Now, he would only go somewhere that held an important place in his heart. At this thought, Claire couldn't help but shake her head. How would she know where that was? They might be friends, but they were not that close. She felt upset that she lost the only lead she had. Javier frowned unhappily at the sight of Claire worried over this man and mixed feelings emerged inside of him. Ollie looked at them in confusion, not understanding what was going on. He wanted to get closer to his mom during the break, but he blinked sadly seeing her in a low mood. "Dad, what's wrong with Mommy? She's acting so strange today," Ollie asked Javier quietly.Javier glanced at her and noticed that she had been focused on her laptop and phone since breakfast, and seemed extremely distressed. He held Ollie in his arms, his face gloomy, and said, "Your Mommy is meddling in other people's business now."Claire heard this and she paused for a moment, quickly putting aside her work. Then, she gestured f
After obtaining the information, Claire asked Patty to look after Ollie, grabbed her bag, and left. She went to the cemetery with the thought of just trying her luck because nobody knew if the information was accurate or if Carlyle was really there. She might be grasping at straws, but it was better than nothing. She arrived at the cemetery shortly after. The cemetery was located in a remote area, and most of the people buried there were either wealthy or prestigious during their lifetime as it was quite costly to be buried there. At this moment, the cemetery was somewhat deserted, with rows of gray tombstones standing solemnly, making the atmosphere even eerier. Claire couldn't help but shiver even though it was broad daylight. As she was about to enter the cemetery, she happened to run into an elderly man who was guarding the cemetery. The old man asked her with suspicion, "Miss, who are you looking for?"Everyone there was registered so he was quite surprised to see Claire. She did
With this in mind, Claire couldn't help but call out to Carlyle softly, "Carlyle, you..."She stopped halfway through her sentence, unable to find any comforting words to say. What could she say? Until everything was made clear, any words of comfort would seem weak and meaningless. In fact, Claire could understand why Carlyle had turned out this way. Someone else without strong willpower might have already committed suicide in this situation. After all, the power of public opinion was too terrifying. Only God knew how he had managed to get through the past few days. Claire stood by his side for a long time, but he did not give her a response. He just looked at his mother's gravestone, murmuring quietly. After waiting for a while, she couldn't help but become anxious. So, she walked up to him."Carlyle, can you say something?"Just as she spoke, Carlyle's manager, who had been cautiously observing her quietly, thought she was about to say something hurtful, and yelled, "Enough! Who a
After a long while without much response from Carlyle, Claire walked over to his side and sat down gently. From a distance, she could see a face that had similar features to Carlyle engraved on the tombstone. It was at this moment that she realized that he must have inherited his innate gentleness and elegance from his mother, as the expression between their eyebrows and eyes was something that acting could not portray. Claire started to recall her first impression of Carlyle and she began to reminisce about the past. She asked softly, "Carlyle, do you remember what happened when we first met?"Knowing that she wouldn't get a response, Claire continued, "At the time, I accidentally spilled some wine on my clothes. It wasn't your fault, but you kept apologizing and making amends like a child who did something wrong."Later, when I recognized you, I realized that you were just as the rumors described—gentle and polite, unlike those arrogant people in the entertainment industry. I didn'
Claire watched Carlyle cry silently. She did not try to comfort him because she knew he was tired and needed to release his emotions. Both Claire and his manager felt their hearts ache to see Carlyle so vulnerable and fragile. They breathed a sigh of relief as they exchanged a glance. It was good that Carlyle was venting. They were afraid that he would shut down and feel hopeless about the world. While Claire was still in a daze, Carlyle suddenly turned around and hugged her, startling her. She wanted to push him away, but her heart softened when she saw tears in his eyes and allowed him to hug her while he cried. He was close to breaking down, so he probably didn't know what he was doing. His manager couldn't help but stare in shock, wondering if their relationship was more than it seemed. He had known Carlyle for years but had never seen him hug a woman. However, now was not the time for gossip. His well-being was all that mattered. He sighed deeply and said, "It's good to cry. Cry a
Claire put down her phone upon reading this. The public opinion just played a minor part in this matter, the evidence presented by Carlyle and the lawyers was what mattered most. Claire couldn't help but sigh as she thought, "This battle is not going to end so soon." Meanwhile, Javier was in his office dealing with work when his assistant barged in urgently, exclaiming, "Mr. Marquez, we have news of Carlyle. He's made an appearance." Javier looked up sharply upon hearing the news and furrowed his eyebrows, asking, "What's going on?" He too had only read of Carlyle's appearance on the news. He knew Henry had just found out by the look on his face. Henry was hesitant as he muttered, "Well, it seems like Miss Weiss found him. She searched for him at a cemetery, then he made a public appearance to clarify the matter." Javier raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze made Henry shudder. He lowered his head and held his breath, wondering, "Did I say something wrong? Miss Weiss was indeed the
