is here!”

Luca tensed up immediately.

His grandfather was the CEO once, and he was feared, the old man was capable of going to lengths that most people would avoid.

Also, he had the power to end the career of any employee. If Mr Pavilochenki didn't like the way you looked, or the way you talked, he would fire you on the spot. He still held that power

So it was no surprise that she would react that way upon seeing him

“Where?”

Luca asked

“The boardroom. He was with some other man, who had a scar on his face”

“Palmer”

Luca muttered under his breath

Luca stood up from his seat.

“Stay in my office”

He commanded

Luca took the elevator down to get to the boardroom. He could see the fear on the faces of his employees as he passed by. The old man had probably fired a couple of them, and given the rest a sound warning

In the boardroom

His grandfather was seated at the head of the table with a smile on his face

“To what do I owe this visit grandfather?”

Luca was still standing. He didn't intend to stay there long

Palmer who was standing a few feet away from him slid a brown envelope to his side of the table

Luca opened it

And he saw a framed picture of Mrs Gray, battered.

He creased his brows and frowned

Why are you showing me this?

His voice was cold, and there was tension in the room

“So you wouldn't forget what this is all about. The evidence is beginning to come together”

Mr Pavilochenki stood up

“It won't be long before you divorce the bitch and I end them

Just like we planned”

Luca felt like he was being suffocated.

The marriage was a sham, he knew it. But for a moment he thought he was happy

“Family comes first”

He muttered to himself while his grandfather left

Family came first, and fulfilling his grandfather's objectives had to be top on his list. He needed to set his priorities straight, Sharon was nothing to him

He had no time for sentiment, he couldn't afford to be weak

He didn't come back drunk for one day, because he wanted to do better, for her.

But he was just reminded of the reality of his situation.

Being nice to Sharon would only make things difficult in the long run

So like the other days

He stopped at a bar

And he downed his sorrows, glass after glass

He wanted to be drunk so he would prove a point

So she would be convinced that he wasn't going to treat her better

So that when he came back, Sharon would understand that he was a monster

One that would never ever love her—