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Lahat ng Kabanata ng SWEET REVENGE (He Betrayed Me, Now He Must Pay): Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

150 Kabanata

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CHAPTER 11 Clara's POV Florida's perfect shitty facade. I gripped my phone. I didn't want to believe it, but it was everywhere. Florida's perfect family moment was plastered all over the news, social media, and even the grocery store TV. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut watching Derrick and Florida pose as the ideal family with Rose. The way she held and kissed Rose's cheek, my heart shattered. I stared at the screen. Florida wore her fake smile, and as usual, it was nauseating. She was playing the perfect family with Derrick and Rose, and the world was eating it up. Florida's voice was like honey as she spoke about love and family. And then, she slipped a bracelet onto Rose's wrist. I zoomed in on the screen and saw it was engraved with “Mommy's girl.” Fuck. The headlines flashed across the screen: [Florida Anthony Heals Derrick's Family] [Little Rose Finds Her Real Mom Again] I felt like I was losing my mind. This was a nightmare. How could they do this? Play with

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CHAPTER 12 Clara's POV I rolled over in bed, groggily reaching for my phone to check the time. It was 6:00 AM. Who was bothering me this early? I saw the notifications from my lawyer's email and opened the email, expecting some generic “you're being sued” nonsense from Derrick's camp. But the words “URGENT” and “DIVORCE PAPERS” jumped out at me. My heart skipped a beat. “No way,” I muttered. “This.. shit!” I thought yesterday was just a shitty dream! Just as I was processing this, a knock at the door made me jump instantly. I quickly tossed on a robe, thinking maybe it was a delivery guy with a package or something. I opened the door, and a courier was standing there instead. “Miss Laurent?” He asked. I nodded. He handed me an envelope with Derrick's attorney's law firm crest on it. I laughed. This had to be some kind of joke. Derrick was probably trying to freak me out. But the email boldly said “URGENT.” I ripped open the envelope, my eyes scanning the papers hastily,

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CHAPTER 13 Clara's POV I stood up, my eyes locking onto Spencer's. “Spencer, I'm done being a victim. I'm done being played. I want to take down Derrick and Florida, and I want to do it with you.” Spencer's expression was thoughtful, his eyes studying me with curiosity. “You're sure you're ready for this, Clara? This is going to get messy. They're going to fight back, and they're not going to play nice.” I nodded. “I'm sure. I've had enough of their lies. I want to expose them for who they are, and I want to protect my daughter.” Spencer's gaze lingered on mine, searching for any sign of doubt. Then he nodded. “Alright, let's do it. But first, let's take care of something.” He pulled out his phone and made a call, his words brief. “Clear all of Clara Laurent's debts. Every last one.” My eyes widened in shock. “Spencer, no, you don't have to do that. I–” He waved his hand. “It's done, Clara. Consider it a business investment.” I stared at him, my mind reeling. What was he doin

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CHAPTER 14 Clara's POV My heart was racing with anticipation, but before Sophia could say more, a loud voice erupted through the hall. “Clara, Clara, Clara. Selling your body to save your company, ah? What will you do next?” I turned to see Derrick striding towards me, a smirk on his face. A frown formed tightly between my brows. What was this bastard doing here? The crowd, on the other hand, instantly erupted into chaos, reporters shouting questions with cameras clicking wildly. “Clara, is it true you merged with Hale to escape your debts?” “Did you sleep with the CEO OF HALE INDUSTRY to get the deal?” I felt the heat rise to my face, and I buckled my fists. Don't let him get to you, Clara. Stay calm. “Looks like you've hit rock bottom, Clara. Merging with Hale Industries? That's like trading one sinking ship for another.” Derrick sneered. But before I could defend myself, or at least give the bastard a befitting slap, a voice interrupted the noise. “Hello, everyone.” The

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CHAPTER 15 Derrick's POV I lounged on the couch, watching Florida take the stage. She was a master manipulator, and I was curious to see how far she'd take it. The host, a sympathetic-looking man, asked her about her family and Florida. Oh, she was good. She burst into tears, playing the victim like a pro. “I'm trying, but it's just so hard.” She sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Clara was the target, and Florida was definitely painting her as a monster. The host’s voice was full of concern. “What's wrong, Florida? You can talk about it.” Florida took a deep breath, letting the tears flow. “..Clara's been stalking us for months, sending death threats.. I don't feel safe anymore.” I raised an eyebrow. This was getting good. The host was eating it up, of course. “That's terrible, Florida.” The host said, his voice filled with empathy. “Can you tell us more about what's been happening?” Florida sniffled again. “She's been showing up at our events, sending me message

