Chapter 159: Frederick Knew Everything

Claire swallowed several gulps, unaware that the drink she had just consumed was laced with a substance from Elysium Bliss. It wasn’t until the sharp burn hit her throat that she pulled away from Frederick.

“Cough, cough… cough, cough…” Claire clutched her chest, coughing violently.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? You’ve barely had a few sips. Isn’t that enough?” Frederick said, picking up the bottle and preparing to pour more into her throat before she could catch her breath.

“Frederick, what do you mean by this? Why are you forcing me to drink?” Claire was completely confused by the situation.

“Oh, still playing innocent? Is it fun?” Frederick was already certain that Claire had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes.

“What am I playing?” Claire stood up, glaring at Frederick, her voice sharp with accusation.

“Claire, didn’t you want this? I’m just giving you what you want!” Frederick said, looking at her with an amused, almost mocking expression. He grabbed her arm and began leading her toward the door of the private lounge.

Outside, Caroline stood in the hallway, frozen as she watched everything unfold. She could hear every word Frederick spoke, and her heart pounded in her chest. As she saw Frederick drag Claire out of the lounge, she quickly stepped aside to hide. There she stood, her fists clenched tightly as she watched them walk away, her feelings a mix of rage and fear.

She couldn’t believe that, after all the careful planning she and Diana had put into this, it was Claire who ended up benefiting from it. But what shocked her even more was that Frederick had already known everything from the very beginning. She was stunned for a moment. Once she confirmed that Frederick had left with Claire, she hurried out of the Eclipse Nightclub and found a quiet spot to call Diana.

“Caroline?” Diana wondered when she saw the call from Caroline. Wasn’t Caroline supposed to be with Frederick right now?

“Diana, it turns out Frederick already knew everything.” Caroline’s voice was still trembling with the shock of Frederick’s attitude toward Claire. She could not shake the unease. If the person who had entered earlier wasn’t Claire but her, Caroline couldn’t even imagine what the consequences would have been. All the plans she had worked so hard on for the past four years would be ruined because of tonight, and any chance between her and Frederick would be gone forever. Now that she thought about it, she was relieved that she had been so careful, never rushing into anything. Otherwise, her life would be ruined.

“What?” Diana was still trying to understand Caroline’s words.

“Everything that was planned for tonight, Frederick already knew in advance. I accidentally bumped into a janitor when I was entering and got my clothes dirty, so I went to the bathroom to clean up,” Caroline continued. “Luckily, that happened. When I got to the lounge door, I found Claire was already inside. I don’t know why she was there, but I overheard their conversation. I heard everything clearly – Frederick knew all about the plan.”

“He just blamed it all on Claire. He must have believed it was her who orchestrated everything because of what happened four years ago with Anna. He even knew about Elysium Bliss. So I decided to stay hidden and not go in. I waited until they left, then I came out and called you.” Caroline told Diana everything she had heard, and Diana was equally shocked.

“Frederick knew… everything?” Diana’s voice trembled as she gripped the phone, unsure of how much Frederick really knew or whether he would come after her. Remembering how Frederick had treated Claire four years ago, Diana felt a wave of fear. “Caroline, you did the right thing. From now on, let’s not make any more moves. We’ll wait and see what happens.”

“Yeah, okay,” Caroline replied. Caroline agreed with Diana’s approach. She nodded before hanging up the phone, but the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. Why had she been so cautious, so painstakingly staying by Frederick’s side for four years, only for Claire to take advantage of it in the end? Such an excellent man – why should Anna get him? Why should Claire get him? Why couldn’t she, Caroline, have him?

Her whole life, she had always lived in Anna’s shadow. Her parents, her brother, and even all of their relatives favored Anna, never her. Just because Anna excelled in everything – good grades, outstanding in every way – did that mean Caroline wasn’t worthy of living?

“You’re so useless!”

“Why did I even have you as my child?”

“If you had half the ability of your sister, I’d be thanking my stars! A worthless child!”

The mocking, the insults, the curses – she could hear them as if they were yesterday. All these years, she had never had a single good day. It seemed like as long as Anna was around, there was no place for Caroline to exist. So, when Anna’s accident happened four years ago, heaven knew how much she rejoiced. She knew everything about the relationship between Anna and Frederick, and that’s when she took the opportunity to get closer to him.

Thinking back on all of this, Caroline felt like she had swallowed a hundred years’ worth of bitterness, her mouth bitter from both the memories and the saliva that followed. She crouched at the entrance of Felipee Nightclub, laughing madly. After she finished, she turned and walked back into the nightclub. She approached the front desk and ordered the strongest drink they had.

Meanwhile, Claire had already gotten into the car with Frederick, heading back to the villa. However, the effects of Elysium Bliss had already begun to take hold midway.

“Ugh! Frederick, I feel… so hot… so uncomfortable…”