Chapter 346: Chapter 346 Lost The Joy Of Being A Woman

Two weeks later, Clementine’s husband’s coal mine ran into deep trouble.

The tragedy from four years ago that resulted in the loss of five lives had been exposed for all to see. Thus, the once mighty coal magnate found himself behind bars, facing a minimum of twenty years in prison.

Clementine’s world came crashing down.

She wanted to see Alfred, but Leslie intercepted her.

His tone was grave. “Miss Dynah, Mr. Lodge had long-term plans for cooperation with you, but it turns out your husband has a shady past, so we’ll have to reconsider.”

Even Clementine, slow to catch on, sensed something amiss.

However, given her status, she couldn’t challenge Alfred. She could only plead for leniency.

Leslie remained calm. “Miss Dynah, have you ever thought about who you might have offended?”

Clementine was taken aback. After a long pause, she murmured, “It’s Crystal!”

Leslie didn’t directly respond to that. He only said, “Mr. Lodge’s sister passed away at a young age, so he poured all his affection onto Miss Lodge. Think about the depth of that love, Miss Dynah. Since you acted without doing thorough research beforehand, you merely brought trouble upon yourself!”

With that, he left.

Clementine sat alone in the room, feeling utterly defeated.

She held a cup of coffee, trying to steady her trembling hands. In truth, she couldn’t believe that after years of hard work, she was still defeated by Crystal.

Crystal didn’t take direct action, yet she had defeated Clementine easily.

No, this can’t go on. Jerry mustn’t fall. Even if I have to humbly plead with Crystal, I’ve got to protect Jerry!

As Clementine stepped out, she found that it was raining. The early autumn day, which had felt stifling just a while ago, was now cool and refreshing.

Outside the mansion, the rain was a gentle drizzle.

Crystal sat in the gazebo in the backyard, arranging a vase of flowers she had personally grown.

The housekeeper approached, speaking softly. “Mrs. Miller, Miss Dynah would like to see you.”

Crystal blinked lightly.

-She had already seen the news today and had anticipated Clementine’s visit, but she hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

Smiling faintly, she said, “Tell her I’m not in.”

The servant nodded and left.

At the villa’s entrance, Clementine paced anxiously with her umbrella.

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r 1/6 She sought Crystal out of necessity.

We were old classmates, after all. For the sake of an old friendship, her helping me shouldn’t be too difficult as long as I’m willing to set aside my pride.

From a distance, she saw the housekeeper walking over with an umbrella.

“Miss Dynah, I’m sorry, but Mrs. Miller isn’t home. Please come back another time.”

Clementine knew it was just an excuse. Crystal was clearly inside.

Unwilling to give up, she abandoned her dignity and screamed, “Crystal! I know you’re in there. Why won’t you see me? Yes, it’s my fault for revealing your secret, and I’m sorry, but it doesn’t really affect you, does it? Do you have to force me into a corner to be satisfied?”

The housekeeper’s face soured. “Miss Dynah, please don’t make things difficult for us.”

Mrs. Miller is quite lenient, but if Mr. Miller comes home and finds out, he’ll surely question me.

Furious, Clementine dropped her umbrella and clung to the ornate black gate, shaking it desperately. Her ugly words poured out relentlessly. “Crystal, come out! What’s with this act? Do you think you’re better than me? Have you forgotten how you pursued Robert back in the day? You said you’d love Robert forever! Hah, just like me, you only love power!”

She added, “I can’t find an ounce of genuine affection for Henry in you! Crystal, this is your comeuppance, You’ve always trampled on me, and now karma’s catching up.”

Clementine realized Crystal wouldn’t help. Thus, she decided to throw all pretenses aside.

Crystal heard it all..

She calmly instructed, “Have the security drive her away.”

As the guards forcibly removed Clementine, she raged like a shrew in the rain, spewing harsh words from her mouth.

