92Two days flew by since Penelope shared Hunter and Reggie's conversation with Claire. No matter how hard she tried, the words remained as freshly echoing in her mind as if it was said not two minutes ago. She behaved normally around her family like she was happy and unfazed but in isolation her heartstrings tugged a little in memory of Hunter and how those words may have sounded in his voice. Currently she was sitting in her father's study alone. Dominic had sent out for her. But when she arrived, he was not there. So she decided to wait in his comforting workspace that was also going to be her own workspace soon. Since Claire savored the environment in her father's study room, he merrily invited her to share it with him. It was a small sanctuary of peace and backed with the latest technology. It was designed in a way that whenever a person walked inside, the sensors would go on and start playing fine meditation or other related music to promote engaging working environment. The
93Exhilarated and thrilled, Claire boastfully raised her invisible collars, "Soon, sir. And you will be the first one to know." Then she threw her head back, bursting in a fit of laughter. Her father joined her. Later on Claire spent long dedicated hours in her father's company as he gave her some life-changing advices. She noted them and accepted references he made of experienced people, who he thought could give her some insightful knowledge on how to start her company. After all, it's not a cake walk to begin a new company and succeed with it too. One needs advice and stories of success and perseverance to strengthen their spirits. The road to success is never straight. It is full of obstacles and bumps one has to avoid and tackle to reach the destination. For the upcoming five days, she was occupied in conducting and attending meetings with people Dominic referred to. She was utterly indebted to him provided that through his reference she was able to build connections and re
94The lines of exhaustion and dark circles under their eyes spoke of their struggles in their previous working environment. Jasmine Burlow, who worked for a successful company, had a fever when she came to attend the meeting that day in the coffee shop. She had even cried because her old company was oppressing her with loaded work. Since Claire promised to give her a peaceful work culture as their team was going to be of limited number of professionals, with no impending work pressure, Jasmine caught the opportunity with her teeth and was the first one to come to office when the location was shared on their chatting group. "If you are in with a partnership with TNR company, raise your hands."Kent opted to vote by hand and no one voted in favor of working with TNR except for him. "You guys are ridiculously crazy!" He let out an indignant sigh and departed. The team watched him with shock as he almost slammed the door. The silence that followed left Jasmine with a ghostly white fa
95"Do you remember Professor Feanis who taught us Engineering Material?" Kent's face was aglow with nostalgia as he sipped from the glass of his wine. "That professor with a black birthmark on his left cheek? Who will forget him. He taught less and conducted tests more." Claire said with flickering lashes as she expressed her distaste over remembering him. She rolled some noodles around the fork and lifted it to her mouth. Then she gave an amused tilt to her eyebrows and said with a grin, "But you were his favorite! In fact, you were every professor's favorite. Mr. Topper!" Kent responded to her with a small laugh while Claire rolled her eyes. She raised another bite of Scallion oil noodles and moaned. The food was good and as they relieved old college memories, it tasted even better. They had crashed into a traditional Chinese restaurant where the seating arrangement was made on the cushioned floor with a circular table between them. The walls were painted soft green, and mounted
96Claire closed her eyes in reflex as his hand stretched out. The memory of that day in hospital when he had slapped her consumed her being. She thought he was going to do the same so to prepare herself for the following pain, she stiffened her body and waited for it. Much to her shock, his smothering fingers banded around her elbow and peeled her off Kent's body. His roughness snapped her eyelids apart. Her gaze fell on his face and the stony look left her muscles twitching. Claire couldn't protest him because of her shock as he pulled her behind his back and gripped the front of Kent's shirt. Yanking him near his face, Hunter growled. "Keep your distance from her. Next time I see you within a five-metres radius of her, you will be a charred meat." He rumbled and let go.The moment was thick with tension and both Claire and Kent were in a state of daze. They were still trying to compose from the shock of Hunter's unexpected arrival, talk less of responding to his dark threats.The
97They were so lost in each other's company that they forgot the surroundings existed. Kent existed. They failed to see him approaching them and even his thudding footsteps went unheard. It was when he tugged Claire at his side by her arm did then Hunter was shaken out of the cobweb of his trance. He didn't get a chance to rumble in protest as Kent arched his chin up, grazed him with a challenging stare and mocked, "Last time I checked you both were controversially separated. And if my memory is not weak then it was because of a home wrecker lover of yours, isn't it?" "So, Mister, don't you dare do that in my presence again." Kent gave a light shake to his head as he bore his cold eyes into Hunter's murderous ones. He protectively reached a hand at his back to touch Claire's hand. "Leave Claire alone. Or you will curse your stars for getting a beating from a man with a lower status."Claire's lower jaw went slack in a moment of disbelief. Kent was really calling for the grim reaper
