The Wife he threw Away (Claire and Lucian) novel Chapter 83

CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE LUCIAN’S POV

The boardroom was silent by the time the last report slid across the table.

I leaned back slightly in my chair as my gaze moved over the documents in front of me. Every figure aligned. Every projection held. Every summary reflected stability.

Just as it should.

“Walk me through this again,” I said.

The head of finance straightened almost immediately. “All flagged movements have been accounted for. The discrepancies raised earlier were due to timing differences in authorization cycles. There is nothing irregular.”

Nothing irregular.

The words sat in my mind, clean and convenient.

My fingers tapped once against the table. Not impatient, just thinking.

Across from me, one of the board members added, “We’ve tightened internal review protocols as well. There shouldn’t be any further issues.”

I held his gaze for a second longer than necessary, then nodded once.

The meeting continued, but my attention had already shifted.

Something about this didn’t sit right.

It wasn’t enough to call out, or even enough to challenge directly.

But it was enough for me to notice.

And I always trusted that.

By the time the room cleared, the silence returned-this time heavier. The kind of silence that had been following me since the court case came to an end the previous week.

I looked at the documents one last time before my assistant started gathering them slowly and stacking them with deliberate precision before standing.

Outside, the office moved as it always did- efficient and uninterrupted- exactly as it should be.

One of my assistants approached before I reached my desk.

“Mr. Dhark.” He called.

I raised a brow, a little curious as to why he had come to the office today. I had assigned him to Eva weeks ago.

I didn’t slow.

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“Yes?” I answered.

“There was no incoming communication requiring immediate attention.”

I paused slightly, then looked at him.

“… Nothing?”

He shook his head. “No, sir.”

A brief silence followed.

Then I asked, almost absently, “Did Mrs. Dhark leave any message?”

The correction didn’t come immediately.

Not from him.

Not from me.

“…No,” he said after a second. “She didn’t.”

Of course she didn’t.

I turned away before the thought could settle too deeply in my mind and twist itself into something more

serious.

The transfer had gone through.

Claire would have received it by now. 1

Fifty million wasn’t something anyone ignored.

And yet-

Nothing.

No acknowledgment, no response, no reaction.

My jaw tightened slightly as I thought about it.

But maybe that was the point.

Maybe she really did want nothing to do with me anymore and that’s why she kept mum.

The thought wasn’t unfamiliar.

Just… more final now.

And if she was involved in anything Margot was handling-

I dismissed the thought before it could fully form.

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Not everything circled back to Claire… Moreau.

The glass doors of my office opened without announcement.

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

Eva’s presence always carried in before her voice did. That’s one of the reasons she’s a star.

“Good afternoon.” She greeted, her voice light and polished, her tone deliberately warm.

Board members still lingering near the corridor turned, their expressions changing almost at once.

“Ms. Sterling-”

“You look stunning as always.”

“Always a pleasure to see you.”

She smiled at each of them, effortless and perfectly timed.

Acknowledging them just enough to keep their attention where she wanted it.

I watched it all without moving. Without reacting.

Eva didn’t glance at the assistants. She didn’t acknowledge the staff moving around her.

One of them stepped slightly aside to make room for her- but she didn’t look at him.

Didn’t even pretend to.

Her nose scrunched just slightly as she walked past staff.

It was barely noticeable, but it was there.

I exhaled quietly as she approached.

Some things truly never changed.

“Lucian,” she said as she walked towards me, her smile softening just enough to look more personal.

I nodded once. “Eva.”

She didn’t wait to be invited before taking a seat across from me.

She looked comfortable, like she had always belonged here.

“I came to talk to you about something,” she stated.

I leaned back slightly. “You usually do.”

She smiled faintly, choosing to ignore my tone. That’s how I knew that she needed a favour.

“I’m planning a dinner.” She started.

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“That’s not unusual.” I retorted.

Her smile sharpened a little bit. “This one is very important.”

“You hosted one three nights ago.” I pointed out.

I could remember the lights, the fake laughs of ‘the elite’ as Eva called them, the staff overworking

themselves.

“That was different.” Eva snapped.

I didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, I simply watched her.

Waiting.

“It’s about maintaining presence,” she continued, calmer this time. “Visibility. People talk. They notice who’s hosting, who’s not. It matters.”

“To who?” I asked.

“To everyone,” Eva said simply.

There was no hesitation in it. No irony.

I studied her for a moment longer.

“This isn’t about necessity,” I said, seeing right through her. “It’s about positioning.”

She tilted her head slightly, as if considering the phrasing.

“Exactly. I’m glad you get the point.” She said, in a sing-song voice. “I’m the biggest actress in the country. I have to act like it.”

That was it.

I exhaled quietly, my fingers resting against the arm of the chair.

“You don’t need to prove anything,” I stated.

Eva smiled again- softer this time.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She paused, toying with the huge diamond ring on her finger. “You never stop proving your place,” she added.

The words lingered.

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

But she wasn’t entirely right either.

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ANAN P

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There was a difference between maintaining power and chasing validation.

I knew it. But Eva didn’t seem to see it. 1

Or maybe she did, and simply chose not to care.

“I’ll have the arrangements handled,” she continued smoothly. “I just wanted you to be aware and of course foot the bills as usual.”

“That wasn’t a request.”

“No,” she said lightly. “It wasn’t.”

Of course it wasn’t.

Silence settled briefly between us.

Not tense, just… revealing.

After a moment, Eva rose to her feet, smoothened out her dress with practiced ease, and said;

“I won’t keep you. I know you’re busy.”

I didn’t respond.

I simply watched her.