Chapter 345
“Ms. Foster, Carson actually…”
Clayton barely got the words out before Carson clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him out of the restaurant to a quiet, empty corner
“I’m already helping you,” he snapped. “This was just a mix–up. That’s all!”
Clayton wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, furious. “You really think I believe that?”
“Just give it a little more time. Paige is starting to get suspicious. I’ll find another way soon, I swear.”
“I don’t have time,” Clayton snapped, his voice hard and defeated. “You know about my condition. I’ve got nothing left to lose.”
But Carson did. He had a girlfriend, a respectable job, and a life that was still intact.
Carson, on the other hand, had everything to lose, a girlfriend, and a well–paying, respectable job. If Clayton kept pressing like this and ended up antagonizing Audrey, Carson’s position at the hospital would be at serious risk.
“You’re being reckless,” Carson warned. “You just barged into Stride Commerce and got thrown out. She’s definitely on alert now. If you push any harder, you’ll never get close to her again.”
But Clayton wasn’t listening.
He was convinced Paige, Audrey’s assistant, had the access and means to help him.
Audrey couldn’t stay at work 24/7. She had to leave eventually, to go home, to eat, to live.
If Paige was willing to cooperate, there was always a chance to run into her.
And Clayton believed, with a near–religious intensity, that if he could just see her for once, she might forgive him. That moment could be his salvation.
With the surgery looming and the odds stacked against survival, Audrey’s forgiveness had become his last hope, his lifeline. One word from her would feel like a shot of adrenaline to a dying heart.
Carson pleaded until his throat ran dry, but Clayton’s mind was made up. “I need to see her. Now!”
“Are you deaf or just stubborn?” Carson snapped, finally losing patience.
Audrey wasn’t someone they could just walk up to anymore.
These days, she probably traveled in private vehicles, flanked by security. One wrong move and Clayton’s frail body would land him in the ICU.
Their argument escalated outside, voices rising, neither man willing to back down.
Inside, however, the three women were enjoying their meal, laughing freely.
“You’re really not upset at all?” Dorothy asked carefully as she took another bite.
Paige looked up from her plate. “Of course I am. That’s why I’m stress–eating like it’s an Olympic sport.”
“Wait, I’m pregnant? Since when?” Tiffany blinked.
“Not yet,” Paige grinned, placing a cut of steak on Tiffany’s plate. “But it’s bound to happen sooner or later, so I’m just giving your future child a head start on nutrition. Consider it an investment,”
Tiffany knocked Paige lightly on the head
She cast a glance toward the window. “Does Ms. Brown know?”
Paige, her cheeks full, nodded enthusiastically. “She said she’d give me one more chance?
“He’s already lying to me now,” she added, swallowing, “God knows what else he’ll pull in the future. I’ve got to cut my losses while I still can.”
“You’re doing this on purpose,” Dorothy laughed. “Ever since you found out Carson and Clayton were friends, your whole vibe toward him changed. You saw your chance and you ran with it. Smart girl.”
“Will you shut up and eat?” Paige rolled her eyes as all three burst into laughter again.
Outside, Carson was practically sweating through his shirt trying to reason with Clayton, who stood motionless, lips pressed in a pale line, visibly trembling from the cold.
And then, without a word, Clayton walked back into the restaurant.
He didn’t hesitate. “Ms. Foster, Carson only dated you because you look like Audrey. He’s in love with her. You were just the stand–in.”
“Clayton!” Carson burst in a second too late.
His expression, shock, panic, and guilt, said everything before he could.
Paige stood slowly, picked up her glass, and threw its contents straight into Carson’s face.
“You’re both disgusting,” she said coldly. “I should’ve known.” She fumbled for harsher words, but couldn’t find any. Instead, she grabbed her bag, gave Tiffany and Dorothy a knowing glance, and walked out.
“We’re done, Carson!” The three women exited together without another word.
Carson, drenched and humiliated, grabbed a napkin and wiped his face, shooting Clayton a look sharp enough to kill.
“Are you happy now?”
But Clayton merely shrugged, unmoved.
He thought, ‘If I’m going down, no one gets to walk away unscathed.‘
Paige didn’t stop running until they reached the far end of the street. Clutching her chest, she exhaled sharply. “God, I really thought he was going to hit
me.”
taking
Dorothy and Tiffany lived in the same direction, but Tiffany claimed she had something else to take care of and insisted on taking a cab on her own.
Paige and Dorothy shared a ride, dropping Dorothy off first before heading to Paige’s place.
The moment she walked through the door, Paige stormed to her parents, furious. She vented about Carson who had a crush on his boss, was only using her as a stand–in, and nearly got her fired in the process.
Her father’s temper flared instantly. Without a moment’s hesitation, he called the matchmaker who had introduced them and gave them a piece of his
mind.
Meanwhile, Carson had barely stepped through the door when his mother stopped him cold and launched into a fierce tirade.
The whole situation turned into a scandal neither family could easily explain away, especially in front of colleagues and friends.
At Royal House, Audrey was at her desk, sifting through vacation photos when her phone rang. It was Paige.
When Paige spoke to her parents, she’d played the part of the tragic victim, deeply hurt, disillusioned by blind dates, and even traumatized at the idea of
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Chapter 345
marriage.
But the Paige who spoke to Audrey sounded like someone who had just shaken off a heavy burden. She was lounging comfortably, crunchung ints an apple with visible glee.
“Oh, and get this. Tiffany and Dorothy live in the same direction, but Tiffany insisted on leaving alone…”
Audrey’s hand paused over the trackpad. “Don’t go snooping into other people’s business.”
“I wasn’t snooping! I was just curious,” Paige huffed, then pivoted to mock Clayton’s current state. He looked so thin and haggard these days that running into him at night was like seeing a ghost.
The two chatted a while longer before hanging up.
Most of the photos on Audrey’s computer had been taken by Yann, with a few group shots from Sylvie, who had traveled with them.
Audrey carefully selected several favorites, ones she planned to print and keep as mementos.
Digital files were easy to store, but being able to flip through them casually felt more intimate and real.
“The pasta’s ready,” Yann called, walking in with a tray.
Zoe had gone home for the evening, and although Sylvie, their live–in nutritionist and caregiver, normally stayed overnight, she’d also been given the night off.
That left only Yann and Audrey in the house.
Audrey didn’t look up. Her eyes were still on the screen. “I want to print these. Maybe hang two of them here, and the rest… I’ll put together a set for Hillcrest Gardens.”
The light overhead dimmed slightly as Yann leaned over her shoulder. He followed the cursor as she highlighted a few images.
“Sounds good.”
“I was thinking…” She didn’t finish as her eyes had suddenly drifted to his arm.
Yann’s hand was casually resting on the table, not applying any pressure, but the muscles in his arm were well–defined, as if he’d oiled them, incredibly tempting.
Audrey’s gaze followed the curve of his arm up to his chest.
“Aren’t you cold?”
It was a chilly night, and he was shirtless, wearing nothing but an apron. The message was obvious.
“Not really.” Yann met her stare with a grin and flexed his arm playfully, deliberately showing off.
Audrey was pregnant now. Whether it was the hormones or something else, her appetite for him seemed to have grown rather than waned.
With visible effort, she looked away and slid over to the table to eat.
She’d barely gotten through a couple of bites before glancing back at him again.
This time, the sight nearly made her snort spaghetti out of her nose.
