Chapter 59
Dominick reclined against the car, adopting a leisurely posture. His eyes, partially veiled, lazily traced patterns on the car window with hist Fingertips, as if indifferent to the world around him.
“Not only did you deceive him, but you also orchestrated a plan to harm him in ways that he could never fathom…”
With each chilly, sonorous syllable, Claire’s complexion paled, as if the weight of Dominick’s words pressed upon her soul.
“No, that’s not true,” she protested, her lips trembling in denial.
“Stop your baseless accusations!”
Claire’s agitation grew, a mounting sense of dread and unease enveloping her in the confined space of the car. Desperately, she grasped at the door handle, wanting to escape.
But the door remained locked, trapping her within.
Dominick, disdain evident in his gaze, opened his eyes fully, fixing Claire with an unwavering stare through the rearview mirror.
“Ms. Peterson, according to this hospital report, you’re medically incapable of bearing children. So, may I ask, where did your daughter come
from?”
He casually tossed a bundle of papers toward her, his eyes ablaze with contempt and impatience. “While your daughter is truly related to the Nelson family, the DNA test shows that you’re not her mother…
“You first planned to get Kevin into legal trouble, then sought your brother–in–law’s help to save him, hoping to earn his gratitude so you could marry him and become part of the wealthy Nelson family. But Stella’s insistence that he marry another woman thwarted your plans. So you patiently bided your time abroad, waiting for the right moment to return with his daughter…”
“No! That’s not it”
With these accusations, Claire’s heart pounded with fear and apprehension.
‘No… he couldn’t possibly know,” she tried to comfort herself
Her thoughts spun in disarray.
This long–buried secret was unknown even to her sister, Courtney, so how could Dominick know about it so well?
Could it be that fateful year, he…
Startled, Claire looked up, meeting Dominick’s inscrutable and forbidding eyes in the rearview mirror.
Claire’s mind was in a mess, while she was drowning in fear and anxiety
The incessant ringing of her phone in her pocket jolted Claire back to the present.
Realizing she had been summarily dismissed from the car by Dominick, she turned her gaze toward the highway, where his vehicle had vanished into the distance, leaving her heart racing uncontrollably.
“Claire, are you alright?”
As the call connected, Courtney’s voice crackled with concern and urgency. “Why did Dominick look for you out of the blue?”
10:38 Sat, 22 Jun
Chapter 59
Claire held her phone and said in a trembling, low voice, “He knows everything.
“Courtney, he knows everything since a long time agol”
Claire seemed to be frightened. She raised her voice and shouted repeatedly into the phone, her trembling voice suppressing her fear and
anxiety.
“What?”
Claire’s urgent voice made Courtney rise from her seat. “Does Dominick really know about Stephanie’s taking away and our involvement in it? Has he actually uncovered it?”
“if you hurt her again, I’ll ensure you both enjoy your time in prison.”
Dominick’s frigid, cutting words sent a shiver down Claire’s spine as they replayed in her mind.
“That seems unlikely. If he’s truly had known about it, then…” Courtney’s voice trailed off, tinged with a mix of complexity and lingering hope.
Given Dominick’s influence, how could Claire and Courtney remain unscathed if Dominick knew about it?
“Courtney, he really knows everything….
Claire’s voice was tinged with fear, shattering Courtney’s hopeful illusions.
Courtney’s complexion paled at the revelation, and she gripped her phone tightly. “What exactly does he want?”
“What exactly do you want?” Claire had asked the same question.
“Anything devoid of utility in my hands has no reason to exist.” That was what Dominick said.
Claire gazed out at the desolate outskirts, her heart gripped by a relentless fear, as if she had provoked a ruthless and unyielding demon.
With so many of her secrets known by him, she lacked the means to retaliate and was forced into compliance.
“He just wants you to keep Kevin by your side?” Courtney’s voice came from the speaker, laced with confusion and astonishment.
‘Dominick wanted Claire to cling onto Kevin? Courtney was stunned to hear that.
“Kevin, you
u should go back.”
Stephanie looked at him with a complex expression, urging him to leave.
Earlier in the morning, Kevin had taken a solid blow from Dominick, leaving a bruise on his chest. Luckily, they were in a hospital and could bandage it up quickly. However, Stephanie felt conflicted seeing the bruise on his chest.
Kevin was toned and handsome, and he was the epitome of a refined gentleman. It would take at least half a month for the bruise to heal, and it was because of her that he had argued with Dominick, so Stephanie felt somewhat torn.
“Don’t provoke him. He has a bad temper.” Stephanie felt indignant when she thought of Dominick.
“I’m fine.”
Kevin lowered his head, glanced at his injuries, and suddenly felt inferior to Dominick, whether it was their background, career status, or fighting skills.
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Chapter 59
“He’s been practicing how to fight since childhood. You don’t need to compare yourself to him.”
