The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 177

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN CLAIRE’S POV

The flashes started before I was even fully out of the car.

“Claire! Claire, over here!”

“Miss Moreau!”

“How does it feel after the Virex verdict?”

I forced a composed smile onto my face as Daniel Reyes stepped out beside me, Laurel following behind us shortly after.

The entrance to the Langford Foundation Gala glowed beneath multiple large chandeliers and gold lighting, cameras flashing endlessly across the marble steps.

It was as elegant as it was expensive.

Exhausting too.

“Laurel, can you at least smile before they think Sinclair & Co doesn’t believe in joy,” Daniel muttered

under his breath.

Laurel rolled her eyes.

“I’m a corporate attorney, Daniel. Joy is against my professional obligations.”

I nearly laughed despite myself.

The reporters swarmed closer immediately, sensing our ease.

“Miss Moreau, are you considering taking on more corporate accountability cases after your recent victory against Virex?”

“Yes,” I answered smoothly. “Sinclair & Co has received several new inquiries already.”

“Do you believe your victory signals a shift in power within corporate litigation?”

Daniel jumped in before I could answer. “We believe it signals that corporations should stop underestimating Claire Moreau.” He said.

A few reporters laughed lightly.

Then came the next question.

The one I wasn’t expecting.

“Miss Moreau,” another reporter called, “are you looking forward to seeing Lucian Dhark tonight? Dhark Holdings remains one of the foundation’s largest sponsors despite recent controversies.”

My whole face went stiff, and I felt my smile completely disappear.

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Daniel muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “idiots.”

“I’m here for the foundation,” I answered carefully. “Not for personal matters.”

Movement near the front entrance suddenly pulled the crowd’s attention away from us.

And then, I watched as Lucian stepped out of a black car.

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Not loudly, worse. Quietly.

Whispers spread across the crowd like smoke.

Phones lifted instantly towards his direction, and cameras flashed harder.

Lucian looked devastatingly composed in an all-black tuxedo, his dark hair swept neatly back, wearing an expression that was so utterly unreadable, even beneath the flashing lights.

But I knew him.

And even from this distance, he looked tired.

Exhausted in a way no amount of wealth or tailoring could hide.

The reporters surged toward him immediately.

Questions started flying.

“Mr. Dhark! Any comment on the allegations?”

“Do you mean to tender a public apology for what you did to Eva?”

“How do you feel about losing the baby?”

“Is your company collapsing?”

My chest tightened painfully as I watched.

But Lucian barely reacted.

Even then, I could still see the slight hardening of his jaw.

The isolation, the scrutiny…

I turned away suddenly, tired of noticing everything about the man.

“Come on,” I said quickly to Daniel and Laurel. “Let’s go inside.”

–

The ballroom inside was breathtaking.

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Crystal chandeliers glowed overhead while orchestral music basically floated through the room.

Every table gleamed with gold accents and fresh flowers.

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It was the kind of room built for power.

For appearances.

For people pretending they weren’t watching each other.

Daniel checked the table placements and exclaimed, “Oh, this should be fun.”

“What?” I asked.

“Our table’s right beside KVEK.”

Of course it was.

Nathaniel stood the moment we approached.

And just like always, something in my chest softened immediately at the sight of him.

Whatever anxiety I had felt outside immediately disappeared, and my nerves began to settle.

“Hey,” he said gently, leaning down to kiss my cheek lightly. “You made it.”

“Barely,” I admitted.

Mark Kennedy greeted Daniel and Laurel politely while Victoria barely acknowledged our existence.

Her expression remained cold- almost irritated.

Nathaniel noticed it too.

“Victoria,” he warned lightly.

“What?” she said flatly. “I’m only sitting quietly.”

“That’s the problem,” Mark muttered.

I hid a smile.

For a while, the six of us from the two firms interacted civilly enough.

Conversation flowed between cases, business, and legal gossip.

But my eventually, my attention drifted across the ballroom.

Toward Lucian.

He sat alone at the sponsor’s table near the front, completely isolated.

No one lingered near him longer than necessary.

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Investors who I had seen practically chase his attention, now avoided eye contact entirely.

The sight unsettled me deeply.

And of course, Daniel noticed where I was looking.

“That’s brutal,” he muttered quietly.

I frowned slightly. “What?”

“The investors.”

He swirled his drink lightly as he spoke. “I heard two board members from another firm saying Dhark Holdings might actually go up for sale if things keep declining.”

I turned toward him immediately.

“No.”

Daniel blinked.

“You sound very certain.”

“I am.”

Because I knew Lucian.

And Lucian would rather bleed himself dry than sell the empire his family built.

Especially after everything involving his father.

“He’d never do that,” I said quietly.

Before Daniel could respond-

the atmosphere shifted again.

Heads turned toward the ballroom entrance.

And then Eva Sterling walked in.

Fashionably late.

Of course.

The room practically came alive around her.

People rushed to greet her immediately.

Socialites.

Executives.

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Media personalities.

Even politicians.

Eva smiled gracefully beneath the attention like she had been born for worship.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

Terrifying.

Her gaze swept briefly across the room.

Then landed on Lucian.

Then-

on me.

Something cold flickered behind her smile.

Then disappeared.

I looked away first.

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At some point later, the conversation between both legal tables blended together again.

Mostly harmless.

Until Victoria spoke.

“Well,” she said coolly while sipping champagne, “at least Eva Sterling escaped one abusive billionaire marriage before Dhark Holdings collapsed entirely.”

The table went silent.

Nathaniel looked immediately irritated.

“Victoria.”

“What?” she asked innocently.

“She made allegations publicly. People are allowed to discuss them.”

“She also lied,” I said before I could stop myself.

The words slipped out instantly.

Sharp.

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Immediate.

Victoria’s eyebrows lifted slowly.

“And look at that,” she said softly. “Claire Moreau still defending Lucian Dhark.”

Heat crept up my neck immediately.

“That isn’t what this is.”

“No?”

Her smile sharpened.

“Because from where I’m sitting, it sounds suspiciously like you’re still in love with your ex-husband.”

The air went completely still.

“That’s ridiculous,” I snapped. “And why are you so hateful?”

Victoria shrugged.

“I’m just observant.”

Nathaniel stood suddenly.

“I need a drink,” he said quietly, then he walked away from the table.

Guilt twisted painfully inside me.

Before I could think too deeply about it, a loud voice echoed through the ballroom speakers, catching

everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome one of tonight’s major sponsors and contributors to the Langford Foundation- Mr. Lucian Dhark.”

Silence filled the ballroom.

Not even polite applause- nothing.

And yet somehow, Lucian still commanded the room completely as he rose and walked toward the stage, tall and composed despite everything.

The spotlight caught against his dark suit as he stepped behind the podium.

For a moment, he simply looked out across the crowd.

Then he began speaking.