Chapter 390: I’ll Kill Him
Claire froze. She stared at Frederick, her eyes wide, unable to believe what she was hearing. She thought, “Am I dreaming? Did Frederick actually just say sorry to me?”
This was the man she’d chased, loved, and yearned for with the fiber of her being. The same man who’d never given her a second glance, never saw her as anything special, never once looked at her the way she’d desperately wanted him to.
And now, here he was, apologizing. Tears flooded Claire’s eyes instantly. But this time, the tears weren’t because of love, nor were they due to being touched. They were because Claire felt a profound sense of pain for the person she used to be.
She thought to herself, “Past Claire, did you see that? Everything you went through, Frederick just apologized for it. Past Claire, you should be so happy, so incredibly happy. At least now, everything from the past can be closed with a perfect ending.”
“Claire?” Frederick, unsure of what was going through Claire’s mind, called her name again when she didn’t respond.
“I… I accept your apology. Is that all?” Claire snapped back to reality and smiled slightly.
“Yes, that’s all,” Frederick said, momentarily stunned. He truly hadn’t expected Claire to react this way. In Frederick’s mind, Claire should have been crying and rushing into his arms, deeply moved by his apology. The old Claire would have done exactly that. But that was only the past.
“Now that you’ve said your piece, you can leave. I need to rest. Oh, and actually, it’s fine if you go home. I’m fine alone here at the hospital. Grandma must have already told you that I injured myself, so the wound isn’t deep or serious. All I lost was some blood, and it’s already been replenished. I don’t need anyone to take care of me. As for the cliff incident, you know I wasn’t lying about it.”
“At the same time, I also hope that from now on, you won’t come to me over something Caroline says. And just to let you know, after I get discharged and return home, I’ll be going back to work at the Hiokeeh Group.”
Claire spoke calmly, her face as serene as a still lake, with not a trace of emotion. It was as if she were speaking to Frederick as a familiar stranger or, perhaps, as an equal partner.
“Mm, okay,” Frederick replied, pausing for a moment, then nodding before turning to leave. He still had so much more to say, but seeing Claire’s detached expression, the words were caught in his throat. He thought, “Well, if she doesn’t care, then why should I? There’s no point in saying anything more.”
After Frederick left, Claire closed her eyes and pulled the covers over herself to rest. At that moment, she felt a sense of calm that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Perhaps it was because she had come so close to death that she had finally let go. Right now, Claire felt like she had become her true self.
She felt even more determined to live on, to fight for her life with all her strength. After all, her lifetime is limited, and she should live it more brilliantly, more splendidly. Now, it was time for her to rest, to recover physically, and to regain her energy. Once she got her strength back, she could hustle again and live life on her own terms.
As she thought about work, Claire suddenly remembered that she needed to call Antony. Before, while she was at Arthur’s place, she had been too afraid of Frederick finding out, so she hadn’t been able to contact Antony. But now, things had settled down. She was going back to work at the Hiokeeh Group, so naturally, she needed to get in touch with Antony, especially regarding her permanent position. She had no clue how things had played out—whether they’d sealed the deal with Eclipse Nightclub or if anyone else had landed a permanent gig there.
Claire took out her phone and called Antony. “Antony,” she called out. But to her surprise, a strange man’s voice came through the line.
“Great, I was just about to kill him, and then you call. Listen, I don’t care who you are, but you’d better wire me 100 thousand dollars, or I’ll kill him!”