Chapter 42: Fate Sealed

“A week ago, I spared you for Madam Prescott’s sake. Yet, here you are, your wounds barely healed, already seeking to harm others!”

“Your energy is misplaced. Clearly, you need no rest. Richard, take her to Eclipse Nightclub. She wishes to earn money, doesn’t she? Let her have her wish!”

Without further ado, Frederick ordered Richard to cast Claire back into the depths of Eclipse Nightclub.

Caroline, kneeling, was taken aback. She had anticipated Frederick’s wrath against Claire, not merely her banishment to Eclipse Nightclub.

Naturally, Caroline was reluctant to admit defeat, especially when the outcome was far from what she had hoped to witness. Yet, she knew misfortune could easily befall Claire if she found herself cast into Eclipse Nightclub.

With Diana’s help, she would ensure Claire and Frederick could never be together again. A man like Frederick would never desire a woman sullied by the likes of Eclipse Nightclub.

Claire stood, a silent statue, from start to finish.

In her heart, she yearned to explain, but as the words reached her lips, the weight of past events silenced her.

Laughter, bitter and hollow, echoed in her mind. Whether she spoke or not, the outcome would remain the same. What was the point?

Soon, Frederick’s men approached, dragging Claire away. She stood rigid, offering no resistance and no submission. She seemed a soulless husk, her body like a stiff zombie.

Their rough handling tore open the scabbed wound on her abdomen. Blood seeped, staining her hospital gown in a grotesque display. Claire looked ghostly pale. Yet, she uttered not a word. This pain was trivial compared to the torments of prison.

Frederick, witnessing Claire’s state, was inexplicably reminded of the scene at Jacob’s house a week prior. He found himself stepping forward.

Seizing the moment, Caroline rose and clung to Frederick. “Frederick, I’m so scared! Claire barged in today. I don’t understand what’s happening!

“My sister died in such a manner. Am I to meet the same fate? No, I trust Claire. She wouldn’t do this.

“She seems so kind, yet she rushed at me today. I don’t know what she intended. It’s terrifying!”

Caroline, a frightened bird, nestled into Frederick’s embrace. Her words, laced with exaggeration, were punctuated by the clang of the fruit knife Claire had brought for self-defense.

Due to the excessive force exerted by Frederick’s men, the fruit knife Claire had concealed slipped from its hiding place amidst the scuffle.

The sight of the fruit knife caught Caroline off guard. She hadn’t anticipated that Claire would come armed with a knife.

Then, a wave of triumph surged through her, driving her to the brink of madness with pride. Had Frederick not been present, she might have danced with glee.

She mused silently, “Claire, you brought this upon yourself! You chose your path to destruction! You brought the knife here on your own accord, seeking your own demise! You had no one to blame but yourself!”

Claire’s back stiffened at the sight of the fruit knife. She had nearly forgotten its presence.

Now, her guilt was irrefutable. Any explanation was futile.

The last shred of pity in Frederick’s heart vanished with the fruit knife.

“Richard, so long as Claire does not die in Eclipse Nightclub, whatever befalls her, report no more to me!”