Chapter 5 Aren’t You Two Married? Then How Could This Be
Claudia didn’t want to argue in the street over something so pathetic.
She had the photos. That was enough. She grabbed Gloria and headed toward the car parked across the road, ready to leave.
But just as they stepped out of the bar, they were stopped.
Standing in their way was a sharp–featured young man in a perfectly tailored black suit, tall and broad–shouldered.
Claudia recognized him.
Nathan, Alan’s assistant. He’d been sponsored by Moore Corp since he was a child. By high school, he was handpicked to serve at Alan’s side. Loyal to a fault, the one person Alan trusted
most.
He never put on a friendly face for anyone. Alan’s orders were his law. Ruthless and impersonal.
Claudia had never liked him.
Seeing him here now–considering Alan’s expression just moments ago–Claudia instinctively gripped her phone tighter.
“Ma’am, please hand over your phone.”
Nathan’s voice was blank as his hand reached out toward her.
Claudia didn’t say anything, but she also didn’t move to hand it over. She angled her body, glancing toward Alan.
He was still leaned in close to Summer, chatting intimately, not even sparing a look this way. His face was soft in a way Claudia had never seen before.
She looked away.
When she turned back to Nathan, her expression was already icy. “And if I don’t?”
“Ma’am, please don’t make this difficult for me.”
Nathan’s tone was still robotic, emotionless. “And don’t make things difficult for yourself either.”
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Chapter 5 Aren’t You Two Married? Then How Could This Be
That was a threat.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Gloria stepped between them. “You think just rob someone in the street now? Ever heard of the law?!”
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Nathan looked at her for a moment, then slowly recited, “Gloria. Licensed attorney for six years, five months, and eighteen days. Specializes in civil and commercial litigation, intellectual property, and corporate law. Currently employed at Holland Corp, the top- ranked law firm in the country.”
He paused slightly before continuing.
“Coincidentally, Moore Corp has an extensive business partnership with Holland Corp. Ms. Gloria, I assume a firm like that wouldn’t struggle to replace one lawyer.”
Gloria’s face went pale. She couldn’t say a word.
The message was clear. If she interfered tonight, her career was done. Moore Corp had enough influence to get her blacklisted in the industry.
But the woman being bullied right now was her best friend.
“Gloria, calm down.”
Claudia took a deep breath and forced a calming smile, even as fury churned in her chest. She gently pushed Gloria toward the car. “Go wait for me there. I’ll handle this and come join you. Don’t worry.”
She couldn’t let her friend’s career be ruined because of her. She’d regret it forever.
But Gloria couldn’t feel at ease.
These people were doing this in broad daylight–right in front of Alan–threatening his legal wife. That said everything about where Alan stood.
He didn’t care at all.
How could she just walk away and leave Claudia alone?
Then Nathan spoke again. “I’m afraid Ms. Gloria can’t leave either. Her phone needs to be checked as well.”
Claudia’s anger finally boiled over. “What does this have to do with her?! I want to talk to Alan myself!”
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Chapter 5 Aren’t You Two Married? Then How Could This Be
She tried to move past Nathan, heading straight for the two smiling lovebirds.
Nathan frowned and lifted his arm, blocking her just at the shoulder blades without touching her. A gesture of hollow courtesy.
Claudia let out a cold laugh. She tried to sidestep, but couldn’t. She pushed at him, but he didn’t budge. She stumbled backward a few steps, pain shooting through her shoulder blades.
“I already said–don’t make this hard on yourself.” Nathan frowned slightly. “This isn’t fun for anyone.”
Gloria had had enough. She didn’t care if she lost her job–she couldn’t stand to see her best friend bullied like this.
She raised her purse, ready to swing it at him–only for Claudia to grab her wrist tightly.
“Claudia! Let go! These assholes are drunk on power. I’ll smash his face in! He cheats in public but can’t be photographed? What a scumbag!”
Claudia was sweating from the pain in her back. She clung to Gloria, refusing to let go. “Calm down. Look at the intersection.””
Gloria paused and looked toward the street corner.
Four or five black cars had pulled up at some point. Their windows rolled down to reveal grim–faced men in black suits, all bodyguards. Their presence was overpowering.
It was obvious who they were here for.
Nathan extended his hand again. “Madam’s always been smart. I trust you know what to do.”
Gloria stood frozen, stunned. “Aren’t you two married? Then how could this be…”
This didn’t look like a marriage. It looked like open hostility.
She’d known Claudia’s marriage wasn’t good–but not that it was this bad. What kind of life had she been living all these years?
Claudia knew there was no way out of this tonight.
From a distance, she looked toward Alan. While his wife was being cornered by his people, he stood there smiling beside his childhood crush, chatting away like they were the perfect couple.
The people pressuring her were sent by him.
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Chapter 5 Aren’t You Two Married? Then How Could This Be
What a joke.
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Her heart ached like it was being stabbed with a thousand tiny needles. Claudia closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her expression was calm. Her lips curved upward into a polite smile, but her eyes were icy cold.
She looked at Nathan. “Mr. Lang, I’ll delete the photos. But Gloria didn’t take any. She’s not involved.”
“I’ll need to see for myself.”
“Not a chance.”
Claudia didn’t back down. “If you’ve got the guts, go ahead and kill me right here in front of Alan. In front of all these people. Otherwise, don’t you dare touch my friend’s phone.”
It was past ten at night, but this street was known for its bars and bistros. There were still quite a few people around.
Some of them had already started watching, and a few were even taking pictures.
But those with cameras were quickly taken away by the black–suited bodyguards. Nothing from tonight would leak–unless things escalated.
Nathan stayed silent.
Alan didn’t like Claudia, sure. But she was still the legal wife of Moore Corp’s CEO. They’d already pushed this as far as they could.
Claudia pointed to the security camera at the bar’s entrance. “I said she’s not involved. If you want to confirm who took what, go check.”
Nathan studied the unexpectedly defiant woman in front of him. He raised an eyebrow and sent a message from his phone.
A moment later, a reply came.
His expression relaxed slightly. Once he confirmed Claudia had deleted every photo of Alan and Summer together, and rechecked her phone, he finally stepped back.
Claudia watched from afar as Nathan returned to report. Alan didn’t even glance in her direction. He simply turned and led Summer into a nearby private dining restaurant.
Halfway there, Summer turned her head and looked back. Her peach blossom eyes sparkled. She pressed a finger to her smeared lips, then smiled.
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Chapter 5 Aren’t You Two Married? Then How Could This Be
“What a bitch,” Gloria fumed, practically shaking with rage.
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Claudia’s face remained expressionless. She ignored Summer’s taunt, lowered her head, and opened a black–coded interface on her phone. She typed in a string of commands.
An invisible lock icon appeared on the screen.
