“What is it?” Javier spoke coldly into the phone.On the other end, Oliver jumped in his seat and fell into a shocked stupor, as he never imagined Javier would answer.Javier looked at his phone to ensure the call was still connected, but a hint of annoyance showed on his face when no one spoke. He was about to hang up when Oliver’s pitiful cry rang out, “Dad, I’m afraid. The bad guy from the restaurant blocked us in front of our door. He threatened Mommy again. I was so scared!”Javier’s face darkened, and an odd gleam flashed in his eyes. Without so much as a word, he picked up his coat, sprinting out the door at once.Sophia’s brows raised in confusion as she watched her son leave, wondering, “What’s got him in such a rush?”…Claire had just come out of the shower. Her hair was still sopping wet when she noticed Oliver drawing on some paper instead of sleeping. What seemed more suspicious was that he kept glancing up at the clock. Lips pursing, Claire wanted to get Oliver to sleep,
Javier’s words left Claire sleepless all night. She kept tossing and turning as she thought about Armand’s threats and Oliver’s crying face if he were to get kidnapped by the Weiss family. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as she realized many would forcefully rip Oliver from her life. Laying on her side, she still couldn’t make up her mind. Claire continued weighing the options in her mind, thinking, “Javier’s offer is enticing and can solve all my problems, but I can’t selfishly accept it without considering his feelings.”The thoughts kept her up all night, so she only slept lightly after dawn. She and Oliver were exhausted from the many events these past few days, so they slept in. A rare smile spread across Claire’s face when she saw her son sleeping. Claire pecked his cheek, then prepared to travel to Stardust Entertainment for work. After having her breakfast, she heard several loud knocks on her door. The frequency increased dramatically, which differed from how Javier
Liam was taken aback by that. He knew that this must be Claire’s doing, so he said obsequiously, “It’s all just a misunderstanding, sir. This is my daughter’s house. I’m here to see her. How can I be trespassing?”The policemen glanced at each other in surprise. Mr. Marquez hadn’t said that when he called to report a trespasser earlier. What was going on?At that moment, Claire was in her room. She could hear what was happening in the living room and immediately knew that this was her chance. Suddenly, she broke free of her captors and ran out, screaming, “Help! Sir, please help me, these people are bad guys!”Her injuries and disheveled manner spoke louder than whatever excuses Liam could come up with.The police’s second warning worked this time. Liam had no choice but to leave with his men.Before he left, he gave Claire a warning look. The anger in his eyes was apparent.Claire closed her eyes in despair. She couldn’t believe that her own father could hate her so much.The house re
When Claire realized this, she immediately brought it up with Javier. “I think you missed out on the marriage obligations.”Hearing this, Javier sneered at her and gave her a calculative once-over. “Don’t worry, I’m not that desperate. I have high standards.”After that, he added another term to the contract.Claire was speechless. This man was so mean. He didn’t have to mock her before adding on an extra term.However, she was relieved that he did. Even though they were married now, she wanted to keep it fake.Everyone knew that Javier was not one to cross. If their relationship became complicated, the consequences would be more than she could deal with.Claire checked the contract again. Everything seemed okay, so she signed her name at the bottom of the document.Javier gave her a copy of the contract without much argument.After that, Javier brought Claire to his living quarters, Diroux Residences.Claire was shocked when she first found out that Javier was staying at Diroux Reside
As he stepped into his office, Javier couldn’t help but remember the happiness on Patty’s face when she saw Ollie. He suddenly felt sad. Would his future child be as cute as Ollie?Just as he was lost in his thoughts, Shawn barged in and demanded, “Javier, did you get married?”Javier frowned. “How did you know?”Since Javier did not deny it, Shawn assumed he was right. “My aunt told me. I didn’t believe her at first, but it’s true, isn’t it?”Shawn was desperate for details. He only got wind of this because his aunt worked at the marriage bureau.Javier’s frown deepened when he heard that. He had forgotten that Shawn and his aunt were busybodies.“Tell your aunt to keep it a secret,” Javier said.Shawn nodded. “Don’t worry, Javier, I’ve already told her. Come on, give me the details. Who did you marry?”Javier’s marriage should definitely make the headlines. If he had to get married in secret, then something was definitely up!Javier ignored him. Shawn just kept nagging at him as he p
When Claire got home, she couldn’t help but feel depressed at the thought of starting her job search again the next day.She had already resigned herself to working at that small company, but then this happened.Seeing that Claire was in a bad mood, Ollie pulled on her sleeve and asked, “Mommy, what’s wrong? Did somebody make you mad?”Claire felt warmed by his concern. She leaned down and picked him up in her arms.“Ollie, I might be losing my job. I may not afford to take care of you,” she said, her eyes reddening. She did not want Ollie to suffer.Ollie shook his head. “It’s alright, Mommy. Dad can afford to take care of both of us.”Hearing this, Claire turned serious and said sternly, “Ollie, you shouldn’t say that. His money is his and his only. As a woman, I need to have my own career. I shouldn’t rely on a man.”Seeing Ollie’s confusion, she added, “Of course, this doesn’t apply to my son. When you grow up, you should give your money to me and not your wife. Don’t put anyone be
“He’s ruining all my plans. I’m a good employee. If he fires me, then it’s no wonder his company is going under,” Claire complained. She felt better after ranting to Javier, but she did not notice that his expression had changed.Javier was exasperated. He was firing people who were useless to his company. To her, however, he was a bad boss who fired people on a whim.This was the first time that someone had cursed him to his face!This woman was bold.The warm light of the living room cast a golden sheen on Claire’s face. Her eyes were bright and lively.Javier couldn’t bring himself to be angry at her when she looked like this. All he could do was sigh.He didn’t even notice this change in attitude as he sat beside her on the sofa and corrected, “When a business fails, it’s most likely due to incompetent management by the previous owners. The ones who acquired the business shouldn’t bear the blame for having to fire incompetent workers. It’s actually a good decision to lay off redund
Claire whooped with joy at hearing the news. Ecstatic, she picked Ollie up and kissed him fervently. "Ollie, Mommy finally got a job. I can finally make enough money to raise you. I'm so happy!" Feeling her joy, Ollie felt happy too. Although he was a little dizzy from her kisses, he looked at her with wide eyes and said, "Congratulations, Mommy. I knew you were amazing. How could any company not want to hire you?" Claire was nonplussed. Her son's compliments definitely worked magic on her, and they talked loudly in the room for a while. Even Claire herself thought this was the happiest she had ever been since returning to the country.Downstairs, Javier was drinking coffee in the living room. Hearing the ruckus from upstairs, he frowned and wondered what they were up to. Patty laughed softly and thought the atmosphere in the house was much livelier now. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Mr. Marquez, it's so good to see you have a happy family of your own." Javier glanced towards