If it weren’t for the piece of news Javier had given that enabled her to seize the opportunity, it wouldn’t have been so easy for her, who had no connections since she had just returned to the country.“You don’t have to thank me—this is the result of your efforts. I didn’t do anything.” Javier glanced indifferently at Claire after having some milk.He might have said that, but he was secretly impressed by Claire for being able to think of such a tactic. He had given her that information on a whim and didn’t think about how she would utilize it. In retrospect, a simple method like rallying people on social media could be considered killing two birds with one stone.He had purposefully checked the director’s page for “Traverse 2.” Based on the comments left, it was very likely that the person who would play the second supporting male lead of Percy Drake would be none other than Thomas, based on the online momentum that had been generated.At the thought of this, he finally broke his
Claire didn’t think he would be so arrogant and was about to drag him out herself, not caring who he was in the company.But who would have imagined that her office door would be suddenly opened before she could.Someone who looked like an assistant walked in, glanced around, and immediately walked up to Morrow, completely disregarding her.“So this is where you were, Mr. Marquez. These documents require your signature,” the assistant said respectfully.Morrow hummed in acknowledgment and quickly signed off on the document, all while looking immensely smug.The sudden turn of events dumbfounded Claire as she looked at the man across her with her guard up.The assistant left the office with the documents once they had been signed, and she suddenly realized that this man was none other than the company’s corrupt boss.That didn’t have anything to do with her, but the key point was that his last name was also Marquez—could it be so coincidental that he was also from the Marquez fam
Claire was instantly incensed when she heard what David said, and she glared coldly at the smug David.Unconsciously balling her hands into fists, she taunted him. “Do you really need to trouble Mr. Marquez with something so trivial? Besides, I’m sure Mr. Marquez can tell that Thomas has been doing much better under my management compared to when he was under yours, isn’t that right?”With that, she looked pointedly at Morrow; her meaning was clear as day.Right now, Morrow was attracted to Claire’s atypical attitude toward him and had been staring at her all this time, not paying attention to what David had said.Seeing her look his way, Morrow was even more distracted and spoke without thinking, “That’s right, Ms. Weiss is absolutely right. I greatly appreciate her abilities.”David was enraged by Morrow’s words but couldn’t express it since the man was still present, so he could only glare at Claire with hatred, looking as though he wanted to murder her.Thomas would have been
When Claire arrived at the company, she noticed that Thomas had practiced by himself all morning and was pleased with his efforts. She no longer needed to supervise him constantly. His focused and serious demeanor surpassed her expectations.In a great mood, she entered her office, turned on her laptop, and wanted to express her feelings on her Twitter account. However, she got drawn in by the trending topic.She had a new idea after seeing Thomas’ name on the third trending topic, in addition to her joyous mood. She called the photographer and said, “Do you have an appointment today? Can you help me with some photos?”If she acted while the opportunity was still there, it would undoubtedly cause another wave of excitement among Thomas’ fans, attracting the outside world’s attention.The photographer was quick to agree. His attitude toward her was respectful. “No problem! If Miss Weiss requires my assistance, I will reschedule all my appointments!”After that video went viral, not
The elevator arrived while they were talking. Claire smiled as she entered the elevator. “Do you find yourself surprised? Well, I’m taking my leave!”David’s face darkened as he watched Claire’s disappearing figure. He clenched his teeth, enraged by her words. He had broken unspoken rules by contacting the crew to have Nicholas play the second male lead, but he had failed. David already had a bad feeling at the time. He stood there in rage, unable to accept that his premonition had become a reality. Claire was worried that she wouldn’t be able to arrive in time before Thalia was pushed into the operating room. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she had broken into a sweat. But in the end, she made it to the hospital in time. Thomas’ eyes lit up when he saw Claire, but the light vanished just as quickly. Knowing that he was worried, Claire was also nervous. As Thalia received her examination, she made her way to the hospital bed. She’d be going into surgery soon.“Claire, you’
“Ollie, are you okay? Does it hurt? Let Mommy see.” Claire was distressed and worriedly examined his body.Seeing that his mother was here, Ollie immediately showed a big smile. “Mommy, I’m fine. It’s only a few scratches. You don’t have to be worried about me.” He intentionally spun a couple of times as he was speaking. Only then did Claire feel slightly more at ease. But suddenly, Ollie wore a painful scowl and hissed before squatting. Claire was nervous and quickly checked around his body again. She noticed bruises on his legs and blood on his knee. Usually, Claire was strong, but now her eyes reddened with tears.“Ms. Sarah, can you please explain why Ollie is hurt?” Claire angrily looked at the teacher. There were other parents there since classes had just ended. They became aware of the situation and came over to enjoy the show. Claire couldn’t be bothered and only glared at the teacher.She had to seek justice for Ollie no matter what. He was her precious son and had neve
Claire could see the teacher’s intent. “If you have no intention of taking me to the principal, I won’t insist. However, this will not be the end of this matter. The kindergarten must give Ollie and me an explanation of Ollie’s injury. Otherwise, it won’t be this simple.”Claire didn’t want to waste time with them. Instead, she carried Ollie and took a taxi to the hospital. Claire worried that Ollie’s injury would become infected as time passed.Seeing how worried Claire was, Ollie touched her face and comforted her, “Mommy, don’t be sad. Ollie is fine, and it doesn’t hurt.” “Silly kid. My good boy, sorry for making you suffer.” Claire wrapped her arms around Ollie tightly. No matter what, Ollie was the most precious thing in her heart.Claire asked a doctor to check on Ollie’s injury as soon as they arrived at the hospital. When Claire saw the injuries and bruises on his body, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She began to blame herself. She wouldn’t be at ease if this issue we
Upon descending, Javier came upon a scene where Ollie lay in peaceful slumber while Claire’s eyes were bloodshot, and her face was damp with tears, indicating she had recently been crying.Javier felt a twinge of irritation at the sight of Claire’s vulnerable side. He approached the door silently, intending to push it open. However, he paused before doing so, considering that Claire might not want to be seen in such a state since she always tried to appear strong. With that in mind, he turned around and left, unwittingly taking the initiative to look out for her. Unaware of Javier’s presence, Claire felt a sense of relief as her tears dried up. She had been feeling very depressed lately, so crying had been a much-needed release. Afterward, she covered Ollie with his blanket and lightly kissed his forehead before leaving the room. As she stood at the door, she couldn’t resist looking back. It wasn’t until she saw that Ollie was sound asleep that she began to feel better. After a
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