Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 104

Chapter 104

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Victor Bennett was still riding high from the news that he’d be meeting with the Blade project leader tomorrow morning when he heard Director Collins mention the meeting location: Nova AI.

He repeated “Nova AI” without thinking, his heart sinking like a stone. A cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt.

Clara worked at Nova AI, didn’t she?

Could it be that she really was involved in the Blade collaboration, just as he’d suspected?

The thought was enough to make him jump out of his skin. He hurried towards Richard Bennett’s office.

“Dad, we’ve got a problem.”

Victor burst in without knocking, throwing the door open.

“Director Collins said the meeting with the Blade project leader is at Nova AI, the company where Clara works!”

Richard Bennett, who had been toying with a piece of jade, stopped, his brow furrowing.“What’s the panic? So she works at Nova AI, what’s the big deal?”

Victor stepped forward, planting his hands on the edge of the desk, his eyes pleading.“Have you forgotten? Clara studied AI development in college. What if… what if she’s involved in the Blade project?”

“What if she finds out we’re trying to collaborate with Blade and throws a wrench in the works?”

Richard Bennett scoffed, setting down the jade.“Impossible.”

“She didn’t even finish college because she was so focused on marrying Ethan Carter, and she’s been a housewife ever since. She wouldn’t know the first thing about core research, probably not even basic industry news.”

“The fact that she even got into a company like Nova AI is a stroke of pure luck. There’s no way they’d let her anywhere near a project as important as Blade.”

“You’re meeting with the Blade project lead tomorrow. Focus on the deal, and don’t let someone as insignificant as her mess with your

head.”

Victor Bennett considered his father’s words, and they made sense, but he still couldn’t shake his unease.

The next morning, Victor, along with his assistant, arrived at Nova Al’s research department. He scanned the lobby, and when he didn’t see Clara, he finally relaxed.

He’d obviously been overthinking it.

But when the receptionist led him into the conference room and he saw Ryan Walker sitting at the head of the table, his anxiety spiked again.

Ryan stopped tapping his fingers on the table when he saw Victor. He raised his eyebrows when the receptionist introduced Victor as Mr. Bennett from Grand Horizon Tech.

“Mr. Bennett, long time no see.”

Victor felt a cold sweat soaking his back, but all he could do was force a professional smile and extend his hand.

“Mr. Walker, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I didn’t realize you were the one in charge of Project Blade.”

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But Ryan didn’t move. He simply leaned back in his chair, his chin raised as he looked down at him.

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“I didn’t realize Grand Horizon Tech was under your name, Mr. Bennett. I wonder, is this visit to Nova Al for a partnership with Blade, or did you come to cause trouble for Clara again?”

“Clara is a valuable asset to Nova AI. It’s really not appropriate for you to repeatedly come here to make things difficult for her, is it?”

Victor’s face flushed crimson instantly, his hand frozen in mid–air, utterly humiliated.

The assistant stood silently to the side, barely daring to breathe as the atmosphere in the conference room reached a fever pitch.

He opened his mouth, ready to explain what happened last time, but Ryan had already stood up.“If it’s about a partnership, I don’t think we have anything to discuss.”

“Nova AI doesn’t need a partner who can’t distinguish right from wrong and harbors ill intentions towards our employees.”

Ryan pointed to the door of the conference room.“Mr. Bennett, please leave.”

Victor practically fled from Nova AI, his mind consumed by his past misunderstandings of Clara, and the cold, hard expression Ryan had given him.

He never imagined that Ryan Walker would be the person in charge of Project Blade!

Based on how he defended Clara earlier, even if she wasn’t a core member of the Blade project, there was no way they’d get their hands

on that partnership.

“Damn it!”

He got into his car and tossed his laptop bag onto the seat next to him.

Olivia had been involved in the Blade project through Carter Group’s partnership with Nova AI, so why hadn’t she ever mentioned that Blade was being developed by Nova AI?

Now that things had escalated like this, how was he supposed to explain this to Dad?

Before Victor even made it back to Grand Horizon, the news of his being kicked out of Nova AI by Ryan Walker had already reached

Richard Bennett.

As soon as Victor returned to Grand Horizon, he was summoned to his father’s office.

“Useless! You can’t even handle this simple task!”

Facing Richard’s rage, Victor didn’t dare to move, and could only watch as a teacup smashed onto the floor near his feet, the scalding tea soaking his pants.

“Dad, it’s really not my fault. I didn’t expect Ryan Walker to value Clara that much.”

“Everything had been agreed upon, but Ryan didn’t even give me a friendly look when he saw me,”

“Do you think Clara might have said something to him, making him prejudiced against us?”

