The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 193

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE CLAIRE’S POV

Work had always been easier than emotions.

Because contracts made sense. Litigation made sense. People, most of the time, made sense.

Heartbreak did not.

Which was why, barely two weeks after I ended things with Claire Moreau, I found myself sitting behind my desk at eight-thirty in the morning, buried beneath a mountain of case files.

I wasn’t actually reading any of them. I’d been staring at the same paragraph for nearly five minutes when a sharp knock sounded against my office door.

Before I could answer, the door opened, and Victoria Merlyn walked in.

A frown automatically formed on my face.

“You’re smiling.” I remarked. “That’s strange.”

“And you’re sulking.” Victoria bit back.

Victoria rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious.” I said, as I leaned back in my chair. “You only smile when something terrible happens to somebody.”

Victoria scoffed. “That’s not true.”

“It absolutely is.”

She sat down across from me.

“I smiled when Mark spilled coffee on himself yesterday.” She countered.

I pointed at her. “Exactly.”

Victoria looked annoyingly pleased with herself.

I don’t remember the last time I had has a conversation with Victoria that wasn’t hostile or spiteful.

Today, Victoria Merlyn seemed particularly calm. Almost gentle, even.

That was what unsettled me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then her expression shifted slightly. “You’ve been sulking sulking for sometime now, Nathaniel.”

I groaned. “There it is.”

“You have.”

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INSED AND NINETY THRE CLAIRES POW

“I have not.”

“You absolutely have.”

I rubbed my temples.

“Victoria.”

“You stare out windows now.”

“I’ve always stared out windows.”

“You sigh.”

“I do not sigh.”

“You sighed twice during yesterday’s partner meeting.”

I stared at her.

“Have you been monitoring my sighs?”

“I monitor everything.”

Unfortunately, that sounded entirely believable.

Victoria folded her arms. “You and Claire broke up.”

My jaw tightened.

The change wasn’t dramatic. I assumed most people wouldn’t have noticed.

But Victoria did- of course she did.

“I don’t want to discuss it.” I said quickly.

“Good.”

I blinked.

“Good?”

“Because I wasn’t asking.” She shrugged. “I’m making an observation.”

I gave her a flat look. “That’s somehow worse.”

Victoria ignored me. “You need to move on.”

Move on. The words were simple enough. The true definition of “easier said than done”

I laughed humorlessly. “Thank you. That’s incredibly helpful.”

“I’m serious.” She said, her voice softening.

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ANDENINY THREE CLAIRE POV

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That alone made me suspicious.

Victoria Merlyn was many things- soft wasn’t usually one of them.

“You did everything right.”

I looked up.

Victoria continued. “You are a kind, honest man. You fought for her. You treated her well- better than most men would have anyways.”

I stared at her.

She looked almost uncomfortable saying it.

“Victoria…”

She didn’t let me finish. “You don’t get to blame yourself because someone else couldn’t decide what they wanted.” She continued. “You deserve better than sitting around, mourning a woman who still can’t let go of her ex-husband.”

The office fell quiet.

I was genuinely surprised.

So surprised that I actually had to say it aloud. “You’re being nice.”

Victoria looked offended. “What do you mean? Of course I can be nice.”

“You threatened opposing counsel with disbarment last week.”

“He deserved it.”

Despite myself, I laughed.

Then I shook my head slowly. “No, seriously.” I said, studying her.

“You’re being unusually nice.”

Victoria looked away briefly.

When she spoke again, her voice was quieter.

“I’ve learned being hard isn’t the best way to show people you care about them.”

I froze.

The sentence felt… oddly personal.

I scoffed lightly, trying to ease the sudden tension with humor.

“Since when did you care about me?”

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AN NOx youps

Victoria looked directly at me.

She didn’t look sarcastic. Didn’t look annoyed.

Didn’t even look amused.

“I’ve cared about you all along.”

Something shifted inside me- something unexpected.

We stared at each other for a moment longer than either of us intended.

Long enough for questions to begin forming.

Long enough for me to open my mouth to let those questions out.

“What exactly does th-”

A frantic knock interrupted me.

Victoria and I looked toward the door as a junior associate rushed inside, out of breath.

“Partners meeting.” He said.

I frowned.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Conference room.” The associate swallowed. “All four partners are needed immediately.”

Victoria and I exchanged a glance, then rose from our seats.

Whatever conversation we’d been having vanished instantly.

Work always came first.

The atmosphere inside the conference room felt wrong the second I walked in.

Mark Kennedy sat at the far end of the table. Beside him was Eorbard.

And across from them-

I stopped walking.

Eva Sterling.

My expression darkened immediately I saw her, sitting beside her manager.

I looked at Mark, then Eorbard.

Then back to Eva. “What the hell is she doing here?”

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WOONDONERED AND NINI TY THREE CLAIRES POV

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“Sit down, Nathaniel,” Mark said.

“No.”

Eva remained perfectly composed- as elegant, beautiful and calculated as I remembered.

I disliked her instantly, the same way I always had.

“We’re discussing potential representation,” Eorbard explained.

I laughed. It was a short, humorless sound.

“You’re kidding.”

I hoped, with all my might, that they were.

“No.”

I looked directly at Eva. “You’ve got some nerve.”

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nathaniel.” He called, like he was trying to warn me.

Ha!

I ignored him completely.

Eva herself remained calm.

Her manager stepped in smoothly. “Miss Sterling is seeking legal counsel.” He started. “Considering recent developments, she anticipates future litigation.”

I barked another laugh. “Of course she does.”

My eyes narrowed. “She’s only here because she knows we dropped Lucian.”

Silence.

Nobody denied it, and that told me everything.

When Eva finally spoke, her voice was low. “Business decisions happen all the time, Mr. Vale.” She said.

I looked at her coldly. “You must think we’re idiots.”

Mark sighed. “Nathaniel.”

“No.”

I leaned forward. My patience was completely gone.

“Let’s stop pretending.” I said, my gaze still fixed on Eva. “If Lucian abused you like you’ve claimed for months, why didn’t you sue him?”

The room went still.

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HOME NOSIONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE CLAIRE 5 POV

Eva’s expression barely shifted, but Victoria’s did.

I noticed the way her jaw clenched immediately.

There was a flicker behind her eyes. Pain.

Real pain.

When Victoria spoke, her voice was sharp and cutting. “Stop.”

I turned toward her, to see her hardened, hurt expression.

Not at Eva, but at me.

“You know better than that.”

I frowned.

Victoria continued.

“I didn’t sue Raymond.”

The room fell silent.

Even Eva looked surprised.

Victoria folded her arms tightly.

“You know why?”

Her voice was calm.

Controlled.

Dangerously calm.

“Because powerful men rarely lose.”

My anger faltered.

Only slightly.

But enough.

Victoria looked toward Eva.

Then back at me.

“Whether you like her or not, she deserves fair representation.”

Nobody spoke.

Several long seconds passed.

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