Clara walked seductively, smiling sensually at a man who was now looking at her while raising an eyebrow. A sheet of a towel wrapped around her body had been released since the first time she stepped out of the toilet. Instead, bright red lingerie wrapped around her naked body—creating a silhouette of her sexy and seductive curves.He greeted her and pulled her into his lap while rubbing her thighs in a seductive motion. His lips landed on the skin of Clara’s neck, kissing her hard while growling in a hoarse voice.Clara smiled contentedly. She looked up and stared at him, touching his lips to trace his face with her tongue.Not wanting to remain silent, he also did the same thing. Tracing Clara’s skin from her face to her neck.Claire closed her eyes, savoring every touch he gave to her body. She groaned softly, then replied by doing the same thing.“What should I call you by?” She whispered.He raised his eyebrow. His sturdy jaw touched Clara’s chest line, sucking it gently. His sha
Throughout her life, Clara never really knew which choice was wrong or right. She only knows how to save Anthony, her little brother. Therefore, Clara did everything—including selling herself for money. She will do anything for Anthony’s recovery because that little boy is her only family.“Can you go faster?” Clara reached out to the taxi driver sitting in front of her,“I can’t, miss. I have exceeded the set speed.”Clara clenched her fists—a soft curse in her heart.Once again she was in an unpleasant state. Her body still felt tired, but she needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.“Yes, ma’am? What’s going on?” Clara tried to normalize her voice when she received the call.There was the sound of someone breathing on the other side of the line. “Dear, what are you doing? Why are you kicking your client? Do you know what trouble you brought me?” The woman’s soft voice sounded sinister. Behind her angelic voice, Clara knew there was something terrible about this woman.Cla
Lucas Mark Axton was standing on the edge of his apartment window, growling under his breath. He crumpled his phone angrily, then threw it at the wall beside him. One of his hands grabbed a wine glass served by a maid, lifted it up slowly, and then threw it away carelessly.A maid standing behind him shrieked in surprise. However, the woman immediately lowered her head and covered her mouth tightly when she saw Lucas glance at her with a sharp gaze.“Go,” Jamie—Lucas’s assistant and his close friend, said while waving his hand at the two maids.“Thank you sir.” the two maids bowed their heads respectfully and walked slowly out of Lucas’ room.“Call Rachel. I want to meet that woman tonight. If Rachel can’t bring her here, I’ll destroy her business.” Lucas said.Jamie sighed. “Didn’t Rachel say that the woman refuses to meet you? She doesn’t want to serve a man more than once. That’s her principle.”“You think any prostitution has principles?” Lucas turned his head and looked annoyed.
Clara smiled sweetly as she walked up to a man who was sitting at the end of the room enjoying a glass of wine."I know you are beautiful, but I did not think you were this beautiful, Flo." He greeted her, pulled her into his lap, and offered her a glass of wine."I don't drink." Clara shook her head."Oh really? Why? This is Dom Perignon. You don't regret turning it down?" He raised an eyebrow.Clara smiled and shook her head slowly. "I don't drink." Strictly speaking."I like women with principles." He said as he brought his lips closer to Clara's.Clara reached out, her finger stopping his lips. "And I don't do kiss," she whispered."What?" He looked at her in surprise. “Are you kidding me? No sex is without a kiss on the lips!” He stared angrily.Clara had often seen surprised looks from the men who were her clients. And she was also used to responding to shock.“I don't really want to kiss on the lips, but I can offer something better. You wanna try?” she asked with a seductive s
“Dear, you got a good offer with a substantial reward. Do you really want to refuse him?” Rachel handed a glass of orange juice to Clara who was sitting with her head propped up—tired, sleepy, and groggy too. The last two days she had not slept properly. She has to work, look after Anthony, and also do her college assignments even though she can't come to campus in the morning.“Is he the man who used to be my client?”“Yes, his name is Lucas Axton. He's still trying to find you." Rachel sat beside her, stroking Clara's pale face. "Looks like you need treatment at the salon. You want a shot of vitamin C?” she asked.Clara nodded slowly. She didn't know what she needed, but she always followed whatever Rachel said.“I will accept anyone other than a man who was once a client of mine. Haven't you accepted my terms, Ma'am? I don't want to work for a man I've slept with."Rachel took a deep breath, “yes, it's up to you. I'm just trying to give you a job with a bigger payoff because I know
Clara stood like a statue that had lost her life. All the bad thoughts were moving through her head—making her want to faint right now."Clara?" Louis touched her hand, “what are you doing? Let's sit back down," he whispered as he took her hand.Clara looked at Louis with a pale face. She turned her head and looked at Lucas Mark Axton who was also looking at her."I want to go," Clara whispered. She took her hand and planned to return to walk out of the room.“Miss, where are you going? Sit back. We are about to start this seminar.” The host reprimanded her.Clara's head spun from staring into Lucas Mark Axton's brown eyes. His eyes paralyzed every nerve in her body—making her nearly fall over if Louis didn't pull her back into their seat."Okay, sorry for the trouble, Mr Axton."Lucas chuckled softly, "that sort of thing has happened a lot."The MC laughed, "maybe it's because you are too handsome that the students here are surprised when they find out that you are the speaker at thi