Victor didn’t dare tell Richard about the scene he’d made at Nova Al trying to stand up for Olivia; instead, he pinned all the blame on

Clara.

Richard took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his anger, and mused, “You might be right. This probably does have something to do

with Clara.”

“That wretched girl!”

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He pulled out his phone, found Clara’s number, and dialed. The phone rang for a long time before being disconnected without an

answer.

Richard took another deep breath and dialed again, only to be met with a robotic voice informing him that the phone was switched off.

At the same time, Clara was standing in front of a dilapidated apartment building.

Seeing Richard’s call, she’d instinctively switched her phone off.

She had finally managed to arrange a meeting with Anthony, and she didn’t want to be bothered by anyone irrelevant.

“Anthony has been staying here lately.”

Attorney Brown stood beside her, squinting up at the building.“Shall we go up?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The hallway reeked of damp mildew, making Clara wrinkle her nose in discomfort. They reached a battered iron door, and Attorney Brown knocked.

There was a rustling sound from inside, and then the door cracked open, revealing a somewhat swarthy face.

“Who are you looking for?”

Clara took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from sounding too strained.“Hello, we’re looking for Anthony Parker.”

Anthony squinted, sizing Clara up. When he caught sight of her eyes and brows, his pupils constricted, and he moved to slam the door

shut.

“You’ve got the wrong place. I don’t know any Anthony Parker.”

“Since we’re here, it’s because we’ve done our homework.”

Attorney Brown jammed his foot in the doorway and slammed his entire body against the door, forcing it open. Clara saw the sheer terror on Anthony’s face.

Anthony took a step back, his eyes fixed on the two people in front of him.“What do you want?!”

The most regrettable thing he’d ever done in his life was taking that woman’s money, agreeing to her demands, and causing the death of

another woman.

And the woman before him–her eyes and brows–were exactly like the woman he’d killed back then!

Clara allowed him to stare, taking a step forward, her eyes icy.“Anthony, do you remember what you went to prison for over a decade ago?”

“Do

you

know who’s behind the overseas account that wired

you

the money?”

“You haven’t been out long, have you?”

“Should I tell the police about the deal between you and Diane Bennett?”

Anthony Parker’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he stammered, struggling to get the words out.

“Back then… back then you were so young, how could you possibly know about any of this?”

Clara Bennett’s eyes instantly turned red, her hands clenched into tight fists. She used every ounce of willpower to suppress the urge to lunge at Anthony and kill him.

<Chapter 104

So her mother’s death wasn’t an accident after all; it was deliberate!

Diane Bennett had paid for her murder!

Diane had bribed Anthony to stage that car accident, killing her mother!

Sensing the murderous intent in her eyes, Anthony trembled and took a step back.“It wasn’t… it wasn’t my fault!”

“It was Diane Bennett! She’s the one who killed your mother!”

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“She gave me a ton of money to cause an accident on the road when Linda Bennett went to meet Richard Bennett, to stop them from seeing each other.”

“Yes, I had a few drinks, but I only meant to wreck the car. I didn’t realize the brakes were gone until I tried to stop!”

“Don’t come after me! Go after Diane Bennett! She’s the one who messed with the brakes!”

“I’ve already been locked up for over a decade! I’ve paid the price! Leave me alone!”

“What makes you say that? Where’s the evidence?”

Clara bit down hard, fighting back the grief and rage boiling inside her. Each word was laced with venom.“You were the one behind the wheel. You were the one who ran her down. A life for a life. Why are you still alive?”

“Please, no! Just let me go!”

The moment Anthony Parker recognized Clara’s face, it was like being plunged back into the nightmare that had haunted him for years.

Cornered by Clara, he stumbled backward until he crashed onto the coffee table. The sharp pain cleared his muddled mind a little. Realization dawned, and he nodded frantically.

“I have proof! I have proof! It’s buried under a tree behind my old house in Seaside City!”

“It’s a recording I made when I confronted Diane Bennett. She admitted she’d ordered someone to tamper with the brakes. She told me to plead guilty and promised she’d take care of my family.”

“But a few years after I went inside, my wife died of an illness, and my daughter disowned me.”

“I’ve lost everything. I’m a victim too!”

Clara and Attorney Brown exchanged a look, a shared sense of gravity passing between them.

“You take us to those recordings and agree to testify in court, and I can promise, on behalf of my client, to let you go.”

Attorney Brown stepped forward, crouched down in front of Anthony Parker, and handed him his business card.

Anthony took the card, visibly relieved that Attorney Brown was just a lawyer and not some underworld figure he’d imagined. He wiped the sweat from his brow and started negotiating.

“That won’t do. If I hand it over, I’ll go from drunk driving causing death to intentional homicide.”

“Aren’t you already?”

