Clara's POV "We should find a way forward. I'm sure that we both might have said things that we didn't mean." I continued."I meant every word." He answered. He wasn't in the mood for peace talks.Maybe I should get to the point. Sweet talking was working, so we might as well get to the crux of this.“I shouldn't have gotten drunk, but you can't fire Ivy because of that." I breathed out.He raised his brow and paused for a second as if deciding whether I was serious or not."Do I need to start counting the number of things you both did?" He asked. "You both lied about your mother being sick so that you could get out of our doctor's visit. Do you have any idea how sick that sounds?" He asked.He had a point.My mind slipped into a panic. He was getting closer to the truth than I could have ever imagined. Right now, my goal was to save Ivy."I'm scared of doctors," I yelled. I took a moment to breathe as he formed a blank expression. "Ivy only offered me a way out, and I took it. I had
Clara's POV "You fired me and then had security throw me out like a common criminal," I fired at him."It was for your good." He smiled. "Besides, I have more good news. Since your mother dearest is leaving for a while and I obviously can't leave you alone here, you will have to come with me. We are going on a short trip to Greece," he announced.My jaw nearly dropped.Katy stared at the two of us, her eyes filled with amusement."You can't do that. I'm not going anywhere with you," I answered. "I'll report you for kidnapping me," I threatened."You can try. Besides, we've already been through this. I can't trust you enough to leave you alone." He answered."So now you are threatening me to leave with you? My mother is going to file a restraining order against you when she finds out. You are just trying to take advantage of the fact that she will be gone for a while," I said."I'm pretty sure she would agree with me when she finds out that you are trying to poison our child." "Fine,
Clara's POV She would not agree with what I did, but she would understand. Perhaps she would help me and know how to explain this to Derek better.I was getting into trouble because I kept inventing more lies and hiding things. Right now, only the truth could save me."Mommy," I whispered, nearly choking on my tears.She smiled back at me, wiping away the last tears streaming down my cheeks."I did something stupid," I confessed.She paused, her eyes now holding a more concerned look."What is it?" she whispered.I took a deep breath to gather my words.Right then, the doorbell rang.Mom kept her strong gaze on me, staring directly into my eyes as a range of emotions flashed across her face. The tears on my cheeks weren't helping her worry any less. Without question, she looked like she was expecting the worst.The look on her face told me, "How bad is it?".I knew I had to tell her the truth. Maybe then I could gather the courage to tell Derek and face whatever consequences that fol
Clara's POV This child was looking for a way to end up in the hospital."What do you think you are doing?" Katy asked in a whisper.Experience tells me she was probably listening in. I knew the sound upstairs was no coincidence."I can't keep hiding this forever, and it will only blow up in my face." I reasoned with her."Mom has never stolen a candy bar in her life. She will murder you and everyone else involved. You can't do this." Katy whispered.Katy and I froze as we heard footsteps and laughter coming down the hall. Katy tried to look as natural as possible to avoid all suspicion."I see you are ready for your trip." I heard Derek's voice from down the hall.Not him, either. I couldn't help but curse softly. My bad luck couldn't be a coincidence. This was all a conspiracy.Maybe it was just my bad decision.It would be much easier to tell the two of them while they are together. That way, I only had to see their disappointed faces once, but Derek had already threatened me, and I
Clara's POV He announced. I folded my arms in rebellion in my seat and buckled up as the jet took off.I tried to fight this. I did. But in the end, I lost.My main argument was that I couldn't leave my sister alone for a while, which worked as Katy backed me up, showing her big puppy eyes.I knew I'd lost the argument when Derek mentioned his five-star guesthouse, her staff, and an unlimited bank card. That's all it took to buy her loyalty. With Derek's argument that I couldn't be trusted, things looked bad for me.Although Derek insisted that she would be under supervision, it didn't help me feel any better. Besides, I was the one trying to get out of this trip.Layla called to inform me that she would also keep an eye on her for the five days we would be gone. I hope Layla doesn't start planning to find a husband for her, too.Thinking about it now, I probably should have fought more about this.Despite everything, my mind finally registered that I was going to Greece.Not too lon
Clara's POV "Feel free to choose either of the two bedrooms you like." Derek interrupted my thoughts. "I have to meet with a client for a few minutes. I'll be right back. Make yourself at home," he added.He looked at his phone before making his way out of the suite.For the first time, I was finally left alone to behave like the lunatic I was. I was jumping up and down like a twelve-year-old kid. For someone who'd just been through a ten-hour flight, I'd think I'd be tired, but then again, I also got a full-body massage.I was forced to remember how old I was when I noticed the door knob turning.I stopped, keeping an eye on the person who walked in.Instead, it was a maid who walked in. She was almost startled that I was standing there. She had a similar uniform to ours, the same knee-length dress style with a white apron over it, except theirs had a faded ocean blue instead of black."Good day, ma'am, I'm Cassia," she said. She had an unfamiliar accent."Good day," I greeted back
Clara's POVI couldn't believe it.Derek knew about Leonardo all along.How many people knew about this while I was clueless this whole time?What else did he know about me?I stopped in my tracks, anger rushing to my face as I continued listening to the rest of his conversation.I've never told him anything about it, and I know he was his partner long before I knew about it.It makes sense now. He was so invested in knowing about my family before meeting my mother. He must have had me investigated. Who knows what kind of information he must have had about me?"It's ridiculous of my grandfather to even think I'd use Clara to get the contract." He said next. "Before you forget, I want to know exactly what business my mother has with the doctor Clara and I visited." He added.I nearly gasped.He was even closer to the truth than I would have ever thought. Was he investigating me this whole time?It felt like a lot for me to process at once.I took some steps back, walking back to the ba
Clara's POV "Mr Montenegro had someone pick out a few dresses for you for the charity ball this evening." She said as she pointed at a pail of clothes, all covered in their suit bags.Hadn't I told him I wouldn't be going? What made him think he could go along and find me a dress anyway?Poor Cassia didn't seem like the right person for me to be having that argument with."He left you a note too," she pointed to the letter at my bedside. "He is such a romantic, isn't he?" She giggled.She stared at me with a wide grin before deciding to leave my room.I waited for Cassia to leave before reaching for the letter.Breakfast in the garden, please join me.-DerekHis letter read.I returned the letter to the bedside as I jumped off the bed.After last night, I was still unsure how to feel about everything. I'd be a hypocrite if I tried to call him out for being a liar or for hiding things from me. He wasn't my favourite person either at the moment.But I was hungry. Besides, I wasn't goin