Clara stomped her feet in exasperation as she walked out of the restaurant. She just left Lucas without caring about the angry look he gave her. She tapped her cellphone screen impatiently while waiting for the arrival of the online taxi she had ordered five minutes ago. Luckily, not long after, a car stopped at the restaurant door, and that car was the taxi she had ordered.Her cell phone rang as soon as she got into the taxi. She immediately closed the car door and fastened her seat belt before receiving a call from Louis."Yes, Lou? What is it?""Where are you? Why did you suddenly disappear? Don't we still have additional classes after the seminar?"Clara massaged her head. If only Louis knew what she had just experienced…But, no. Do not let Louis know what just happened."I'm on my way to work,"“Oh? Are you working today? I thought you had Friday off."Clara blinked. She usually got off on Fridays, but she had to see Rachel this time because of her meeting with Lucas. She felt
"Where's Anthony?" Clara looked around the room kinda panicked when she couldn't find Anthony there. Over by the end of the sofa next to Anthony's bed, Elena was sitting calmly reading a book. But Anthony wasn't there. "Don't worry. He's outside with—" "Are you happy, little boy?" Elena's words got cut off as someone opened the door and walked in, pushing a wheelchair. Clara took a deep breath when she saw Anthony sitting in the wheelchair with Louis walking behind him. "Clara!" Anthony and Louis cheered at the same time when they saw Claire standing there. "Hey," Clara helped Anthony as he tried to stand up to hug her. "Easy, Anthony," Louis held the infusion bottle that Anthony accidentally nudged, "you'll get your Clara. I won't take her away." He teased Anthony and stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, you can't take her 'cause she's my sister. Go to your brother's house, Louis!" Anthony exclaimed with a playful laugh. "I'll tell on you to my brother because you're teasing me," Lou
Clara walked in, passing dozens of people who looked at her in awe—admiring her beauty, her wide smile, and her eyes that shone as she welcomed her new day—a new beginning for the life she was about to have.Far ahead, she saw Lucas smiling at her—only at her.The piano sounds playing "River Flows In You" accompanied each step Clara took, each step filled with happiness in the smiles around her, witnessing her embracing eternal happiness, now standing proudly in front of her—waiting for her to come to always holding her hand.Her white floor-length gown and the bouquet of flowers in her right hand signified her seriousness about every step she was taking.Louis walked beside her, holding her hand and escorting her to the altar.Her father should have been walking beside her, but... they were happy in heaven. And... Clara had Louis—someone who had always been there in every step of her life. So, it was Louis who escorted her to the aisle towards Lucas.Elena stepped forward—becoming a
Lucas sighed long and leaned back, closing his eyes, seeming reluctant to look at Clara. He even released her hand, allowing her to gaze at the starry night outside the helicopter window.Minutes passed, and Lucas remained seated in silence—not saying anything.Clara reached for his hand, placed her fingers in his lap, and turned her head to look intently at Lucas. "Can you teach me how to read your mind?"Lucas opened his eyes, "why do you want to read my mind?"Clara shrugged, "So I know what you're thinking without asking you. Just like you've always done with me.""My thoughts are too dark for you to understand, Cla." Lucas shook his head. "You shouldn't have entered all of this—entered my world and all the dark things that you shouldn't have to stay on.""Then where should I stay?""Definitely not in the dark world I have." Lucas quickly retorted, "I tried to make you stay in a better place and protect you from all dangers, not bring you to this meeting, Cla."Clara let out a lon
Lucas departed for Canada exactly on the day the secret meeting of ElWagner was scheduled. He didn't say anything to her, but Clara knew everything, and perhaps Lucas knew that she already knew.The journey from New York to Canada—to the headquarters of ElWagner—didn't take long, only about a 4-hour trip. Lucas left during the day, and he would arrive there in the evening while the meeting was set to take place in the middle of the night.Clara... still couldn't believe what she was doing. She had come to Canada—secretly following Lucas with the help of Beatrice and Cheryl, who had been waiting for her at a hotel near the headquarters. She kept her arrival a secret from Lucas, but of course, she couldn't hide it from Elena and Laura. She had told them her purpose for coming to Canada and when she would return to the United States tomorrow morning. They agreed to support her after learning about her complex problems. Even Louis offered to accompany her, but she refused because she didn