Clara looked down at him, “What? You think just because you served time for it, I can’t send you back in?”

“If you cooperate, I might let you off easy. But if you don’t…”

Clara narrowed her eyes, a fierce glint in them.“I have a thousand ways to make you

wish

you were never born!”

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“Oh, right, you do have a daughter still alive, don’t you?”

Clara tilted her head, looking at Anthony. “If you don’t cooperate, I wouldn’t mind reuniting you two. Down below, of course.”

Hearing this, a glimmer lit up in Anthony’s eyes.“You can find my daughter?”

Clara raised an eyebrow.“Of course.”

“I’ve got several projects with the U.S. Department of Defense right now. There’s nothing I can’t do in Chicago.”

She deliberately exaggerated, showing off her power while putting pressure on Anthony.

Sure enough, hearing this, Anthony lost his resistance. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out an old photo from his pocket. It showed a little girl, about ten years old, with a bright smile.

“I haven’t seen my daughter in over a decade. If you can arrange for me to see her, I’ll give you the recording.”

His greatest regret in life was never seeing his daughter grow into a woman.

If he could see her, he could die without regrets.

“Her name is Sophie Parker. I heard she was in Chicago, which is why I came here, but I can’t find her.”

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Clara took the photo, studying the little girl’s face. She looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where she’d seen her before.

But with AI technology and the police sketch artists, they should be able to create an image of what she looks like now.

Finding her shouldn’t be a problem.

“I hope you keep your word.”

“In ten days, have your lawyer call mine. I’ll make sure you see your daughter. Otherwise…”

Clara narrowed her eyes, her voice a low warning.

“I will call, I promise I’ll call…”

Clara smiled, satisfied, and turned to leave the stuffy room. Reaching the corner of the stairwell, she pressed a hand to her chest, trying to slow her racing heart.

“Relax, you did great.”

Attorney Brown followed her to the corner of the stairwell.“If we get that evidence from him, we can finally bring Diane Bennett to justice.”

Clara offered a weak smile.“Did you record the whole conversation?”

Attorney Brown nodded. “I recorded it, but that recording isn’t admissible as evidence in court.”

Clara knew that. Just because it couldn’t be used in court didn’t mean they couldn’t find other evidence. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have put on that whole act of threats and promises, forcing Anthony to say those things.

“It’s fine. Send it to me. I have a friend who’s a cop. With these recordings, he can open a case and find other evidence.” They got in the car and drove away from the old residential buildings. Attorney Brown glanced at the rearview mirror and frowned. “We’re being followed.”

Clara looked back and saw a black Lavida closely tailing them about thirty feet behind. The windows were covered with the darkest tint,

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making it impossible to see who was inside.

“Is it Diane’s people?”

Clara couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Uncertain, but they definitely don’t have good intentions.”

Attorney Brown’s voice was steady as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes quickly scanning the road ahead.

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“There’s an intersection about two hundred yards ahead. A left turn will take us into a village, with lots of narrow alleys, perfect for losing them.”

Attorney Brown signaled and slowly moved the car toward the access lane.

The Lavida behind them followed suit, still clinging to their tail.

They reached an intersection just as the light turned red. Instead of stopping, Attorney Brown yanked the steering wheel and slammed on the gas. The tires screeched against the pavement, causing pedestrians to gasp and scramble out of the way.

The driver of the black Lavida was clearly caught off guard by their running the red light, reacting a split–second too late. By the time they hit the gas to catch up, Attorney Brown had already swerved into the maze of narrow streets that made up the urban village.

The alleyways here were tight and winding, barely wide enough for a single car in some spots. Buildings stood shoulder to shoulder, and laundry lines stretched across from above, nearly brushing the roof of the car.

Clara gripped the handle, her heart pounding in her chest. All she could hear was the wind and the screech of tires against the asphalt. Glancing back, she saw the black Lavida still on their tail, refusing to give up despite scraping against the brick walls on several turns, leaving long scratches in its wake.

Just then, Attorney Brown spotted an even narrower alleyway ahead, barely wide enough for a car, with a few discarded cardboard boxes piled up at the entrance.

His eyes narrowed, and he jerked the wheel, flooring the accelerator. The car squeezed through with barely an inch to spare.

The driver of the black Lavida was a beat too slow; the car slammed head–on into the brick wall at the alley’s entrance with a deafening crash, instantly shattering the headlights.

Attorney Brown didn’t stop. He pressed on, navigating through three more alleys before bursting out of the shantytown from another exit and merging into the flow of traffic on the main road.

“That should be safe for now.”

Clara leaned back against her seat, letting out a long, relieved breath. Once she’d collected herself, she found Chris’s number and sent him the recording and the photos that Anthony had given