Chapter 187

Claire was in the middle of working at the CF Group offices with Aaron when the courthouse called.

After getting those Kennedy Group shares from Sierra, she'd dumped the stock the first chance she got.

Now, not counting the CF Group's assets themselves, she had nearly a billion dollars in liquid capital!

She'd planned to go big and acquire Nora's company outright, but she never expected Nora's counterattack to come this fast.

Nora had beaten her to the punch—filing a lawsuit against both her and the CF Group!

"Nora, what the hell is this supposed to mean?"

"Didn't you say you wanted nothing to do with Frederick?"

"What, you don't want the man, but you still care about his money!"

Claire dialed Nora's number, her voice dripping with contempt.

Nora was at her office going through Soft Verse Studios' assets when Claire's call came in. She wasn't surprised.

"That's between him and me. Since when is it your business?"

"Claire, do you actually think you're Mrs. Kennedy?"

"I've been gone five years, and you still haven't climbed into that position you wanted so badly. You're pathetic."

Nora sat in her office chair, slowly spinning it as she looked over the CF Group materials Preston had collected. Her tone was mocking, a sneer playing at her lips.

"What are you so smug about?"

"These past five years, I haven't had it easy, but you didn't get anything either!"

"Nora, just you wait. You want to sue? Fine. You want the CF Group shares? Come and try to take them!"

Claire caught the mockery in Nora's voice. Furious, she swept all the files off her desk onto the floor.

She never imagined that after five years, Nora would actually try to claim her share of the marital assets from her marriage to Frederick!

The CF Group had indeed been established before Frederick and Nora's divorce.

And Claire had no idea whether the money Frederick gave her came from his premarital assets or from property he'd acquired jointly with Nora during their marriage.

Thinking about the lawsuit she'd have to deal with, Claire called Steven.

"Steven, remember when I suggested acquiring that company, Soft Verse Studios? Have you thought about it?"

Claire had no one backing her anymore.

Steven was all she had left.

Her voice turned coquettish as she tried to charm him.

"Claire, we had a deal. I only work with the Whitaker Group. If you want me to help you go after Nora, what's in it for me?"

Steven was currently at Rosewood City's most luxurious and expensive KTV, with two pretty, innocent-looking girls draped over him on either side.

He exhaled smoke leisurely, and when Claire's call came through, he gestured for the girl on his left to leave.

He stubbed out his cigarette, a cold smile playing at his sinister lips.

"You get me!"

"Steven, if you help me deal with Nora, I promise I'll give you a child!"

Claire had spent enough time around Steven to know he had plenty of women but no children.

Sure, she couldn't get pregnant—her body was wrecked.

But she could create a child!

A child born the same way Aaron was!

"Hah!"

"Give me a child?"

"With your plastic surgery genes? Pass."

"Claire, listen. If you want to negotiate with me, you need to offer something actually attractive. Otherwise, I'm not interested."

Steven knew Claire still had the CF Group behind her.

He'd agreed to work with Claire initially for three reasons: one, the Whitaker Group connection; two, a chance to legitimize himself.

And three? He had his eye on the CF Group's assets!

If Claire was willing to give him some of the CF Group's shares, he wouldn't mind going after Nora.

"Steven, what do you want then?"

Claire cursed him silently but kept smiling, swallowing her pride.

"I hear you just scored a nice chunk of change from the Kennedy Family. How about this—sell me thirty percent of the CF Group shares, and I'll help you acquire Soft Verse Studios."

"Claire, you need to understand something. In Suncrest City and Rosewood City right now, I'm the only person who dares to go after Nora, who dares to oppose the Hearst Group."

"If you want to make Nora suffer, I'm your best bet."

Steven's smile turned wicked.

He laid out his terms without shame.

Claire exploded.

"Thirty percent!"

"Steven, isn't that too much?"

Claire stood up, gripping her phone with a pained expression.

But just as she stared down at the street below, she spotted Frederick's car pulling up in front of her company building.

Realizing Frederick was about to come up and confront her, Claire clenched her jaw and agreed.

"Fine!"

"As long as you agree to help me deal with Nora, you can have thirty percent."

The moment the words left her mouth, her office door burst open behind her.

It was Frederick.

"On the phone with your lover?"

"Don't let me interrupt. I've got time. I'll wait."

Frederick saw the guilty look on Claire's face and sat down on the leather sofa across from her.

His eyes held a bone-chilling coldness.

When he looked at Claire, it was like he was looking at a corpse.

"Frederick, I didn't take Sierra anywhere!"

"Coming after me won't do you any good!"

Claire hung up on Steven. She met Frederick's gaze with terror in her eyes.

Her legs were shaking.

Her hands trembled as she braced herself against the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Sierra?"

"After all these years, this is the first time I've heard you dare to call my mother by her first name."

"Claire, tell me—would you rather lose a hand or a leg?"

Frederick finished speaking and tilted his head slightly, giving the bodyguard beside him a look.

Immediately, the muscular enforcer flexed his bulging biceps. He strode toward Claire with overwhelming presence.

Like picking up a chick, he grabbed Claire with one hand and hauled her in front of Frederick.

"Frederick, I've been with you all these years! I took what I deserved from Sierra—what's wrong with that!"

"Besides, Aaron might not be your son, but he called you Dad for four years. He called Sierra and Justin Grandma and Grandpa for four years. What's wrong with them giving Aaron some child support?"

"What gives you the right to hurt me? What did I do wrong?"

Claire stared at the enforcer's bulging muscles and knew Frederick was serious.

She trembled as she looked at Frederick. Scared to death, yet she still forced herself to stand her ground.

"What did you do wrong?"

"Even now, you still don't think you did anything wrong?"

"Fine!"

"I'll tell you what you did wrong!"

Frederick stood up. He stepped on Claire's hand where it lay on the carpet.

His shoe ground down hard. Claire's hand throbbed with pain, immediately swelling and bruising.

"Ah!"

"Frederick, I hate you!"

"Aaron, save me! Go beg your father to let me go!"

Claire glared at Frederick viciously. She refused to beg for mercy herself, instead urging Aaron—who'd been frozen in fear—to plead on her behalf.

Aaron looked at Claire's agony, then timidly glanced at Frederick, who radiated menace.

He trembled but didn't dare approach.

"Dad, Mom really doesn't know where Grandma is!"

"When we left, Grandma was still lying on the ground..."

Aaron was scared out of his mind. His already timid face had gone pale with terror.

His voice was barely audible, shaking.

But Frederick heard every word.

"So when Claire drove away, you knew your grandmother had collapsed on the ground."

Frederick stared coldly at Aaron. He'd always felt the boy didn't resemble him.

Now, seeing how cold, timid, and cowardly he was, Frederick felt at peace with it.

No child of his could possibly be this useless!

Compared to Aaron, Elise was much more like him.

Frederick beckoned to Aaron, gesturing for him to come closer.

Aaron was afraid, but remembering that Frederick used to treat him better than Claire did, he walked over.

Frederick placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder, his eyes flicking toward Claire on the floor.

"Aaron, tell me—who's better, Mom or Dad?"

"If I made you choose between me and her, who would you pick?"

Frederick looked at Aaron, thinking about how the boy had grown up under his nose from birth.

He might not be his biological son, but after four years, Frederick had some feelings for him.

If Aaron was willing to stay with him, to acknowledge him as his father, then for the sake of those four years, he could keep the boy by his side.