Kevin raised his head, chuckling at her, “I never expected you to comfort me.”
Despite being distant relatives of the Wellington family, Dominick always outshone them. After all, he was the eldest male descendant of his generation in the Wellington family. Plus, there was always a difference between maternal and paternal grandchildren. Whenever anything was compared to him, these relatives paled in comparison.
“Actually, in the past, you were always the best to me,” Stephanie, sitting next to him, spoke up rarely.
Kevin was taken aback by her words and looked at her with surprise.
Stephanie shrugged casually. “Haven’t you heard? Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” It was probably something like that back then.
“And now…” His gaz
gaze upon her grew increasingly intense, his voice tinged with nervousness.
“Kevin, you should go back. Your wife and daughter are waiting for you,” she urged again, emphasizing, “We’re both married now, and we can’t go back to the past.”
Their love was
is one that seemed destined to falter.
However, Kevin’s expression became complex and conflicted. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when, but every time he heard about Claire and their daughter, he felt a lingering frustration at being manipulated.
“But, Stephanie, I feel…” Kevin suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Your phone is tinging.” Stephanie said coldly, pushing him away.
Kevin’s phone continued to ring incessantly. The caller seemed to have something urgent to let him know.
“Kevin, where are you? Our daughter fell at the amusement park and she’s been crying and asking for you. Please come back quickly…”
It was Claire calling. She sounded anxious, and her voice was audible even to Stephanie beside him
Kevin glanced at Stephanie with a complex gaze. Before hanging up, he responded, “I got it.”
“Your daughter is injured, so you should go back soon,” Stephanie said calmly without much emotion.
Kevin scrutinized her intensely. There was no awkwardness or anger on Stephanie’s face.
As his ex–wife, she could speak so calmly about his daughter. For a moment, Kevin felt oddly nervous.
It was as if she truly didn’t care about him anymore.
“Steffi, I only found out about my daughter when Claire returned to the country…” Kevin hesitated, wanting to explain some things, but it was already a fact.
“Regardless, you and that child had a DNA test, and she is indeed your daughter. Take good care of them both.”
“Do you really not mind?”
Kevin stood up, chuckling self–deprecatingly. “Stephanie, I can’t believe that you can talk about my daughter with such calmness in just over a month. You’re truly kind and forgiving“,
These
e words surprised Stephanie herself. She had thought she would hate him and his daughter in the past.
Chapter 59
Seeing her puzzled expression, Kevin felt a hint of bitterness in his heart.
He believed that she didn’t hate him anymore because she didn’t love him enough back then. Or perhaps, it had been replaced by other
emotions.
He turned suddenly and said, “I’m leaving.”
“Kevin!” Stephanie suddenly called out to him.
He paused, feeling a surge of joy, and was about to turn back, but Stephanie’s tone turned serious. “Kevin, there’s something I must tell you regardless if you will believe me.
“That day, both Claire and I attended the Wellington family’s gathering. Everyone claimed I pushed your daughter, causing her hand to be cut by the fragments of glass.” She paused for a moment, her tone growing heavier. “It wasn’t mel
“Kevin, it was Claire who harmed your daughter that day.”
Kevin instinctively rebutted, “Claire is her mother, she wouldn’t…” He refused to believe it.
But at this moment, Stephanie was dead serious. She had no reason to lie, and she was never someone who would saw discord between
others.
“I don’t mean anything else by this. I just want to say, you better keep an eye on your daughter.” Stephanie’s expression remained calm.
At that moment, Kevin seemed to connect the dots and took a step forward.
“Claire may not be the most upright person, but she’s just a woman. Even if she has some plans, without someone secretly aiding her, she wouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble. But Dominick is different… Kevin’s expression grew increasingly serious.
“Dominick only cares about the results from his actions. Companies and subordinates who have worked with him know of his ruthless methods. He’s dangerous, so be careful when you’re with him, or else the consequences would be unimaginable. For instance, this incident of your excessive bleeding…”
Stephanie’s expression changed slightly at the mention of Dominick.
Then she lowered her gaze, hesitating for a moment before speaking. “This bleeding incident had nothing to do with him.”
“You still believe in him!”
Kevin grew agitated, and there was a hint of jealousy in his eyes. “Don’t forget, that night you almost…”
Although the doctors said it was due to cervical polyps and a small amount of medication stimulation, if no one had found her bleeding and unconscious that night, she might never have woken up.
“I won’t trust him again, but this time, it really had nothing to do with him,” Stephanie said calmly before she fell silent.
“Stephanie, you must be wary of him.” Kevin took a big step towards her.
“Kevin, you’re being paranoid.”
At that moment, Dominick suddenly appeared at the door and warned in a cold voice, “Claire has urgent matters to discuss with you. Why are you still here?”
10:39 Sat, 22 Jun