The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 32

Watching Claire become the absolute center of attention at her own engagement party, a suffocating wave of bitter jealousy washed over Yvonne as she forced a polished smile.

She had been designing for so long, and her grandfather had never once praised her work! To make matters worse, Jefferson was currently staring at Claire like she was the only woman in the room. What right did she have?

With the brief drama over, the banquet resumed, and the guests took their seats.

Since Alistair had specifically addressed her, Claire couldn't exactly leave. The butler escorted her to a table filled with younger women.

Miles was seated at the table right next to hers.

Under the cover of the tablecloth, Claire slipped out her phone and subtly sent him a text.

[Dr. Zimmerman, thank you so much for what you did earlier.]

[The shirt under your suit fits perfectly. If only you could take off the jacket so I could fully admire my own work.]

She tapped send.

Miles felt his suit pocket vibrate. He waited for the elder next to him to finish speaking before pulling out his phone.

His gaze lingered on the screen for a moment before he turned it off.

Claire watched him carefully from the corner of her eye.

He maintained his usual stoic, unbothered gentleman persona.

But Claire was already used to this.

She was just about to look away—

When Miles casually slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of his chair.

The man looked entirely relaxed, yet his posture remained impeccably straight. He rolled up his cuffs to expose his wrists, and the sleek collar design highlighted his sharp, sculpted jawline.

He was a natural clothes hanger.

Claire's heart gave a wild flutter. She genuinely hadn't expected Miles to respond, let alone in such a direct yet incredibly subtle way.

She bit her lip, unable to stop the slight upward curve of her eyes.

Picking up her phone, she sent another message.

[I see it. It looks amazing. Even better than I imagined.]

As the banquet drew to a close and the atmosphere loosened, Claire stood up to head to the restroom.

Turning the corner in the hallway, a powerful grip suddenly seized her wrist, shoving her forcefully into an empty lounge.

Jefferson's towering figure pressed her hard against the door, a storm of fury radiating from him.

His breath reeked of heavy alcohol.

"Claire, is it thrilling attending your own boyfriend's engagement party? Huh?"

Claire's back throbbed from the impact. Her wrist was already blooming with red marks from his vice-like grip, and struggling was entirely useless.

She looked up coldly, meeting Jefferson's furious glare, and corrected him. "Ex-boyfriend."

"Mr. Sterling, let go of me. Have some respect."

Jefferson's eyes darkened, the rage swirling violently within them.

"Respect?" He scoffed as if she had just told a hilarious joke. "You don't need me anymore? Suddenly you've grown a spine! Is that it?"

"Or did you already climb into someone else's bed?"