The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 163

Claire paused and turned around to see Julian striding quickly toward her.

"Claire, where did you disappear to? The auction ended and I couldn't find you anywhere."

She instinctively glanced over at the sleek black sedan idling nearby.

To her horror, Miles chose that exact moment to roll down the window, revealing his sharply handsome features.

Julian saw him clearly.

His tone dropped, laced with obvious disappointment and a hint of hurt. "Claire, is Dr. Zimmerman driving you home?"

Claire nodded slowly.

Julian smoothly pivoted, his voice filled with hopeful anticipation. "It's getting late. You should head back and rest."

"Next week is my mother's birthday, and I was hoping you'd come over for dinner. She mentions you constantly and says she really misses you."

Faced with his earnest, innocent gaze, Claire couldn't bear to turn him down. She gave a small nod.

She turned back and reached for the car door, only to freeze. Miles had one arm resting lazily out the window, while his other hand deliberately unfastened the top two buttons of his dress shirt.

His throat was laid completely bare.

Two fresh, vibrant red marks were glaringly obvious under the glow of the streetlights.

They were the love bites Claire had left on him just minutes ago.

The man tilted his chin up, moving with a slow, exaggerated casualness, as if merely rolling his neck to stretch.

It was a blatant, highly publicized exhibition of his newly acquired marks.

His cold gaze swept over the younger man, his deep voice dripping with territorial provocation.

"Julian, is there anything else you need?"

Julian stared fixatedly at the marks on Miles's throat. The hopeful light in his eyes slowly died out, and his face drained of color.

He ground his teeth together. "Nothing at all. Thank you for your concern, Dr. Zimmerman."

Her face burning scarlet, Claire practically threw herself into the passenger seat.

She hissed under her breath, "Miles, you absolutely did that on purpose."

"I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. I figured it would be easier if you were with me."

Claire was completely paralyzed by mortification.

"I'm perfectly fine today, no discomfort at all! Goodnight!" She shoved her door open and bolted inside.

After slipping out of her evening wear and changing into comfortable loungewear, Claire curled up on the sofa and scrolled through her phone.

A massive breaking news headline immediately caught her eye, rocketing to the top of the trending charts.

"Sterling Designs Accused of Plagiarizing International Designers; Facing Astronomical Breach of Contract Lawsuits."

She clicked the link and scanned the article. The report was devastatingly thorough, laying out direct comparisons between eight distinct Sterling collections and their original counterparts.

The scandal had already triggered a brutal crash in Sterling Holdings' stock price. The situation was catastrophic.

Looking at the meticulously researched side-by-side evidence, Claire knew this wasn't the work of some random internet sleuth. This was a professional hit job. Sterling Designs was in lethal danger.

She took a screenshot and sent it to Miles.

His reply came through instantly.