Claudia POV
I jerked my head up upon hearing that question from Ray. I almost gasped audibly as our eyes t again, because all that faint warmth and gentleness he showed had suddenly disappeared, replaced by a deep gaze full of malicious intent, like a snake about to catch its prey.
His warm smile had also vanished, replaced by a sinister grin, as if he couldn’t wait to say sothing ominous just to see my reaction.
I was spooked by his expression, but even more worried about why Miles had called him.
Was it to ask for Ray’s help to deal with ? Surely, he wouldn’t be happy after knowing that Ray had given a recomndation letter to the police stating that I was ntally sane, right? Because that letter alone was enough to save from being locked in a ntal hospital imdiately.
The phone kept ringing, but Ray didn’t pick it up. He kept staring at with his piercing gaze.
"He’s still your husband in na, so I’ll follow your instruction, Claudia. Should I pick it up or... not?"
I swallowed as nervousness crept in. But I couldn’t deny that I was curious about what Miles wanted to say, and whether he still rembered this very wife he cheated on and frad for attempted murder of their own daughter.
Curiosity killed the cat, and it might kill as well.
So I nodded.
Thus, Ray pressed the green button without hesitation.
—
"H-hello? Brother, are you free to talk right now?"
Ray kept his eyes on the whole ti as he answered, "What is it?"
"I-I just want to thank you for the money. It’s already in my account!" Miles said.
"That’s the agreed-upon price for your wedding ring... isn’t it?" Ray said, and my heart sank when I realized he was trying to force the truth out of Miles.
I secretly wished Miles would say no.
Because if he said yes, then everything Ray said last night would be confird—that Miles sold our wedding ring for money.
Of course, I knew the ring was worth nothing compared to Ray’s wealth, but to , it symbolized the sacred vow we once made.
Even if I didn’t love him anymore, I still wished he would honor that marriage, because I kissed him under the altar out of love, not because of his nonexistent wealth.
They could call an idiot or unrealistic, but I would never sell my wedding ring for any amount of money!
"Oh yes, it’s ten million dollars, all transferred into my account!" Miles confird without hesitation, he sounded so happy that I almost cursed at him on the call.
And just like that, I felt my heart shatter into pieces.
Just when I thought he couldn’t disappoint any further, Miles found yet another way to ruin , just like how he usually did with his incompetence and opportunistic behavior.
This single phone call drained completely, as if he had taken half of my life away with that one sentence.
I shouldn’t have expected anything from a cheating bastard like him.
But I was still hurt... trendously.
The grin on Ray’s face widened until it almost reached his ears. He must’ve been enjoying my misery, especially after I tried so hard to protect the wedding rings last night that it caused us to have a huge fight.
"If that’s all you have to say, then I’ll hang up now," Ray said. "Don’t worry, I won’t take that ten million dollars. After all, what’s the worth of a cheap ring compared to that amount of money, right?"
"R-right... Brother. I’ve checked with my company’s finance departnt, and it turns out we only need five million dollars to offset the loss from that incompetent accountant. So... uhm..."
Miles hesitated, seemingly gathering his courage before adding:
"Is it possible to return five million? In exchange, I want that ri—"
Beep.
"What a bunch of nonsense. Has he always been this fickle?" Ray complained as he put his phone back into his pocket.
He turned to again, still smiling with that devious expression on his face.
"I’m not wrong, am I? Miles didn’t hesitate at all," Ray muttered. "He chose money over you without a second thought. Granted, it’s a huge amount for him. But to , ten million dollars is nothing but pocket change."
He leaned closer until his lips brushed near my ear as he whispered a poisonous words into , like the snake that forced Adam and Eve out of heaven.
"Your husband just discarded you and your sacred vow over a pocket change, Claudia Reed. You should drill that into your brain."
My eyes began to fill with tears as the pain beca too much to bear.
But I was reminded that Ray disliked my tears. So I lowered my head and murmured, "Can we go ho now?"
"Are you sure? We can still spend more ti here. Or do you want to have a late lunch before going ho?" he asked. "I’ve given you the right to go out for a full day, it’d a waste not to take full advantage of it."
I knew he just wanted to see like this a little longer.
But I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
All I wanted was to lock myself in my room and cry myself to sleep.
"I want to go ho... Ray..."
"If you say so," he replied before pedaling back to the dock.
He held my hand again and guided back to the parking lot.
Everything after that felt like a blur as we drove through the crowded streets of downtown Los Angeles and returned to the penthouse.
As Ray parked the car in front of the building’s entrance, he said, "It seems you need more ti alone to process what just happened. I’ll leave to handle so matters at the office, especially regarding Miles. I’m sure he’s already there, trying to fawn over for buying a cheap wedding ring for ten million dollars."
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