The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 28

He had been interrupted in the office before they could settle their argument, and today, he was determined to get a straight answer out of her.

As his car pulled up to the apartment building, the security guard rushed over and tapped on the window.

Jefferson rolled it down.

"Mr. Sterling, what a relief to finally catch you."

"Ms. Jenner asked me to hand this over to you personally. She said it was incredibly important. You haven't been around much lately."

Jefferson smirked. Of course not; he had purposely been giving Claire the cold shoulder to teach her a lesson.

It was a brown envelope.

Jefferson took it. The handwriting on the front belonged to Claire.

[To Jefferson, Personal.]

This was one of her classic little tricks.

Whenever they fought, Claire would write him a letter to apologize and make peace.

A triumphant smile spread across his lips, confident that everything was completely under his control.

He knew it. He had given her so much over the years; there was absolutely no way she could actually bring herself to leave him.

Jefferson lit a cigarette and was just about to open the envelope to savor his little bird's desperate, romantic pleading when his phone rang.

His assistant's panicked voice came through the speaker. "Mr. Sterling, there's a serious issue with the contract we just signed. Where are you? I'll come to you immediately."

"I'm heading back now."

Jefferson tossed the envelope into the glove compartment, started the engine, and sped back to the office.

Claire had been living at Grandview Heights for two days and still hadn't run into Miles.

She still hadn't figured out exactly how she was going to explain her sudden appearance.

She was worried it would backfire and make him think she was a scheming stalker—even though she totally had ulterior motives.

Her phone rang. It was Betty.

"Claire, a client just ordered a custom artisanal silk scarf. They offered ten times the standard rate, but they're insisting the designer deliver it personally to Cloudwater Estate."

The ceremony hadn't started yet, and the room was packed with people laughing and mingling.

Dressed in a simple, elegant gown, Claire stood out immediately, drawing countless eyes with her striking beauty and presence.

Standing near the stage, a smug smile flashed across Yvonne's eyes.

She walked right up to Claire and took the box from her hands.

"Claire, thank you so much. Mrs. Sterling was missing a scarf to match her dress, and we couldn't find anything suitable, so I had to make you run all the way over here."

"You're welcome. The ten-times premium was very convincing."

If Yvonne wanted to act, Claire could play the game just as well.

"I had no idea your fiancé was actually Mr. Sterling."

She turned to look at Jefferson, whose face was a complicated mess of emotions, and offered a perfectly calm, polite smile.

"Congratulations on your engagement, Mr. Sterling."