Chapter 273: Bruised and Battered

Claire wasn’t afraid of what Frederick would do to her, but rather what he might do to Antony. So much had happened since her release from prison; she had endured all kinds of pain. Frederick had used almost every means available to him against her. What more could he do?

But Antony was different. He came from a low-income family, which was why she had donated a million dollars to him when they were in high school. Antony had joined the Hiokeeh Group without any background or resources and became a department manager. He must have gone through extraordinary hardships that most people couldn’t imagine. Yet, Frederick could destroy all of Antony’s efforts and sacrifices with just a word.

Claire really didn’t want to involve innocent people. She knew Frederick hated her very much because of Diana. He could do whatever he wanted to her; it didn’t matter since she was already bruised and battered. She had lost everything; she had nothing left to lose. But Antony…

She hoped Frederick wouldn’t take his anger out on Antony. Frederick’s gaze fell on the hand that Claire and Antony had just been holding. He didn’t say or do anything, not even greeting them. But Claire felt inexplicably anxious. Looking into Frederick’s eyes, she felt his gaze was deep, like a vortex, as if to swallow her and Antony up and shred them.

For a moment, it seemed everything around them had fallen silent. The whole world seemed to consist only of Claire, Antony, and Frederick.

“Ms. Prescott? General Hawthorne, this is your fiancée, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t until Brandon Thompson, next to Frederick, spoke that Claire snapped back to reality. Brandon looked at Claire with delight.

“Mr. Thompson, you’re mistaken. My fiancée is on vacation abroad these days.”

At this point, Frederick’s eyes had returned to their usual calm. He smiled as if Brandon had really mistaken someone else for his fiancée.

“Oh, sorry. It seems I really have the wrong person. Let’s go, General Hawthorne.”

Since Frederick said so, Brandon naturally wouldn’t dwell on the topic. Claire, however, never expected Frederick to say that. Frederick and Brandon had been gone for a while, and she was still standing there, lost in thought. She suddenly felt ridiculous for thinking Frederick would do something to Antony because of her.

He didn’t care about her at all. The way Frederick casually told Brandon that he had the wrong person was the best proof.

“Claire, are you alright?”

Antony saw Claire staring in the direction Frederick had left and couldn’t help but cautiously ask.

“I’m fine. What could be wrong?” Claire smiled, seemingly really fine. But the subtle changes in her expression didn’t escape Antony’s notice.

“Claire, I really didn’t expect to run into Frederick here. If, because of me, you two…” Antony felt a bit self-reproachful. Claire turned her head and interrupted him, “You said you were here to help me, right? Since you’re going to help me, you have to help me successfully collaborate with Eclipse Nightclub today. As for Frederick, you worry.”

“He doesn’t care about me at all. He just told that person he had the wrong person. Okay, let’s discuss the collaboration.”

Claire’s tone was light, but Antony could hear a sense of loneliness in it. At this moment, he felt Claire’s back was filled with sorrow, which broke his heart. He wanted to rush forward to comfort her but didn’t know what to say. Antony just watched Claire’s back, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.

“Antony, what are you standing there for? Come on!”

It wasn’t until Claire turned her head and called out to him again that he followed. “Okay.”

Not surprisingly, with Antony’s help, the collaboration was successfully achieved. Sam Campbell, the manager of Eclipse Nightclub, readily agreed to the collaboration. The weight in Claire’s heart was finally lifted. Now, she could stay at the Hiokeeh Group.

Unexpectedly, when Claire came back from the restroom, she heard the truth.

“Who?”

“The one who came to see Mr. Campbell before, saying he agreed to donate a kidney to his brother.”

“No way, right? He really came to discuss the collaboration. Is he that desperate, willing to donate a kidney for a collaboration!”

Claire was walking out of the restroom with her phone when she overheard these people’s discussions. Her phone dropped to the ground with a thud.

Antony? Kidney donation?