Chapter 215: That’s So Pitiful

Caroline sat on her bed, hesitating for what felt like an eternity before finally responding to the email she’d received earlier. Ever since she returned from Zachary’s, Claire had been confined by Frederick. At the time, Caroline thought Zachary’s involvement would be enough and dismissed the mysterious person behind the email. While she couldn’t deny the person had helped push Claire back to Halfmoon Manor, something about them felt… off. She couldn’t explain it, but their intentions didn’t seem entirely pure.

Initially, Caroline assumed Claire would be locked up for a while. But to her shock, Claire was released after only a couple of days. Seeing her freely going to work made Caroline uneasy, though she still hoped Zachary could stir up more trouble. That hope was short-lived. Over the past few days, not only had nothing gone wrong between Claire and Frederick, but their relationship seemed stronger than ever. And now, they were even sharing a bed again.

Caroline was running out of time. She’d feared before that Claire might get pregnant and solidify her position through the child. And now, it seemed that nightmare scenario was closer than ever.

The reply came quickly after she sent her email.

[Changed your mind? Good. Helping me means you’ve agreed to my terms.]

[Yes. What do you want?]

Caroline clutched her phone tightly, shutting her eyes. After an agonizing moment of internal struggle, she sent her response. Barely two minutes later, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. Caroline hesitated, then answered. “Hello?”

“You wanted to know my terms, didn’t you?”

The voice on the other end was distorted, neither male nor female—clearly altered with a voice changer. Caroline didn’t care who they were. All that mattered was that they could help her.

“Yes,” she said, gripping the phone. “What are they?”

“It’s simple, really. By helping me, you’re helping yourself. The person I’ll connect you with is a notorious creep at the Hiokeeh Group. All you need to do is serve him well—make him happy. I trust you understand what I mean by ‘serve him well’?”

The words were delivered with unsettling ease, like they were nothing more than casual instructions. Caroline’s anger erupted instantly, her grip on the phone tightening as her face flushed with rage.

“What did you just say? You call this helping me? After all this time working together, you should know exactly what I want. I’ve done everything to be with Frederick, and now you’re telling me to throw myself at some sleazy creep? If Frederick finds out about this, how could I ever have a chance to be with him again?”

Caroline’s voice shook with fury, and she barely resisted the urge to hurl her phone across the room.

The distorted voice on the other end chuckled coldly. “Oh, Caroline, don’t act so high and mighty. Do you think I don’t know what kind of person you really are? You’re no saint. You’ve already slept with other men. So stop pretending to be virtuous.”

The voice turned sharp and merciless. “You’ve already played the game, Caroline. One man, two men—what difference does it make to add one more? Do it or don’t. Either way, you don’t get to negotiate with me. You’re in no position to make demands.”

Before Caroline could respond, the line went dead with a sharp click.

“Ah!” she screamed, listening to the harsh beeping of the disconnected call. In a fit of rage, she grabbed her phone and flung it against the wall, her frustration boiling over.

Why? Why could Claire, who had killed Anna, served four years in prison, and come out disgraced, still manage to climb back into Frederick’s bed? And she? She had devoted herself to Frederick for four long years, staying loyally by his side, only to be overlooked time and again. If it were the past, maybe she could understand—Claire had once been the pampered princess of the Prescott family. But now? Claire was nothing. No better than her, maybe even worse in Frederick’s eyes.

The more Caroline thought about it, the angrier she became. She stomped over to where her phone lay on the floor, picked it up, and checked if it still worked. Satisfied it did, she dialed Zachary’s number.

“Zachary, I can’t take this anymore,” she sobbed, her voice dripping with feigned misery. “You promised me—when are you going to make good on your word? You said you’d make them turn against each other, but nothing’s happening! Not only that, but this morning, Claire walked out of Frederick’s room!”

Her performance was flawless, each word steeped in pitiful desperation.

“Relax,” Zachary said smoothly, his tone laced with amusement. “Everything’s going according to plan. If you’re that curious, why don’t you come see for yourself?”

Hearing the trembling vulnerability in Caroline’s voice, Zachary licked his lips, savoring the moment.