Claudia calmly put her hand on Ethan's arm and regained her footing."I'm sorry. I must have given you quite a scare when I almost slipped and fell earlier, Mr. Faulkner."Shawn furrowed his brows, his tone icy. "Ms. Jefferson, as my son's tutor, you should try to maintain a respectable image."He cast a glance at Ethan and frowned with disgust. "Also, this isn't a place for you to fool around with your lover. It's best if you don't bring a man with you wherever you go."Claudia chuckled. "I guess it's my fault for not having explained to you about this earlier, Mr. Faulkner. Ethan isn't just my husband; he's also my assistant. He always goes with me whenever I have to travel for work."Shawn felt as though a needle had pierced his heart when he heard that Ethan was always with Claudia. He froze for a moment.Moreover, Ethan added right afterward, "Besides, it shouldn't concern you since I was just trying to help my wife. Isn't that right, Mr. Faulkner? Even if the person I was h
Shawn was seething with rage. He snapped angrily, "Jolene Jefferson, you're outright shameless!"It was as if someone had set his heart on flames with explosives. Shawn felt like Claudia was clearly taunting him with her actions.He was used to having the upper hand in almost any situation. Yet, Claudia somehow managed to use the contract to put him in an unfavorable position. It was a shattering blow to his pride.Shawn's expression hardened. He was positively fuming. There was a look of anger and indignation in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Claudia.Claudia wasn't intimidated in the slightest. She looked Shawn in the eye and said, "Mr. Faulkner, I didn't secretly modify the contract. I simply protected my rights. Who can you blame when it was you who didn't look at the contract properly?"Shawn was rendered speechless. Although he felt extremely annoyed, he couldn't deny the fact that the fault lay with him in this matter.After a few moments of silence, he said indignantly,
Soon enough, Claudia regained her composure. Memories of what happened in the past flashed through her mind.She knew that Shawn didn't like her. In fact, it would be better to say that he detested her. Eventually, she stopped hoping there was any chance she could change how he felt about her.After giving birth to Samson, Claudia showered him, the apple of her eye, with love and affection. At the time, she poured all of her love and patience in order to make sure he would grow up happily and healthily.She figured it wouldn't be a bad thing if she could live out the rest of her life watching her child grow into a full-fledged adult.Yet, reality turned out harsher than she imagined. Samson never grew close to her at all. Instead, he would mock her and take Emilia's side just like Shawn did.Even when Claudia was having difficulty delivering her second baby and was on the verge of death, Samson and Shawn opted to stand by and watch her die.Claudia felt bitter as memories of her
Lorraine chimed in, "Exactly! I know you're famous, Ms. Jefferson. Still, it seems like a person's capabilities don't necessarily reflect their personality."She had a mocking look on her face as she tried to drag Samson away again. "Why are you still clinging on to her after everything she's said? Come to Grandma now."Claudia shot a glare at Lorraine. For some reason, Lorraine felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. For a moment, she dared not utter a word.Claudia's gaze fell on Shawn. "Mr. Faulkner, as a father, you can't even protect your child well. So, what makes you think you have the right to criticize me like that?" she said in a harsh tone.Shawn was struck speechless. He couldn't refute her words. He knew he was a poor excuse for a father. Yet, he refused to admit his mistakes.Claudia squatted down, placed her hands on Samson's shoulders, and turned him around so that he was looking at Shawn."Samson, this is the first lesson I'm teaching you. Never rely on pleasing
Yet, Shawn was cold to Claudia, hurting her time and time again. At this point, he had no idea who to blame anymore.Just then, Samson said, "I think it's Aunt Emmy's fault. If she hadn't been trying to keep you all to herself, Mommy probably wouldn't have decided to abandon us in the end."His voice had a child-like innocence, yet it sounded firm.Those words seemed to set off something massive in Shawn's heart. He flinched. He couldn't help but recall a past incident.After Claudia reunited with the Lowells, she and Emilia fell into the water once.However, after both of them were pulled out of the water, everyone blamed Claudia. They all assumed she intentionally took Emilia to the poolside even though she knew the latter was in poor health.At the time, none of them realized that Claudia was already pregnant with Samson. She even nearly had a miscarriage because of the incident, and Samson almost didn't make it into the world.Shawn froze to the spot as those memories came b
On the other hand, Claudia and Ethan left the Lowell residence. Ethan looked extremely worried, frowning deeply with his brows scrunched up. Although Claudia insisted multiple times that she was alright, Ethan went ahead and took her to the hospital despite her protests.After Claudia got a checkup at the hospital, the doctor spoke to them with a grim look on his face. "Looking at the blood analysis report, the patient has ingested quite a large amount of peanut powder."If she hadn't taken the allergy medication quickly, she might have ended up in a dire situation. She probably wouldn't have been able to stand before us right now."Claudia felt a chill run through her body as she listened to the doctor's words.Those people were like a pack of hungry wolves that kept their eyes trained on Claudia. They were ready to pounce at her and tear her to shreds at any moment.Ethan balled his fists in rage, his eyes blazing with fury. "What a bunch of wretched lunatics!"A thought occu