Javier looked at the picture in detail and noticed Claire and himself in the abstract drawing. Ollie used bright colors to represent people. However, if Ollie hadn't told him, he wouldn't have thought that he could come up with such a design. Javier couldn't help but admire his drawing and praised his creativity and artistic skills genuinely, "You did a good job, Ollie." His compliment was very sincere. Ollie's abstract art utilized a very popular style from France. Moreover, he was able to create such a piece at a young age which meant he was quite an artistic genius. Ollie was delighted to hear the compliment and smiled with joy, asking, "Can I put it in my room when I finish it?" Javier nodded fondly. "Of course, it's up to you." Ollie happily headed to the side happily to continue drawing. Claire was fast asleep on the sofa with her laptop still on her knees. Javier couldn't help but frown, knowing that she must have been worn out from meddling in other people's affairs. De
A frail little girl about ten years old, wearing a loose hospital gown that made her look even frailer, barged in. Her delicate face bore a striking resemblance to Sally. Her large eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at her mother helplessly. Henry raised his eyebrows and guessed that she had woken up and accidentally overheard their conversation before coming in. Upon seeing Wendy, Sally's eyes lit up with joy, but it was quickly replaced by panic. She averted her gaze and said, "Wendy, it's great that you woke up. Mom has been worried about you." However, Wendy paid no attention to her concern and looked directly at her mother, choking up as she said, "Mom, please tell me what's going on. I heard everything just now." For the past few days, she had been in a daze, but she suddenly woke up feeling refreshed and was on her way to find her mother when she overheard their conversation at the door. She had no idea that the world had already turned upside down because of her.
Hattie looked extremely sincere in her pleading. However, when Sofia did not answer or even look at her, she began to lose confidence. Sofia's face was impassive. "Hattie, I've known you since you were a baby, but I can't help you with this. Please leave." She did not want to discuss the other stuff with her yet.However, Hattie was obstinate. She looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Aunt Sofia, please, please help me. I know it's not much trouble for you, but it can save our entire family. You've always been so kind to me. I promise that the Snyder family will repay you for your kindness!"Hearing this, Sofia felt uncomfortable. She raised her head and gazed at her coldly. "In this case, Hattie, I'll tell you why I won't help you," she said impatiently. "Do you really not know what you've done? I won't say it, but I know exactly what you've done to Ollie. You deserve everything that's happening to you now."Hattie widened her eyes, partly in shock and partly in disbelief when she h
Javier paused outside the door and waited until Claire left before giving his subordinates a look. They understood perfectly and grabbed Chantelle at once.As Javier had ordered, they were to send this woman abroad as far away as possible and leave her to fend for herself.Outside the hotel, Claire looked up at the sky blankly. She felt like a huge burden had been taken off her shoulders; for the first time in a long time, she felt relieved of all the hurt that she had suffered five years ago. Turning back, she told Javier, "Thank you, Javier, for allowing me to face my fears. I feel so relieved now."Javier's expression fell when he heard her thank him. He tapped her on the nose fondly in exasperation. "What are you talking about? Of course, I won't let those who hurt you get off so easily. They have to pay for what they have done."Claire was touched to see him so protective of her. A surge of warmness spread in her chest as she gazed at him fondly. "I'm lucky to have you, Javier."T
That was all Armand could think of.In just a few minutes, Chantelle admitted to everything she had done to Claire over the past few years.From drugging Claire out of jealousy and getting a stranger to assault her to getting Liam to banish her abroad, she admitted to everything. Claire knew some of them, but not all; only now did she know the extent of her crimes.When she was finished, everyone in the room sported conflicting expressions. Liam looked especially hurt and remorseful. It turned out that his younger daughter had always been evil, and he had wrongfully blamed Claire for all these years.Armand, on the other hand, didn't know how to feel about all this. He glanced at Claire and Javier. He felt that he really didn't deserve Claire, after all he had done. He had thought Chantelle to be kind and naive and had trusted her blindly to the point that he almost married her.Thank goodness the wedding didn't happen. Even so, he had lost Claire thanks to this. It made him regret eve
