Chapter 204: Stupid Woman
“Why should I trust you?” Caroline gripped her phone, staring at the screen for a long time before finally sending a reply.
“You don’t have to.”
The response came back almost immediately, blunt and unbothered. After that, the sender wrote nothing else. Caroline mulled it over the entire day, turning the matter over in her mind. There was no further response from the mysterious contact.
As for Claire, she spent the whole day locked in her room by Frederick. Unable to do anything else, she called Antony and told him she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to come to work. Thankfully, Frederick hadn’t confiscated her phone.
Antony’s voice was full of concern as soon as he heard. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”
“It’s nothing, really. I just didn’t sleep well last night and caught a bit of a chill. My stomach hurts a little—it’s, uh, that time of…” Knowing Antony’s personality, she was certain that if he found out Frederick had locked her up, he’d storm over without a second thought. She could still remember how the two of them nearly came to blows back at the hospital.
“Well, as long as it’s nothing serious. Just rest up. Don’t worry about work; I’ll handle everything here,” Antony reassured her, believing her explanation without question.
Relieved, Claire ended the call. Being stuck at home wasn’t ideal, but at least she could still get some work done. She spent her time researching and gathering information about potential department heads for Flores Group. When she was busy, time always seemed to fly. Before she knew it, the entire day had passed. Other than a servant bringing her meals, Frederick hadn’t come to see her once.
Antony had given an assignment in front of the whole Hiokeeh Group team: within three days, the six of them needed to identify suitable candidates for the Flores Group department head position. Now only two days remained, which meant Claire could afford to stay home for just one more day. After that, she absolutely had to return to the office. Missing this opportunity wasn’t an option—falling short on this project could cost her a critical score in the company’s evaluations. In a place like Hiokech Group, even one lost point could mean the difference between landing a coveted position or losing it entirely.
Claire knew she couldn’t afford to sit around and wait. She needed to find a way to leave the house and get back to work before the third day arrived. But the thought of Frederick’s heavy-handed methods left her frustrated and at a loss. She sighed. It was clear now—she couldn’t go head-to-head with Frederick in the future. If she did, the one who’d end up paying the price would always be her.
Caroline was at her wit’s end. She hadn’t received a single email all day, and despite her efforts to dig up information, she had exhausted nearly all her contacts without finding any leads on Hiokech Group. Even if she managed to break through the obstacles and find someone connected to them, there was no guarantee that person would be willing to help.
At eight o’clock in the evening, Frederick returned home. “General, you’re back,” the butler said, rushing over to greet him and offering his slippers. Frederick glanced toward the room where Claire had been cooped up all day. The butler, quick to read the situation, spoke up. “General, Ms… trouble at all, and she ate the meals we sent up.”
“Hmm,” Frederick replied, a hint of confusion in his tone. No tears or tantrums? He recalled her tense demeanor from the night before and wondered how she could be so composed now. “Are you sure she’s still in there?” Frederick asked again.
“I checked on her during lunch; she was lying in bed. I haven’t taken dinner up yet,” the butler admitted, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
Without another word, Frederick headed upstairs with purpose, the butler trailing closely behind. “Open the door!” Frederick called out, genuinely worried that Claire might have left the room. The butler quickly unlocked the door. As it swung open, darkness enveloped them. Frederick reached for the light switch and illuminated the room to find Claire lying in bed, clutching her stomach and shivering under the covers.
“Claire!” Frederick’s heart raced as he rushed over to her side.
“Frederick, I… my stomach… it hurts… so much…” Claire peeked out from under the blanket, looking weak and fragile. “Are you sick?”
Frederick scolded her gently before scooping her into his arms without hesitation. “Butler, get the car ready for the hospital!”
“Yes, General!” The butler replied, noticing Claire’s pale complexion and feeling a pang of worry as he hurried to prepare the vehicle. Meanwhile, Claire lay limp in Frederick’s embrace, no longer pretending to be in pain. After spending hours contemplating her situation in solitude, she had finally devised this plan to feign illness. To her surprise, Frederick didn’t question it at all; he simply held her tightly and rushed her to the hospital. In all their years together, she had never seen him so anxious.