The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 1

“Jefferson, aren't you worried your fiancée will find out you had Claire Jenner make her wedding dress?”

Standing outside the private room of the club, Claire's breath caught in her throat.

Half a month ago, Jefferson Sterling asked her to design a traditional wedding dress, claiming it was for a friend, Yvonne Zimmerman.

She stayed up for ten straight nights, meticulously stitching every classic wedding motif by hand.

It turned out the friend he mentioned was actually his fiancée.

From nineteen to twenty-four, she had been with Jefferson for six years, betting everything on him.

She knew their backgrounds were worlds apart, so she patiently waited, never once bringing up the topic of marriage.

She just wanted to build up her artisanal silk embroidery atelier so she could stand proudly by his side.

It turned out Jefferson wasn't opposed to marriage.

He just never considered marrying her.

Claire forced a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

If the love was gone, it was gone. She conceded defeat in this high-stakes gamble.

She turned to leave, but Jefferson's voice drifted through the door.

“She doesn't know a thing. And even if she did, what could she do?”

“Her little atelier only survives because Sterling Holdings funds it. Plus, there's her mother. We've actually found two matching kidney donors, but I buried the paperwork. Unless I give the word, no surgeon in the city would dare operate.”

The room erupted in roaring laughter.

“Mr. Sterling really knows how to keep his pet on a tight leash. That's a brilliant move!”

“Pulling something that ruthless and still making her grateful to you...”

Claire froze, rooted to the spot.

A year ago, when her mother was diagnosed with severe kidney failure, Claire tried to donate her own, but they weren't a match.

She had collapsed in tears outside the hospital room, and Jefferson had held her close, whispering, “Don't worry, Claire. Money is no object. I'll do everything to find a donor. Susan will be fine.”

She actually believed he was her savior. She waited in agony for a year, only to discover he was deliberately delaying the treatment.

He was using her mother's life to control her. A suffocating wave of fury burned through her chest.

Six years. She had been incredibly stupid.

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