"I didn't mean to disturb your daydreaming. But you've been here for a while, and Lucas is starting to get annoyed because you're not coming back,"Clara turned her head and found Louis walking towards her with two glasses of wine. "I'm not drinking," she said."These are for me," he took a sip from both glasses and continued, "I know you don't drink."Clara rolled her eyes as she realized it was just Louis's way of teasing her."I'm very happy about your engagement, Cla," Louis suddenly said.Clara smiled, looking at her hand—admiring the ring Lucas had chosen for her.Lucas always asked about clothes, watches, and even ties to wear because he wasn't skilled in choosing fashion-related things. However, the ring he chose truly amazed Clara—it was beautiful and perfectly fit her finger."He actually asked for my opinion on the ring," Louis glanced at his hand and smiled."Really?" Clara blinked, "So he intentionally proposed to me at his birthday party, and you knew?"Louis chuckled, "
Clara couldn't stop staring at the ring that encircled her ring finger—a beautiful ring with sparkling gemstones and intricate engravings that looked incredibly stunning.The moonlight's reflection in the night sky made her ring appear even more mesmerizing which make Clara couldn't take her eyes off of it.Lucas's birthday party was still ongoing, and everyone was busy chatting with each other—trying to find a moment to congratulate Lucas on his engagement.She thought Lucas would be surprised by the birthday party theme she had chosen, but she was the one who got a surprise because Lucas is proposing her on his own birthday."What a beautiful ring," a woman in a light blue dress approached with a glass of wine in her hand.Clara turned her head and smiled briefly when she realized that the woman was... Rafael's wife."My name is Cheryl, by the way," she said, smiling."I... know," Clara replied with the same smile when she could hear Cheryl’s voice that seemed filled with passion th
"You look stunning in that dress," Lucas commented as he walked into the closet.His habit remained the same—waiting for Clara to get ready and giving her that look as if he was undressing her with his eyes.Oh, God. Any woman who was with him would surely suffer from his mesmerizing gaze. Being with a handsome man with such captivating eyes was a blessing that never came twice in her life."I think my arms look really chubby," she said, lifting her arms to the mirror, then shaking her head as she noticed her belly also seemed plump.One month after giving birth to Chloe, Clara realized that there were many changes in her body. There were stretch marks on her belly that had not completely faded, her arms looked bigger, and her belly hadn't fully gone back to its original size. She felt fine wearing long pants and shirts that could cover her arms and belly, but sleeveless dresses like the one she was wearing now made her... lack confidence."Nothing's wrong with your arms," Lucas walke
Clara couldn't deny that she still hadn't fully accepted the facts about herself—about her family status and her parents' past. However, she also couldn't reject the facts that were right in front of her.Slowly, she had to start accepting it all—making peace with everything about herself, even if she didn't like it all.All the anger she showed at Lucas when he returned home that morning did make her feel a little better, but she wasn't completely better.Rafael and Beatrice had come to her house to give more explanations about what had happened. Clara welcomed them, but she didn't accept any explanations about their clan. And Lucas agreed with her decision to refuse to enter the clan, even though she was an official member of the ElWagner clan due to her status as the daughter of the Wagner family.She hadn't changed her name on her identification card, and she also recently found out that her name couldn't be found on the 'GOD's Mind' server. Not just her name but all her identifyi
Almost an hour had passed since Clara sat in Louis' car with Rafael's provided documents on her lap. However, she hadn't found the courage to open them—to read a document titled 'Clara Clark' on the front page as if she's a fugitive with a long criminal record.Louis sat beside her, remaining patient without saying anything—even though Clara was sure many questions were swirling in his mind.Clara took a deep breath—attempting to gather bravery from within herself... still, she continued to gaze at the document without taking any action."Should I... open it?" She whispered softly after a prolonged silence.Louis looked at her and nodded, "You should, Cla." He held her hand tightly, "You have the right to know, even though your parents have tried to keep all of this hidden.""Why would they hide this?" Clara retorted quickly.Louis shook his head, "I don't know, Cla. If you want to know... you have to open the document and read it."Clara stared at the document in her hands and sighed
Leaving Chloe alone at the mansion always made Clara feel uneasy. She was afraid Chloe might cry, refuse to drink her milk, or not sleep like she did last night. However, taking Chloe to the hospital wasn't a suitable option either, considering she couldn't ensure what would happen there."Are you going to the hospital?" Elena asked when she saw Clara sitting in the kitchen at 5 in the morning."Yes, I'm going there, El," Clara nodded, "I'm waiting for Louis because he's showering, and he won't let me go alone."Elena nodded her head and started taking out food ingredients from the fridge.When Clara returned home last night, Laura and George asked what had happened, and Louis told them everything. They had initially planned to come to the hospital, but Louis forbade them and said that Lucas was sleeping due to the influence of the medication. The plan for this morning was for all of them to go together while Chloe would stay home with Elena and Anthony. However, Laura changed her min