The dark room fell into an oppressive silence—so quiet that all that was left to hear was the two of them breathing. Everything suddenly seemed incredibly ominous.The only light in the room shone on Charles’ face, which made him look more mysterious.The air around him was cold. Despite his striking features, looking directly into his eyes felt like staring into an abyss of schemes and plots.They seemed to be able to look right into the soul.As he stood quietly to the side, Charles’ subordinate wondered what was going through his mind.He’d just sat there quietly and emotionlessly since learning that Claire was in trouble.It was hard to gauge what he was thinking about.After a while, a small flame suddenly burst into life in the dark room.The click of the lighter followed the sudden light, which illuminated parts of Charles’ face and darkened the rest. “Send someone to find out what happened to Claire,” he said lowly, his tone impassive. “Also, find out what Hattie is doing with
Chet sighed inwardly. It turned out that Shawn hadn’t actually turned over a new leaf. All of those were just his assumptions.Even though he thought so, he did not show any of it on his face. “Who is it that you need to be investigated, sir?”Shawn looked up a photo on his phone and showed it to him. “It’s her. Chet, I know you have a broad network. Can you find out what happened to her lately and if anyone suspicious was in close contact with her?”Chet looked at the photo of the beautiful woman on Shawn’s phone and was stunned. “Who is she?”Shawn was rarely around women. To have him so concerned about a woman, it could only mean…Shawn shook his head without explanation. “Just do as I say. Don’t get caught, though.”Chet nodded. He opened his mouth to say something else but decided against it last minute. “Alright, sir. Your wish is my command.”Shawn nodded and excused him.He still had the photo open on his phone. The charming woman in it was none other than Hattie.He wondered
Javier nodded. “Alright, I’ll put you in charge of this. If you require the power of the dark web, you can use it.”Henry was thrilled by the expressed permission because he had planned to do that.” Yes, sir.”Silence fell after the brief exchange.Henry had nothing else to report. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something. Hesitating, he looked at Javier and asked, “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, do you have any suspicions about who could have done this?”After all, Javier had made a lot of enemies on his path to success.It would make things easier for him if he had a list of suspects to go through.Javier’s eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion.Raising his brows, he returned the question, “Who should I suspect?”His question took Henry aback. He didn’t know what to say. “Mr. Marquez, I don’t…” he hesitated.This wasn’t something he felt comfortable saying.Javier’s mood had seemingly improved. He gave him a reassuring look. “Just speak your mind.”Henry b
Javier’s expression darkened at the mention of her poisoning. “We lost track of the clues now, so we still don’t know anything.” He hugged her closer. “Don’t worry, Claire, I’ll find out who did this to you. I won’t let you and the child you’re carrying suffer for no reason.”He stroked her hair with affection.Claire had expected that answer. It was obviously planned, so the perpetrator wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave clues behind. She laughed and said, “It’s alright, Javier. Now, stop looking so desolate. I’m fine. We’ll find more clues soon.”She raised her hand and tried to smooth out his frown.Javier felt relaxed with her. He leaned back into the bed, pulling Claire with him.After a long day, he was feeling drowsy. Just before he closed his eyes, Claire asked, “Are you suspecting anyone, Javier?”She had her suspicions, but the Weiss family was nothing compared to the Marquez family.Javier was silent for a moment. Just as Claire thought he wouldn’t answer her, he said softly
Claire left the study and went to prepare for Ollie’s fun day out.Unbeknownst to her, Javier had also meant to take her and Ollie on vacation soon. He hadn’t expected Claire to bring it up first but was willing to grant Ollie his wish.When Ollie found out Javier was taking them out the next day, he was so excited that he couldn’t sleep. The lack of sleep made him look haggard the next day.Knowing that he had lost a lot of sleep the night before, Claire couldn’t help but blame herself for it. “Are you alright, Ollie?” she asked in concern. “If you’re not feeling well, we can go out another day.”Ollie shook his head quickly and struggled out of bed. “No, Mommy, I’m fine. I want to go out with you!”Then, as if to prove to her that he was feeling fine, he circled Claire a few times to show off his stamina. “See, Mommy? I’m fine!”Claire was still a little worried but couldn’t bring herself to throw a damper over his high spirits, so she just nodded.Javier was just standing beside her
Ollie was overjoyed because his father had proposed to his mother at long last. He was on cloud nine thinking about this happy event. Claire was caught off guard by what she saw, and her only thought was if Javier’s proposal was real.She only snapped back to reality when Ollie nudged her. Then, she blushed, thinking of how she was in a daze at such a crucial moment. She quickly adjusted her emotions and asked, “Javier, you’re not kidding, are you?”The moment Claire finished, she wished she had bitten off her tongue. What was wrong with her today? Why did she keep saying the wrong words today?As expected, there was a slight anger on Javier’s face as he snorted. “Claire Weiss, do I look like I’m joking?” Even Ollie found Claire’s reaction weird and helplessly pouted. “Mommy, what’s the matter?”It was a romantic moment, yet she ruined the atmosphere with such words. Claire knew she was too nervous and quickly extended her hand. “Javier, I do.” Her voice was tiny, but Javier and Oll
Javier suddenly remembered the woman from five years ago. Why did he think she looked like Claire? If that woman was Claire and she had a child, the child would be Ollie’s age. Shocked by this thought, Javier quickly adjusted his feelings. He reminded himself that that woman was merely a passerby in his life with no relation to him. He felt nothing for her. With that in mind, he entered the house with Claire. As the trio entered the house, their countenances changed upon seeing the two individuals inside. They were none other than Javier’s parents.Claire felt mixed emotions upon seeing them and looked at Javier perplexedly. “Javier, let me take Ollie upstairs.”With that said, she prepared to take Ollie from his arms. However, Javier sidestepped her and said, “Patty, take Ollie upstairs to rest.” Patty quickly did as she was told and carefully removed Ollie from Javier’s embrace. Before leaving, she cast a sympathetic glance toward Claire, who understood the unspoken message. Clai
Sofia’s chest sank with rage, and she stood on the spot without saying a word. It ensued for what felt like forever before she spat, “You, ungrateful brat!”It was like all her energy had gotten sucked out of her body. She slumped onto the couch, frowning and shaking her head.Similarly, Pedro, who had been watching his wife and son’s interactions, was so furious that he could barely stay calm. However, he and Sofia were in Javier’s home; not to mention, he was more than familiar with Javier’s stubborn temperament, so he was helpless in that situation. Relenting, he comforted his wife, “Oh, that’s enough, now. Save your energy. There’s no use worrying now that this has already happened.”Sofia was in such sorrow that her chest kept rising and falling. The thought of her exceptional son marrying a single mother sparked endless grief in her heart. After dwelling on her sadness for some time, she pulled herself together and soothed her frantically beating heart.That was when Patty had fi
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