Chapter 336: A Fight?
Frederick let out a sneer and flicked away his cigarette butt before striding down the stairs. Antony shouted, “Frederick! I heard you hit Claire over the phone. What the hell did you do to her? Let her go! Why the fuck are you doing this?”
When Antony caught sight of Frederick, he dashed forward, his voice booming with an urgency that could no longer be contained.
“Why?” Frederick echoed, his voice dripping with contempt. “Antony, I have to say, I’m impressed by your courage. From your position, do you really think you can speak to me like this?”
“Have you forgotten something? Claire is my fiancée, not yours. She belongs to me. And it’s not your place to collect her body even if she were dead.”
Frederick narrowed his eyes. With deliberate slowness, he walked down the stairs. Reaching the living room, he settled on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. His voice seemed calm, but beneath the surface, rage consumed him. The moment Diana showed him the video, his blood boiled. Claire’s refusal to explain had only fanned the flames. Now, here was Antony, stirring the flames even higher.
Seeing Frederick’s composed demeanor, Richard felt a twist of unease. His brows knitted together in a tight furrow as he inhaled deeply, as if bracing himself for what was to come. He had served Frederick for years and had only seen him this enraged once—when Frederick had learned the truth about his mother’s death. Richard truly hadn’t anticipated seeing Frederick in such disarray again, not since the video featuring Claire and Antony had come to light. Now it was clear how deeply Frederick cared for Claire.
Standing off to the side, Antony couldn’t help but retreat a step. Even without knowing Frederick, he could sense the storm brewing within him, leaving the atmosphere thick with unspoken dread. But despite the overwhelming urge to back away, Antony knew retreat was not an option. Claire was already in confinement, so how could he possibly back down now?
“Frederick, I’m telling you. Whether Claire is your fiancée or even your wife, you don’t have the right to treat her like this. She has the right to her own freedom. Locking her up is not something you can do whenever you want.”
Antony took a deep breath, swallowing the fear that threatened to choke him. “What evidence do you have if you think I’ve locked her up? And even if I did, what exactly do you plan to do about it? Fight me?”
“Are you sure about this? Do you really have what it takes to go up against me?”
Completely at ease, Frederick reached for a gun, twirling it casually between his fingers as if to punctuate his words. Antony’s throat went dry. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched the gun spin in Frederick’s hand. He was acutely aware that in any form of combat, especially a gunfight, he would stand no chance against Frederick, a general seasoned by the fires of battle. He had come with the sole purpose of rescuing Claire. If he were to die here, how on earth could he save her?
“You’re scared now?” Frederick sneered. “Where was that fear when you were sleeping with my woman?”
Frederick’s smile widened as he saw the fear piling up in Antony’s eyes. “What did you say?” Antony froze, his blood running cold. He thought, “Did he just say I slept with his woman? Is he talking about Claire?”
“Give him the video!” Frederick barked at Richard. “Antony, you don’t have the guts to admit what you’ve done. What kind of man runs away from his mistakes? Coward.”
Richard played the video and gave the phone to Antony. Antony looked at the screen, and as the video played, his face drained of all color. “Claire and I have done nothing like this!” he yelled. After watching the video, he had to clutch at the wall just to remain upright, his world tilting on its axis. Now, the pieces fell into place for him. The incessant buzzing from his phone earlier and Frederick’s extreme measure of locking up Claire finally made sense.
Frederick raised his eyebrows, arguing, “Why should I believe you?” With so many events unfolding in rapid succession, he hadn’t even untangled the specifics of Claire and Antony’s previous escapade. There was simply no way he could take Antony at his word without solid proof.
“Oh, you doubt me? Then trust in yourself, Frederick. If Claire chooses to come with me, I’ll take her away against all odds! Even if it means dying by your hand, even if I must trade my life for her freedom, I’ll do it. Frederick, if you don’t believe me, let her decide. Give me a gun. You take one, too. Let’s fight in front of Claire and let her choose which of us she wants to stand with. I dare you.”
After his bold statement, Antony wore a wry smile, and a shadow fell over his eyes.