No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 312

"Ms. Heidi, how did she snatched me from you?" lan's voice cut through the tension, as smooth as the whiskey he preferred.

He strode into the room, a picture of elegance in his tailored suit vest and sleek black dress shirt. His figure was tall and commanding, and he had a coat casually draped over one arm. His features were sharp and imposing, his eyes a fathomless depth of cool resolve. With each step, his perfectly pressed trousers carried him with a self-assured gravity, as if the air itself became thinner in his presence.

He approached Clara and tenderly placed his coat around her shoulders. The chilly indifference that had once marked his expression melted into warmth the moment he looked at her, a softness there that spoke volumes.

His voice was a low, caressing rumble. "You're dressed so lightly. What if you catch a cold?"

Clara, taken aback, could only muster a surprised gaze. "How did you get here?"

lan gently tousled Clara's hair, his gaze shifting past her to land on Heidi, smiling with faint mockery. "If I hadn't come, how would I have had the pleasure of hearing such an entertaining joke? How many times must I tell you, Ms. Heidi, that there was never an 'us' to begin with, so how can there be any talk of stealing from you? Besides, Clara is the one I've been chasing without success. Does she really need to compete with anyone else?"

His words left Heidi with nowhere to hide, her complexion cycling through shades like a painter's palette. She had assumed Clara would be an easy target without protection, but she never expected lan had followed her all the way to Riddleton.

Heidi's voice was tinged with a feigned innocence as she pleaded, "lan, that's not what I meant."

"Whether you meant it or not, do not say such nonsense again, or I can't guarantee I won't do something regrettable."

With her lip caught between her teeth, Heidi tried a different angle. "Ian, I said all that to defend you. Clara broke up with you and didn't hesitate to get cozy with my cousins. And to think you adored her so when, in reality, she doesn't care about you at all."

lan chuckled lowly, "Whether she likes me is irrelevant. It's enough that I like her."

That declaration left everyone speechless. Ian was a titan of Northbridge, a man whose social standing and personal allure were the epitome of every woman's dream. Now, he was unabashedly pursuing Clara all the way to Riddleton.

Heidi, seething with fury, clenched her fists, but her face betrayed a semblance of sincere remorse. Raising a glass, she offered it to Clara. "lan has spoken, then it's my fault for misunderstanding Attorney Clara. I'll take the shots as an apology."

Without blinking, Heidi downed three shots in succession and then turned the glass upside down for all to see. Such a gesture of contrition was more common among men, and as a woman, Heidi performed this act, winning the admiration of those around her.

Sympathies began to surface. "As members of the same circle, we always run into each other. Life's too short for grudges, and Heidi's already downed three as penance. Let's call it even." "Yes, it shows real sincerity for a lady to do this. Ms. Clara, let bygones be bygones, eh?"

As a guest of the Palmer family and a student of Mr. Marco, Clara didn't want to escalate the situation. However, she knew Heidi's true intent all too well: to probe whether she was pregnant. She had no choice but to act.

Just as she reached for the glass, intending to take a mere sip, Sasha intervened. Her eyes were icy as she stared down Heidi. "Ms. Heidi, Clara is my guest. You insulted her, and those shots were well- deserved. But she won't be drinking that glass."

Heidi watched Sasha, a mix of defiance and plea in her eyes. "Ms. Sasha, must I down another three for you to forgive me? If I keep drinking like this, it might kill me." She clutched her stomach with an exaggerated grimace of pain.

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