Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 51

< Chapter 51

Chapter 51

“He’s a colleague.”

Menu

Clara glanced at Ethan.

Ethan scoffed, “So, when you said you were going to Nova AI, you were going to pick him up?”

“And that girl is his too, right?”

Clara looked at him.”Isn’t that how it is between colleagues? He was the one who saved me when I was trapped before.”

“I was always so attentive to you and Luke, but how did Luke treat me? And where were you when I was in trouble?”

Ethan suddenly chuckled, a laugh devoid of any emotion.

“So, you’re blaming me for not showing up in time?”

He had been in an interview at the time and hadn’t received the hospital’s calls. But David had told him later that he rushed to the hospital as soon as he learned that Clara was in a coma and hospitalized, didn’t he?

“No.”

It was the truth. Clara had thought of countless ways to save herself at the time, but Ethan was the last person she expected to turn to. Hearing her nonchalant answer, Ethan’s face darkened.”Then that’s for the best.

With that, he turned and got into his car, waving his hand.”Get some rest.”

Clara watched as his taillights disappeared into the night, feeling utterly baffled.

When she stayed home waiting for him, he barely came back a few times a month. Now that she’s moved out, he shows up in front of her every other day.

As soon as Clara stepped out of the elevator, her phone rang. It was an unknown number. She hesitated for a moment before answering. “Clara Bennett, you really are something else.”

Mason Walker’s laughter came through the phone, laced with a hint of amusement. “I didn’t think even Ethan Carter could be wrapped around your finger.”

Clara frowned.”What’s that supposed to mean?”

She had guessed that Mason would be unhappy knowing Ethan had given her the necklace, but she hadn’t expected him to find out so quickly.

“Oh, nothing really.”

Mason’s voice dripped with mockery.”I’m just curious how Ethan, who used to barely give you the time of day, would proactively offer to work with me to get that worthless necklace for you, even giving me all the profits.”

“I thought he was doing it for Olivia Bennett, but I was wrong…” He drawled out the last word, “He did it for you.”

“But don’t get too cocky. I have a special gift prepared just for you.”

The call ended abruptly. Clara stared at the screen for a long moment, a sense of foreboding rising within her.

The “gift” Mason was talking about couldn’t possibly be anything good.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm, but the unease in her heart lingered.

Sure enough, the next day, as Clara Bennett stepped into the Nova AI research and development group, she noticed the receptionist giving her a strange look.

“Clara, Mr. Hayes wants to see you in his office.”

Clara’s heart skipped a beat. She knocked on Benjamin Hayes’s office door and saw two men in dark suits standing by his desk, their expressions solemn.

Benjamin Hayes looked at her with a troubled expression.”Clara, these two are officers from the National Security Agency. They have some questions for you.”

Hearing “National Security Agency,” Clara mentally reviewed her recent activities and contacts, and her chest loosened with relief.

Since joining the Blade project, she hadn’t had any contact with foreign personnel. Her daily routine in the research group strictly followed protocol, and she hadn’t done anything that could be construed as leaking secrets.

But what they said next instantly froze the blood in her veins.

“Ms. Clara Bennett, we received a report that during your application for a student visa seven years ago, you had close contact with unidentified foreign individuals, suspected of endangering national security. We need you to come with us to assist in the investigation.”

22 7

< Chapter 51

Menu

The man’s cold voice crashed over Clara like a thunderclap.

It was true that seven years ago, she had received an invitation to study at the University of Cambridge and had applied for a visa. However, after Ethan Carter was drugged, she married him and declined the offer.

At the time, she didn’t know how to handle the visa application process and simply submitted her materials through an agency introduced by her uncle, entrusting the matter to them.

“I have not been in contact with any suspicious foreign individuals.”

She took a deep breath, her voice steady.”The application process is documented, and all materials are traceable.”

She couldn’t let herself be pinned with such an accusation. Even if she was cleared after an investigation, it was highly likely that she wouldn’t be able to return to the Blade research and development team.

The man glanced at Benjamin Hayes and shook his head.”Since we’re here, we’ve naturally already secured the evidence.”

The man took out several photos and handed them to Clara.

Clara took the photos and looked at them, her pupils widening in shock.

They were photos she had taken for Mason Walker when she received her visa, showing her visa application process and a photo with a blond

man.

