No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Clara's blog post was lengthy, and lan spent a long time poring over it. She detailed the toll her mother's irresponsibility had taken on the family, and the extent of the damage inflicted on her father and herself. Once the post went live, the online backlash accusing her of being an ungrateful daughter had seemingly blown over.

But now, the tides of public opinion turned against her mother. People dredged up the sordid details of Victoria's personal life. Unearthing these skeletons was ostensibly in defense of Clara and her father, yet i seemed like a cruel twist of the knife in her already deep wounds.

lan had no idea what Clara was up to at the moment, nor could he predict how she'd react to the barrage of comments. He wondered if she could withstand the immense pain of having her scars so publicly exposed.

After much deliberation, he made a call to Ryker. The phone rang for ages before it was finally answered.

Ryker's tirade blasted through the speaker."lan, you better listen, and listen good. The amount of crap Clara's been through today, I'm going to make sure Heidi pays back double. If you even think about interfering, I swear I'll blow up your whole damn family."

lan took the verbal lashing without a word.

After a long silence, he finally asked in a hoarse whisper, "How is she?"

"How do you think? She's locked herself in her room and won't come out, not even for the shrink. She insists she's fine, even tries to smile at us, but do you have any idea how much that smile costs her? If you've got any manhood left in you, cut her loose cleanly and stop pestering her."

lan's throat worked convulsively at the harsh words..

The last time Clara had been shaken by an unexpected encounter with Victoria flashed through his mind. She had clung to him, desperate for his presence. Did she still need him now? Or had she grown to despise him, wishing he was the last person on earth she'd ever see?

Contemplating this, the veins on the back of lan's hand stood out more

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Chapter 155

prominently. A gruff voice escaped his throat, "Ryker, take care of her for me. Call if anything comes up." Ryker's response was unsparing. "Get lost!"

After hanging up, lan's hands trembled uncontrollably. Fishing a cigarette from his pocket, he tried to light it, but his shaking hands failed him repeatedly. After numerous attempts, a blue flame finally ignited. Trembling, he brought the cigarette to his lips and took a fiery drag. A single hot tear fell on his hand. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply several times, trying to numb himself with the taste of nicotine, but his mind was filled with images of Clara's pain. That image was like a knife, cutting into every nerve in his body, causing him unbearable pain, tearing him apart.

lan lost track of how much time had passed and how many cigarettes he had smoked before slowly calming down.

a new

He took out his phone and called Dawson. "We've got product launch for our 5G smartphone this afternoon."

Dawson paused, then quickly caught on to the diversion tactic. Ian wanted to shift the public's focus onto a major event to overshadow the situation with Clara. "I'm on it right away." Dawson responded promptly.

The launch of the Hayes Corporation's eagerly anticipated smartphone sent shockwaves across the net. The world was astounded, and Clara's post gradually lost its grip on the public's attention.

By the time lan had finished orchestrating the launch, it was well past ten at night. Exhausted, he headed home. As soon as he opened the door, his white. Samoyed, Snow, bounded toward him. Snow circled him, whimpering excitedly, and picked up a frisbee, dropping it at lan's feet with a few eager barks.

lan crouched down and gently rubbed the dog's head, his voice rough with emotion, "Missing her, buddy?"

Snow seemed to understand, nodding vigorously and barking in response.

A bitter smile flickered across lan's face.

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