98There was blood that washed down with rainwater, cleaning his hand like it was never smeared with red before. Meanwhile Claire and Kent have returned their attention to him. They saw him touch a hand to his back and bring back a bloody palm. The need to hold him plowed within her. Claire attempted not to lose her patience as she observed his face turning whiter and whiter while he gritted his teeth to contain the affliction. She almost took a step forward when a certain name echoed in her mind. Zara. Just four letters. Such a cute name. But the person who was named it, appeared smiling foxily in her mind. "Hunter will get rid of you soon! Save yourself the humiliation and leave us alone." Zara had sniggered at her face once, she was super confident that Hunter would abandon Claire for her. He did it. Not just that, he also insulted all the time she assumed he was being honest with her. Tears formed in her eyes. However, it wasn't detectable whether she was crying or it was the
99Claire sat like a corpse herself as Kent drove in silence. He has been studying her features since the minute they left Hunter outside the restaurant. Claire was trembling, and though he blamed it on the heavy rain for drenching her, he knew what the real deal was. She never sat still for a long while in one position. Her fingers bit and banded around her arms, her feet were restlessly tapping as if she was unable to suppress feelings that she should otherwise let freely flow through her. Her Complexion grew waxen and salty torrent perpetually streamed down her face like she was regretting something she did or said. "Claire, are you okay?" Kent decided against his will and asked her. "Just take me home quicker." She assured him with her dipping head as she wiped her tears. The look of hurt on Hunter's face was flashing in her mind endlessly. She didn't like it one bit. But she did it to punish him. If not with actions, she could hurt him with words, couldn't she? It was nothin
261She took Claire's hand and stroked the back, "Well, I was one of those who had problems with your wedding with Hunter. I didn't like him. But over the months since your divorce, I have seen many changes in him. His love is genuine, Claire. The man didn't hesitate to kneel in a crowded place to please you, do you really think he would go back on his promises after doing so much for you?"Penny looked at her expectantly, hoping her words would have an effect. Claire only looked away and it blossomed her resentment."I haven't seen a dumber woman in my life!" Penny rose to her feet. "Hunter's literally crawling on a minefield to get to you and your stubbornness is one step away from making him explode with one of the mines. You will lose him forever if you don't stop it, Claire."Penny sauntered to the door, her feet thudding loudly on the tiled floor."Perhaps you want to see his body in a coffin to realize what you're doing to him and yourself.” Claire gasped at her words, her feat
260Penny didn't waver, "Girl, Hunter's character is deeper and darker than silent mysterious waters in the ocean. The last time Tia insulted you in the old Murphy Mansion during Grandma Avery's anniversary, Hunter burned her favorite car in revenge and in warning to stay away from you... And we saw how he pummeled Tyler for being around you.""H-he burned her car!!!" "Yeah, Cole told me. Anyway, do you think that after Tyler and you kissed, he saw him leaving your room and believing that you two had séx while he was in the next room, after Tia raised a knife on you to harm you, after bleeding for you… After all this— will he really stay quiet?"Claire recoiled in shock, wrapping her arms around her legs. She felt cold from all the assessment Penny made her do. "I... I'm speechless." "The answer to my question is— No, Hunter won't stay quiet. He's plotting his plan in silence and when it is the right time, he will unleash his attack on the Murphys.""....""Btw," Penny moved closer
259She knew she started off ridiculously. But it was her jumbled up emotions. Firstly, Hunter was annoying her. And then she saw Penny after such a long time. The friend within her, who had missed her other half— her bestie, was reawakened.The first glance Claire had taken at Penny after stepping inside the house was enough to realize that— had she been by her side wherever she wasn't, she might have prevented her from committing some of the mistakes she now regretted. The kiss with Tyler, for instance."You can stay here if you like. I'll just go up and..." Claire's tear-stricken voice came out slow and hoarse. "Take a shower! I also need to take care of this thing and figure out how to cover it."Claire started walking away when Penny asked, "What is that by the way?" "Oh, this is nothing. Someone just pressed a knife to my throat in the parking lot." Penny's blood ran cold. She immediately held Claire's hand to stop her. "Are you serious?" She lifted her chin a bit to see her
