Chapter 180

Chapter 180

He kept curling up on the bed, crying.

Claire could barely believe what she had just heard and seen.

Thinking about how her carefully laid plans of many years had completely fallen apart, she refused to accept it.

She rushed over to Frederick and grabbed his hand, refusing to let him leave.

"Frederick, I know I was wrong!"

"Can you give me another chance?"

"I promise I won't lie to you again. We can do IVF — however many children your mother wants, I'll give them to you."

"The reason I never liked Aaron is because he's not our biological child. If we could have our own children, I know I'd be a good mother!"

"Mingming, during the five years Nora was missing, you always brought me along to events, and you'd occasionally bring me gifts too. You love Nora, I know that — but I meant something to you too, didn't I? At least a little?"

Claire threw aside all pride and dignity.

Today, after everything had been exposed.

She knew that once Frederick walked out that door, he would never come back.

They would be completely finished.

"Claire, look at yourself — covered in another man's kiss marks. You want to stay by my side and carry my child through IVF? Do you really think you deserve that?"

Frederick shook Claire's hand off in disgust.

He grabbed her chin and turned her face from side to side.

His gaze finally landed on a kiss mark behind her ear.

He thought back to how he'd called Claire using Aaron's smartwatch, only to find her in the middle of having sex with Steven.

He let go of her with a look of contempt.

He felt like his fingers were dirty. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped them clean.

Then he threw the handkerchief at Claire's face.

Claire watched as Frederick let out a cold laugh and walked away without looking back.

She knew — this time, it was truly over.

She and Frederick had no future, not anymore.

"Miss White, as a woman, please have some self-respect."

Frederick's secretary, seeing that Frederick had left, bent down to pick up the handkerchief and glanced at Claire before offering that piece of advice.

Claire ignored him.

She glared at the secretary with pure hatred and spat right at him.

"You think bringing me down means you've done Nora a favor?"

"Dream on!"

"Nora is never coming back to any of you. No matter how much you try to please her, it won't work — it's useless!"

As the secretary walked past her, Claire grabbed him and unleashed a torrent of insults.

"Miss White, I work at the Kennedy Group. Since Mr. Kennedy pays my salary, my job is to carry out his instructions."

"I've never tried to curry favor with Ms. Hearst either. I'd appreciate a little respect."

The secretary kept his expression cold as he wiped Claire's spit from his face.

His eyes were calm.

"Respect?"

"Someone like you — who do you think deserves to respect you?"

"Don't think I don't know. You're just like Frederick — even after five years, you're still hung up on that woman Nora."

"Just you wait. Nora never trusted any of you before — she never told you who she really was. And now, she's not going to claim any of you either."

"None of you will come to a good end!"

Claire had nowhere to put all her rage. She raised her hand and dug her nails into the secretary's arm, trying to scratch him.

The secretary blocked her attack and pulled himself free.

"Claire, what do we do now?"

"How does Frederick know everything?"

"If he really brings Nora back home, then everything we've worked for these five years will be wasted!"

Francis hadn't dared say a single word earlier.

When Frederick went after Claire, he hadn't dared move a muscle.

Now that Frederick and his secretary were gone, he finally crept forward.

"I'm Aaron's mother. As long as Aaron doesn't press charges against me, what can the police do?"

"Besides, I still have the Whitaker family. I still have Steven."

"What do I have to be afraid of?"

Claire straightened her clothes and fixed her hair.

She shot Francis a sideways glance.

Then she walked over to Aaron.

She yanked the blanket off him, pressed down on both his shoulders, and forced him to look her in the eye.

"Aaron, listen to me."

"You're not mine and Frederick's son — that's true. But your birth mother sold you to me the moment you were born. She gave you up long ago. If it weren't for me, you'd already be an orphan."

"These past five years, you've lived a life most kids could only dream of — and that's all because of me."

"So if you're willing to stay with me, I'll still treat you as my son."

Claire had never had any real interest in being Aaron's mother.

Now that his identity was out in the open, she couldn't be bothered to keep up the act.

