Serena immediately retorted.
"Because your hand is injured... Even if you compete with Claire right now, you won’t win, you’ll only embarrass yourself..."
Before Caleb could finish, Serena interrupted him with a mocking tone:
"Even if I’m totally embarrassed now, it wouldn’t affect you, President Lockwood!"
"Do you have to think of me ?"
Caleb’s expression changed instantly.
"Am I not letting you go just so I won’t embarrass myself?"
Serena asked back and then feigned a sudden realization.
"Oh right, also to clear me out as an obstacle for Claire. It’s not like you haven’t done that before."
Caleb couldn’t help but explode in anger.
That wasn’t his intention at all.
The restoration competition at X Museum invited many renowned jewelry designers, collectors, and restoration masters.
All are industry insiders.
Serena’s hand injury hasn’t healed yet, going there would only leave a bad impression of poor skills among the industry and serve for her competitors on a silver platter. Follow current novels on novel·fire.net
Unless Serena no longer wants to work in jewelry design.
Caleb suddenly realized that this possibility wasn’t entirely out of the question.
He had witnessed Serena’s jewelry craftsmanship firsthand many times, and he wouldn’t doubt her talent now.
But Serena’s craft requires precise hand movements.
Like surgeons, manga artists, and similar professions, once the hand is injured, past glories are gone for good.
So, could Serena possibly change careers?
Besides being a jewelry designer, what else could Serena do?
One identity suddenly popped into Caleb’s mind—
In Caleb’s impression, the job Serena did the longest and is most adept at is being a housewife.
Now that her hand is injured, her career can no longer progress, she might as well take a step back.
Caleb knew well that even if Serena went back to being a full-time wife, she wouldn’t be his full-time wife anymore.
Serena was being stared down intensely by Caleb.
She could sense Caleb’s gaze changing repeatedly, as if he wanted to say many things to her.
Yet until Caleb left her hospital room, he didn’t say another word.
Once again, only Serena was left in the hospital room, and she sighed.
"I don’t want to see you sighing for that scumbag."
From the adjacent care room, Ethan opened the door and stuck half his body in.
Serena shrugged and smiled.
For her, Caleb truly was scummy, his mind only full of thoughts on how to pave the way for Claire.
But to Claire, Caleb must be the epitome of a devoted and good man, right?
In the bar, Claire was drinking alone.
She had no one to accompany her now.
She couldn’t find Caleb.
Nor could she find Patrick.
Since Ian left the country for Northriver’s business, he had cut off contact.
"Once I return... I can retrieve everything I lost..."
Claire murmured to herself with a face full of self-ridicule.
Back in the dark days in Meridia, she survived by relying on Caleb.
Time and time again, she told herself, as long as she went back, she could regain what she lost and be the little princess admired by all.
Claire took a sip of alcohol and angrily crushed the ice in her mouth.
Ultimately, Valerie found her and took her home.
Valerie didn’t know what had happened to Claire again, but being this drunk was definitely related to Caleb.
"Claire, you absolutely must pull yourself together, no matter what Caleb said to you. As long as you’re good enough, Caleb will surely still like you..."
Valerie comforted Claire with her words, increasingly uncertain in her heart.
Today, CelestiMed opened a branch in City A, appointing Julian as the person in charge.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Caleb and Julian stood together, looking quite appealing.
Claire found out on her phone in her studio that joker had come to City A again, and as Julian Xavier this time.
joker had been using this fake identity for quite a while.
Right after closing the news, joker messaged her on WeChat to meet at the hotel tonight.
Claire kept the appointment punctually, but to her surprise, the room had not only joker but two other men.
Claire recognized both men.
As soon as she saw them, she wanted to turn and run, but joker was blocking the door firmly.
joker’s baby face wore a seemingly innocent smile.
"Your recent plans to climb the ladder don’t seem to be going so smoothly!"
With joker blocking the door and the two burly men behind her, Claire was sandwiched in between, trembling all over.
"I set you free because you said you were Caleb’s first love, you said you could become Mrs. Lockwood and give me twenty percent of Lockwood Group’s shares..."
joker didn’t move, but the two men behind Claire were slowly walking forward, getting closer to Claire.
"But I’ve realized you’re just a liar."
"I’m not lying! I really am Caleb’s first love, he will definitely marry me!"
Claire shouted at joker, but joker only sneered with laughter.
"You probably don’t know, Caleb’s father has always wanted to match Caleb with the Linton family’s daughter. Last Valentine’s Day... did Caleb spend it with you?"
joker’s question left Claire pale as a ghost.
"To tell you the truth, on that day Caleb went to meet with the Linton family’s daughter."
Claire was as stunned as if struck by a thunderbolt.
"I’m half an A-city resident now, and since two officials are here for business, I’m just doing a little favor... using you to entertain the two of them..."
With joker’s words, Claire was scared to tears, covering her mouth.
"This also serves as a reminder to not slack off; if you can’t fulfill your promise to me... I’ll take you back to Meridia, where plenty of people want you."
After saying this, joker opened the door and walked out.
Immediately inside, Claire’s pleas for mercy could be heard.
He then opened the door again and said to Claire inside:
"Oh, and don’t forget to fix your hymen after you’re done."
With a bang, the door shut again.
joker listened to Claire’s screams from inside and casually muttered:
"This hotel’s soundproofing really is poor."
Serena entered the designated venue accompanied by Ethan.
Many people were already seated inside.
The first thing she noticed was Caleb sitting at the center of the front row.
Caleb had Simon Coleman, the director of X Museum, on his left, and Leo Grant, the president of the Jewelry Collectors Association, on his right.
Peter and the FY Design Department headquarters head Sophia Shepherd were also there.
At a glance, most of the invited guests were industry insiders, more like judges than guests.
Only Caleb wasn’t considered an insider.
Serena initially thought Caleb was accompanying Claire, but Claire arrived late and almost missed it.
"So what happened to Serena’s hand? Why is it bandaged? Is she competing with Claire while injured?"
Amid the guests, Sophia Shepherd’s voice of skepticism could be heard.