Claudia's blood ran cold almost immediately. She lifted her gaze at once.Meanwhile, Shawn and Samson instinctively followed her gaze. They glanced over their shoulders and spotted a young girl, who was holding Bertram's hand and looking in Claudia's direction.Shawn's eyes widened slightly. The young child looked like she was around two years old.Back when he was informed of Claudia's death, the nurse told him that Claudia gave birth to a girl. Unfortunately, the baby passed away along with her mother.Claudia's heart pounded hard against her chest. She subconsciously turned her gaze toward Ethan, who was standing beside her.If Ethan hadn't told Bertram and Isabel where she was, they wouldn't have shown up at the hospital so quickly.Ethan was equally flustered. He was just worried about Claudia. Since the Jeffersons practically raised her, he thought he should at least let Bertram know what Claudia was subjected to after meeting the Lowells.Yet, he never imagined Bertram wo
"I said let go of my daughter!" Ethan stood up and shoved Shawn away the next instant.Claudia clutched onto Isabel tightly and held the child closer to her chest, feeling quite shaken by what just happened.Startled by Shawn's outburst, Isabel burst into tears. "Mommy, who is that man? He's so creepy! I'm so scared of him!"Claudia felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She hugged Isabel tightly and patted her back gently. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you, Belle."Meanwhile, Ethan was having a heated confrontation with Shawn. "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you yell at my wife and daughter like that?" A menacing look glinted in his eyes. However, Shawn stared back at him fearlessly. "Fine! We'll see how much longer you can keep up with this act!"Shawn charged toward Claudia and grabbed her by the wrist. "Bring the child along! We'll go and get a DNA test done right now!""I've told you that I'm not Claudia Lowell!" Claudia mustered all her strength a
Ethan shook his head. "The police came to get my statement, and I told them about Peter. They tried looking into it, but they couldn't find any proof of him hiring those men to abduct you."Ethan also secretly sent his men to try and track down the whereabouts of Claudia's and Isabel's hair samples. Yet, he couldn't even find a trace of where they were.Claudia's heart dropped. She was annoyed by how good Peter was at this."There's something I've been curious about for quite some time." Ethan paused briefly and carefully chose his words. He met Claudia's eyes. "Why is your family name Lowell?"The Lowells were a family of five. Yet, three different last names were used among their family members. It was one of the topics people in high society enjoyed discussing.In their social circle, it was widely known that Lorraine's mother and Claudia's maternal grandmother had Lowell as her last name. Back then, Claudia's maternal grandfather joined the Lowell family as a matrilocal son-in
Claudia also heard that Peter opened an underground boxing club after returning from abroad before he met Lorraine.He was lucky enough to know Lorraine and get her help in transforming his business into a legitimate one. Otherwise, he might have become one of the targets when the government was trying to purge all criminal and illegal activities back then.Seeing the impression these men gave off and how differently they were acting, Claudia had a feeling they were sent by Peter.A crowd formed around the area at that point, and the police arrived at the scene as well. They sealed off the area by putting up the police line.However, almost all of them stayed put and observed the situation. It was because the bodyguards who were trying to shield Claudia and Isabel from the assailants were about to reach their limits.When Claudia saw how the bodyguards in front of her were slowing down due to exhaustion, she subconsciously held Isabel closer to her body.Just then, a sharp dagger
However, those men were annoyingly clever. They opted to retreat immediately as soon as they realized they couldn't get close to Claudia and Isabel. In the end, Ethan didn't even get to implement the second part of his plan.Logically speaking, even the strongest man, with a will of steel, would eventually exhaust his strength. As time dragged on, Ethan's men might gradually lose focus and lower their guard. Their enemies would surely seize the opportunity to get what they were aiming for then."We need to think of a way to put a stop to this once and for all," Ethan said.Bertram slowly shook his head. "The Faulkner and Lowell families each possess great power and influence. It's impossible to put a stop to it for good. The only way to resolve this crisis is to create a bigger problem for them."Bertram met Ethan's gaze. "I've never been interested in gaining or fighting for power and influence. However, Jolene is my child. I won't allow anyone to hurt her. Ethan, I believe you ca
