No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 115

Chapter 115

"No, it's her mother, Victoria. Word on the street is she was desperate to sell and needed cash fast. Rumor has it she's drowning in gambling debts. There's got to be more to the story. I bet Attorney Clara was coerced, the informant muttered.

lan's expression chilled further at the revelation. Suddenly, he remembered. On the anniversary celebration, Clara was wearing that very necklace. She detested Victoria. There was no way she'd gift her something so valuable.

Unless she was forced.

With that thought, lan shot to his feet. "Get the hotel surveillance footage."

Half an hour later, lan was hunkered down in the hotel's security room. He scanned the monitors but saw no sign of Victoria.

Just as he was about to throw in the towel, Clara burst into view, racing towards the staircase, the necklace clearly around her neck. When she next appeared on the screen, she was in Anders' arms. lan instructed the technician to zoom in. The necklace was gone.

Comparing both scenes, lan pieced it together. His eyes darkened as he watched, and he commanded in a frosty tone, "Find Victoria for me."

lan was the prince of the powerful Hayes family in Northbridge; finding someone was a trivial task.

Within the hour, Dawson reported back. "Mr. Hayes, Victoria's been nabbed by Big D's goons, and she's holed up at their base. Word is Mr. Anders had her roughed up pretty bad."

Hearing this, lan's heart clenched. Anders, born into a family of scholars, wouldn't lay a finger on anyone unless pushed to the brink. The only thing that could push him that far was Clara.

lan wasted no time and had Victoria brought to him. They interrogated her through the night.

Upon seeing lan, Victoria acted as if she'd seen her savior. She fell to her knees, begging for mercy. "Mr. Hayes, Clara's been with you for so long. I'm practically your mother-in-law. Please, have mercy. I'll tel you everything."

lan's gaze was icy as he said, "Talk!"

"It was me. I lured Clara to the rooftop. I threatened to jump if she didn't pay up. I had scoop - 'Hayes Corporation's unjust dismissal leads to suicide. Just one post and the media would swarm your anniversary bash, stock prices would tumble, and the Hayes family would have your head.

"Clara didn't want to drag you into this mess. She had no choice but to hand over the necklace. But I could tell she loves you deeply and cherishes that necklace. She hates me. She could've ignored my threats, but for your sake, she was willing to go to the brink of madness to meet my demands.

"You didn't see her, lan, She was in agony, trembling all over. Please, for the love she has for you, forgive me. I swear I'll never dare to cross you again."

As he listened, lan felt a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat. All he could picture was Clara, cornered and desperate because of Victoria.

But what did he do? He blamed and abandoned her at her most vulnerable.

He faintly remembered the fear in Clara's eyes when she looked at him, like the fear one might see in prey when cornered by a predator.

He had thought then that she feared he found out about her and Anders' affair, but it was the terror inflicted

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by her own mother.

The last time she saw her mother, Clara was terrified, and she clung to him all night. Burdened with threats

of death hanging over her and the Hayes Corporation reputation being used as leverage, it's no wonder she cried so bitterly and shook uncontrollably.

With these thoughts, lan felt like his heart was being stabbed over and over, bleeding out remorse and anguish.

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