Want My Womb? I'll Make You Childless novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Olivia watched him, her heart pounding with anxiety as Ryan’s words echoed in her mind, and her eyes welled with tears.

“Victor, I messed up! It wasn’t on purpose! I was just out of my mind for a second there, and I promise it won’t happen again. Just help me out, please!”

Victor’s eyes darkened, and he was about to say something when the National Security Agency agents walked in.

“Olivia Bennett, Sophia Davis has testified that you instructed her to steal data from Nova AI. We need you to come with us for questioning.” As soon as the NSA agent finished speaking, the color drained from Olivia’s face, and her tearful pleas turned into a frantic denial.

“No! I didn’t do it! Sophia wanted to do it herself. It has nothing to do with me!”

Stumbling, she threw herself at Victor, her nails digging into his suit jacket.

“Victor! Tell them! I’m being framed! You have to save me! If you don’t, my life is over!”

She was sobbing uncontrollably, tears and snot running down her face, ruining her makeup. Her hair was plastered to her neck in disarray, and she looked nothing like the spoiled, radiant girl she usually was.

Victor looked down at her trembling shoulders, his fingers twitching slightly.

He turned away, avoiding her gaze.”Olivia, if you’re truly innocent, they’ll release you once they’ve investigated.”

Olivia hadn’t expected such coldness. She stumbled backward, losing her balance and falling to the floor, her eyes filled with shock and venom as she stared at him.

“Bro…you’re not going to help me?”

Victor averted his eyes, unable to meet her gaze, and said softly, “You made your The NSA officers stepped forward and hauled Olivia to her feet.

own choices, you

have to face the consequences.”

She struggled wildly, screaming Victor’s name, her voice laced with utter despair.”Victor Bennett! I hate you! I’ll never forgive you for this!” But no matter how much she raged, Victor remained rooted to the spot, his hand clenching into a fist at his side, knuckles turning white. Only when Olivia’s cries faded into the distance of the hallway did silence return to the office.

Victor took a deep breath, turned to Clara Bennett, his eyes filled with a complex mix of guilt, and started to say something.

But before he could say anything, Clara stepped back, clearly not wanting to engage with Victor any further.

Ryan stepped to the side, shielding Clara behind him.”If you have nothing else, Mr. Bennett, please leave. Clara’s tired today and doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

Victor watched Ryan protect Clara, and recalling his own decisiveness towards Olivia just now, a pang of indescribable bitterness welled up in

his heart.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing and turned to leave.

His back was slightly hunched, as if his entire being had become more dejected.

Today, at this very moment, he had lost Olivia, his sister.

And from the moment he repeatedly favored Olivia and hurt Clara, he had long lost the girl who used to quietly follow behind him, calling him

“Brother.

With Victor’s departure, the entire research team was finally quiet.

Clara exhaled and looked at Ryan.”Is it serious that Sophia leaked those data?”

Previously, in order not to arouse Sophia’s suspicion and to obtain evidence that Natalie was the one directing things from behind the scenes, she and Ryan had discussed using some real data.

“Not serious.”

Ryan Walker glanced at Ethan Carter, who was still standing there, a smirk playing on his lips. “If you’re so worried, you can always go check the research lab yourself.”

“Clara!”

Seeing that Clara didn’t even spare him a glance, Ethan Carter watched the two figures walking away side-by-side, and finally couldn’t help

but call out.

But when Clara turned to look at him, her eyes were icy, devoid of

any warmth.

“Something you need?”

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Ethan Carter clenched his fists, released them, then clenched them again.

Taking a deep breath, Ethan Carter forced himself to relax.”Grandfather is still in the hospital. If you have time, you should visit him.” She would have gone even without him saying it, after all, James Carter didn’t have much time left.

She nodded faintly.”I know.”

Seeing her like this, a smile touched Ryan Walker’s eyes. He glanced at Ethan Carter, then leaned in close to Clara’s ear and whispered.

“I wonder if the National Security Agency will be able to find any evidence of Natalie Parker and Sophia Davis colluding.”

Hearing this a flicker of concern crossed Clara’s eyes.”It might not be that easy.”

With Ethan Carter vouching for Natalie Parker, she’ll always find some excuse to wriggle out of it unless there’s direct evidence that she was involved in stealing state secrets.

Ryan Walker, noticing her furrowed brow, gently reassured her, “Don’t worry, even if we don’t catch her this time, as long as she’s after the Blade data, she’ll make a move eventually. We’ll find the evidence.”

“The priority is to handle the fallout from the Blade data breach and ensure the project isn’t affected.”

Clara nodded, suppressing her worries.

