Chapter 257 Chapter 257
She forced more tears to fall. “My mom wrote that. She’s always hated my sister, and ever since I started dating you, she’s been obsessed with the idea that the two of you would get back together. So, in her desperation to protect me, she decided to post those lies on the forum. My mom thought that by destroying Caroline’s reputation, you’d be disgusted and would never try to get back together with her!
Claire sobbed, looking like the most heartbroken daughter in the world. “I just called her from the car and yelled at her.” She admitted her mistake, cried, and promised she’d never do it again. Edward, I know my mother’s stupid behavior must have caused Caroline a lot of trouble and humiliation. I’m so ashamed that I’m willing to go to her college right now, get down on my knees, and apologize in person, if she’s still upset.
The Edward sitting across from her today terrified her. Suddenly, the position of “future Mrs. Collins,” which had seemed so secure the night before, was crumbling beneath her feet.
“Apologize?” Edward finally spoke.
His voice was so icy, cutting, and devoid of any human emotion that it echoed through the office like a death sentence.
“Yes… Yes!” Claire let out a shaky sigh of relief upon seeing that he was, at least, willing to talk. She decided to double down on her tactic of playing innocent and manipulating his ego. “Although it’s my mother’s fault, I also feel responsible, since she did this crazy thing out of love for me.” If this whole situation affects Caroline’s career, I’ll never forgive myself.
Claire bit her lower lip and looked at him with those big, puppy-dog eyes he adored so much. — I know my sister must be furious, and understandably so, and it’s understandable that she hired hackers to track down the IP address. But…
Her voice shifted subtly, taking on a tone of calculated injustice. “But she didn’t have to leak that to the press and speak so badly of us to the whole country, Edward. She leaked that dossier calling me a mistress and saying I meddled between you two while you were still with her.” Edward... by doing this, isn’t she implying to all of Brazil that you are a disloyal scoundrel who cheats on his own fiancée?
Claire tried to use Edward’s vanity as a weapon. — You need to call your Public Relations Department immediately to issue a statement and clear everything up. Otherwise, your reputation and the value of StarColi’s stock will be destroyed online because of Caroline’s revenge!
Claire’s plan was simple: first, admit “the mother’s” mistake with great humility; then, shift the blame onto Caroline for exposing the situation, manipulating Edward by reminding him that his public image was in the line of fire.
She knew Edward was obsessed with his own image and the Collins family legacy. He would never allow the public and shareholders to believe he was a compulsive traitor. He would certainly mobilize the StarColi empire to clean up the mess, and, in the process, end up saving her as well.
As she finished her flawless speech, Claire wiped her own tears with the back of her hand, pouting pitifully, hoping that Edward, concerned for his honor, would rise, walk around the table, and come to comfort her in his arms.
However, the silence that followed was deathly.
She waited for agonizingly long seconds. There was no sound of the leather chair shifting. There were no footsteps. He hadn’t moved a millimeter.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down the back of Claire’s neck. She raised her head slowly, curiosity and fear battling in her mind.
When her eyes met Edward’s gaze again, the darkness she saw there made her freeze. His gaze was colder than the harshest winter; it was the gaze of a man watching a disgusting insect thrash about. Her heart skipped a beat. Insecurity and primal panic returned like a punch to the stomach.
With a gesture of pure disgust, Edward recoiled.
CRASH! With a violent blow, he swept the porcelain coffee cup off the table, shattering it against the marble floor. He stood up abruptly, his posture as menacing as a predator’s, and glared at Claire with murderous rage. “Do you really think I’m worried about some damn internet post?!” he growled, resentment dripping from every word. “I’m talking about the disgusting audacity you had to lie to me about your fake pregnancy!”
“What lie…?” Claire blinked, completely confused for a split second.
Then, the blood drained completely from her face. Her eyes widened in sheer terror as she realized that her biggest and most dangerous secret had been discovered by the hospital.
“Edward… you…”
Shocked by the realization, Claire’s mind went blank. She lost the ability to formulate any excuse.
Her relationship with Edward had always been built on clandestine sex and manipulation behind closed doors. The only reason Edward had finally made the drastic decision to end his ten-year engagement to Caroline and publicly acknowledge Claire was because of the “heir” she was expecting. The baby was her only shield.
But now, the lie about the child had evaporated.
Realizing he had been made a fool of, Edward’s heart filled with uncontrollable fury and hatred toward her.
He strode forward, his gaze cold and relentless, and suddenly his large, strong hands grabbed Claire by the throat, pinning her against the office wall. “Where did you get the audacity to lie to my face?!” he shouted, his expression dark and frenzied. “Claire, do you have any idea of the consequences of playing games with the heir to the Collins family?!”
Edward had always considered himself the smartest man in the room and in complete control. Knowing he’d been manipulated in such a low and underhanded way by a woman drove him mad. He could no longer tolerate that humiliation.
“Cough... Edward... let me go... let me go!” Claire gasped, her voice coming out with extreme difficulty. Her face began to turn red from lack of air as she scratched at his hands, desperate.
She tried to break free from Edward’s iron grip, but her resistance only served to further fuel the tycoon’s fury.