Miles had seen through Claire’s little trick from the start, but he didn’t call her out on it.
Still, he needed to call Jonathan and tell him there was no need to contact the tenant about moving anymore.
Claire watched Miles stay quiet and pressed her lips together.
"Dr. Warren, you’re not mad that I moved in without telling you, are you?"
"No. Where you live is your business."
"Good night, Dr. Warren!" Claire relaxed when Miles showed no sign of being angry. She went back into apartment 502.
After her door closed, Miles put the women’s slippers back down.
His living room was dark.
Miles leaned against the door and stood there in the darkness for a long time.
Claire’s soft, sweet "I’m going home" from the car kept replaying in his head.
His fingers slowly curled at his side.
For one moment, he truly thought Claire wanted to go back to Regency Gardens with him.
He had lost his mind. He had actually brought her here.
He was about to make the same mistake all over again. And he couldn’t stop himself.
***
Late that night at Southside Apartments, Jacob opened the door to a pitch-dark apartment and dropped onto the couch like he always did.
After the way Claire had defied him at the engagement party, he shouldn’t have come back. He had even told himself he would leave her alone and teach her a lesson.
But now that his marriage to Yvonne was public, there was no reason to hide it anymore. There were things Claire needed to understand.
She might not like it, but she needed to accept her place.
Jacob glanced toward the bedroom and called lazily, "Claire, I’m back."
No answer.
He held back his irritation and spoke as if he were doing her a favor.
"I’ll let what happened at the engagement party go. I forgive you. Yvonne is very understanding. She knows about you, and she hasn’t made things difficult. Our marriage is strictly business. I won’t touch her. You’re the only one I love."
Still no answer.
Jacob’s patience ran out. Anger started building in his chest.
Thinking about how sweet and eager Claire used to be with him only made it worse.
’Who gave her the nerve to start acting like this?’
Jacob got up and pushed open the master bedroom door. The room was dark.
He switched on the light. The bed was neatly made and empty.
’Did she move into the guest room?’ Jacob sneered. ’So she really thinks she can give me the silent treatment.’
He checked the guest room next. Empty again.
An uneasy feeling hit him. He strode to the walk-in closet and yanked the door open.
The closet that had once been packed with clothes and bags was completely empty.
’She’s really gone?’
Jacob stood there, stunned by how absurd the idea felt.
’Impossible. She needs me. She depends on me. Where can she even go without me?’
Besides, she had written him a letter to make peace.
Jacob grabbed his car keys, rushed downstairs, and searched his car until he found the envelope marked [For Jacob Sinclair Only].
He tore it open.
Two keys clattered to the floor.
There was no letter.
Jacob refused to believe it. He ripped the envelope apart. Nothing. The only message Claire had left him was the label on the front: [For Jacob Sinclair Only].
His anger surged again, this time mixed with a heavy rush of anxiety. He hated this feeling of losing control.
Jacob called Claire. It rang for a long time before she finally answered.
"Claire, where the hell are you?" he demanded.
Claire’s voice on the other end was perfectly calm.
"Where I go has nothing to do with you. And I’m off the clock, so I don’t have to answer your questions."
"You..."
Claire hung up before he could finish.
Jacob called again, but this time an automated voice told him the call couldn’t be completed.
His grip on the phone tightened.
"Fine, Claire! You’re running away because I got engaged? Then stay gone. Don’t ever come back!"
***
The next morning, Claire got to the office early.
The hallway outside Moonstone Studio was a disaster.
Wendy was on her knees, trying to gather things from the floor, crying so hard she could barely speak.
"Please stop. Don’t throw anything else out! Claire made all of this by hand. You’re ruining it. You’re ruining everything!"
Several employees were shoving design sketches, fabric samples, and even expensive finished embroidery pieces into cardboard boxes like trash and tossing them out of the office.
Claire’s anger shot up. She hurried over. "Stop! Who told you to touch my things?"
The design department employees looked uncomfortable.
One of them spoke quietly. "Claire, we don’t want to do this. But Mr. Sinclair gave the order himself."
Everyone looked nervously past Claire.
Jacob stood at the entrance to the design department, watching the mess with cold amusement in his eyes.
Claire forced down her anger. "What exactly are you doing?"
The memory of the empty apartment brought Jacob’s anger right back. His voice turned mocking.
"You wanted to leave, didn’t you? I’m helping you make a clean break. The company has other plans for this office."
Yvonne stepped out in high heels with a gentle smile. "Claire, I’m sorry. This is my fault. I’ve been working on the plan to acquire OCHH, and my project team needs office space. Jacob said yours would work perfectly."
She looked over the mess with an earnest expression.
"I had no idea they’d be this careless with your things."
The innocence and sincerity written all over Yvonne’s face made Claire sick.
Jacob sneered. "Moonstone Studio can go wherever it wants. The only thing Sinclair Group is willing to give you is Wexall Textile Mill. You like doing things your own way, don’t you? There’s plenty of room there. Knock yourself out."
Wexall Textile Mill was an old Sinclair Design garment factory from nearly twenty years ago.
After Sinclair Group moved out of manufacturing and into design, only a handful of older workers remained. They no longer made clothes, just simple items like towels. Even the utilities were unreliable.
’And that’s supposed to help me?’ Claire almost laughed.
She looked Jacob straight in the eye. "If Sinclair Group doesn’t have room for Moonstone Studio anymore, then let’s terminate the contract."
Jacob looked almost amused. "The termination fee is fifty million. Pay me, and Moonstone Studio can leave Sinclair Group for good."
Fifty million dollars.
There was no way Claire could come up with that much money.
Jacob watched the color drain from her face, and a twisted sense of satisfaction rose inside him.
If his little bird wouldn’t behave, he had plenty of ways to make her suffer.
He slowly adjusted his cuff, completely at ease. "Anything I gave you, I can take back."
Claire glanced at him. "Then take it back. I don’t want it anyway."
Jacob’s face turned dark. "You..."
Claire ignored him. She and Wendy moved everything out of the Moonstone Studio office and temporarily stored it in a Sinclair Group warehouse.
She had no time to waste on Jacob. There was something more important to finish: the final presentation for Crescent’s design project.
She had spent a long time preparing for this chance to put Moonstone Studio in front of the industry.
***
Three days later, Claire arrived at the third-floor conference hall at Crescent headquarters.
As she passed the front-row guest seats, one nameplate stopped her in her tracks.
’Miles?! What’s he doing here?’