Chapter 150: It’s Up to You

“Frederick, I tried to please you as you asked, but I don’t know what else you want. I’m sorry,” Claire’s voice trailed off, her tone increasingly aggrieved as she noticed Frederick’s dark, lustful gaze. She felt a chill at the thought of how he might punish her later.

“Didn’t you do well in the underground Eclipse Nightclub?” Frederick’s anger flared, recalling the videos of Claire’s past.

“Did I take the initiative to please them? Frederick, I was forced to do that. But if you want to play those games, go ahead. I have no power to resist,” Claire retorted. Her mind raced back to the unpleasant memories of being thrown into the underground Eclipse Nightclub by Frederick. She remained unaware that it wasn’t his orders, but rather the actions of Diana and Caroline. Of course, Frederick wouldn’t think it was someone else’s doing. He just thought that Claire had been in prison for four years and was very scheming, so it wasn’t surprising that she could do such a thing.

“Move back to Halfmoon Manor by yourself tomorrow,” Frederick said. He was stunned after hearing Claire was forced. His anger subsided. He released her and stood up to leave.

Downstairs, he called Richard, “Come pick me up at the apartment.” Half an hour later, Richard arrived. He thought Frederick would stay at Claire’s place tonight and originally wanted to go find his girlfriend. Unexpectedly, just after he had spent some time with his girlfriend, he received a call from Frederick. He looked at Frederick as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Frederick looked up and saw Richard in the rearview mirror. “If you have something to say, just say it!”

“General Hawthorne, you and Ms. Prescott…” Richard hesitated, but finally asked.

“Don’t forget what Claire did four years ago,” Frederick interjected, aware of Richard’s unasked questions. Richard’s words reminded him of what had happened between him and Claire recently, so he spoke up to remind him. These words seemed to be a reminder to Richard, but also more like a reminder to himself. Hearing his words, Richard swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

In his opinion, Frederick treated Claire really differently, and he had never seen him treat any other woman like this. But Frederick was in a confused situation, and there was nothing he could do. As for what happened four years ago, he had always been somewhat suspicious. He sensed numerous suspicious aspects, but Anna was dead, and Frederick had shot all the gangsters. Moreover, evidence on Anna’s and Claire’s phones made further investigation impossible.

“Did you find out who’s behind today’s public opinion?” Frederick asked, his irritation growing.

“Yes, it was orchestrated by Diana,” Richard replied, having just received the information.

“Diana?” Frederick frowned. He had suspected Arthur was behind it. After all, in the Hawthorne family, no, in the entire Kingstown, the person who least wanted him to run for president was probably Arthur.

“Yes,” Richard confirmed.

“Return to the Hawthorne Manor,” Frederick commanded.

“Now? At this hour?” Richard was surprised and took out his cell phone to check the time.

“Yes, now,” Frederick insisted. He must go back now. The first person who opposed his presidential run was Arthur. The second was Nathan, who preferred Arthur as his replacement. Richard nodded and drove toward the Hawthorne Manor.

“By the way, regarding that matter you wanted me to investigate. There’s still no clear lead on who’s behind all this. It could be a powerful opponent or someone outside the country,” Richard added as he drove.

“What about Arthur?” Frederick asked, immediately thinking of him as a potential adversary.

“My team has been monitoring him, and it appears he’s not involved,” Richard replied.

Frederick’s palms tightened.