“Keep it up, Crystal! You’ve lost the joy of being a woman! I bet even sleeping with Robert would give you more satisfaction than being with Henry.”

A golden Bentley pulled up slowly before the window rolled down halfway.

Henry, his face stoic and devoid of expression, heard every word Clementine said.

Spotting him, Clementine turned and rushed toward the car, ignoring the rainwater pouring into her mouth. She pleaded desperately, “Mr. Miller, please help me! Can you get Crystal to spare my Jerry? I’ll do anything for you!”

She relied on her charms, hoping to evoke some compassion from him.

Moreover, she felt that the man before her wasn’t finding satisfaction in his marriage, and she believed she could make him happy.

The golden Bentley Continental came to a halt, its wipers swiping back and forth.

Dressed in an exquisite suit, Henry sat in the car, exuding an air of icy sophistication as he lowered his head to light a cigarette.

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2/6 Clementine knew she was being despicable.

Even though she loved Robert the most and had been with many men, she still found allure in a man who was clean and had never cheated.

She envied Crystal.

Henry exhaled smoke from his cigarette, glancing at Clementine. One look from him was enough to make a woman’s legs go weak.

Clementine murmured, “Help me.”

Henry’s tone was cold and disdainful. “All along, your husband’s troubles are entirely my doing. Miss Dynah. I’m not Robert. I never take in trash.”

1 He found Clementine, with her track record, utterly repugnant.

Henry extinguished his cigarette.

He turned to the security and said, “Why are you still standing there? Drag her away! She’s blocking my way.”

Clementine was taken aback.

As Henry’s car slowly started moving again, it suddenly stopped once more when it passed her.

Inside the car, his profile was strikingly handsome, but his words were frigid and unfeeling. “I care about Crystal a great deal! If you persist in making her unhappy, then I won’t hesitate to ruin the person you hold most dear, Miss Dynah.”

The person Clementine held most dear was Robert.

She loved and hated him at the same time.

If Robert were to hit rock bottom, that, Henry believed, would be Clementine’s breaking point.

The window rolled up.

Then, the aloof man in the car drove into the mansion, likely to console Crystal.

Clementine couldn’t help but scream.

It was she who had run into bad luck, yet why was the whole world rushing to comfort Crystal?

The golden Bentley came to a stop.

Henry sat in the car, quietly smoking a cigarette.

Clementine’s words from earlier still echoed in his cars.

“Keep it up, Crystal! You’ve lost the joy of being a woman! I bet even sleeping with Robert would give you more satisfaction than being with Henry.”

He shouldn’t have cared, but he did.

As a man, especially one born into privilege like him, he cared a great deal about not being able to make |||

3/6 his wife happy.

He also knew that Robert couldn’t forget Crystal.

They had four years of memories together, after all.

Regardless of whether those memories were good or bad, they had been in love once...

After he finished the cigarette, he stepped out of the car and walked straight toward the backyard.

Crystal was still arranging that vase of flowers.

Upon seeing Henry enter, she asked softly, “Is she gone?”

Henry undid his suit buttons, took off his jacket, and gently draped it over her slender shoulders. “It’s getting chilly. Why sit outside?”

Crystal smiled. “It’s quite comfortable out here.”

He leaned down to kiss her.

Crystal allowed him. As if to make him happy, she clung to his shoulders. Later, he sat in a chair, and she settled into his lap.

The jacket fell from her shoulders to the ground as his hand slipped under her skirt.

She lightly bit his shoulder and murmured, “Let’s go inside.”

Henry, however, pulled back his hand and patted her waist, teasing her, “What are you thinking, Mrs. Miller? Skyler and Remi are around, you know?”

Crystal guessed what was on his mind.

She leaned gently against his shoulder, lightly caressing his handsome face. “Your parents took them away. They said they wanted to give us some time to bond.”

Henry held her waist.

Then, both of them fell into silence.

