* Chapter 111 The sound startled Heidi, sending a tremor through her body. She whipped around to face lan. âlan, the night Attorney Clara ended up with Anders, someone had drugged her. It wasnât intentional, so please, donât hold it against her.
With the nonchalance of someone unaffected, Heidi reached for a towel, intending to mop lanâs brow, but he pushed her away brusquely.
His icy gaze locked onto Clara. âSpit it out. What the hell happened that night?â
He yanked Clara off the chair and into his arms. Beads of sweat from his brow traced the line of his jaw, dripping onto Claraâs face.
Clara met his stare, her expression unreadable. âYou saw it all, you heard it all, didnât you?â
âYou were drugged, and thatâs why you ended up with Anders, correct?â
âDoes it make a difference? In your eyes, Iâm tainted either way, arenât I?â
lanâs forehead veins bulged, and his eyes, normally deep pools of hazel, were now tinged with a bloody hue. His hand, burning with fevered heat, clamped onto Claraâs head, his voice a deep rumble laced with barelyâcontained emotion. âIâll find out who did this.â
âNo need. All I ask is that you stop going after Anders because of this. Itâs over between us. Even if the truth comes out, it wonât change whatâs happened.â
lan studied her with a profound intensity, his fingertips gently caressing Claraâs smooth cheek. âSo thatâs why you wonât explain things to me? Youâre using this as a chance to cut ties with me?â
Clara looked down, silent.
lan chuckled, a low sound tinged with irony. âClara, you think you can play games with me? You reckon if you keep quiet, I wonât find out?â
âIan, if you brought me here just to interrogate me, Iâve got nothing to say. Excuse me.â She tried to wriggle free from lanâs grasp, to turn and leave, but an iron grip encircled her waist, pulling her back.
lan took off his cap and placed it on Claraâs head, a smirk playing on his lips. âBusiness isnât over, Attorney Clara. Youâre leaving just like that? Are you not interested in securing the deal for your beloved Anders?â
With a golf club in one hand and an arm around Clara, he steered her towards the golf course.
Behind them, Heidi stamped her foot in frustration. Tears welled up as she turned to Edwin, pleading. âlanâs being snatched away by Clara, and you wonât lift a finger to help me?â
Edwinâs gaze was riveted on Clara, a vision of his mother flashing in his mind...
He was four when his mother passed away, and his most vivid memory was of her pregnant with his sister. Each day after kindergarten, Edwin would lay on his motherâs belly, âtalkingâ to his unborn sister, eagerly awaiting her arrival.
But fate struck a cruel blow. On the way to the hospital for delivery, his mother died in a car crash. That day, he gained a sister but lost his mother.
The pain clawed at Edwinâs chest as he recalled those moments. For some reason, Clara always reminded him of his motherâ
perhaps a fleeting resemblance in their features.
Edwin wrapped his arms around Heidi, his hand tenderly stroking her hair. âIanâs heart was never with you. Listen to me, forget him. Iâll find you a man a hundred times better.â