Chapter 21 Chapter 21
“I'm just worried about you, sis. After Edward broke off the engagement, it must have been hard. I understand...”
She paused dramatically.
“But please, don't lower yourself. The Ford family still has a name. If people find out you're getting close to someone just for money, it'll be... shameful.”
Caroline stared at her, motionless.
Claire continued, each word more venomous than the last:
“If you want a boyfriend, I can introduce you to someone from Edward's company. There are single, reliable young men...”
“Claire.” Caroline's voice cut like a knife.
Claire blinked, surprised.
Caroline took a deep breath, trying to contain the disgust and anger bubbling inside her.
“Are you done?” she asked firmly, her gaze icy.
Claire opened her mouth, but no words came out.
And for the first time, she noticed something different in her sister's eyes—a strength that hadn't been there before.
The same strength that Nicholas Wolf had awakened in her.
“Sister...” Claire Ford bit her lip, trying to appear fragile. Her trembling voice and sad gaze were worthy of a victim's role. “It's all for your own good. I just... don't want to see you continue to lose yourself.”
Caroline let out a low laugh—cold, humorless.
“Losing myself?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what you call ‘concern’?”
Her gaze became sharp, steady, with a silent challenge that made Claire take a step back.
“Funny...” Caroline murmured, slowly approaching her. “You talk as if you were a saint.”
Her smile disappeared. Her eyes, once calm, now burned with contempt.
“Sister, what are you going to do?” Claire took a step back, alarmed, and reflexively brought her hands to her face.
She remembered the last slap she had received very well.
The swelling had not yet completely disappeared—and in a few days, she would have to film a new series. A second slap would ruin everything.
But Caroline didn't even need to raise her hand.
All she had to do was take a step forward.
At 5'6", she towered over Claire like an elegant and dangerous shadow.
Her cold, unwavering gaze made Claire shrink even further, her voice disappearing in her throat.
Caroline lifted her chin and spoke calmly—but every word was sharp as a blade.
“Claire, you seem to have a curious hobby: collecting other people's trash.”
Claire paled.
“Don't assume everyone is like you,” Caroline continued, her voice firm. “It's just a man I no longer want, and yet you welcomed him as if he were a trophy. Are you happy with that? Proud to pick up what I left behind?”
With each word, Claire's face grew darker.
“In the past, you traded one ‘rich partner’ after another to gain a foothold in the art world,” Caroline said mercilessly. “Today you pretend to have forgotten that, but I remember.”
She tilted her head, her gaze cold and full of irony.
“If I had the same cheap ambition as you, Claire, do you think I would still have the courage to look at myself in the mirror?”
“Caroline Ford, you...” Claire gasped, the mask of docility shattering.
Hatred flashed in her eyes.
“Do you know what irritates me most about you?” she fired, her voice now full of venom. “That arrogance! That way of thinking you're better than everyone else!”
She took a step forward, her gaze filled with fury.
“And what do you base that on? Edward loves me now!”
Her voice trembled, but she didn't stop. “It doesn't matter how long you've known each other, it doesn't matter how much he loved you in the past... He's mine!”
The words were laced with hatred.
“Caroline Ford, you couldn't hold on to your man's heart. Doesn't that make you a failure?”
The silence between them was brutal.
Claire's face trembled with anger and envy.
Since they were young, she had hated Caroline—her face, her talent, her aura.
As long as Caroline existed, Claire would always be in the background. Even now, with Edward by her side, her sister's ghost still haunted her.
It took her five years to win Edward Collins.
Five years of pretense, manipulation, and rehearsed charm.
And yet... he still looked at Caroline.
Even after the broken engagement, she could feel it.
He still loved her.
The resentment burned inside her.
“You know what?” Claire said, her eyes filled with jealousy. “Not only did I take your man, but I'm also going to destroy everything you love.”
Her voice rose, hysterical. “You want to go back to acting? Forget it! As long as I'm in this business, you'll never be anyone again!”
For a moment, Caroline just watched her—silently.
Then a slight smile curved her lips.
It was a cold smile.
Despicable.
“Claire...” she said, in a calm, almost compassionate tone. “Do you really believe you have that much power?”
Claire's eyes widened in surprise.
“Do you think the world revolves around Edward Collins?” Caroline continued. “That you can hide behind him and control everything?”
She took a step forward, and the soft perfume she wore seemed to fill the room.
“You know what's funny? You've never achieved anything on your own. You've always been a shadow, living off the scraps of others.”
The words cut deep.
Claire paled, trembling with rage.
But Caroline just lifted her chin confidently as the memories of Nicholas' words echoed in her mind:
“Marry me and you can do whatever you want. I'll take responsibility for everything.”
That voice—firm, protective—made her take a deep breath. Her previously agitated heart calmed down.
Yes.
She now had someone by her side.
A man who didn't make empty promises.
And for the first time, Caroline Ford looked at Claire without resentment—only with superiority.
Because at that moment, she knew exactly who she was.
And she knew that from then on... there was nothing Claire Ford could take away from her again.
“Really?” Claire laughed dismissively, her face twisted with jealousy. “We'll see how far your confidence goes.”
She took a step forward, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Caroline Ford, you've always had a knack for hunting sugar daddies. Keep it up. Let's see how long someone will support you.”
The venomous tone cut through the air between them.
“I'm curious,” Claire continued, her cynical smile growing, “to know how powerful your ‘gold digger’ is. I want to see if he can make you famous.”
The words carried venom and contempt.
Yes, the Collins family did not rule São Paulo, but their power was still considerable—more than enough to crush most influential families.
And in Claire's mind, no man, no matter how rich, could compare to Edward Collins.
But Caroline just watched her silently.
Then she pursed her lips slightly, with an almost amused smile.
“All right,” she replied calmly. “Then we'll see.”
She paused, her gaze steady and icy. “I also want to see how famous Edward Collins can make you.”