The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 20

"Do you need me, your future wife, to go knock some sense into her? Put her in her rightful place?"

Jefferson's grip on his glass tightened instantly, his gaze turning razor-sharp.

"I don't like people touching my things."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable warning.

"This is a business marriage. Don't overstep your bounds."

Yvonne's face stiffened. She shrugged, forcing her expression back into a casual mask.

"I was just joking. Why did you get so serious? You actually scared me."

She played it off smoothly, but a sharp wave of jealousy surged through her.

She had been in love with Jefferson for years. Her secret obsession had finally become a reality through this corporate merger, but his heart clearly wasn't hers yet.

It was fine. She had the patience to wait.

Jefferson's eyes remained glued to his phone screen, his brows knitted in frustration.

An entire night had passed, and Claire still hadn't messaged him. She was really holding out!

Over the next two days, Claire practically lived in the design department, spinning non-stop like a top.

Designing that custom shirt for Miles had unexpectedly unlocked her creativity, giving her an entirely new perspective on how to flawlessly merge luxury couture with traditional aesthetics.

Drafting, revising, refining... She worked relentlessly, barely sleeping. Betty was the only reason she even remembered to eat or drink.

Surprisingly, she didn't feel exhausted. It had been a very long time since she had been able to focus so purely on design without any outside interference.

Daisy watched her working like a maniac and sneered.

"Claire, do you really need to try this hard? If you know you're going to fail, just beg me for forgiveness and I might consider calling off the bet."

Claire didn't even bother looking up, her pencil moving flawlessly across the paper. "Mind your own business."

"Hmph. I'll just wait and see what kind of garbage you end up turning in." Hitting a brick wall, Daisy walked away with a sour expression.

In between her grueling design sessions, Claire managed a quick trip to the hospital.

She had come to the hospital, checked on her mother, and left immediately.

It had been two full days. She hadn't said a single word about her mother's condition, nor had she mentioned the custom shirt.

Their message thread was completely empty.

It was as if her seductive text the other night had just been a fleeting, meaningless prank.

Miles stared at the empty chat interface.

The dark screen reflected his deeply furrowed brow.

He completely despised himself when he acted like this.

Hadn't he learned this lesson years ago? She thrived on playing hot and cold. She was entirely irresponsible with people's feelings.

Maybe she found him completely boring now and had simply moved on to a new target?

Miles gripped his phone, his thumb hovering frozen over the screen...