Thank you for reading. Thank you for the gems I've received so far and also, I appreciate your support. This book is a little different from my other books and I hope you enjoy it.
The following day, Claire avoided Oliver at all costs. During the meeting, she didn’t spare him a glance despite feeling his eyes on her the whole time. Her treacherous feelings kept getting in the way of her plans for revenge and if she didn’t distance herself from him, she was afraid she might end up disappointing her parents. ‘It’s better this way… If Oliver finds out why I really came to work for him and the lies I’ve told… He would hate me,’ she mused, entering her office after telling the receptionist she wasn’t accepting visitors. She spent hours going through the files she took from Oliver’s house, trying to gather the evidence quickly so that she could speed up the process to avoid spending late nights with him. It was time to knock off and she was looking out the window at the setting sun when her phone rang. When she glanced at the screen, a sigh escaped her lips when she saw Wesley’s name. “Hey Claire…” Wesley said when she answered. “I’m calling to ask you out to
"Do you hate me that much?" Oliver asked in a low voice, looking at her with so many emotions swirling in his eyes. Her words cut him, the pain making the lump in his throat painful to swallow. It was always one step ahead and two steps back with her... he thought she was finally warming up to him and ready to give him a second chance. "Isn't it obvious, Mr Ford? I can't stand being close to you... your presence reminds me of the pain you made me go through, so yes, I hate you," Claire replied, her words cutting through Oliver like a knife cuts through better. Oliver ignored Claire's harsh words. He took in a deep breath and asked gently, "Will you give me a second chance, Claire? I'll prove to you that I'm the man you need. Someone you can rely on... I'll protect you with my life. I promise I'll never hurt you again... Claire, I lo-" "Please stop... I'm not in the mood to hear your speech right now. Leave my office, Mr Ford," Claire hissed, her heart pounding at the words Olive
Oliver groaned, losing his appetite. "Mom, please, can we not talk about that?" He muttered, his eyebrows furrowing. "Why can't we talk about it?" Roxanne questioned her son. "You've always dodged the question. Six years ago, I asked you why you treated Claire like that, you refused to tell me... how can we help if we don't know what the problem is? You clearly love her so much, otherwise, you would have gotten together with Jessica Hart." After seeing Oliver so drunk that he couldn't even recognise his surroundings, Roxanne decided to have a chat with him before he destroyed himself further. "Mom, Oliver can never share his problems with you, he's always been like that," Zara Ford said as she grabbed a tray of pancakes. She was a young woman with dark hair and blue eyes. At twenty-four, she was already working on starting her own company independent from her father and brother. Her twin sister, Clare Ford, was into computer science and a low-key skilled hacker. She worked in
Claire couldn't fathom the stinging pain in her heart. Her dinner date with Wesley went well. His jokes and flirting made her forget her problems for a moment. For once, it felt good to not think about revenge or how she was still affected by Oliver's presence. She had wanted to introduce Wesley to Thalia but, unfortunately, she had already fallen asleep by the time she returned home. It was in the morning when Katherine woke Claire up with an urgency to her tone. "Claire, Claire, wake up. You have to see this!" "What is it, Mom? Is the world ending?" Claire groaned, her eyes feeling heavy as she tried to squint them open. "I wish it was... that man you seem to fail to move on from is just playing you. Look, he was with his real lover last night." Claire's stomach plummeted at those words. She sat up straight and reached for her mother's phone, the loud pounding of her heart deafening to her ears. A sharp sting of pain shot through her heart and her eyes blurred with tear
"S-Sir, we are getting a lot of calls from media houses. They want you to confirm your relationship with Miss Hart-" "Relationship? Since when have I been in a relationship with her and why have you failed to handle this issue?" Oliver questioned. "I couldn't do anything before getting your permission. I've been trying to call you for the past two hours after you went viral," Thomas explained. "The news is trending on social media." Oliver narrowed his eyes, feeling confused. He didn't like where this was going. Glancing at his assistant, he asked, "What news is trending?" "Well, Miss Hart posted a few suggestive pictures of the two of you this morning and everyone is going crazy. She has practically confirmed to the public that you're in a relationship," Thomas answered and showed Oliver the tabloids. It was only then that Oliver understood Claire's cold demeanour and why she was so upset with him. She must have thought he was playing with her. Thomas' phone rang and he hiss
"Babe, are you sure you're ok? You look pale," Quinn said as she studied her best friend's face during lunch. Claire had been in a bad mood and since she couldn't drink, it being during the day, she called her friend out for lunch. "I'm fine, Quinn. Why wouldn't I be?" Claire asked, trying to mask her conflicting emotions. The truth was, the pain in her heart was still there. Worse, she now felt guilty for how she had treated Oliver earlier. The hurt that flashed through his eyes when she slapped him with those flowers... she would never forget that look. How was she supposed to go ahead with revenge when she was feeling bad for the people she was supposed to take down? "Claire, I haven't known you my whole life but I can tell when something is bothering you... is it because of the news that was trending earlier? It's fake... Oliver said so himself," Quinn said and noticed the quick flicker of pain that flashed through Claire’s eyes before it disappeared. Claire chuckled and
"Can you get me ice cream, Aunty Quinn?" Thalia asked when Quinn picked her up from school. "Of course, what flavour do you want?" Quinn asked as she drove her car off. "Um... I want the half-half one. Chocolate and strawberry," Thalia said and Quinn's eyes lit up. "I love that one... I think I'll have that one too!" She said and Thalia giggled. A good thirty minutes later, Quinn drove through traffic and took Thalia to an ice cream shop in town. After ordering, they sat at one of the tables. "Is Mommy going to marry Uncle Oliver?" Thalia suddenly asked as she licked her ice cream. "You really like him, don't you?" Quinn remarked, feeling sorry for the kid who didn't know the man she liked was actually her biological father. Thalia nodded her little head and replied, "Yes, I like him very much and I want him to be my Daddy." Quinn smiled. She reached forward and stroked Thalia's hair before saying, "Let's wait for Mommy's decision, ok?" Thalia felt disappointed but she
Jessica Hart had been looking for an opportunity that would force Oliver to be with her. Her spy from the Ford Corporation kept giving her updates that she didn't like. Oliver seemed to be pursuing Claire with everything he had... getting her flowers and gifts which was so unlike him. Her spy reported that at some point, they left work together and reported together the next day which meant Claire had spent a night at his house. All these traits that Oliver was portraying were foreign to Jessica. The Oliver she knew was no romantic. He was arrogant and cold and was never interested in pursuing a woman. Women threw themselves at him and even then, he never spared any of them a glance. Heck, she had stripped before him once but he didn't even get turned on or try to bed her. So, hearing that he was chasing after Claire, jealousy boiled in Jessica's veins. She made her henchmen keep an eye on Claire and continue to look into her background so that she could make her pay for stealin