Chapter 3

• Claire’s POV
• What happened last night was originally an accident for me—more of a pure disaster.
• But after finding out that Leo and Emily had betrayed me, and helped Leonard Howard frame my dad, I felt no guilt or self-blame in my heart—only a bit of post-revenge madness.
• And now, knowing the identity of that man, I’ve changed my mind even more: what happened last night was not a bad thing.
• It’s not about celebrating and spending a crazy night with a handsome stranger, but in this difficult moment, this wealthy and powerful man may be the only hope to save my dad from the Howard Group.
• The Howard Group is ruthless, showing no mercy to those who have offended them. I worry they will harm my dad in prison, and I can't wait for something terrible to happen.
• The betrayal of Leo and Emily pierced my heart like a sword. The intense and continuous pain and furious were unbearable.
• I must take revenge! I must make them pay for this!
• But first, I need to save my dad.
• God bless—let Damian Thorn be a man with a kind heart.
• Although I don’t remember how we ended up sleeping together, maybe he has a slight fondness for me. After all, a man as sexy and wealthy as him, surrounded by women all the time, chose to be with me.
• With this slight fondness, maybe he can help me.
• Holding onto a faint hope, I clenched my fists, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.
• Approaching the door of the presidential suite, two bodyguards in black suits stopped me.
• “I need to see Mr. Thorn. Please tell him I... I want to talk to him about last night.” I tried to control my trembling voice.
• The two bodyguards scrutinized me.
• “What? What’s your name?” one of them asked.
• “Um... Mr. Thorn may not know my name. I was his date last night.”
• The two bodyguards exchanged a glance.
• From their faces, I could see the guard and mockery.
• “Every day, there are countless women like you trying to get close to Mr. Thorn. Do you know what happens to them?” the tall and burly bodyguard moved his wrist toward me menacingly. “They get thrown out like rats!”
• I panicked and took two steps back, realizing that my words just now were indeed unconvincing, and I was being seen as a gold digger trying to latch onto a wealthy man.
• “I’m not lying. Just let me see Mr. Thorn, and you’ll know I’m telling the truth. I really did spend last night with Mr. Thorn.” I stepped back, trying to convince them.
• But it was obviously in vain.
• “Fine, I’ll leave!” I raised my hands and stepped back, avoiding their reaching hands. “Don’t touch me! I’ll leave on my own!”
• They stopped in their tracks, giving me a disdainful look.
• I turned and took two steps.
• Seeing me leave, they also turned and walked toward the door.
• While they couldn’t see me, I quickly ran past them, circled around, and turned the doorknob.
• I had only intended to try, but to my surprise, the room was actually unlocked. I rushed in directly.
• The room was dark. The curtains weren’t drawn. The dim environment instantly robbed me of my vision, and I couldn’t see anything clearly.
• Two bodyguards rushed over to grab me, so I had to fumble and run inside in a panic.
• As I ran, I shouted, “Mr. Thorn! I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye to you this morning when I left. Can we talk? About what happened between us last night?”
• Before I could finish speaking, I suddenly tripped over the carpet under my feet, instantly losing my balance and falling.
• With a thud, my body hit the ground—but because the floor was covered with a thick carpet, it wasn’t very painful.
• I fumbled to stand up.
• The room’s lights came on at that moment.
• I shielded my eyes from the glaring light, taking two seconds to gradually open them and see the scene inside the room clearly.
• On the sofa in front of me sat a tall, handsome man.
• He was dressed in an expensive tailored suit, his hair neatly combed, sitting calmly on the sofa, looking at me quietly.
• But through those calm eyes, I could feel the danger and mystery emanating from him.
• Yes—the owner of this face was the man I slept with last night: Damian Thorn, who looked exactly like the CEO photo on the Thorn Company website.
• “Sorry, boss. We’ll throw her out right away.” Two bodyguards quickly walked over, lifted me up, and dragged me toward the door.
• I struggled and shouted at him, “Mr. Thorn! I’m the woman who was with you last night. I promise not to bother you, I won’t tell anyone. I just need your help with something!”
• My voice was sharp and urgent, but he just squinted his eyes, showing no other reaction.
• He was too calm—not even showing any emotion toward my desperate pleas.
• As I was about to be dragged out, I screamed in despair and anger, “Damian Thorn, you bastard! You slept with me, left me covered in bruises, and ruined my life. I curse you—”
• “Stop.”
• His expression finally changed, and his deep, sexy voice felt like an electric shock, awakening my shattered heart.
• I stared at him nervously.
• His eyes began to scan me, examining me like an object—from head to toe—then back to my face, locking eyes with me.
• His gaze made me uneasy.
• After about ten seconds, he finally spoke again. “Let her go.”
• Following his command, the two bodyguards immediately released me, walked out, and closed the door.
• I awkwardly adjusted my disheveled clothes, feeling worried that my angry words earlier might have angered this dangerous man.
• His gaze was intense, but he remained silent.
• I decided to bring up my father’s situation and hoped he could help.
• The power of Thorn Group far exceeded that of Howard Group.
• Even though Thorn Group’s headquarters were not in Weston—there were only a few small branch offices in the city—I thought, if Damian Thorn wanted to rescue someone from Leonard Howard, it shouldn’t be a problem.
• I looked at him earnestly and whispered my request.Damian Thorn just looked at me, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
• “Why should I help you? Just because I slept with you?”
• His blunt words made me freeze.
• I felt my face burning, and the fire of hope in my heart slowly extinguished.
• I forced myself to speak calmly, trying to keep my voice steady as I looked at him. “Last night was my bachelorette party, and my fiancé found out about us. He called off the wedding and demanded compensation for breach of contract. My father has been arrested, and all our accounts are frozen. I have no money to repay.”
• “After all, it’s because of our relationship... so I thought, as the big boss of Thorn Group, this amount of money is nothing to you. And maybe my father’s arrest is related to the cooperation between their company and Thorn Group...”
• Before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted with a cold laugh.
• He stood up and walked toward me, his sharp, dangerous eyes like a wolf’s, staring at me. I panicked and stepped back.