Chapter 68: He Hated Her

That night, Claire was unceremoniously tossed into the basement of Halfmoon Manor, where Bailey summoned a family doctor to tend to her injuries. The following morning, Diana received the news and immediately called Caroline.

“Caroline! Frederick brought Claire back from the underground Eclipse Nightclub! She’s at Halfmoon Manor now! Did you hear?” Diana’s voice burst through the phone, filled with urgency.

“What? Did they find out about what we did at Eclipse Nightclub?” Caroline exclaimed, her fork clattering to the floor as she dropped it in shock.

“I don’t think so, Caroline. Don’t panic. I’ll send someone to look into it right away,” Diana replied, trying to calm Caroline.

Caroline said, her voice trembling, “Diana, I’m counting on you! Without you, I wouldn’t know what to do. I have no power in Kingstown. I don’t know anyone, unlike you. You’ve grown up in Kingstown, and you’re a Hawthorne. If Frederick suspects me…”

“What if Claire, being as cunning as she is, tries to turn this around on me like she did with my sister four years ago? I’m scared, Diana!”

Deep down, Caroline knew that Frederick hadn’t come looking for Diana yet, which likely meant he hadn’t discovered anything. But she couldn’t take any chances; it was best to prepare for the worst.

“Don’t worry, Caroline. I owe your sister my life, and I’ll protect you! Frederick is my brother; even if he figures out I was involved, he won’t do anything to me,” Diana reassured her.

As soon as Caroline mentioned Anna, Diana instinctively took the blame, ready to shield her friend.

“No, Diana! If Frederick really finds out, just say it was all my fault,” Caroline insisted, maintaining her facade of innocence and kindness.

Having spent three years with Diana, Caroline had learned the ropes. She knew how to handle Diana. Flattery worked wonders. A few sweet words and some praise would make Diana do whatever she wanted.

After hanging up, Diana rushed over to Halfmoon Manor. When she arrived, Claire lay curled up in a sleeping bag in the basement, feverish and unconscious.

Bailey informed Diana that since Claire returned the night before, she had been badly injured, as if something had mauled her. He relayed Frederick’s orders as well.

Diana listened, her heart swelling with satisfaction, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. Once outside Halfmoon Manor, she immediately called Caroline again.

Caroline, though puzzled, felt a sense of reassurance upon hearing Frederick’s instructions and Claire’s condition. If Frederick hadn’t discovered anything yet, and Claire was so badly hurt, it was likely Frederick had turned against her entirely. In that case, Caroline had nothing to worry about.

For the next week, Claire remained in a daze, her injuries severe. She lay in the cold basement, drifting in and out of consciousness. Occasionally, Claire felt someone bandaging her wounds, giving her water, and feeding her, but the chill in the air was unrelenting, as if she were in a frozen wasteland.

In her hazy state, she found herself transported back to her childhood, a time when everyone in the Prescott family doted on her. It was a blissful memory filled with warmth and happiness. Since Claire’s imprisonment four years ago, she hadn’t experienced such joy again.

It wasn’t until a week later that Claire finally regained full consciousness and realized she was in the basement of Halfmoon Manor. No wonder it was so cold. She struggled to sit up, her mind racing to piece together the events leading up to her fainting.

Claire remembered being taken by Frederick to the underground fighting arena, and just as the bear was about to devour her, someone shot it dead. She wasn’t sure who had pulled the trigger, but somehow Frederick had brought her back.

Claire instinctively thought that Frederick might have been the one to shoot the bear, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Given how much he despised her, it was hard to believe he would have saved her in such a situation.

While she was lost in thought, Bailey arrived with a few attendants.

“Ms. Prescott, now that you’re awake, you won’t need anyone to look after you. The general has instructed that as long as you’re alive, that’s enough.”

It seemed they were originally meant to tend to her wounds, but upon seeing she was conscious, Bailey delivered this terse update.

Claire listened to Bailey’s words and forced a wry smile. She didn’t say anything. She understood her predicament all too well and knew exactly how much Frederick loathed her.