Chapter 230
Chapter 230
“I was just passing by,” Baldwin said with an easy smile. “Thought I saw Ms. Henderson. Figured I’d say hi. Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time, Mr. Jenkins?”
“Not at all.” Calvin waved casually. “Mrs… she left earlier. I’m just driving the car back.”
Baldwin, in good spirits, didn’t think much of it. He made a few quick remarks about the project and then watched as Calvin drove off.
Back in his car, he turned to Nash, satisfied. “Told you. Just like we figured.”
Miguel looked confused, but Nash wasn’t convinced. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll confirm tomorrow.”
The next day, Audrey arrived at Baldwin Biotechnology to discuss the production line setup.
Once the secretary served coffee and left the room, Baldwin leaned forward slightly. “Ms. Henderson, thanks again for yesterday. I know this isn’t easy to ask directly, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a clear answer.”
Audrey handed him the draft agreement she’d prepared. The subtle glint of her ring caught the light as she did.
“It’s not that I’m being evasive,” she said calmly. “It’s just that one of our projects requires à discreet entry.” She tapped the name on the contract. “This collaboration is under StrideVestment, not Stride Commerce. If everything checks out, I’ll have the formal version sent over.”
Baldwin’s eyes paused on the name StrideVestment. His brow tightened slightly.
He knew it was Stride Commerce’s largest shareholder. He just hadn’t expected Audrey to approach from that side.
His gaze shifted, catching the ring on her finger, a simple, understated diamond band.
“You’re married? That’s a big occasion to keep under wraps.”
Audrey gave a quick smile, thinking, ‘Didn’t I just explain?‘
Still, since he asked, she explained again.
Baldwin skimmed through the agreement. Finding nothing amiss, he passed it back.
That afternoon, they arrived at Steven’s clinic. After being shown into a reserved room, they sat for a brief rest.
From the next room, a familiar voice broke the quiet.
“How much longer?” Clayton’s voice was taut.
“Ten more minutes before I remove the needles,” Steven replied.
Clayton pushed himself up slightly and glanced down. His inner thighs were lined with long needles, no sharp pain, just a tight, bloated discomfort that
gnawed at his nerves.
He could take the pain. If it meant reclaiming his manhood, he’d sit through worse.
What got to him was the shame.
Every time the needles were inserted near sensitive areas, his body betrayed him, sometimes reacting involuntarily, sometimes collapsing just as fast.
He kept his eyes shut, trying to detach, but Steven’s questions forced him back to the moment.
“Dr. Lewis, Ms. Henderson is here,” the assistant called softly.
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Chapter 230
Clayton stiffened instantly. The sudden tension made the needles even harder to remove. A sharp hiss escaped his throat before he clenched his jau
shut.
“Relax,” Steven said, working on the needles. “You’re too tense. They won’t come out. And remember, no sex for now. Not even aroutat. Or all this wil have been for nothing.”
Clayton’s face flushed with embarrassment, a dull shade of red creeping up his neck.
Afraid Audrey might recognize his voice, he lowered it and gave a tight, nearly inaudible response.
Steven gave him a look, then quietly placed a shield over his lower half and covered it with a blanket. “I’ll finish in ten.”
With that, he wiped his hands clean and stepped out.
Soon, Audrey’s voice drifted in from the next room. She made quick introductions and then asked Baldwin to explain his condition himself.
Since acupuncture for the shoulder required him to remove his shirt, Audrey politely excused herself.
Clayton had just finished his session. After dressing in haste, he followed the stone path outside and found Audrey at a sunlit table, focused on quiet chess.
“Audrey.”
She didn’t look up, calmly placing a black piece on the board.
Clayton sat across from her without asking, picked up a white piece, and said, “Valerie mortgaged the house and left with Cheryl and Luna. The divorce might take a while.”
“Whether you divorce or not,” Audrey said, rising from her seat, “has nothing to do with me.”
Clayton reached out and caught her wrist.
She glanced at him, her eyes cool and sharp. He released her, unwillingly, then moved to block her path.
“I know you don’t want to be anyone’s mistress,” he began, “but this isn’t on me. Valerie’s the one refusing to let go. The person I care about is still you. We’re the ones who make sense. You don’t have to carry that guilt.”
Audrey let out a breath, part amused, part exhausted.
“Clayton, Valerie’s family saved yours. You owe her. How can you throw her away over one mistake?”
“She didn’t save anyone!” he snapped. “Her father donated a kidney to my dad, sure, but he was terminal. Whether he donated or not, he was dying either way.”
His voice turned bitter. “And haven’t I done enough? I defended her in court. Took care of Luna like my own. Even hurt you to protect her. And what did I get in return?”
Audrey nodded slightly, as though something finally made sense. “So now that she’s ruined you, I’m back on the radar?”
“No! It’s not like that!” Clayton’s voice cracked. “After we got married, I never even touched her. You’re the only one l…”
“You didn’t touch her,” Audrey interrupted, eyes lével, “because you couldn’t.”
Clayton went still, as if struck.
The flush on his face drained to ash.
His shoulders, always held high, seemed to sink, all that posturing unraveling into something hollow. His presence, once imposing, shrank into something brittle and small.
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Chapter 230
At length, he looked up and said, each word heavy. “So you never intended to give me a second chance”
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Audrey stepped back as she felt it, the desperation and recklessness in him. It was the kind that didn’t care what it took to drag someone down with him.
“From the moment you let Valerie send me to Ashwood, you and I were over,” she said. “Clayton, if you leave me alone, I’ll leave you in peace. But if you keep pushing, I will push back.”
Clayton dropped onto the stone bench behind him, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles whitened.
His head hung low, eyes clouded with bitterness.
He could’ve had everything, love, success, a life others envied. But he’d squandered it all on hesitation and poor judgment.
If Valerie had just stayed grounded, he might’ve endured.
And if Audrey had faded into a quiet, ordinary life, he might’ve moved on.
But Valerie kept sabotaging herself, while Audrey only grew stronger, and with every step she rose, the scale within him tilted further, until nothing remained balanced.
When Baldwin’s session ended, Audrey came out to meet him. Clayton was still seated where she’d left him, staring at her with a look of pain and conflict. But this time, he didn’t try to stop her.
After dropping Baldwin off at the office, Audrey was just about to leave when he stopped her again.
“About Mr. Winifred,” he said. “Let’s keep it between us. I mean… being gay isn’t illegal, but for someone in his position, it’s not great for his image. We don’t have to approve of it. But we should at least respect it.”
Audrey almost laughed, thinking, ‘So he didn’t get everything I said earlier, huh?‘
She scratched her head, making sure the ring on her finger caught the light.
When Baldwin didn’t notice, she held it up directly in front of him and gave it a little wave.
“Mr. Connor, my husband is perfectly straight.”
Baldwin blinked, visibly thrown.
‘What does that have to do with Yann?‘ he thought, more confused than ever.
