The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 147

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN CLAIRE’S POV

The morning should have felt lighter.

But I didn’t- not completely.

The Langford case had gone better than any of us at Sinclair&co could have realistically hoped for.

The last court session had shifted everything.

Even the atmosphere in the courtroom had changed by the time we adjourned.

The jury had listened to me- really listened.

And once again, Virex Holdings had looked uncertain.

Victoria Merlyn certainly had.

The verdict would be delivered during the next hearing.

And unless something drastic happened, we were all certain that Langford Industries was going to win.

I should have been focused on that.

On the breakthrough everyone at Sinclair & Co kept saying this case would become for me.

Instead-

I stood frozen near my apartment entrance, staring through the glass doors at the crowd outside.

Cameras, microphones, reporters. All over again.

Only this time, they weren’t waiting outside a courthouse.

They were outside my home!

I felt my stomach tighten slightly.

The building security guards looked apologetic when they noticed me.

“They arrived early this morning, Ms. Moreau,” one of them explained carefully. “We tried to move them further back.”

I nodded once.

“It’s fine.”

It wasn’t.

But I didn’t have the energy for that yet.

The moment the gates opened, the noise hit immediately.

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HUNDRELANDLORIY NIVIN CLARESPON

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“Claire!”

“Ms. Moreau!”

“Do you support Lucian Dhark?”

“Did you know Eva Sterling was being abused?”

“Were you abused during your marriage?”

That one stopped me.

Not physically, but internally.

For a second, everything else blurred into background noise.

I looked toward the reporter who had asked it.

Then I answered calmly.

“Never,” I said clearly. “Not once.” 1

The crowd shifted instantly- more shouting, more questions.

But I just kept walking.

I opened the car door quickly and slid inside without another word.

Only after the door shut did I finally allow myself to breathe.

My hands were colder than they should have been.

Because somehow, that whole ordeal with the press had shaken me more than I expected.

The press had followed me more times than I could count- outside the Dhark mansion, outside Sinclair

& Co, even outside restaurants.

But not my apartment.

Never my apartment.

And suddenly the line between public and personal felt dangerously thin again.

Margot noticed immediately.

But of course she would.

I had barely stepped into her office before her eyes narrowed slightly at me.

“What happened?”

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RED ANDLORDY SEVEN CLAIRES POV

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I set my bag down on her desk slowly, before answering. “The press was outside my apartment.”

Her expression changed instantly.

Not shock- calculation. And irritation.

“They asked about Lucian,” I continued. “Whether he had ever been abusive toward me.”

A beat.

“And?” Margot asked impatiently.

“I answered.”

Margot’s stare sharpened then. “What exactly did you say?”

“The truth.” Silence. Then I continued. “He never hit me.” I stated clearly, just in case Margot too,

believed the narrative Eva and her fans had built.

Margot held my gaze for a long second before reaching for her office phone immediately.

“Sit down.”

Her tone left no room for argument.

I sat while she began making calls.

And within seconds, the version of Margot Sinclair most people feared returned fully-cold, precise and

lethal.

“No,” she said flatly into the phone. “You do not wait outside my associate’s private residence.”

A pause.

“Try it again and Sinclair & Co will bury your network in legal action so aggressively your shareholders too, will feel it.”

Another pause.

“Yes.” She retorted. “That was a threat.”

Click.

The second call went similarly.

And the third.

By the end of it, I almost felt bad for the media companies involved.

Almost.

Margot finally set the phone down.

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KNET ONEHUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN CLAIRES POV

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“They won’t be back to bother you at your apartment again.”

The certainty in her voice made me believe her immediately.

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

She waved it off dismissively, but I didn’t let it go this time.

How could I, after everything she has done for me?

“No,” I said more firmly. “I mean it.”

Margot looked at me again.

“You didn’t have to do any of this for me.” I stated.

A faint line appeared between her brows.

“Claire-” she tried to stop me, but I didn’t let her this time.

“You offset my legal fees when I couldn’t afford them,” I continued softly. “You gave me work when nobody else wanted to touch me because of the divorce.”

The memories came back too easily now.

The whispers, the articles.

Lucian’s ex-wife.

Gold digger.

Social climber.

Damaged.

“And even now,” I continued, “you keep giving me opportunities I probably haven’t thanked you enough for.”

Margot’s expression softened slightly then- subtle, but real.

“You earned your place here,” she said calmly.

“Maybe,” I admitted. “But you still gave me the chance.”

For a second, neither of us spoke.

The silence that settled was comfortable. Even Margot wore a small smile.

Then she leaned back slightly in her chair.

“Well,” she said dryly, “your paycheck should help express some of our appreciation too.”

I blinked once. “What?”

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THAT OR ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN CLAIRE 5 POV

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“Your salary increase was approved this morning.”

That caught me completely off guard.

I broke into a grin. “Margot-”

“And your bonus drops today,” she added casually. “Significantly larger than your previous one.”

I stared at her, a grin plastered on my face like it belonged there. “You’re joking!”

“I never joke about payroll.”

That pulled a laugh out of me.