Chapter 83 Chapter 83
“Claire! Did you hear a word I said?!”
Kenia Ruas' shrill scream burst Claire's bubble of thoughts, bringing her violently back to the cold reality of the hospital room.
Kenia frowned, impatience etching her expression lines.
“I asked if you called Edward!” she repeated, slapping her hand on the mattress. “When is he coming? And stop looking like a dead fish, you're annoying me! By the way... who was that savage with Caroline? Do you know him?”
Claire, still bitter from the humiliating comparison her mind had just made, replied coldly:
“He said he's in the middle of a crucial negotiation. He'll come 'as soon as possible.
”What?!“ Kenia almost jumped out of bed, indignant. ”He has the audacity to talk about business at a time like this?
Did you tell him we're in the hospital? That we were attacked in the middle of the street?“
”I did, Mom.“ Claire sighed, frustration bubbling in her chest. ”But he thought... well, that it wasn't a life-or-death emergency."
The silence that followed was heavy. While Kenia seethed with anger, Claire's mind returned to the cruel contrast.
That mysterious man at Wolf Company... he dropped everything, carried Caroline in his arms as if she were made of glass, just so he wouldn't wake her. He exuded protection.
Edward, on the other hand, barely cared that his pregnant fiancée had been slapped in the face.
The bitter memory from a few years ago came to the surface, burning like acid. Claire remembered a time when Caroline had a simple cold. Edward abandoned an important board meeting and crossed the city just to bring her medicine and soup.
At that time, envy gnawed at Claire. She wanted that devotion for herself.
Now she had the ring. She had the man. She was pregnant with his child. But... where was that devoted Edward? It seemed she had stolen only the empty shell of the man he used to be.
How could she accept that Caroline's “wild man” was a better husband than the heir to the Ford family?
“The bride and future mother-in-law are in the hospital, and that's not ‘serious’?” Kenia continued to complain, her voice rising an octave. “He says he loves you, that he cares... but this is how he treats you while you're carrying his heir? Imagine after you're married! If he's already neglectful now...”
Suddenly, Kenia's expression changed. Her eyes narrowed and a shadow passed over her face. She grabbed Claire's wrist tightly, her nails digging into her skin.
“Or could it be...” Kenia's voice dropped to a venomous whisper. “He has another woman?”
Claire blinked, taken aback. “What?”
Kenia pulled her closer, her gaze frantic.
“Think about it, Claire. You're pregnant. You can't... satisfy him in bed right now. Edward is the CEO of an entertainment company. He's surrounded by actresses, models, and wannabes all day long.”
The seed of doubt was planted. Kenia continued, relentless:
“This is the perfect time for some slut to try to get ahead.” Men have needs, and Edward is a powerful man. Do you think they don't know that?
With that thought poisoning the air, Kenia's face darkened completely.
"Claire, call him now. Don't ask, demand to know where he is. Better yet, go there. I'm sure there's some vixen holding him in his office. He's highly desirable, my dear. If you don't take care of what's yours, someone else will.
“Mom! Edward isn't that kind of man,” Claire retorted, turning abruptly, though her voice lacked conviction.
Kenia let out a short, dry laugh, full of scorn. “Oh, Claire, don't be naive. All men are made of the same weak flesh. How many of them really resist when a fresh opportunity presents itself?” She paused deliberately, looking into her daughter's eyes. “If he were that loyal and steadfast... do you really think you would have been able to steal him away from Caroline?”
The sentence hit Claire like a physical slap.
The harsh truth made her cheeks burn with shame and anger. The very foundation of her relationship was proof of Edward's infidelity.
“Mom!” she cried, her voice shrill.
Realizing she had touched her daughter's raw nerve, Kenia tried to back down, forcing an appeasing smile. “Calm down, dear.” Mommy wasn't talking about you. I was referring to those... shameless foxes out there.
But the damage was done. Claire's already unstable mood plummeted into darkness.
Her eyes scanned the room and landed on her assistant, who was awkwardly trying to straighten the sheets. The girl had dark hair and a delicate profile... irritatingly similar to Caroline's.
That was Claire's dirty secret: she had hired the girl precisely because of that resemblance.
A wave of hatred rose in her throat.
Smack!
The sound of the slap echoed loudly in the silent room.
“You useless thing!” Claire shouted, taking out all her frustration on the girl. “So stupid and slow! Can't you do anything right?”
The assistant, her hand on her reddened face, stared in shock. Tears instantly welled up. “I'm sorry, Miss Claire... I didn't...”
Seeing the girl crying, submissive and pathetic, sent a wave of sadistic pleasure down Claire's spine. It was as if she were hitting Caroline herself. It was a massage to her wounded ego, a reaffirmation of her superiority.
But it wasn't enough. The resemblance still irritated her.
“Stop crying!” Claire growled, raising her hand again. “Your victim face disgusts me. Get out of my sight! Now!”
The assistant didn't dare utter a word. Sobbing quietly, she ran out of the room.
Kenia watched the door close and sighed, shaking her head. “You shouldn't be so aggressive with her, Claire. What if she decides to speak out? You're a public figure, my daughter. An abuse scandal would be a disaster.”
Claire snorted, crossing her arms and feeling a little lighter after her outburst. “I know her type. She doesn't have the courage. She needs the money.”
Kenia opened her mouth to warn her again, but Claire cut her off with an impatient gesture. “Enough, Mom. I know what I'm doing.”
She picked up her cell phone from the nightstand. Her fingers quickly dialed a saved number. She needed a real victory against her cousin.
“So?” Claire asked, her voice cold and cutting as soon as the call was answered.
“Have you called Caroline about the body double role?”
There was a silence on the other end of the line, followed by a hesitant explanation.
Claire's expression froze.
“What?!” she shouted, her teeth clenched with hatred. “She turned it down?”