She knew Ryan was right; obsessing over Natalie Parker wouldn’t help now. It was better to focus on the task at hand.

Ethan watched Clara walk into the R&D lab, deep in conversation with Ryan, without so much as a glance in his direction.

Ethan couldn’t help but notice the way Ryan had looked at him just now, and he hadn’t missed the loaded glance Mason had given him before leaving either.

Whatever those two were plotting with Clara, he wasn’t about to let her go. Clara was his wife, and she would be for life!

Ethan’s gaze grew increasingly resolute, even a touch manic.

He pulled out his phone, tugging at his collar with a frustrated gesture, and began issuing instructions to the person on the other end. Only after receiving their confirmation did the agitation in his eyes begin to fade, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Meanwhile, at Walker Venture Partners…

Emma Anderson had already heard from Mason Walker about Nova AI being investigated by the National Security Agency again. Initially, she was secretly delighted that Clara Bennett was in trouble. However, she didn’t expect Olivia Bennett to get involved.

Upon receiving the news that Olivia had been taken away by the NSA, she grew increasingly uneasy. She paced back and forth in her office, hand resting on her belly, contemplating the potential implications for Stellar Horizon and herself.

She never imagined Olivia could be such a troublemaker. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have joined forces with her to deal with Clara in the first place.

Panic welled up inside her, and as if sensing her tension, the baby inside her gave a gentle kick.

Startled, she quickly composed herself.

After much deliberation, she concluded that Clara must be involved in this somehow, and with gritted teeth, she made a call to her.

Mason would definitely find out anything involving Clara. With their wedding and the baby’s arrival just around the corner, she couldn’t allow Mason and Clara to have any connection or entanglement.

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Sometimes, she couldn’t understand why, after so many years since the end of Mason and Clara’s relationship, Clara was still haunting Mason’s life like a ghost.

But to her dismay, all she heard on the other end was, “I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off.

Emma’s heart sank. She knew Clara probably wouldn’t get involved.

As much as she didn’t want Mason to have anything to do with Clara, this was too big, way beyond what she could handle.

Besides, she was heavily pregnant; any misstep could put her baby in danger.

After much deliberation, she texted Mason, telling him about the situation, but she framed it as Clara deliberately targeting them and being ruthless.

No sooner had she sent the message than the office door was pushed open.

Before Emma could react, several National Security Agency investigators in black suits walked in, bypassing her panicked assistant.

“Miss Anderson, Stellar Horizon is implicated in a case of leaked Nova AI secrets. As the legal representative of Stellar Horizon, we need you to

come with us.”

A

Her face turned deathly pale. She didn’t have time to say much, only to glance at the assistant, signaling her to quickly notify Mason.

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“Go tell Mr. Walker that Clara is deliberately targeting me!”

“She’s trying to kill me for no reason!”

Once Clara and Ryan had verified the final set of data, confirming that the information Sophia had leaked wouldn’t compromise Blade, Clara

left Nova AI.

Stepping out of the elevator, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing in the dimly lit hallway.

Clara’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly retreated into the elevator and pressed the close button. But before the doors could shut, a pair of hands reached in, blocking their path.

The hallway’s motion-sensor lights flickered on, revealing Mason standing outside the elevator. His eyes were cold, his jawline tight. The oppressive aura radiating from him seemed to solidify the air itself.

He stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby trash can, his voice devoid of warmth.”Get out here. We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

Clara took a step back, glancing at the security camera in the elevator, then at the alarm button between the elevator controls, assessing her options for escape.

But before she could make a move, Mason grabbed her wrist.

A sharp, searing pain shot through Clara’s arm. She gasped, instinctively trying to wrench her hand free.”Mason, let go of me!”

“Let you go?”

Mason scoffed, his grip tightening instead of loosening, and yanked Clara out of the elevator.

Clara stumbled backward, nearly falling, but managed to steady herself by grabbing the wall.

A burning sensation radiated from the red ring now imprinted on her wrist.

“Clara, why do you have to push me to this point?”

Mason stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over Clara, the intense pressure making it hard for her to breathe.

He looked down at her, his eyes swirling with fury, yet his tone was carefully controlled.

“What exactly did you do? How did the leak from Nova AI implicate Stellar Horizon?”

“Do you even realize Emma has been taken in for questioning? She’s pregnant, how can she endure an investigation by the National Security Agency?!”

“Go and explain to the NSA that Stellar Horizon and Emma have nothing to do with this!”

A flash of mockery flickered in Clara’s eyes as she met his gaze without flinching.

“What’s the rush? If Stellar Horizon is truly innocent, Emma will be released once the truth comes out.”

