Chapter 594

Finnegan opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but Joseph's stern look made him shut it.

He took one last look at Claire, his eyes filled with regret, anger, and frustration, before turning away. His figure seemed exceptionally lonely under the scorching sun.

Claire felt all her strength drain away, leaning softly against Joseph's shoulder.

Joseph gently stroked her back, feeling her rapid breathing gradually calm down.

"It's over," he whispered, kissing the top of Claire's head. "Let's head to Zoey's place. Gabriel and Travis must be dying to see you."

As they approached, Zoey was already standing there, her face full of concern.

She quickly came up to them, holding Claire's hand. "Was that Finnegan? Did he give you any trouble?"

Claire shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, he just wanted to patch things up between us, but I wasn't having it."

Celine appeared behind Zoey, holding two cups of iced juice.

She handed one to Claire, sneering, "He probably heard you came into money and decided to come back. Claire, don't let your guard down."

Claire took the juice, feeling the cold droplets slide down the cup onto her fingers.

"I know," Claire said softly, her gaze drifting to the horizon where the sea met the sky. "I won't make the same mistake again."

"Claire!" Travis ran over and hugged Claire's leg. "Look at our castle!" He pointed excitedly at the sandcastle on the beach, his little face full of pride.

Claire's expression softened instantly.

She knelt, looking into Travis's bright eyes. "This is the best castle I've ever seen! Who designed it?"

"Gabriel and I did!" Travis puffed out his chest proudly. "Mom helped us with the gate!"

Gabriel ran over too, holding a small seashell. "Claire, this is for you! Doesn't it look like a heart?"

Claire took the shell, the sunlight casting warm spots through its pink surface onto her palm.

"It's beautiful, thank you, Gabriel."

She spoke gently, her voice no longer trembling. "What did you guys have for breakfast?"

"Waffles!" Gabriel and Travis answered in unison, then eagerly described how delicious breakfast was and how well they slept last night, their innocent chatter full of pure joy.

Joseph watched this scene, feeling a warm surge in his chest.

He walked over to Henry, the two men silently watching their loved ones and children interact.

"Seeing Claire with the kids," Joseph said quietly, "I can't help but look forward to having our own children someday. She'll be a great mom."

Henry smiled and patted Joseph's shoulder. "You'll be a great dad too."

Henry looked at Zoey, who was teaching Gabriel and Travis how to decorate the sandcastle with shells, his eyes tender. "Watching one's own kids grow up is the most beautiful thing in the world."

Not far away, Finnegan stood behind a palm tree, gloomily watching the joyful scene on the beach.

His fingers unconsciously picked at the tree bark, his mind replaying Claire's words, "I have eight hundred million dollars."

That money should have been partly his, no, as her father, he had the right to decide how it should be used.

"It's okay," Finnegan muttered to himself. "Blood is thicker than water. Claire is still my daughter." He took one last look at Claire surrounded by laughter, then turned away, already planning his next "chance encounter."

On the beach, Claire was fully focused on helping Gabriel and Travis reinforce their sandcastle walls.

Joseph came over and knelt beside Claire, naturally joining the construction team.

The sunlight bathed them, merging their shadows, stretching long and far on the golden sand.

The waves continued to gently lap at the shore, washing away all traces of unpleasantness, leaving only the sandcastle, laughter, and the shimmering hope under the sun.

The sound of Finnegan slamming the villa door startled a flock of seagulls outside the window.

He stormed through the living room, ignoring Upton, who was sitting on the couch, still looking a bit pale.

The stairs creaked under Finnegan's heavy steps, as if he was venting all his anger on the expensive beachfront villa.

"What's with Finnegan..." Upton began, but was cut off by the sound of Finnegan's door slamming shut.

He pursed his lips and turned to Mabel, who was pouring water in the kitchen. "Looks like Finnegan is still mad about me going with him to ask for the dowry the other day."

Mabel came out with a water glass, her brow furrowed. "You should keep quiet. Finnegan just went to see Claire, he must have been rejected again."

She glanced at Upton's bandaged abdomen. "How's your injury? What did the doctor say?"

Upton touched his aching abdomen, grimacing. "Zoey's kick was brutal, almost ruptured my spleen."

He suddenly lowered his voice. "Mabel, do you think Finnegan regrets it? He's been talking about fixing things with Claire these past few days."

"Shut up!" Mabel glanced nervously upstairs. "Finnegan only cares about the eight hundred million dollars. He's regretting it big time now."

She stirred her water glass irritably. "If it weren't for you encouraging him to ask for that two hundred million dollar dowry..."

"Encouraging?" Upton sat up straight, then winced in pain. "It was your idea! Now you're blaming me?"

A loud thud came from upstairs, followed by Finnegan's angry roar.

Mabel sighed and put down her glass. "I'll go check on him. Watch what you say, don't provoke Finnegan."

Upton watched Mabel's retreating figure, a cold smile tugging at his lips.

Finnegan wanted to do it too, he just brought it up. Now he's blaming him?

Upstairs in the master bedroom, Finnegan was furiously throwing his suitcase on the floor.

"I'm not leaving!" He shouted at Mabel as she entered. "We'll leave when Claire leaves!"

Mabel closed the door, her voice low. "Are you crazy? We should've gone back yesterday! There's a ton of work waiting at the company..."

"Screw the company!" Finnegan yanked off his tie. "Eight hundred million dollars! Claire has eight hundred million dollars! Do you know what that means?"

His eyes were red as he paced the room. "If it weren't for you guys encouraging me to ask for that two hundred million dollar dowry, Claire wouldn't have bought out our relationship for a million dollars!"

Mabel's face turned red. "Finnegan! Have some decency! Who said a married daughter is no longer part of the family? Who said we should get something from Claire?"

Her sharp voice pierced through the door. "Now you know Claire has eight hundred million dollars, and you're playing the doting father?"