Ivan's eyes narrowed as he took in Liam, anger immediately beginning to course through his veins. He was the last person he wanted to see right now."You’ve got some balls showing up here, Liam," Ivan sneered, his voice cold and filled with rage"You!!!""You have the audacity to come here!""After everything you’ve done, you actually have the nerve to come here?"Liam’s heart sank further as he heard Iva's voice, but he tried to stand his ground, even though his legs felt like they could give out at any moment, especially what he had already been through in the hands of those brutal security men. If not that they had something urgent to attend to, they wouldn't have stopped beating him. "Ivan, please…"" I know I’ve made terrible mistakes. I know I’ve hurt your family, but I have nowhere else to go.""I’m begging you… please, just let me speak to Claire."Ivan’s eyes flashed with anger, and he took a step forward, towering over Liam. "Speak to Claire?""Are you out of your mind?""D
Liam opened his mouth to respond, to say something, anything that might ease the pain in her voice, but no words came out of his mouth.He was speechless. His throat was dry, and his face was disfigured, but it was nothing compared to how messed up he felt inside.He had never seen Claire like this, in so much pain. So broken that the pain weighed down on her. "You promised me, Liam!" Claire continued, her voice rising as anger coursed through her voice."You promised me!!!" She cried her heart out as she shook Liam violently, her fingers digging into his chest as if she wanted to rip him apart. She wished she could."You promised to make our family better""You promised to make our family the new partners of Lord Cloud""And what did you do instead? You destroyed us! You destroyed everything we managed to build!""I should never have trusted you, I should have trusted Nathan"Tears began to well up in Claire’s eyes, and everyone could see that she was on the brink of breaking dow
Nathan's car came to a stop in front of the entrance of the Cloud mansion. Finally, he was home.The driver got out of the car and hurried to the car door. He opened it with a respectful bow, and Nathan emerged from the car, his aura exuding nothing but power. He was a king returning to his own kingdom.James, the Cloud family's butler, was waiting at the top of the steps leading to the entrance."Welcome back, Lord Cloud," James said, his voice a smooth, practiced tone that gave away nothing of what he might be thinking.He bowed slightly, a gesture of respect. James was filled with happiness that his master had finally returned. There were few people in the world who knew Nathan well, and James was one of them.James’s mind went back to three years ago when Nathan left the Cloud mansion to get married into the Wilson family. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He tried to discourage him from leaving, but Nathan refused, saying he loved Claire and that once he revealed hi
Nathan’s eyes softened as he watched Vanessa accept the invitation with excitement.Vanessa carefully tucked the invitation back into into the envelope "Thank you so much for the invite, Nathan""Being by your side at an event like this… it's such an honor."Nathan reached out, gently taking her hand in his. "The honor is mine, Vanessa," he replied. "You've been more than just a partner in business.""Oh really?" Vanessa said, blushing at Nathan's words.But eventually, reality began to creep back in and Vanessa glanced at the clock on the wall. "I should probably head home," she said, a hint of reluctance in her voice. "I have a lot to prepare for the luncheon"Nathan’s grip on her hand tightened slightly as if he wasn’t quite ready to let her go. "I’ll have James arrange for a car to take you home."Vanessa shook her head gently. "Thank you, Nathan, you're so sweet""But that’s not necessary... My driver is here already. "Nathan nodded. "Alright, but promise me you'll let me know i
Vanessa continued to desperately cry for help, but her voice was barely audible over the storm as she stood in the rain, drenched and shivering from the cold. Her eyes darted around, desperately searching for anyone who could assist her.Suddenly, she could smell fuel from the car despite the rain.Her eyes widened in terror as she saw flames start to form. The crash had caused a fuel leak, and the vehicle was very close to igniting.“No, no, no!” Vanessa gasped, scrambling back toward Mark. She tried to drag him further away from the wreckage, but her strength was fading, and he was too heavy for her alone. The flames were growing.Panic washed over her as she did not know what to do. Suddenly, a car skidded to a stop on the roadside, and two men rushed out, seeing a woman in distress.“Get away from the car!” one of them shouted, as they both immediately came down from the car to rescue her. One of them grabbed Vanessa by the arm, pulling her back as the other man lifted her driv
Vanessa felt irritated by the way she was being looked at. Although she was not properly dressed, it was not her fault."Do I look like I'm here to joke? Lord Cloud invited me himself."The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.She glanced behind Vanessa and noticed the scooter parked off to the side. Her expression of disbelief immediately turned into one of disgust."You arrived here on that piece of trash?" the woman asked, pointing at the scooter with a much more disgusted look."Yes," Vanessa replied firmly, refusing to be intimidated.The woman scoffed loudly, drawing the attention of a few nearby guests who began to murmur among themselves. "Well, I don't know what kind of places you're used to, but this is a prestigious event.""We don’t just let anyone in, especially someone who smells like..." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Well, like they’ve been dragged through the mud."Vanessa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she stood her ground. "I was in an accident
Vanessa’s heart pounded in her chest. She was on the verge of breaking, and her body was still sore from the accident.But she stayed strong; she could not let them see any signs of weakness in her.“I’m not leaving,” Vanessa repeated, her voice firm despite the tremor in her chest. “I was invited to the event like everyone else, and I’m not going anywhere.”But the crowd’s jeers and mocking insults grew louder.One woman in line sneered, “She probably stole that dress too. It’s ruined anyway, just like her.”The insults did not stop as some of them even tried to harm her.Just when it seemed like the situation couldn’t get any worse, a woman from behind the line, one of the loudest, took a step closer to Vanessa, her voice dripping with venom. “You really think Lord Cloud would waste his time with someone like you? You’re a joke. A filthy, desperate joke.”Vanessa’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to keep her composure.The wom
The organizer frowned at the crowd.On one hand, he knew how important it was to respect Lord Cloud's guest; whoever disrespected Lord Cloud's guest would face severe consequences. On the other hand, the crowd was becoming increasingly restless, clamoring for Vanessa's identity to be confirmed.He knew he had to manage the situation carefully. The last thing he wanted was a full-blown scene that could disrupt this prestigious event.But if Vanessa was telling the truth, she would certainly have her ID on her, and all this would be over.He turned to Vanessa, his expression regretful. “Miss Vanessa, I’m really sorry, but given the circumstances, I’ll need to verify your identity. Do you have any sort of identification with you?”Vanessa’s heart sank. She had been so focused on getting to the event and surviving the accident that she hadn’t even thought about her belongings.The car fire had destroyed everything—her purse, her ID, and everything she could use to prove her identity, inc