If Chantelle told Claire the truth about what happened that night, then there would be nothing stopping her from having a happily-ever-after with Javier.Back then, driven by jealousy, she had drugged Claire and put her in Javier's bed without their consent. She had planned all of this out herself meticulously. She had gotten Armand to catch Claire in the act so that he would call off the engagement and be with her instead. Liam banished Claire abroad to fend for herself. However, if she had known that the random stranger she had arranged to assault Claire was Javier, she never would've done it.Even so, it was a perfect plan worthy of a blockbuster film. Claire and Javier never found out the truth, nor did they know that Ollie was actually Javier's son.It took them two years of skirting around each other only to find out that they were meant to be in the first place. Now that the truth was out, Claire would not settle for prison as a punishment for the cause of all her suffering. Sh
After a lot of persuasion, Claire and Sofia finally managed to get Ollie to agree to stay in the hospital for another three days.Of course, three days weren't enough. Sofia and Pedro tried everything they could to convince Ollie to stay in the hospital for as long as possible.However, Ollie was smart enough to see through their ruse. He felt guilty when he saw them trying to cajole him into staying, so one day, after another attempt, he spoke up hesitantly, "Grandma, Grandpa, I'm glad that you're trying to keep me happy, and I'm touched that you're concerned about me, but I've been in the hospital for too long and it's making me sad. I promise that I'll listen to the doctor even when I'm at home, okay?" Under his bright, clear gaze, Sofia's protests died in her throat, leaving only exasperation and wordless sorrow.Ollie was too mature for his age. How could they not love him?Therefore, Ollie got his wish and was discharged three days later. In order to take care of Ollie, Sofia an
Hearing this, Javier narrowed his eyes. He felt like he was on the verge of grasping something, but the feeling passed too quickly for him to register it. Softening his tone, he said, "There's no need to be scared, Ollie. We're all right here with you. We'll protect you no matter what happens. Can you tell me what you remembered?"Ollie might have regained his memories from before he'd been drugged.Buoyed by the encouragement, Ollie thought hard for a moment and said with a frown, "I … I remember a lady beating me. She locked me up and didn't let me eat anything while saying bad things about me and Mommy all the time. I wanted to fight back, but I was too weak. After I tried to run, she caught me and beat me up some more and forced me to eat food off the floor." Toward the end of this, Ollie burst into tears.Claire's heart hurt for him. She wanted to hug him, but Javier got there first."Tell me, Ollie, do you know her name?" Javier's voice was thick with tears as well. "Do you remem
With that, Henry threw a glance at the rest of the employees and hurried them out. He also dragged Raina and Thomas out with him, leaving only Claire and Javier's parents to keep him company.Since it was only a small procedure for Javier, he did not get a lot of anesthesia. He tried to wriggle his body a little. Realizing what he was doing, Claire quickly helped him sit up.Javier did not look like he had just come out of surgery. Thanks to his strong physique, he looked fine.Seeing this, Sofia finally eased up a little on her worries. "How are you feeling, Javier?"Javier shook his head. "I'm fine, Mom. I just need some rest. How about Ollie? Did they say when he'll wake up?" He already knew that the surgery was a success, so he wanted to know when he would be able to see Ollie."Randy said that Ollie will be out for some time, but he's fine," Claire replied. Javier nodded. He, too, finally eased up on the tight knot of worry that was weighing his chest.Once he was sure that Javie
The surgery took three hours.As time went by, Claire got more and more anxious. However, there was nothing she could do but wait.In the end, Sofia was the first to crack. She went up to Claire and said anxiously, "Claire, are you sure that Dr. Xenos is good? It's been three hours, why aren't they out yet? I have a bad feeling about this."Claire wasn't exactly relaxed either, but she didn't show it. She gathered her thoughts and comforted Sofia. "Everything will be fine, Mrs. Marquez. Randy is a well-known surgeon, I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Don't worry." She wanted to reach out to comfort her, but in the end, she just sat there with an awkward expression. This was probably how their relationship would be in the foreseeable future—awkward and distant.Pedro watched their interaction with an air of knowingness. "Stop crying, Sofia," he said. "They're fine, you don't have to cry about them. Claire's still pregnant, don't upset her."Sofia was about to get angry about his admoni
At that, Javier narrowed his eyes dangerously.The Weiss family wasn't in a stable condition right now, so it wouldn't be hard for him to take revenge on Claire's behalf. Now that he knew the truth of what had happened, he had to find a way to punish the perpetrators.The news that Ollie was Javier's biological son quickly spread, especially after Sofia held a party in celebration. In fact, it made headlines the day before Ollie's scheduled surgery.Javier wasn't surprised about it. He had been looking for an opportunity to announce it to the public so that there wouldn't be unsightly rumors that would affect Claire. Claire, on the other hand, felt a little uncomfortable about the announcement. After all, she had always been a private person; she didn't want anyone to disturb her peaceful life.After a while, though, she got used to it.The most important contributor to this was that it benefited Ollie. From now on, he wasn't a fatherless child anymore. He could tell anyone who would l