Chapter 291 — When the Crowd Attacked

Chapter 291 — When the Crowd Attacked
Clara had already lost almost everything in her life, yet the world still seemed determined to strip away whatever little she had left.

There had only ever been two people who truly mattered to her.

Her grandmother.

And Matteo.

Everything Clara had done in her life had always been for them. Every sacrifice she made, every difficult decision she took, had been shaped by her love for those two people.

When her grandmother had fallen seriously ill, Clara had not hesitated even for a second. Without thinking about herself, she had handed over every bit of money she possessed. The savings she had built during her marriage with Matteo disappeared almost overnight.

Hospital bills.

Medical treatments.

Medication.

Doctor consultations.

She paid for everything.

Not once did she regret it.

Money could always be earned again.

But family could never be replaced.

Knowing that her grandmother was now safe and receiving proper care gave Clara a small sense of peace in the middle of the chaos that had destroyed her life.

That small piece of advice enabled her to make the most difficult decision she had ever faced.

She disappeared.

She quietly left Los Angeles behind and moved to a completely different city, far away from everyone who had once known her name.

New York became her hiding place.

A place where she hoped she could quietly rebuild a broken life.

Even after leaving, Clara never stopped keeping in touch with her grandmother. They spoke often, and those calls were the only moments that made her feel less alone.

But every conversation always ended with the same request.

“Please… never tell anyone where I am.”

And she always added one more name.

“Especially not Matteo.”

Her grandmother had asked many times why Clara insisted on hiding from him.

But Clara never changed her answer.

Matteo was better off without her.

If the world were to see them together again, the old scandal would rise like a storm.

And that storm would damage Matteo’s career all over again.

She could not allow that to happen.

She had already caused him enough trouble.

Even now, rumors were spreading everywhere.

People whispered cruel stories about her.

They claimed the baby she carried belonged to Dylan.

They accused her of betraying Matteo during their marriage.

None of it was true.

Every single word was a lie.

But Clara had learned something painful about the world.

The truth didn’t matter.

Once people believed a story, they rarely cared about facts.

Trying to fight those accusations would only make things worse.

So Clara chose silence.

She chose distance.

And she chose to lie.

Not to protect herself.

But to protect Matteo.

Meanwhile, several floors above the restaurant hall, Matteo De Luca stood completely still.

The pain that had just pierced his chest felt almost unbearable.

It was the kind of pain that made breathing feel difficult.

For several seconds he simply stood there.

Unable to move.

Unable to think.

The image of Clara standing before him with a rounded belly kept replaying inside his mind like a cruel memory.

Her tired eyes.

Her pale face.

Her pregnancy.

Each detail stabbed deeper into his heart.

“Matteo.”

Sean’s voice finally broke through the storm of emotions in his mind.

“The media wants to talk to you.”

Matteo blinked slowly, as if waking from a nightmare.

Only then did he notice what was happening around him.

His bodyguards had already formed a tight circle around him.

Reporters and fans had crowded closer after recognizing him.

Cameras flashed repeatedly.

People called his name loudly.

Questions flew through the air from every direction.

But Matteo barely noticed any of it.

“I’m not in the mood,” he muttered coldly.

His voice carried a sharp edge.

Sean immediately understood that something was terribly wrong.

“Cancel all my appointments.”

Matteo turned toward the exit without hesitation.

“I’m leaving.”

He didn’t wait for anyone to respond.

He simply began walking away.

The bodyguards reacted instantly.

They moved around him and pushed through the excited crowd, creating a clear path toward the exit.

Fans shouted his name in confusion.

Many of them had waited hours just to see him.

Now he was leaving only minutes after arriving.

Some tried to follow him.

Others stretched out their phones, desperate to capture pictures.

But the security team moved quickly and efficiently.

Within moments, Matteo was safely inside the waiting car.

Sean delivered Matteo’s message to the event organizers before quickly returning to the vehicle.

Matteo was already sitting in the back seat.

His posture looked rigid.

His jaw was tight.

But what Sean noticed most was the expression on his face.

Pain.

Frustration.

And something deeper that Matteo was clearly trying to hide.

Sean quietly slid into the passenger seat while one of the bodyguards started the engine.

Another car carrying the rest of the security team followed closely behind them.

The vehicle slowly pulled away from the hotel.

For a long moment, the car remained silent.

Then Matteo finally spoke.

