Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 33

< Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Attorney Brown’s voice buzzed through the line.”Ms. Bennett, the divorce evidence chain is pretty much complete. The paperwork’s undergoing final review. We can officially file next week.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Clara let out a breath. Her seven-year marriage to Ethan could finally be over.

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“Oh, right, Attorney Brown,” she continued.”That full power of attorney for Robert intentionally shorting Anderson Industries – I already sent it to your office. Did you get it?”

“Yep, got it.”

With the confirmation, Clara nodded.”You’ve got full authority on this one, then.”

She hung up. Clara turned up the AC a notch, then lay down. Sleep wouldn’t come.

She tossed and turned until the wee hours. Finally, Clara snapped on the bedside lamp, sat up, and pulled a mahogany box from her nightstand.

She unlatched it. Inside, a stack of leather-bound diaries. Clara picked up the top one, started flipping through.

Linda’s handwriting was both gentle and strong, chronicling her entire life.

A soft smile touched Clara’s lips as her fingers brushed over the faded yellow paper. Then they stilled.

“Got a necklace from Richard today. A platinum pendant with tiny sapphires, like the light in his eyes.”

Clara remembered that necklace. The pendant would catch the sunlight, flashing tiny specks of blue. Apparently, her dad’s first gift to her

mom.

Even after her parents divorced, her mom wore it often. But then her grandpa passed away, the company was strapped for cash, and her mom sold off a lot of their things-that necklace included.

Man, if only she could get her hands on that necklace.

Clara remembered there was a charity auction coming up in a few days. She decided to check it out, just in case.

She still had some savings, and the patent sale had padded her bank account. Maybe she could take a shot.

She closed the diary, then slowly shut her eyes.

The next morning was clear. Clara was up early, got herself together, and left for Nova AI.

She stepped out of the elevator. Right then, she saw Sophia and Olivia. They were arm-in-arm, walking out of another elevator. Sophia spotted Clara. She snorted, turned her head away, and raised her voice:”Olivia, Mr. Carter seriously shelled out for her. That’s the newest H-brand bag. I heard you have to buy hundreds of thousands worth of other stuff just to even qualify for one!”

“Not that dramatic.”

Olivia patted Sophia’s hand, then flashed Clara a smile.

Olivia swiped her access card, ready to lead Sophia straight into the R&D lab. Clara’s brows furrowed,

“Wait.”

Olivia turned back to Clara, looking confused.

‘Ms. Bennett,” Clara’s voice was sharp.”The ‘Blade’ project is top-secret. Everyone signed an NDA. You can’t just bring outsiders in here.”

Clara’s tone was dead serious.

Olivia’s smile faltered. “Ms. Bennett, you might have the wrong idea. Sophia and I both left Lewis Al. We’re on the same R&D team now, both under Carter Group.”

“Since ‘Blade’ is a joint project between Nova AI and Carter Group, me bringing her in to lend a hand isn’t leaking anything.”

“I’ll talk to Ryan about this later. Just have another NDA ready for her to sign.”

Sophia shot Clara a smug look, then followed Olivia into the R&D lab.

Clara watched them walk away, then fired off texts to Ryan and Benjamin.

Every single member of the R&D team? Clara and Benjamin personally handpicked them. Each one had gone through intense background checks. It wasn’t as simple as Olivia made it sound.

Olivia just brought Sophia into the R&D team. Clara, naturally, had to report it upstairs.

Ryan strode into the meeting room, files tucked under his arm. His eyes swept over Sophia. He gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod to Clara, who was already seated, taking notes. Then, he got straight to assigning tasks.

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“Alright, for ‘Blade’s core algorithm, I’m personally leading the development. Chloe, you’re on data modeling and security validation. Noah, you’ll track the underlying code tests. And Olivia, you’re in charge of data integration with Carter Group’s ‘Skyline, making sure everything’s compatible.”

Olivia’s face drained of color.

How dare Clara get close to Ethan again?!

She gripped her pen so tight, her eyes burning holes into Clara, who was still just focused on taking notes.

She remembered what Ethan had told her. He only cared about Clara’s baby.

What if the baby was gone? Would Clara finally be out of the picture?

Her gaze dropped to Clara’s stomach, a calculating glint flashing within her eyes.

“What the hell?”

After the meeting, Sophia turned to Olivia, confusion etched on her face.”Olivia, you’re the sole rep from the Carter Group. Why are they just making you handle data interfacing?”

“Is it because Clara is just stuck taking notes? Does she not want to see you doing the core development, so she whispered something to Engineer Walker?”

As if confirming her suspicions, Sophia’s face flushed with anger.”Clara is totally out of line! She’s just jealous of you, trying to compete with you on everything!”

“No way, Olivia! You need to go talk to Engineer Walker and set him straight. Let him know Clara’s playing him for a fool.”

Olivia’s eyes welled up

“Fine, my ass!”

slightly.”It’s fine. Engineer Walker must have his reasons for this arrangement.”

Sophia snapped, annoyed.”Don’t be such a wimp. I’ll go with you.”

Sophia practically dragged Olivia out of the conference room.

