The disappointment was a small matter compared to what happened next. They would never have ended up in this situation if it wasn't for it.Javier laughed at that thought. When had he become so compassionate? He must have spent too much time with Claire, and her kindness had rubbed off on him.Javier's heart softened at the thought of Claire. For the first time in his life, his emotions were affected by another person. He used to be an emotionless weirdo who only had work on his mind—yes, a weirdo. That was how Claire had described him before. He didn't know it then, but he had to admit that he was a weirdo in the past.Thinking that, Javier replaced the photo into the drawer, just as he had often done before, and stood up. Slowly, he made his way to Claire's room.She was already asleep when he came in. Even in her sleep, she was curled up into a tight ball, indicating her insecurity.Seeing this, Javier felt his heart soften. He took his place beside her on the bed and pulled her int
Claire blinked, taken aback by Javier's sudden kiss. She didn't know what to do.Javier's kisses used to be lustful and invasive, but this time, it was gentle and loving. Claire remained stunned until Javier pulled away slightly. She blinked, wondering if she was still dreaming. "Javier, what's wrong?" she asked.Javier hugged her tightly, his eyes filled with wonder and fondness. "I can't believe you think that too, Claire. I'm so happy."Claire couldn't help but laugh. She gave him an exasperated look. "Do I look like such a cruel woman to you?" If she could feel pity for mere animals, how could she not pity an actual human being? Claire felt that no one, not even her or Javier, had the right to take someone's life. She wasn't a saint, but she refused to be an executioner.She was as kind as ever. Javier pulled her into a tight embrace. "Claire, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."Hearing this, Claire felt something warm and fuzzy in her heart. She closed her ey
Hattie had no choice but to obey Yvan. She nodded reluctantly.As soon as the subordinate left, she went up to Yvan and began to play up the coquetry. She really wanted to know what Javier did and what happened to Morrow. Was he dead?Yvan knew exactly what she wanted. Laughing silently in disdain, he waited for her approach and pulled her into his arms. "Curiosity killed the cat, Hattie," he said softly.Hattie knew at once that Yvan was hiding something from her. She began to seduce him, trying to get him to tell her what she wanted to know. However, before she could move, Yvan grabbed her hand. His expression turned serious as he said, "You shouldn't get involved in this, Hattie. It's not a simple matter, and you really don't want to know what happened. It'll just give you trouble."When Hattie got up anxiously, he added, "I've promised you that I'll avenge you, Hattie. You should listen to me, shouldn't you?"Hearing this, Hattie paused. Yvan had hit the nail on the head, but she w
"This is all happening to me because of Javier! I won’t let him off so easily." Morrow buried himself in his mother’s embrace and burst into tears. It seemed like this was the first time in twenty years that he had hugged his mother, sobbing uncontrollably, quietly contemplating the difficulties he had encountered in his life. He had always been the favorite, the center of everyone’s attention. But ever since Javier appeared, he had been sidelined and ignored. Only he could understand the hardships and sorrows he faced. Ever since he could remember, it seemed as if the whole world revolved around Javier and his sufferings. He never really took Javier seriously a few years ago. He thought that Javier was too cold and arrogant, not worthy of his time. However, Javier slowly revealed his shrewdness, getting the better of him in a snap of the moment, which put him in a difficult position. He wasn’t someone who lacked ambition, and neither did he just give up. He was willing to pay any
Then, Yannis left to handle Morrow’s affairs. Suddenly, a thought crossed Grace’s mind that Sofia, Javier’s mother, might be a good place to start. "We can try to get to him through Sofia!" She exclaimed. Morrow was very delighted to hear this. "Yeah, how could I forget about her? Javier might be so arrogant now, but everything will go our way with his mother’s help."Sofia never showed any favor toward Morrow. However, she had a good relationship with Grace. This was something they could use to create a little instigation to fan the flames. Grace agreed with Morrow's suggestion, but she still disapproved of Morrow’s obsession with Javier and tried to avoid the topic. "It makes things easier for us since she likes to meddle around. We'll get her on our side, and I’ll personally settle the score for what her son has done. I definitely will demand an explanation from her for what happened to you!" Grace embraced Morrow affectionately, caressing him gently. Seeing her son in t
Sofia knew that this would be hard for Morrow to accept for the time being, but she continued to persuade him, saying, "I know it's hard for you to accept it for now, but you also know Javier's position in the Marquez family. I know that you want to use this to get something. Don't worry, once you're in better health, I will make Javier compensate you. I will ensure that you have an easy life."At this moment, Grace realized Sofia’s intentions. She immediately exclaimed, "I thought you came here out of your concern for my son, but I never expect you to be as ungrateful as your son. Is this what the Marquez family stands for? I must have been blind to have thought of you as my sister!"No matter how furious and upset Grace was, Sofia didn't argue. She came from a prestigious family and didn't want to indulge in an argument with her. However, she felt very irked inside. A hint of impatience flashed across her face as she continued speaking to Morrow. "It is true that our family and Jav
"Why? What did I do to deserve this? I haven't done anything wrong. Why are you treating me like this? It's simply outrageous!" Morrow sobbed heartbreakingly. At this moment, he no longer carried the demeanor of someone from a prestigious family.Morrow's determination to hold on immediately gave Sofia a headache. Her patience was finally worn thin, and she stood up and said angrily, "Morrow, I used to think you were a sensible and understanding child, and I have always treated you kindly. But your current behavior disappoints me."As she spoke, Sofia took out a stack of documents from her bag and placed them in front of Morrow. Upon seeing the documents, Morrow's previously composed face turned fearful and he was filled with disbelief."What do you mean? What is this?" Morrow pretended to be oblivious to this, Morrow pretended not to understand, effectively concealing his emotions from earlier.Grace, who was beside them, saw the documents and recalled Morrow's recent abnormal
The doctor nodded, "Yes, but you need to be quick. Time is running out, and we need to prepare for the surgery.""Okay." Morrow lay in the hospital room with his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. The excruciating pain tearing through his body was almost unbearable, but he clenched his lips tightly, enduring the pain so he wouldn’t faint. He had to remember all the pain and suffering he was experiencing now, all of which were caused by Javier and Claire. He swore to seek revenge on Javier, even if it meant risking his life."Morrow, you've suffered so much," Grace cried when she saw Morrow in so much pain.Morrow slowly turned his head and gave his mother a reassuring smile, but he had no strength left to say anything. He felt deeply sorry for his mother. He used to be her pride and joy, but now he had caused her so much pain and suffering. All his agony was inflicted by that despicable couple. If Javier hadn't been involved with Claire, he might have been living a happy life
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