“Take care of Clara’s job.”

His voice was calm, but firm.

“And find out why she’s working there.”

Sean glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

Matteo was staring out the window.

“Find her a better position,” Matteo continued quietly.

“And make sure she’s paid properly.”

The words sounded like an order.

But Sean heard something else hidden beneath them.

Concern.

Matteo still cared deeply about Clara.

Even if he refused to admit it.

Matteo leaned back in his seat as bitterness slowly filled his chest.

He still couldn’t believe what he had seen.

Clara.

Working as a waitress.

While pregnant.

The thought made his chest tighten painfully.

She had left him for that man.

For someone who clearly couldn’t even take care of heherself

If she had stayed with him…

Matteo’s hands slowly clenched.

If she had stayed with him, her life would have been completely different.

She would never have needed to work.

She would have lived like a queen.

He would have protected her from every hardship.

He would have made sure she never suffered.

But now…

She looked fragile.

Tired.

Alone.

The regret pressed heavily against his chest.

Suddenly the air inside the car felt too thin.

His breathing became uneven.

He loosened the top buttons of his shirt, trying to relieve the suffocating pressure in his lungs.

His mind refused to move away from one single thought.

Clara.

The woman he had once loved.

The woman he still could not forget.

At that moment, Sean’s phone suddenly rang.

He answered quickly.

As he listened, his expression slowly changed.

His eyes flicked toward Matteo.

“Matteo…” he said carefully.

“There’s a problem.”

Back at the hotel, Clara tried to continue her work as if nothing had happened.

But the atmosphere around her had changed completely.

People were whispering again.

The earlier scene between her and Matteo had drawn even more attention.

“She’s such a shameless woman,” someone said loudly.

Clara heard the words clearly.

Still, she continued wiping the tables in front of her.

She did not react.

“Because of her, Matteo had to leave,” another voice shouted angrily.

“She’s pathetic.”

Clara inhaled slowly.

She forced herself to remain calm.

This was not new.

Being the target of people’s anger had become part of her daily life.

As long as she could finish her shift and go home safely, she could endure it.

Across the room, someone else watched her carefully.

Anna.

She had come to the hotel earlier that evening after hearing that the cast and crew of a blockbuster film would be visiting the luxurious hotel for promotions.

She had hoped to make valuable connections.

But when she saw Clara working as a waitress, her shock quickly turned into something darker.

Jealousy.

Anger.

Seeing Clara pregnant made her furious.

But what angered her even more was seeing Matteo walk directly toward Clara earlier.

Anna could not understand it.

After everything that had happened, why did Matteo still care about her?

Why did Clara still hold his attention?

The bitterness inside Anna quickly turned into determination.

She would teach Clara a lesson tonight.

Anna stepped forward, raising her voice deliberately so everyone could hear.

“Look at the bastard she’s carrying!”

The sudden shout made Clara look up.

She recognized the voice instantly.

Before she could react, Anna grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby table.

And threw it directly at Clara.

The cold liquid splashed across Clara’s face and uniform.

Clara gasped in shock.

“Let her learn a lesson!” Anna shouted loudly.

“So she won’t betray anyone else again!”

Her words fueled the anger already spreading through the crowd.

People began moving closer.

Someone threw a napkin.

Another person tossed leftover food.

Soon objects began flying toward Clara from every direction.

Anna seized the moment.

She stepped forward and shoved Clara hard.

Clara lost her balance and crashed onto the floor.

Fear exploded inside her instantly.

Her hands moved instinctively to cover her stomach.

Her baby.

She had to protect her baby.

“That bastard in her belly doesn’t deserve to live!” Anna spat cruelly.

“It’s an insult to our favorite superstar!”

Her hateful words pushed the crowd further into madness.

Suddenly a fist struck Clara’s shoulder.

Pain shot through her body.

She cried out helplessly.

“No! Stop!”

But her voice disappeared into the chaos.

No one listened.

The hotel security rushed forward to intervene.

But the furious crowd pushed them back.

The mob grew more aggressive with every passing second.

Faces twisted with rage.

Eyes burned with hatred.

Step by step, they moved closer.

Clara shrank backward on the floor, trembling.

Tears streamed down her face as she held her stomach protectively.

Fear consumed her completely.

And as the furious crowd closed in around her, Clara could only do one thing.

Cry desperately for help.