Each person got their own private R&D lab, sized for their task. Iris scans were needed to get in.

Down the hall, they spotted Ryan and Clara. They were walking side-by-side toward the back-most lab. Ryan was leaned in, a slight smile on his face, listening intently to Clara.

Sophia whipped out her phone, snapping a few quick pics. Perfect timing-Ryan turned to scan his iris, one hand still hovering protectively at

Clara’s side.

Sophia hissed, “See? It’s obvious they’re more than just colleagues. No wonder Engineer Walker’s been freezing you out!”

‘I’m sending these straight to the Carter Group employee chat. Mr. Carter needs to see this, so he can step in and back you up.”

Olivia didn’t stop her. She just sighed, “Whatever. Let’s go. Clara works for Nova AI. Engineer Walker is always going to trust her more than me anyway.”

Meanwhile, back at Carter Tower….

Ethan stared at the photos in the work chat – Clara looking cozy with another man. His face darkened. He didn’t even notice his pen stab through the paper, leaving a dark ink stain.

In the pictures, Clara stood by the lab door, her profile catching the light, a faint curve on her lips.

It burned.

A moment later, he jabbed the intercom button.

“Boss?”

“David,” Ethan’s voice was low,”send someone to the old house to pick up Luke. And fast-track finding out where Clara is staying.” Ethan’s voice was quiet, but the fury in it was impossible to miss.

Clara really had some nerve.

Not only had she blocked him these past few days, but she’d blocked David’s number too.

Since Clara was still mad about the brownstone, he’d just take Lucas to Nova Al and get her home.

She could ignore him, but surely she wouldn’t ignore their son?

Ethan canceled his evening plans, then drove Lucas straight to Nova AI. He pulled into a street parking spot, got out, and lit a cigarette. “Dad, are we seriously taking Mom home?”

Lucas rolled down the window and stuck his head out.

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Meru

He didn’t want Clara back. When she was around, Clara was always on his case about everything. Now that she’d been gone, he felt way freer.

“Yeah. She needs to come home.”

Ethan’s voice was flat.

Lucas pouted unhappily. He was about to roll up the window when his eyes suddenly lit up.

“Mom!”

Even though he liked Olivia more, he still cracked a smile when he saw Clara.

Ethan’s hand, holding his cigarette, stilled. He followed Lucas’s gaze.

Clara was walking out of a restaurant, a little girl trailing behind her.

The snack bag in the little girl’s hand had the logo of Lucas’s favorite candy store. Clara was leaning down, talking to the girl, her face soft with tenderness.

Ethan didn’t even have time to react. Luke shoved the car door open, jumped out, and sprinted straight for Clara.

“Luke? What are you doing here?”

Clara’s smile dropped the second she saw Luke. She hadn’t thought about her son in a long, long time.

“We came to take you home!”

Ethan flicked his cigarette butt into a nearby trash can, trailing behind Luke.

“Luke’s about to start elementary school. Grandpa wants him to come back and live with us. You’ll be home to help him with his homework, take care of his everyday stuff.”

His gaze dropped to Clara’s stomach. “You need to put your work on hold, go home and take it easy with the pregnancy, and look after Luke.” “Once the baby’s born and Luke’s settled into elementary school, then you can go back to work.”

A sarcastic smile twisted Clara’s lips.”We can hire a tutor for Luke’s schooling. And as for the baby in my belly…”

She gently touched her stomach, remembering what Attorney Brown had told her. They were deep in divorce proceedings. She couldn’t let Ethan know she’d miscarried. Not yet. Or that she had proof he’d used her as a surrogate.

Good thing it would be over soon. Only one more week left.

Clara shot back, “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

“I have work to do. You two can figure it out.”

With that, Clara took Lila’s hand and turned to leave.

“Clara, how long are you going to drag this out?”

Ethan grabbed her wrist.”Can’t you see I’m giving you an out here?”

“What’s so great about working anyway? You’re stressed and exhausted every day. It’s not good for the baby.”

“I already told you, stay out of business.”

my

Clara yanked her hand free from Ethan’s grasp, taking two steps back. Her gaze flickered to Lucas. “I’m not coming back. Nothing you say will change that.”

Ethan, I told you, I want a divorce!”

Lucas heard Clara tell Ethan to get him a tutor, that she didn’t want to deal with him. His smile vanished. Then her icy gaze landed on him. His face went completely white.

“Mom, you’re not gonna look after me anymore?”

“Why? Did I screw up?”

Clara felt it. Lucas was about to lose it. She pulled Lila behind her.

And that was it. Lucas snapped. His eyes burned red as he kicked Clara hard in the shin.

“I hate you! If you don’t come home with Dad and me right now, then don’t ever come back again!”

The kick came out of nowhere. Clara didn’t have a chance to react.

But then, Lila’s eyes went wide. She darted forward, throwing herself in front of Clara and wrapping her arms around Clara’s legs.

She took the kick. Full force.

“Lila!”

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Lucas had put his full force into that kick. Lila went down hard. Clara instantly knelt, scooping her up. Lila’s palm was scraped raw. Tears welled in her eyes, but she bit her lip, holding them back.

