Chapter 363
Chapter 363
Given that Kyle is trying to shake down Lucia for money, there has to be more to George’s case than meets the eye, Lucia is hiding something big from Audrey.
“What’s the plan?” Yann pulled Audrey close, gently rubbing her back.
No one could grasp the sting of betrayal from family–the kind of pain that cut deeper than anything,
All he felt was heartache. He wished he could shield her from the world and keep her safe in his embrace.
Audrey was eerily calm, more composed than Yann expected.
At nearly eight months pregnant with triplets, premature labor was a real risk. ‘Confronting Lucia now could spark a fight, and what if that leads to something worse?‘ she thought.
Dark thoughts lingered. ‘What if Lucia tries to hurt me or the babies?‘
Now wasn’t the time to blow the lid off things.
For the sake of the kids and her own safety, Audrey preferred to let the vultures circle each other.
She said, “Clayton’s angling for a free meal ticket, right? Let him play his game. Maybe those three will tear each other apart and save me the trouble.”
Clayton delivered. After digging into the old court files, he confirmed that Kyle’s dad, Hogan, and George had been construction buddies.
George was the foreman, and Hogan, his right–hand man.
Kyle had been around, sure, but he might as well have been a ghost. No protest signs, no petitions, no media stunts. Just a shadow in the background.
“Why’d you pay Kyle?” Clayton asked bluntly when he asked Lucia out for a meeting.
She hadn’t expected him to show his face. Her first instinct was to shut him down, to tell him to stop chasing pipe dreams.
Even if Yann left Audrey, she’d find her daughter a decent man and never let her go back to Clayton.
But the words died when he dropped the question.
Her face flickered with emotion–shock, fear, panic, all fighting for control.
Lucia started to get up, but Clayton said flatly, “Take one step out that café door, and I’ll hand these files to Audrey. How do you think she’ll treat you
then?”
A cold shudder ran from Lucia’s toes to the top of her skull. She couldn’t suppress a tremble.
She thought, ‘That secret had to stay buried forever,
She sucked in a few deep breaths, swallowed her panic, and turned around with forced composure, sinking back into her chair.
Her eyes locked on the thick stack of papers in Clayton’s grasp. “Audrey’s my daughter. Blood’s thicker than water. Even if she finds out, she won’t turn. on me. But you? You won’t like what happens next.”
Clayton let out a dry laugh, thinking, ‘Still trying to intimidate me? Pathetic.
He said, “Fine. Since you’re so confident, I’ll call her right now.”
QUIT, LL QUII
Chapter 363
He picked up the files, tapped them on the table, and gave a thin smile. “You don’t know why Audrey married me, do you? I worked with my old mentor on George’s wage case.
“She was so grateful and wanted to pay me back. Even when I asked for a prenup to keep our money separate and said we’d split every bill down the middle, she said yes. She even offered to look after my parents like they were her own.
“That’s how much George meant to her. And you–her mother? After everything you’ve done? I think you know exactly how she feels about you.”
Clayton had a new spring in his step, a flicker of his old self returning.
He still looked worn down, but his eyes were sharp, and he’d regained most of his old lawyerly swagger.
That alone was enough to throw Lucia off balance, her guilty conscience eating at her.
Her palms were dotted with nail marks, and she stared blankly for a moment before finding her voice.
“If you really cared about Audrey, you wouldn’t be blackmailing me!” she snapped, voice shaky. “What do you want?”
Clayton neatened the files and slid them into his briefcase. He leaned forward, hands clasped on the table. “I want us to get back together. I want Audrey as my wife again.”
“Not a chance!” Lucia barked before Clayton even finished the sentence.
Her outburst was so loud that it caught the eye of the barista and a nearby table of customers.
She ducked her head, smoothing her hair to hide her flush, and muttered again, quieter, “It’s not happening
Clayton kept going. “You know damn well how far apart Audrey and Yann are on the social ladder. Once she has those babies and her body changes, she’ll lose the one thing giving her an edge.”
He didn’t let her interrupt. “Audrey and I have a history. I don’t care that she’s married to someone else or carrying his kids. Help us get back together, and your secret’s safe with me.”
“I can’t. I won’t,” Lucia snapped, her voice tight with rage and panic.
What little mother–daughter bond they’d had died with George.
Lately, she’d felt more and more how little say she had over Audrey/Audrey’s power in the Winifred lamily grew every day. Now even Lucia’s household budgets needed her okay.
‘If Audrey finds out the truth, there will be hell to pay,‘ Lucia thought.
Lucia had tried breaking up Audrey and Yann before Audrey got too influential, but it hadn’t worked.
Now the thought of pushing Audrey back to Clayton made her skin crawl. She didn’t think Clayton was good enough for Audrey, and she knew Audrey would hate it. But she was trapped.
“Ask for something else,” Lucia said, waving a hand in defeat. “They’re not getting divorced. Not anytime soon.”
Yann had made a big show of claiming her as his own, both with friends and in the media, locking down his “devoted husband” image tight.
Even if Audrey’s body changed a lot after having the babies, with Yann’s money and connections, he’d just hire a professional team to help her get back in shape.
Let’s be real. If Audrey had irreversible problems from childbirth that messed with their marriage, Yann might grow distant or even have a fling on the side, but he’d never divorce her.
The only way that would happen was if Audrey went crazy and demanded it herself.
10:33 Sun, 22 Jun G.
Chapter 363
So no matter what, trying to push Audrey back to Clayton was a lost cause.
Lucia thought, ‘No one could force them apart. And if I try to meddle? If Yann finds out, I don’t think I can even make it out alive!
Clayton stayed calm, holding her secret like a winning card. When he didn’t budge, Lucia started to panic first.
90%
“Your odds of getting back with Audrey are worse than hitting the jackpot,” she snapped, slumping back in her chair in a huff, waiting for him to give in.
Clayton leaned back too, wearing a thin, chilly smile. His eyes were like a snake’s, cold and calculating as they bore into her.
They stared each other down in dead silence for a full three minutes.
Suddenly, Lucia shuddered and sat bolt upright.
She thought, ‘Oh no. Is everything Clayton said a setup? Is his real play to trick me into suggesting that?”
Her hands clamped down on the armrests, her knuckles turning white.
She thought, ‘God, I wish I could rewind time and take back my
words.‘
AD
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