Their relationship was actually quite good as they got along well. He was attentive, and she was gentle. However, it was lacking passion, and their life was more mundane than a long-married couple’s. Nevertheless, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Two weeks later, Clementine’s coal magnate husband was confirmed guilty and faced a solid twenty years behind bars.

Divorce was inevitable.

As the current wife, Clementine got around five hundred million in cash. It was quite a long way off from her expected high-

society lifestyle.

Nevertheless, Crystal didn’t add insult to injury.

However, she hadn’t expected to run into Clementine again at the Sydell family gathering.

4/6 Crystal was preparing for a film. She was surrounded by a group of young and handsome actors, all begging to act alongside Ingrid.

Madison was usually under the watchful eye of Charles.

That night, however, she was finally letting loose, gazing at one handsome young actor after another. She touched her face, regretting not taking better care of herself!

Crystal softly urged her to restrain herself.

If anything really happened, Charles would surely make her pay.

Madison was about to explain, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure. She whispered to Crystal, “Clementine’s here. She’s really something. Her husband is still in prison, and she’s already attached herself to a big shot in the entertainment industry.”

Crystal glanced up casually, only to see Clementine in a silver gown, arm in arm with a portly man as they arrived.

She had lost some weight, which made her exude a frail yet chilly elegance that would have men vying to protect her.

At that moment, Clementine’s resentment-filled gaze was locked onto Crystal.

Crystal wasn’t afraid of her.

She whispered back to Madison, “The producer she’s clinging to has been struggling in the industry for the past few years. Looks like he’s aiming for Clementine’s money!”

Madison was quite impressed by how much Crystal knew.

Crystal smiled faintly. “Miss Hopper told me when we had tea a couple of days ago.”

While they spoke, Clementine seated herself in a distant spot.

Crystal paid her no mind, continuing to socialize. By ten o’clock, she said to Madison, “You should have a bit more fun. I’ll head back first!”

Madison was surprised. “Is Henry really keeping such a tight leash on you?”

Crystal smiled faintly.

It wasn’t really Henry demanding she return early, but ever since the school reunion, she could sense his insecurity.

She understood, as their relationship had always been somewhat lackluster. After seeing Robert’s video, he had become quite possessive. Crystal still believed that between them, there should at least be one of them. who was normal.

Thus, even though he held on tightly to her, she was accommodating.

When he wanted sex, she never refused.

Crystal bid her farewell and left first..

At the Sydell residence, the foyer was quite long, and the housekeeper handed her, her coat.

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5/6 Behind her came Clementine’s voice. “Crystal!”

Crystal turned around and saw Clementine’s tired face. She raised an eyebrow slightly. “Miss Dynah, what can I do for you?”

Clementine held a light cigarette in her hand.

She lit it slowly, then gazed at Crystal for a long while before speaking softly. “Crystal, you’ve won. My husband’s in prison now, and from now on, I’ll have to rely on myself.”

Crystal smiled calmly.

Clementine took a hard drag from her cigarette. “I know you’re thrilled! This is for Madison, isn’t it? She was so deeply hurt back then, and you, her best friend, must have been heartbroken too. Now you’ve both gotten what you wanted.

She narrowed her eyes suddenly and let out a laugh.

“What surprises me is, now that you clearly don’t love Henry anymore, why are you still with him? You’re not short on money, right? The Lodge family can manage to take good care of you. With an uncle like Alfred, what is there to be afraid of?”

Crystal’s reply was calm, “Clementine, do you think everyone expects the world to revolve around them like you do? Henry is not only my husband but also the father of my two children.”

Clementine laughed though tears streamed down her face.

The father of her two children...

That’s right!

This is Crystal’s reality. She’s not truly happy or contented. She only compromised and got together with Henry for the sake of their children. How is she truly better off than me?

Crystal didn’t want to engage further and turned to leave.

As she turned, she saw Henry standing at the doorway.

He gazed at her quietly, his eyes dark like thick fog on a cloudy day that was impossible to dispel....