Clara’s heart ached. She looked up at Lucas, her eyes freezing over.”Lucas! Apologize!”

Lucas jutted his chin out.”No way!”

“She shouldn’t have jumped in! Why are you always defending her?!”

Clara was seething. She looked at Ethan.”Do you honestly think a son who’d lay hands on his own mother is worth my time?”

With that, Clara clutched Lila tighter, ignoring the father and son completely. She turned and strode quickly into the office building.

Once they reached the R&D department, Clara carried Lila into the break room and asked the front desk to get Ryan up

Ryan got there fast. He saw Lila was hurt, and his face went tight.

“What happened?”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t protect her well enough.”

here.

Clara put Lila down.”I’ll go grab some first aid for her wound.”

“Lils, does it hurt?”

After Clara left, Ryan stepped closer to check Lila’s wound.”I’m so sorry, Lils. You got hurt again. This is on me. I didn’t protect you enough. I let your parents down.”

well

Lila wasn’t Ryan’s biological daughter.

She was the daughter of a fallen comrade. After his friend died, Ryan took Lila in, telling everyone

“It doesn’t hurt.”

she was

his own

kid.

Lila shook her head.”Dad, poor Auntie Ye. Her husband won’t let her work. He just wants to keep her trapped at home.” “Her son even beat her. If I hadn’t shielded her today, she’d be the one hurt.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed, tracking the door Clara had just left.

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< Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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Olivia stepped through the glass doors. She saw Ethan right away, leaning against his car, smoking, a dark cloud practically radiating off him. Lucas was at his feet, eyes bloodshot, his tiny shoulders trembling.

“What’s going on?”

Olivia’s heart dropped. She hurried over.

Did Ethan see those pictures of Clara and Ryan in the company chat and totally lose it?

As soon as Lucas saw Olivia, he ran and threw himself into her arms, bursting into tears.

Seeing him sobbing so hard, Olivia knelt. She pulled out a tissue, gently wiping Lucas’s face.”Who messed with our little prince? Tell Auntie, and I’ll go settle the score.”

“Mommy doesn’t want me anymore!”

Lucas choked out, grabbing Olivia’s sleeve.”I just kicked that kid once! And she just scooped her up and walked off! She didn’t even care I was crying!”

“Auntie, who’s that little girl? I hate her.”

Olivia paused. The little kid with Clara?

That’s gotta be Ryan’s precious daughter.

She pulled Luke into her arms, patting his back.”Luke, don’t cry. She’s so cute, why do you hate her so much?”

“B-Because… Auntie doesn’t pay attention to me anymore. I hate the way she smiles at that girl.”

Olivia’s lips quirked.”But Luke,” she said softly, “that little girl isn’t even blood related to your mom. You’re her actual son.”

Plus, don’t forget, Mom’s got another little brother in her belly. He’s the one who’s actually blood related to her. Once he’s born, your mom’s gonna care about him way more. You’ll just have to get used to her kinda forgetting about you.

Lucas’s crying hitched, then he burst out even louder, “No! I don’t want a brother! I don’t want Mom anymore! Olivia, will you be instead?”

He remembered Great-grandpa had been renovating the nursery in the old mansion. That room was bigger, way comfier than his. And Mom? She’d barely paid attention to him lately. Was it all because of this new baby brother?

Ethan, there’s a limit to this nonsense!

Ethan snuffed out his cigarette, glaring.”You only have one mom, Lucas. You can’t just pick whoever you want, can you?”

my mom

Olivia lowered her eyes, then looked up at Ethan, all calculation gone from her gaze.”Eth, don’t be mad. Luke’s still little. We can teach him slowly.”

“He’s just acting out ’cause he feels kinda wronged. Honestly, I don’t get it either. Why’s Ms. Bennett so close with that little girl and her dad?” “Even with this project assignment, Engineer Walker considered her feelings and only let me handle the data interface. I didn’t even get near the core stuff…”

She kept talking, subtly watching Ethan’s face.

Ethan glanced up at the Nova Al building, then bent down, picked up a still sniffling Luke. He pulled open the back car door, practically shoved hím in, and said flatly, “Alright, let’s go. I’ll drop you off.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Olivia’s face. She got up, walked around the car, and opened the other back door.

Just as she was about to get in, Ethan cut her off.”Luke’s back there. You sit in the front passenger seat.”

The smile on Olivia’s face froze instantly. She shot Ethan a quick look, not daring to defy him, and slid into the passenger seat.

Clara walked into the lounge, iodine in hand. Ryan stood up, reaching for it to treat Lila’s cut. But Clara pulled away.

“I’ll do it. You’re a man; you’ll just be too rough.”

Clara sat down next to Lila. She dipped a cotton swab in iodine and gently wiped away the dirt. Lila winced, a tiny shiver running through her. Clara softly blew on the spot,

“It’s hot out. A bandage will just make it heal slower. Keep it dry till it scabs.”

“Don’t be so impulsive next time. Auntie would rather hurt herself than see you get hurt. Got it?”

“But… Auntie would hurt too.”

Lila’s innocent question made Clara pause. She just smiled, ruffling the kid’s hair.

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