Sensing Shawn’s curious gaze, Javier calmly raised his brow and said, “Is the food here not to your liking? You haven’t stopped talking since we got here. Maybe you should try the food instead of blabbering.”Shawn nearly choked at that comment. The restaurant they were in was a subsidiary business under the Marquez Group. Thus, he dared not imply the food wasn’t up to standard; all he could do was retract his gaze and suppress any questions he had.Thick tension filled the space, suffocating everyone inside the VIP room. It stayed that way until the newly ordered dishes got served. Claire had no choice but to eat her meal, wanting to finish it and leave with Oliver quickly. To Claire’s dismay, she shoved all the contents on her plate into her mouth, only for Oliver to refuse to leave.When Claire got up to leave, Oliver clutched Javier’s arm and whined, “Dad, I-I want to stay with you. Please don’t leave me.”Pouting and flashing puppy dog eyes always worked well for Oliver—this time
Armand’s eyebrows wrinkled into a deep frown. “I didn’t blame you for betraying me back then because Chantelle stayed by my side and helped me move on. So, don’t you dare hurt her now, or I’ll make you regret it—”“Does that mean you’ve barged into my new home just to get even with me for threatening her earlier?” Claire sneered.At that moment, Armand was at a loss for words. This colder, more hostile version of Claire seemed unfamiliar to him; he recalled she had always been demure in the past, which was a stark contrast to her outspoken self now. An ache spread throughout his chest at the thought of her drastic changes over the years. Shutting his eyes helplessly, Armand mentally reminded himself that Claire had betrayed him, so there was no point viewing her as the old Claire. “I don’t know why you’ve changed into this new person, but Chantelle is a great woman. Chantelle kept bringing you up when you left the country, and it was because of her that your father allowed you to retu
“What is it?” Javier spoke coldly into the phone.On the other end, Oliver jumped in his seat and fell into a shocked stupor, as he never imagined Javier would answer.Javier looked at his phone to ensure the call was still connected, but a hint of annoyance showed on his face when no one spoke. He was about to hang up when Oliver’s pitiful cry rang out, “Dad, I’m afraid. The bad guy from the restaurant blocked us in front of our door. He threatened Mommy again. I was so scared!”Javier’s face darkened, and an odd gleam flashed in his eyes. Without so much as a word, he picked up his coat, sprinting out the door at once.Sophia’s brows raised in confusion as she watched her son leave, wondering, “What’s got him in such a rush?”…Claire had just come out of the shower. Her hair was still sopping wet when she noticed Oliver drawing on some paper instead of sleeping. What seemed more suspicious was that he kept glancing up at the clock. Lips pursing, Claire wanted to get Oliver to sleep,
Javier’s words left Claire sleepless all night. She kept tossing and turning as she thought about Armand’s threats and Oliver’s crying face if he were to get kidnapped by the Weiss family. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as she realized many would forcefully rip Oliver from her life. Laying on her side, she still couldn’t make up her mind. Claire continued weighing the options in her mind, thinking, “Javier’s offer is enticing and can solve all my problems, but I can’t selfishly accept it without considering his feelings.”The thoughts kept her up all night, so she only slept lightly after dawn. She and Oliver were exhausted from the many events these past few days, so they slept in. A rare smile spread across Claire’s face when she saw her son sleeping. Claire pecked his cheek, then prepared to travel to Stardust Entertainment for work. After having her breakfast, she heard several loud knocks on her door. The frequency increased dramatically, which differed from how Javier
Liam was taken aback by that. He knew that this must be Claire’s doing, so he said obsequiously, “It’s all just a misunderstanding, sir. This is my daughter’s house. I’m here to see her. How can I be trespassing?”The policemen glanced at each other in surprise. Mr. Marquez hadn’t said that when he called to report a trespasser earlier. What was going on?At that moment, Claire was in her room. She could hear what was happening in the living room and immediately knew that this was her chance. Suddenly, she broke free of her captors and ran out, screaming, “Help! Sir, please help me, these people are bad guys!”Her injuries and disheveled manner spoke louder than whatever excuses Liam could come up with.The police’s second warning worked this time. Liam had no choice but to leave with his men.Before he left, he gave Claire a warning look. The anger in his eyes was apparent.Claire closed her eyes in despair. She couldn’t believe that her own father could hate her so much.The house re
When Claire realized this, she immediately brought it up with Javier. “I think you missed out on the marriage obligations.”Hearing this, Javier sneered at her and gave her a calculative once-over. “Don’t worry, I’m not that desperate. I have high standards.”After that, he added another term to the contract.Claire was speechless. This man was so mean. He didn’t have to mock her before adding on an extra term.However, she was relieved that he did. Even though they were married now, she wanted to keep it fake.Everyone knew that Javier was not one to cross. If their relationship became complicated, the consequences would be more than she could deal with.Claire checked the contract again. Everything seemed okay, so she signed her name at the bottom of the document.Javier gave her a copy of the contract without much argument.After that, Javier brought Claire to his living quarters, Diroux Residences.Claire was shocked when she first found out that Javier was staying at Diroux Reside
As he stepped into his office, Javier couldn’t help but remember the happiness on Patty’s face when she saw Ollie. He suddenly felt sad. Would his future child be as cute as Ollie?Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Shawn barged in and demanded, “Javier, did you get married?”Javier frowned. “How did you know?”Since Javier did not deny it, Shawn assumed he was right. “My aunt told me. I didn’t believe her at first, but it’s true, isn’t it?”Shawn was desperate for details. He only got wind of this because his aunt worked at the marriage bureau.Javier’s frown deepened when he heard that. He had forgotten that Shawn and his aunt were busybodies.“Tell your aunt to keep it a secret,” Javier said.Shawn nodded. “Don’t worry, Javier, I’ve already told her. Come on, give me the details. Who did you marry?”Javier’s marriage should definitely make the headlines. If he had to get married in secret, then something was definitely up!Javier ignored him. Shawn just kept nagging at him as he p
When Claire got home, she couldn’t help but feel depressed at the thought of starting her job search again the next day.She had already resigned herself to working at that small company, but then this happened.Seeing that Claire was in a bad mood, Ollie pulled on her sleeve and asked, “Mommy, what’s wrong? Did somebody make you mad?”Claire felt warmed by his concern. She leaned down and picked him up in her arms.“Ollie, I might be losing my job. I may not afford to take care of you,” she said, her eyes reddening. She did not want Ollie to suffer.Ollie shook his head. “It’s alright, Mommy. Dad can afford to take care of both of us.”Hearing this, Claire turned serious and said sternly, “Ollie, you shouldn’t say that. His money is his and his only. As a woman, I need to have my own career. I shouldn’t rely on a man.”Seeing Ollie’s confusion, she added, “Of course, this doesn’t apply to my son. When you grow up, you should give your money to me and not your wife. Don’t put anyone be
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