Her attitude toward Aaron was completely businesslike — cold and detached, without a trace of warmth.

"What about Dad?"

"If I do what you say, will Dad still want me?"

Aaron looked at Claire's icy expression, his lashes wet with tears.

He looked just like a stray kitten abandoned by the side of the road.

"As for Frederick, I'll find a way to make him accept you."

"You're not his biological child, but you've called him Dad for years. Even if he doesn't want you, the Kennedy family has enough people that someone will feel some old affection for you and not completely ignore you."

Claire knew that she and Frederick were finished.

But Aaron was a different story.

What she needed to do was use Aaron to keep fighting them.

"Dad really won't abandon me?"

Aaron stopped crying, his voice small and uncertain, his eyes searching Claire's face.

"I won't let him throw you away."

"As long as you do exactly what I say."

Claire's eyes were sharp and ruthless.

She had always been willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted.

"Okay. Then I'll do what you say."

Aaron didn't know what Claire was going to ask of him, but as long as both his mom and dad were still around, he was willing to do anything.

"Claire, the police are almost here. What's your plan? Tell me — I'll help you."

Francis heard sirens from the street below the hospital.

He knew it was the police Frederick had called.

He quickly warned Claire.

"Dad, here's Brenda's contact, and here's Steven's. If anything happens to me, go to them — they won't leave me hanging."

Claire sent Francis both contacts from her phone.

She had barely finished when the elevator doors opened and uniformed officers rushed into the ward.

After Claire was taken away by the police, Francis immediately called Brenda.

Brenda thought about the woman carrying Austin's child, who was still in Claire's hands, and quickly arranged for the Whitaker family to bail Claire out.

Meanwhile, Frederick arrived at the venue for the Gonzaga Group's fortieth anniversary celebration.

When his secretary handed over the invitation and they stepped inside, Frederick needed only one glance to recognize the graceful figure standing beside Brent — it was Nora, the woman he had been longing for and searching for over five long years.

Nora looked just as she always had.

Her face had barely changed. If anything, compared to the day she had left five years ago, she carried herself with even more elegance and poise.

The secretary noticed that Frederick's gaze had been fixed on one person ever since they walked in.

Following Frederick's line of sight, the secretary realized it was Frederick's ex-wife, Nora.

He quietly slipped out of the venue, leaving all the space to Frederick.

Nora was holding Elise's hand, patiently keeping Brent company as he worked the room, when she felt something — a gaze pressing into her back, heavy and unrelenting.

She frowned slightly.

She turned her head just a little, and through the crowd, she found Frederick.

Their eyes met across the room. Frederick's pupils trembled, a storm of emotions crossing his face — and his eyes grew faintly wet.

But where Frederick was overwhelmed and tense, Nora was completely still.

She looked at him for exactly one second — calm, undisturbed — and then looked away without a flicker of feeling.

As if he were just air. Just another guest she had no connection to whatsoever.

"Mommy, it's Frederick!"

Elise had recognized him too, but the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

"Hmph!"

"Mommy, he made you upset. Let's just ignore him!"

Nora smiled at the sight of Elise puffing out her cheeks — she looked absolutely adorable. She gave her cheek a little pinch.

"Elise, didn't you say you wanted egg tarts?"

"You must be tired after keeping me company through all that socializing. Let me take you to find some."

Nora took Elise's hand and found a quiet corner away from the crowd. She had just handed Elise an egg tart when an arm appeared, blocking her path.

It was Frederick.

Frederick's voice was unsteady.

Standing this close to Nora, who looked like an angel, he felt his heart lurch on the left side of his chest — just like it had the very first time he saw her.

"Nora—"

Frederick reached out, wanting to touch her cheek.

Nora stepped aside.

She looked at Frederick with a sharp frown, her eyes full of contempt.

"Mr. Kennedy, we divorced five years ago. Please call me Ms. Hearst."

Nora met his gaze head-on.

In the past, she had played along with him, kept up appearances, put on a performance.

Now, she didn't have to pretend anymore.

She could let herself feel — and show — every bit of the disgust and revulsion she had for him, without holding anything back.