She remembered all too well the three days and nights she’d spent in the National Security Agency being interrogated after Mason turned her in with his flimsy, fabricated evidence.

Emma had barely been taken in, and already Mason was here, demanding answers.

Not that it mattered-this whole thing had nothing to do with her, nothing she could control. But even if she was involved, so what?

Why should she go to the National Security Agency and explain anything?

“This has nothing to do with me. If you’re so worried about Emma, figure it out yourself.”

“You dare say this has nothing to do with you?”

Mason scoffed, as if he’d heard the joke of the century. He stepped closer, grabbed Clara’s chin, and forced her to look up at him.

“Emma is your cousin. You grew up together. You really expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this?”

“Clara, I don’t care about your fights with Olivia, but this has dragged Emma into it. You need to find a way to get her out of the National Security Agency.”

“I can’t!”

Clara shoved his hand away, stumbled back, and rubbed her throbbing chin and wrist, a bitter ache in her chest.

“Olivia’s actions have nothing to do with me, and Emma is being investigated because Stellar Horizon is connected to the leak, which also has nothing to do with me!”

“If anyone’s to blame, it’s you for knowing Olivia and I don’t get along, yet you let her into Stellar Horizon, even condoning her ganging up on me with Emma!”

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“You can’t help?”

Mason loomed over her, his eyes rimmed with red, the coldness in his gaze nearly freezing her to the bone..

“Clara, are you so set on seeing me fail? Do you have to drive everyone away from me, ruin everything I have, before you’re satisfied?”

“I didn’t!”

Clara’s heart ached, and she raised her voice.”Mason, you’re the one who’s been targeting me!”

“You were the one who reported me without even knowing the full story, you’re the one who hurt me time and again for Emma’s sake. How can you say that to me?”

“How can I?”

Mason’s eyes grew colder, a self-deprecating smile flickering across his face. “Because you broke up with me when I was at my lowest, then turned around and married Ethan Carter!”

“Because you caused Emma to suffer in the National Security Agency, carrying my child!”

He reached out, gripping Clara’s chin again, his grip tighter than before, the madness in his eyes nearly spilling over. “I’m telling you, Clara, you have to help Emma! Or I can’t guarantee what I might do!”

Clara looked into his eyes, seeing the obsession and ruthlessness, and her heart sank.

Clara took a deep breath, enduring the pain in her chin. Her voice was weary, but firm.”Mason, I won’t help you.”

“If you’re truly worried about Emma, find evidence to prove her innocence instead of trying to force me.”

Mason was taken aback by her words, his anger intensifying. He waved his hand dismissively.”Clara, are you really so intent on seeing me suffer?”

“Is this your way of getting back at me for leaving you behind to go abroad all those years ago?”

Clara stumbled, nearly falling from the force of his shove. She steadied herself, then looked up at Mason with a cold smile.

“If I truly wanted you to suffer, I wouldn’t have given you those twenty million dollars when your company was on the verge of bankruptcy!” She certainly wouldn’t have resolved to marry Ethan Carter when she heard the old man promise her twenty million. “Twenty million?”

A self-deprecating glint appeared in Mason’s eyes.”You still want to claim that twenty million was from you?”

Back then, he’d chosen to develop his career abroad to escape the Walker family’s watchful eyes. He never expected that his company would be discovered by them so soon after its launch. They pursued him overseas, sending people to hunt him down, scheming against him, almost driving him to ruin.

It was Emma Anderson who stayed by his side in the ICU for a week. After he regained consciousness, she arranged for Anderson Industries to provide Walker Venture Partners with a 20 million dollar revolving fund, which helped him get back on his feet.

And now, Clara was claiming that she was the one who provided the funds, just to avoid saving Emma? Laughable, impossible!

Where would she have gotten that kind of money back then?

A mocking glint flashed in Clara’s eyes. She’d brought this up before, but Mason hadn’t believed her. At the time, she didn’t have full control over Anderson Industries and couldn’t get the proof, so she didn’t press the matter.

But things were different now. She had long since obtained the “payment on behalf of investment” voucher.

She pulled out her phone from her bag, opened an encrypted folder containing the transfer vouchers from when she transferred the Anderson Industries, and the chat history between her and the person in charge of Anderson Industries.

money to

She slammed the phone into Mason’s face with a loud thud, almost screaming, “Look for yourself! These are the transfer vouchers from back then, and the chat logs between me and Emma, it’s all clearly written there!”

“This money, was entrusted to Emma by me through Anderson Industries to give to you!”

“Mason, you’ve always felt that I betrayed you by marrying Ethan!”

“But we settled everything long ago!”

“Mason, let me tell you, between the two of us, I never owed you anything!”