The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 141

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-ONE NATHANIEL’S POV

I didn’t like surprises.

Especially not the kind that came from men like Lucian Dhark.

So when the request came through-direct, immediate, and unmistakably urgent-I didn’t answer right away.

I let it sit on my desk for a full minute, staring at it like it might suddenly just disappear.

It didn’t.

Of course it didn’t.

Lucian Dhark wanted a meeting, just like I had predicted.

And for once, I didn’t have to wonder why.

Dhark Holdings looked exactly like it always did.

Immaculate and untouchable- just what one would expect from a generation empire like this one.

But the illusion cracked the moment I stepped inside.

The tension hit me in waves.

Assistants moved too quickly, conversations cut short the second I passed.

Screens were lit up in every direction, and muted news channels ran on loop.

It was a full crisis.

One they couldn’t even pretend to contain.

Good.

They led me straight up to Lucian Dhark’s office.

No delays, no formalities.

The doors opened before I could even knock.

Lucian was already seated inside, waiting. L

He looked the same as the last time I had seen him.

That was the first thing I noticed.

The same posture, the same stillness, wsame unreadable expression that had carried him through boardrooms, negotiations, and courtrooms alike.

But there was something else under it now.

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HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE NATHANIEL 5 POV

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Something quieter. Something strained.

It was barely visible, easy to miss.

But I didn’t miss it.

“Mr. Vale.” Lucian called the moment I stepped in.

His voice was even, like always.

“Mr. Dhark.” I returned the greeting.

That was all we gave each other.

No handshake, no fake pleasantries. 1

Just acknowledgment.

The room was already occupied.

I recognized the Dhark Holding’s PR director. The Legal counsel was an excellent attorney I had encountered years ago. Lucian’s ginger assistant stood near one of the screens, tablet in hand, ready to update at any second.

The wore exhaustion like an armor.

Every screen in the office showed the same thing.

News, headlines, irreparable damage if you’d call it that.

“Dhark Holdings CEO Accused of Abuse.”

“Eva Sterling Speaks Out.”

“Global Outrage Erupts.”

“#CancelDharkTrending.”

I didn’t comment.

I didn’t need to when the situation spoke for itself.

“This isn’t contained locally anymore,” someone said-his assistant, I think.

“It’s global.”

Of course it was.

Eva Sterling wasn’t just famous in the country.

She was adored internationally. To her fans, and the world at large, she was equivalent to royalty.

They briefed me quickly- too quickly.

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ONCONERED AND FORTY ON NATHANIELS POV

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Timeline, public response, market impact. And most importantly; legal risk.

Words like reputation damage, brand instability, shareholder concern floated around the room like they still meant something.

They didn’t.

When Lucian spoke, everyone listened.

“I need representation.”

Direct. No hesitation, no performance.

I studied him for a second.

“You could’ve gone to Sinclair & Co.”

The room went still.

Just slightly, but enough for me to know that more than one person must had suggested it.

Lucian didn’t look away. “I didn’t.”

“Convenient.” I almost sneered.

“Deliberate.” Lucian replied evenly.

That landed exactly the way he intended it to.

Of course it was deliberate. Claire worked there.

I let the silence sit for a moment before taking a seat.

“Then let’s not waste time,” I said. “Start from the very beginning.”

He did.

Lucian’s version was clean. Too clean.

No raised voices, no gaps, no hesitation.

He asks Eva to leave.

She does not.

He returns.

Tension.

Then suddenly- public accusation.

“And you didn’t touch her?” I asked again.

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“No.”

No pause, no adjustment.

I held his gaze.

“You understand what this looks like.”

“I do.”

“Do you?” I pushed. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks exactly like the kind of situation that gets worse the moment the truth starts coming out.”

There was a flicker in his expression.

Then he shook his head once.

“I didn’t do what she’s implying.”

“Implying,” I repeated.

“She was careful.”

“She always is.” His assistant added, just before Lucian shot her a look.

“And you believe she staged it?” I asked.

“Yes.”

The room stilled again.

I didn’t react immediately.

I didn’t agree or challenge.

After all, he knew Eva better than I did.

“Belief isn’t evidence,” I said finally.

“Then we find it.” He added.

He said it like it was so simple… so direct.

Like this was just another problem to solve.

Except it wasn’t. I leaned back in my seat slightly, folding my arms.

“You know what my concern is?” I said.

No one answered.

“I was blindsided in court once because of you.”

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That shifted the air instantly.

But Lucian didn’t interrupt me or even try to deny it.

Better.

“During your legal battle with Claire,” I continued. “Your timeline with Eva. You kept me in the dark.”

A pause.

“I don’t walk into court unprepared.”

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

“That won’t happen again,” he said.

I almost smiled.

Almost.

We both knew that wasn’t the real reason I stepped away.

It wasn’t about being unprepared.

It was about what I had walked into.

What I had defended.

What I had realized too late.

And the feelings I had developed.

I let that sit between us- unspoken but understood.

“If I take this case,” I said, my voice level, “I don’t defend you as a man.”

A beat.

“I defend facts.”

“That’s all I need.”

“And if the facts don’t favor you?”

“They will.”

No hesitation.

No doubt.

That should’ve reassured me.

It didn’t.

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CHAYONGNE HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE NATHANIELS POV

Because I had heard certainty from him before.

And I knew exactly how dangerous it could be.