258"You have no idea what I want with you and how desperate I'm to have that. I've made mistakes, Claire, and I'm about to clear them up and make everything better. You just need to be a little soft and let me in." He spoke resignedly. "Be a little soft and let you in?" Claire growled angrily as she threw daggers at him. "You say things that hurt and then you disappear for days. Then you show up only when you hear I've been troubled. How is this going to make anything better? You don't keep your word and only act when it's convenient for you.” "I didn't disappear! I was just— wait!" Hunter fluttered his eyelids as a smirk unfurled on his lips. "Did you just say that I said things that hurt? By that, are you referring to what I said at the airport— about letting you go? Did that scare you, Dove? Did you really think I will not show you my face again? Damn, did you really think I was going to give up on us?"Crimson colored her cheeks as she redirected her gaze outside. Her eyes wide
257Claire sat heaving angrily beside Hunter. Her hands were folded under her breasts and she glared out without caring to fasten the seat belt. Hunter noticed it and said, "Claire, buckle up your seat belt."He was ignored brutally. He sighed as he tried again. This time Claire snapped her head towards him like a Python warning humans to leave it alone if they didn't want a painful bite."Fine, I'll do it for you."Hunter unclasped his own seat belt to come and help her. However, she thrusted a hand at his shoulder to keep him away."Touch me and you'll be dead meat!""I won't, now do it. We don't have time to waste, Claire. I told you I have a meeting!" He eyed the belt."It's none of my concern whether you have a meeting or not. I didn't ask you to drop me home. Now bear with it.""Claire..." Hunter sighed as he peered at her with a ‘what am I going to with you’ yet loving gaze. Claire fumed and looked out of the window. She wouldn't be acting this way if it wasn't for what she h
256“No thanks, sheriff. Just take my statement and I'll get going.” Claire spoke, but the sheriff insisted she take the almonds first. He was acting weird. He was being extraordinarily friendly and dusted the chair before she sat down too. She heaved because she knew the root cause. Although she was the daughter of a well-respected man in the country, she was being well-treated because of her connection with Hunter.Through her the Sheriff wanted to impress Hunter. Quelling down her frustration, she glared at Alexa... The culprit behind all this. Alexa shrugged with an apologetic look as she tried to speak with the sheriff. "Sir, we were at Paragon Mall shopping... And our friend was just attacked in the parking lot. Someone put a knife to her throat."Yara stood behind Claire, holding her shoulders. She nodded her head to confirm Alexa was telling the truth before she removed Claire's hair out of her shoulder and neck. "See here. It's not big but it could have been dangerous."
255 "What do I want?" The man chuckled behind the mask. He trailed the tip of the knife on Claire's jaw and pierced the tip back on the pulse at her throat. She gasped and shivered as the man laughed. "It's not about what I want— it's about what they want... And they want to see her bleed." Claire gulped, listening to the man carefully. She was in tears, her nerves were frayed, but she could infer someone had sent the man to scare her. Yes, it was supposed to scare her because the man had enough time to kill her but he hadn't.He was taking his time to frighten the girls. His hold on the knife didn't indicate that he meant to slit her throat. It was a facade. "Who is it? Who wants my blood?" Claire asked and the man was taken aback. "I was warned about that mouth of yours!" He sniggered. "They weren't wrong." "Who is it? Is it... Zara?" Claire guessed and the man froze. He stared at her, and those eyes looked familiar. She was thinking where she saw them when the man shook her
254Two days later,"Do you really think this suits me? I... Don't really like the... Color! It looks dull on me." Her voice wavered with doubt as she peered at herself in the mirror."You are looking like a glass of hot chocolate! Trust me, every other woman at the party is going to be jealous of you, Claire. Just choose this dress!" Yara exclaimed with glimmering eyes. The girls have come to a mall to buy dresses for themselves for an informal party organized by Prince Rashid. Although the official gathering to introduce projects was postponed to the end of this month, he expressed his desire to meet and greet everyone in person to know everyone better before getting down to the real business. He was being charitable too given he sent out gift cards and opportunities to women to shop from famous brands for the party. The men were sent tailored suits to choose from, and the party was held at the biggest banquet hall in Bloomcrest— White Pearl. It was not usually available for book
253Rashid stood beside his wife as he smiled at Hunter. A hand going around Kareena, he kissed her hair and admired his daughter giggling in his friend's arms. While Hunter was fidgeting with her, she seemed happy. "Her name is Nour, the light of our eyes." Rashid said. Hunter's body was alight with emotions that brought tears to his eyes. A baby... He was holding a baby! The feeling of having a bundle of joy in arms, at first, brought sadness and a reminder of the baby he and Claire lost. Wouldn't he have been this big— in Claire's belly? As he looked at Nour, the feelings in his heart were replaced with happiness and warmth. He forgot about his grief and hesitantly lifted a finger to caress her chubby cheek. "Hey, baby." Hunter whispered and Nour gave out a squeal of joy at him. "She's only that happy around her father, Hunter. She cries in other men's arms. But it looks like she likes you." Kareena stated as she came closer to touch the head of her daughter. The minute she