The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 166

She clung desperately to Jefferson's sleeve, shedding every ounce of her usual haughty arrogance.

"Jefferson, please, just stop running to Claire. Let me handle this."

"She's already moved on with another man. He treats her incredibly well, and she is never coming back to you..."

The words twisted like a knife in Jefferson's gut. His eyes hardened to ice as he roughly shoved her off. "That is my business. Focus entirely on closing the OCHH acquisition."

-

That evening, in Apartment 502 at Grandview Heights.

Claire stared at the text from Julian and quickly typed out an "Okay."

Martha Young was hosting her birthday weekend at Azure Springs Resort and had explicitly requested Claire's presence. Since she'd already agreed at the auction, backing out now would be incredibly rude.

It was an overnight trip. Claire hauled out her suitcase and began sorting through her wardrobe.

Dresses, t-shirts, pajamas... Right, it was a resort with hot springs. She definitely needed a swimsuit.

The front door clicked unlocked, and Miles strode in carrying a bowl of fresh fruit.

Seeing the open suitcase dominating the living room floor, he froze.

He set the bowl down slowly. "Going on a business trip?"

Claire didn't turn around, continuing to rifle through her closet.

"Not business. I'm attending Martha Young's birthday weekend at Azure Springs Resort, so I need to pack a few things."

She grabbed her swimsuit and walked out of the bedroom.

Miles's gaze locked onto the incredibly scant scrap of fabric in her hands, his eyes immediately darkening.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Just two days. It's for the weekend, I'll be back by Monday," Claire said, crouching down to tuck the swimsuit into her luggage.

Suddenly, a large hand reached out from behind her, snatched the swimsuit, and tossed it across the room.

"You are not bringing that."

His tone left no room for debate. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her effortlessly to her feet.

Claire gave an exasperated sigh. "Dr. Zimmerman, how am I supposed to go in the water, then?"

"Then don't."

The man was being entirely unreasonable, which was wildly out of character. His grip on her waist tightened to a crushing degree as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

The fruit bowl on the coffee table tipped over with a loud clatter.

Miles hovered above her, staring down with eyes like black fire, his breathing ragged and scorching hot.

He was certain he was losing his mind.

Claire was driving him absolutely insane.

Back in that hospital stairwell, he had heard Jefferson mention their "ten years together."

Miles hadn't dared to ask what that meant.

Was it lingering romantic devotion to her ex? Professional camaraderie? Or the unbreakable bond of building a business together?

He refused to ask. He was terrified of the answer, and even more terrified that she would use it as an excuse to walk away from him forever.

If he couldn't handle the truth, he would simply avoid it.

At this moment, his only desperate, selfish desire was to take her, to stake his absolute claim on her, and to prove to himself that she was his and his alone.

Clinging to the very last shred of his sanity, he asked.

"Can I?"