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CHAPTER 16 Clara's POV I stared at the lawyer. “You'll accuse me of harassing my own daughter? You're despicable, Mr. Mark.” Mr. Mark's expression was stiff, his eyes cold behind his rimless glasses. “If you continue to resist, Miss. Laurent, we'll have no choice. Derrick's safety is our priority.” I shook my head. “That's low, even for Derrick. I'll never hurt Rose. She's my daughter, for God's sake!” The lawyer's eyes narrowed. “Prove it, Ms. Laurent. Sign the divorce papers, and we can put this unpleasantness behind us.” I laughed. “You think I'd make it that easy for Derrick? No. I won't let him take everything from me. He's already got the perfect family image with Florida. He doesn't need Rose and me.” “Ms. Laurent, this isn't about what Derrick needs. It's about protecting him from your increasingly erratic behavior.” “Erratic?” I took a step forward with my fists clenched. “You're the one who's erratic, twisting words and changing situations. I'm not the one who's been

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CHAPTER 17 Clara's POV I sank onto the couch in my living room. The court had ruled against me, and I was still frustrated. I looked down at my phone, and Spencer, whom I'd tried to contact several times, finally decided to call back. “Is there an issue, Clara?” I launched into the whole story, my words spilling out in a mix of held-up frustration. “Spencer, it didn't go well. The court ruled against me, even with all the evidence we had. I don't understand. I thought we had a solid case.” Spencer listened patiently, making soothing noises as I vented. “Hm.. that's not what I expected. You had a solid case, Clara. What happened?” I sighed. “I think the judge was bribed, Spencer. I don't know what else to think. The way he dismissed all our evidence, it was like he had already made up his mind.” Spencer's tone turned serious. “That's a serious accusation, Clara. Are you sure about that? Do you have any proof?” I hesitated, but I knew I wasn't wrong. “No proof, just a gut feelin

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CHAPTER 18 Clara's POV I walked towards Rose's school, my feet moving with anxiety. I wasn't planning on picking Rose up, just wanted to see her, make sure she was alright. As I approached the gates, the security guard looked up. “Visiting hours are over, ma'am.” I barely broke stride, my eyes fixed on the school building. “Just for a minute,” I muttered, slipping past him before he could react. The guard called out behind me. “Ma'am! You can't just-” I ignored him, my pace quickening as I walked into the school compound. The teachers saw me and began to whisper. Some of them even attempted to confront me, but they seemed scared, their eyes darting to me and then away, as if they feared I might “hurt” them because of my “illness.” One of the teachers, a young woman with a pinched face, finally stepped forward. “Uh, Miss Laurent, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here. You should leave.” I didn't even look at her; my focus was on finding Rose's classroom. “I'm just

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CHAPTER 19 Clara's POV I walked into my apartment, the confrontation with Florida at the school still swirled bitterly in my mind. As I dropped my keys on the counter, I was surprised to notice Spencer pacing back and forth in the living room, his expression tense. “Hey.” He said, standing up as she entered. “I was waiting for you.” “What's wrong?” I asked, shrugging off my jacket. Whilst that, I took a mental note to always double-check my lock from now on. Spencer stopped pacing and turned to face me. “You need to see this.” He said, gesturing to his phone. I took the phone from him, my heart sinking as I saw the headline on the screen. [Clara resumes not just stalking habits but attempts to kidnap Florida's daughter] “What is this?” I whispered, my voice shaking with disbelief. Spencer's expression was grim. “It's all over the news, Clara. That blog post. It's gone viral. Everyone's talking about it.” I scrolled through the article, and I frowned. There were pictures of

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CHAPTER 20 Clara's POV “We have something to fight with, too.” My eyes locked on Spencer's. I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What is it?” Spencer passed a thick folder to me, his fingers brushing against mine. I quickly retracted my hand. As I scanned the pages, my eyes widened in shock. These were all illegal financial transactions, all linked to Florida. I looked up at Spencer. “Trust fund transactions.” He said, his eyes locked on mine. “Florida's been draining the trust fund account you and Derrick set up for Rose.” That bitch! I felt a surge of anger, but a little victory too. We had her now. As I moved to pull my hand away from the folder, my fingers brushed against Spencer's again. This time, he didn't move his hand away immediately. I noticed it, and I subtly scooted back a bit in my seat, focusing on the documents. “She's not just stealing from Rose,” Spencer spoke. “She's laundering money through her charity events.” I smirked satisfactorily. We had the upper han

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