NovelGoldChapter 23 Claire looked calmly at Vanessa.
Even before Claire could make any move, Vanessa appeared terrified, her body trembling as she took several steps back, her face pale. "Sister, please don't look atwith such resentment. I'm scared." Nathan angrily pushed Claire aside and shouted, "What are you planning to do to Vanessa?" Claire staggered backward, losing her balance and nearly toppling over the railing on the second floor. No one seemed to care.
Nathan and Adah stood protectively around Vanessa, eyeing Claire with suspicion.
Ethan opened his mouth, ready to scold Claire, but the words caught in his throat as he recalled the hardships she endured in prison. He couldn't bring himself to speak those hurtful words.
Claire's expression was cold and indifferent, but the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her sarcasm. This was her family.
The moment Vanessa showed even a hint of distress, Claire becthe target of their accusations.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThere was a twhen their slightest glance or word could sway her emotions.
Now, it no longer mattered. Facing their misunderstandings, her heart remained calm and unperturbed, devoid of any emotional turmoil.
She didn't bother to explain and lowered her gaze.
Her indifferent demeanor, as if nothing they said could reach her, pained Ethan deeply. He couldn't help but ask, "Did you hurt yourself? Does it hurt?" Claire looked up in surprise, unable to reconcile this concerned Ethan with the one who often mocked her.
How strange it felt, she thought, that his slight concern now seemed unfamiliar.
"It doesn't hurt." The pain of a bruise was nothing compared to a broken leg. "Did you... hear everything just now?" Claire hesitated at first, realizing what he was referring to, and then gave a faint nod.
And that was it. No further explanation.
Was that all? He had terminated a major deal with the Cole Corporation to stand up for her, causing both Cole Corporation and The Linwood Group to lose a billion overnight.
Was his sacrifice not worth even a word of gratitude? A wave of frustration surged from his heart to his stomach, like swallowing a hundred needles, causing turmoil within him.
His stomach ailment flared up again.
As if punishing Claire, Ethan stared at her with a pale face.
In the past, whenever he had a stomachache, Claire was the most anxious one.
He looked at her with hopeful eyes, longing to see worry and care reflected back. Even a simple word of concern would make his efforts worthwhile.
But Claire's face remained expressionless; her gaze didn't linger on him for even a second, let alone show any sign of compassion.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Her voice was calm, but her words were as hurtful as a dull knife, cutting through his heart.
With four pairs of eyes watching her, she turned and slowly butdeterminedly, descended the stairs.
Ethan gripped the railing, watching her with a mix of pain anddisappointment. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
She used to care so much. When he had a stomachache, she would bry as she searched for his medication, wishing she could take his pain away. Why didn't she care anymore? "Claire!" he called out, his voice strained with pain.
Claire paused instinctively.
Seeing this, hope flickered in Ethan's eyes, and his voice softened, tinged with a hint of vulnerability, "Claire, my stomach hurts." He was offering her an olive branch.
But who said that just because he offered, she had to accept? Claire looked up at him, her lips curling into a faint, mocking smile.
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