This man was the head of the agency she had entrusted with the application.

“We’ve investigated. This person was arrested for espionage three years ago and has already been deported back to his country.”

“And recently, the computers in your lab were hacked. We’ve traced the IP address back to inside the company. You’re the only one in the entire team who can operate two computers simultaneously. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to come with us.”

Clara wanted to explain, but in her anxiety, she couldn’t find the words. She could only let them take her away.

As she passed the glass doors of the company, she caught the eyes of her colleagues, a mix of shock, confusion, and a barely concealed scrutiny and suspicion.

“I wonder who it was who said I hadn’t been properly vetted before joining the team.

UJ

Sophia’s gloating voice came from behind her.”Looks like someone was just projecting, trying to pin all this on me.”

Clara didn’t turn around. Mason’s little “gift” was quite the present.

All she’d done was use Ethan to get her mother’s necklace back from him. He was really going to pin something like this on her!

The interrogation room was bathed in a harsh, sterile light.

In addition to the photos they’d shown her before, the investigators presented her with phone records.

“Ms. Bennett, we’ve found three phone calls between you and a number linked to a foreign intelligence agency.”

The investigator slid the call logs across the table.”Explain this.”

“It was the agency handling my visa application, notifying me about additional documents.” Clara focused on the dates on the form, recalling that period when she was constantly checking on her visa progress.

“But this number is registered to a foreign intelligence agency.”

The interrogator leaned forward, his tone hardening. “The ‘Blade’ project you were involved in is of utmost importance. Your initial system design is already in use by the U.S. Department of Defense.”

“If you leak any classified information, the consequences will be catastrophic.”

“I didn’t.”

Clara met his gaze, unwavering.”All academic exchanges were documented, the entire R&D process was encrypted. I can provide all original data for comparison.”

Over the next three days, this back-and-forth repeated countless times,

They presented snippets of edited chat logs provided by Mason Walker, photographs taken from compromising angles, and even a “witness” claiming to have seen her meeting privately with a blonde man.

Clara’s voice was hoarse, her eyes bloodshot, but she refused to break.

She demanded access to her visa application contract from that time to verify the agency’s credentials. She even drew a detailed sketch of the blonde man’s employee badge from memory, proving he was a temporary employee at the visa center.

“You can check his work records, my flight information from back then-I never left the country.”

She pushed the compiled evidence towards them, her voice raspy but firm. “If I were a spy, why would I give up studying abroad? Why would I report that someone had hacked into the R&D lab’s computer?”

12.52

22.2%

< Chapter 51

Menu

Finally, after a long silence, the interrogators reviewed the evidence she provided, which perfectly matched official records, and said, “You can go. We’ll contact you if we need anything else.”

Standing at the entrance of the National Security Agency, Clara looked up at the sun and suddenly felt an urge to cry.

But

now wasn’t the time for her to rest. She still had to go to Nova AI and explain everything to Benjamin and the others. She couldn’t lose the opportunity to develop Blade, and she couldn’t let Professor Lewis be disgraced because of her.

But the moment she pushed open the company’s front doors, the bustling office lobby fell into a deathly silence.

Clara paused, then walked straight toward Benjamin’s office.

Seeing her, Benjamin’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “How did it go? Did they give you a hard time?”

Clara shook her head with a wry smile.

It was just a normal interrogation, nothing too difficult. What really hurt was the feeling inside.

Mason’s betrayal had really hit the mark, and it was brutal!

“Everything has been investigated, and the evidence doesn’t prove that I have any connection with foreign intelligence agencies.”

Clara hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Benjamin…can I still return to the development team?”

Benjamin sighed.”The higher-ups are taking this matter very seriously. They’ve already issued a notice, asking you to take a leave of absence.” Perhaps realizing his words were too harsh, Benjamin paused, then added, “But once everything is cleared up, the Blade development team will welcome you back.”

Clara nodded.”Okay, I’ll head back then.”

She turned, walked to the door, and pushed it open, a sharp pain shooting through her palm.

Clara raised her hand, finally noticing the crescent-shaped cuts dug into her skin, blood oozing from the broken flesh.

Numbly, she stepped into the elevator, numbly walked out of the company building.

A black G-Wagon was parked on the side of the road, a man with sunglasses perched on his face whistling at her from the driver’s seat. “Clara, are you happy with this gift?”