Chapter 193 She's pregnant.
“Police station?” Edward frowned, slowing down the car. “What the hell happened?”
There was a hesitant pause on the other end of the line before the officer’s voice replied, “Mr. Cassano, Miss Ford is in our custody now.”
“Claire? In custody?” Edward was genuinely confused. The concept didn’t register in his mind.
“What's going on? How did she end up there? Was she mugged?”
The officer cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “Not exactly, sir. Miss Ford was involved in a... physical altercation with another performer in the lobby of a company. They started fighting. Someone called the police, and both were brought in for questioning.”
“She... fought?” Edward repeated, incredulous.
The Claire he knew was the embodiment of kindness and fragility. She was a delicate flower. How could she end up in a street fight?
Suddenly, a terrible thought struck him. The blood drained from his face.
She's pregnant.
Edward gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. “Was she hurt?” His voice was urgent, almost panicked.
“Miss Ford has some visible scratches on her face and arms. Other than that... she appears to be physically fine. No serious injuries apparent.”
Claire's pregnancy was a state secret. Apart from the Cassano and Ford families, no one else knew. It was her trump card for joining the family.
Edward was worried about the child, but he couldn't ask a strange police officer directly.
“Has she complained of pain anywhere else?” Edward pressed, probing. “Stomach? Dizziness?”
“...No, sir. She's just very agitated, crying and demanding to see you.”
Edward let out a sigh of relief that made his shoulders slump.
It seemed the baby was safe. Claire, as a mother, would surely be more concerned about the child than he was. If she were experiencing any discomfort, she would have cried out for a doctor.
“Tell her not to worry.” Edward accelerated the Porsche. “I'm on my way.”
At Central Police Station.
The cold fluorescent lighting of the police station contrasted with Claire's usual glamour.
When Edward arrived, Claire had just left the interrogation room.
As soon as she saw him walk through the door, with the worried expression of a knight in shining armor, she ran.
“Edward!”
She threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest, and began to cry convulsively.
She looked devastated. Her eyes were red and swollen, her makeup artfully smudged.
“Edward, you're finally here...” She sobbed, her body trembling against his. “I'm so scared... That crazy woman attacked me...”
She trembled like a leaf in the wind.
Edward looked down, his heart aching.
Her face, usually flawless, was marked. Two long red scratches ran across her left cheek, swollen and angry. They were nail marks.
Rage rose in Edward's throat. Who dared touch her?
He held her close, stroking her back, trying to calm her. "Shh, Claire, calm down. Don't be afraid. I'm here now. With me around, no one will dare touch a hair on your head again. It's over.
Claire lifted her tear-stained face, pointing to the wounds. “Edward, look at me! My face... it's ruined! How am I going to work like this? I have shoots, I have events... My career will be over!”
She knew exactly where to strike. His vanity and his investment.
Edward examined the wounds. They were superficial, but ugly. “Don't worry about it.” He kissed her forehead. “Think of it as a forced vacation. I have the best doctors, there won't be any scars. I'll take care of canceling your schedule and dealing with the press.”
“Now tell me...” Edward's voice hardened. “What happened? Why did that woman attack you?”
Edward was absolutely certain that the other party was to blame. Claire was too sweet, too kind. She must have been the victim of jealousy or bullying. He would never allow anyone to intimidate the mother of his child.
Claire was about to weave her web of lies about the fight when Edward frowned, looking around the empty waiting room.
“Wait. Where's Linda?”
It was inconceivable. Linda was the most efficient manager in the market. In a crisis like this, she should be here, shielding Claire, dealing with the police and lawyers.
“Why isn't she here taking care of you?”
At the mention of her name, Claire's already teary eyes overflowed again. She blinked innocently, the picture of betrayal.
“Linda...” Claire sniffed, her voice breaking. “Edward, Linda abandoned me.”
“What?”
“We had an argument earlier today... it was just a little misunderstanding about the script. But suddenly, she exploded.” Claire lied, without blinking. “She said she was tired of me. She mocked my acting... said I had no talent, that I was an embarrassment to the agency.”
Claire grabbed Edward's shirt. “She said I should give up acting and become a variety show clown. And then... she just left. She quit, Edward! She left me alone to deal with all this!”
Edward stood frozen, shocked.
“Linda... quit?”
It didn't make sense. Linda was a veteran, a tough professional. She would never abandon an artist in the middle of a contract, let alone insult the future Mrs. Cassano like that.
But seeing Claire crying like that, her face scratched, made Edward's logic disappear.
Anger replaced confusion. Linda had betrayed his trust when Claire needed him most.
Edward frowned, confusion evident in his eyes.
“Linda is a pillar of this company. She's been with us for ten years. She's built careers.” Edward shook his head in disbelief. “Why would she suddenly throw all that away? Quitting like this, without warning... it's not like her.”
Claire sniffed, wiping a single tear that ran perfectly down her unblemished cheek.
“Yes... I didn't understand it either.” She looked down, playing with a button on his shirt, looking like a scolded child. “We've had some creative differences in the past, of course. But we always resolved everything like adults.”
She looked up, her eyes full of feigned hurt.
“I don't know why she exploded this time. She became so... aggressive. She said she was fed up with me, that I was a lost cause. And then she just said she didn't want to be my manager anymore and left.”
“She even said, with a mocking smile, that she would tell you in person. I thought she had already called you.”
Claire looked devastated.
But inside, she was calculating every word. She needed to make sure Edward saw Linda's departure not as a loss to the company, but as a personal attack on him.
She knew Edward wouldn't care if she broke a contract or lost a role. But he would care if he felt his authority was being challenged.
Edward's expression darkened.