"Should we just send Belle away?" Ethan suggested cautiously."We do need to send her away, but not now." Claudia continued, "It'll look even more suspicious if we rush to hide her now."Choosing to hide away now would be the same as telling their enemies they had something to hide."You made friends back when you were more involved with the underworld, right?" Claudia asked all of a sudden. "We need to create a diversion. Do you get it?"Ethan understood what she meant instantly. "I know what to do now."…A shrill voice screamed inside the Lowell residence at a late hour.Emilia had a look of disdain on her face as she stood at the side. After composing her emotions, she adopted a worried expression and stepped forward."Claudia's being too much this time! She shouldn't have hit Benedict even if she was trying to hide her identity! He's her brother, after all!"It turned out Claudia actually managed to twist and dislocate Benedict's hand with sheer force.The Lowells' famil
"What the hell are you doing?" Ethan fumed."Who are you? What are you doing barging into a patient's room?"Sitting up on the bed, Claudia recognized the man who was standing by the door and boiling with rage at first glance.It was Benedict. Seeing him, Claudia's eyes hardened."Mister, have you come to the wrong room?" she said in a low voice."Why are you trying to act like you don't know me?" Benedict strode toward her and seized her wrist."You're a smart one, aren't you? Was it fun pretending to be dead during these past few years? Do you know how devastated everyone has been because of you? Do you know how bad Emilia feels whenever she sees Sammy?"Claudia might have fallen for Benedict's words if she hadn't visited the Lowell residence today.No matter how he phrased it, Benedict was only here now because of Emilia.Claudia scoffed and tried to pull her hand free. "So, you're Ms. Emilia's older brother? No wonder you've come barging into my room in the middle of the n
Emilia had a grim look on her face as she stared in the direction of the ward. She felt quite puzzled.She followed Shawn all the way to the hospital, planning to patch things up with him by acting pitifully and pleading for his forgiveness. Yet, Shawn adamantly asked her to leave the room.Emilia was pacing up and down the corridor in exasperation when she suddenly spotted Ethan. She even overheard some parts of his conversation on the phone."Who's Isabel? Why are they trying to keep Shawn away from her?" she pondered.Emilia slowly treaded toward the ward. Through the glass window on the door, she saw a young girl clinging to Claudia's waist and smiling brightly.Emilia's eyes widened. If she remembered it correctly, the hospital said that Claudia gave birth to a girl who died shortly afterward.Emilia was so shocked that she stood rooted to the spot. When she saw Bertram get up and head to the door, she quickly moved to the side.She breathed a sigh of relief when Bertram wa
She needed to equip herself with the right weapons and protect herself better. That was the only way Claudia could repay Bertram and Iris' kindness.Isabel put her arms around Claudia. Then, she wiped off the tears on the latter's face. "Don't cry, Mommy. I will protect you too!"Claudia let out a chuckle and hugged Isabel tightly. "How are you going to do that when you're so small?""I don't know, but I'll do everything in my power to protect you." Isabel had a confident look on her face as she clenched her fist."Grandpa said that man bullied you. So, I'll do my best to protect you and make sure something like it doesn't happen again."Claudia directed her gaze at Bertram, who gave a sigh."You will have to tell Belle what happened sooner or later. She may be young, but she's very clever and mature. Besides, it's better to let her know now since she may be caught off guard if those people suddenly come looking for you."You were separated from your family at a young age. You k
Samson bit his lip. He felt slightly lost. After all, hearing an apology from his mother was never something he wanted.He said in a small voice, "Daddy… Actually, I don't think Mommy did anything wrong. We're the ones who should apologize to her…"Shawn froze to the spot as those words struck a critical blow to him.…Inside the hospital room, Isabel stuck to Claudia like glue, appearing all bubbly and chirpy. She looked completely different from the child who was timid and scared around Shawn earlier.Isabel leaned against Claudia's shoulder. "Mommy, did I do well just now?"Claudia could feel her heart melt. She stroked Isabel's hair gently. "You're the best, of course."However, Claudia wondered how Isabel knew that Shawn was her biological father. She never told her about it.She quickly assumed Ethan must have told Isabel. Yet, when she turned to Ethan, she could see him sitting in a corner with a frightened and worn-out look on his face.Judging by the look on his face,
Then, Bertram cast a glance at Maxwell, who was standing quietly behind him all this time.Maxwell came forward at once and passed a document to Shawn."You've been curious about whether Jolene is actually your late wife or not. You can take a look at that document and see for yourself."With a puzzled look on his face, Shawn took the document and read through the pages. Soon enough, he froze to the spot.Jolene's background and life story were all written in detail in the document. Shortly after she was born, she was brought to an orphanage. She stayed there until she reached the age of 15.When Bertram visited her school to recruit talents, Jolene's painting caught his eye. He could tell the talent she had through her work.After returning to Glenhallow, he discussed it with Iris. Not long after that, they completed the procedure to adopt Jolene.As for Claudia, she was living on the streets after she got separated from her family. She even got sold off by human traffickers se