Chapter 2

• Claire’s POV
• When I told my mom that I was going to see Leo, she was trying to reach my dad's lawyer.
• My mom forced a smile. "Yes, you should talk to Leo, and hopefully it won't affect your wedding. And if he can't help, please don't blame him."
• Looking at the fatigue and anxiety she couldn't hide on her face, I didn’t tell her about Leo calling to cancel the wedding.
• Although our cards were frozen, luckily the car in the garage had not been repossessed. Before my dad was convicted of a crime, my mom and I still had a house to live in and a car to drive.
• I called Emily while sitting in the car, and it took her a long time to answer. Her voice was hoarse, probably just waking up from a hangover.
• I briefly told her about my dad being arrested and Leo wanting to call off the wedding.
• "Oh Claire, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? How could this happen?" Her worried tone and caring words almost made me cry.
• Emily is my best friend. She’s good at listening—gentle and friendly, with a beautiful soul.
• Our personalities match well, and we can talk about anything when we’re together. Every time I argue with Leo, she listens and comforts me.
• "Emily, thank goodness for you," I choked up, driving out of the garage. "Can you tell me what happened last night? Why was I with that stranger?"
• Emily hesitated for a few seconds. "I'm sorry... Claire, I was too drunk last night."
• Her hesitant manner made me suspicious. "Just tell me, what really happened?"
• My tone was too serious, so she had to tell me. "You said you wanted to indulge before getting married, and then I saw you being intimate with a stranger. I'm really sorry I couldn’t stop you, but I don't know what happened afterwards—I was also too drunk."
• Oh my God! I couldn’t believe it.
• Was I really a slut when drunk—actually taking the initiative to sleep with someone else?Emily was still talking on the phone. I was chills and my ears were buzzing. I didn't listen to her for the most part.
• Emily kept talking on the phone, but my mind was too chaotic to take in most of it.
• "I'm at home, why don’t you come over and we can talk?" Emily suggested.
• "Oh, okay," I replied in confusion.
• After hanging up the phone, my heart was filled with self-blame and regret, constantly replaying Leo’s angry voice and the image of the stranger lying in bed.
• No, I don’t believe it. I can't give up like this. I have to go find Leo.
• He said he had a video of me cheating, and I had to see it with my own eyes—otherwise, I wouldn’t give up.
• So I parked the car and turned around, rushing to Leo's house as fast as I could.
• After parking, I saw Emily’s car in the driveway.
• How could her car be here?
• I got out of the car and walked to the door, about to knock, but I heard voices and laughter coming from inside.
• "Leo, I really have to go. Claire should be arriving at my house soon."
• "Forget about that b*tch, baby. Let her wait. Let’s do it again. I swear this time will make you feel as good as last night."
• "Stop it, Leo. She will suspect something. We can’t show our hand yet; otherwise, she won’t be easy to deal with."
• "Damn b*tch. Fine, you go deal with her first. Don’t confront her yet; remember to remind her that I have her video, and tell her to return the diamond ring as soon as possible..."
• Oh, my God! It's Leo and Emily!
• They were having an affair!
• I was shocked and felt betrayed, my heart beating uncontrollably and my stomach churning with a feeling of intense nausea.
• I clenched my fists tightly, nails digging into my flesh—but I felt no pain.
• I wanted to burst in, tear apart their hypocritical faces—but then I heard them discussing my father's arrest.
• "If it weren’t for my help, the police wouldn’t have caught him so quickly. I think they’ll definitely give me a large sum of money, which we can use for our honeymoon."
• "They sent the location. I have to go now."
• Hearing that they were coming out, I quickly hid in a nearby bush.
• The car I drove was a new wedding gift from my father. They didn’t know it and didn’t notice me there.
• After they drove away, I suppressed my anger and disgust and followed Leo’s car.
• I had to find out who framed my father—and who the mastermind was.
• The car quickly stopped at a luxury hotel.
• Coincidentally, this was the same hotel I had escaped from in the morning.
• Seeing Leo enter the hotel, I didn’t hesitate—I followed him.
• Keeping my head down and trying not to make a sound, I trailed Leo to the door of a presidential suite.
• There were several tall bodyguards standing at the door. I hid in a corner and could faintly hear Leo talking to them.
• "Mr. Howard is already inside." The bodyguard opened the door for Leo to enter.
• Hearing the name Howard and seeing the bodyguards’ attire, my heart instantly clenched into a knot.
• I knew who it was—Leonard Howard—the big boss of the largest comprehensive development group in Weston City, controlling most of the city's construction projects and underground black market. At the same time, his cousin, Alexander Howard, is the newly appointed mayor of Weston.
• In Weston, no one dares to provoke the Howard Group.
• My dad is just an accountant for a subsidiary of the Thorn Group. How could he have offended them? How can I confront them? How can I get my dad out of prison?
• Numbly turning around, I caught a glimpse of a familiar face by chance.
• It was him—the stranger I was with last night.
• He was handsome and tall, standing at over 190 cm, dressed in a custom-made luxury suit, exuding nobility and aloofness all over—completely different from how he looked in bed.
• There are two suites on this floor in total, and he walked into the other presidential suite.
• It seemed to be the same room I escaped from this morning.
• At that time, I was too flustered and nervous to notice that it was actually such a top-notch presidential suite.
• At this moment, two hotel staff passed by.
• "I can’t believe it—Damian Thorn actually came to Weston, and he’s staying in the presidential suite of our hotel."
• "I know! He’s so handsome! Even more handsome than the photos I saw on my phone!"
• Damian Thorn? The name sounded familiar. I took out my phone to check. When I saw the introduction about him on Google, I almost dropped my phone in shock.
• Everyone knows Thorn Group—the world’s number one multinational holding group, with businesses in finance, technology, energy, biopharmaceuticals, and more—spanning over a hundred countries worldwide. The history of the Thorn family has been recorded since the parchment era.
• And Damian Thorn is the current CEO of Thorn Group. His photo could be seen at a glance on the company’s homepage.
• The flame of hope that had died in my heart gradually reignited, making me tremble with excitement.