Caleb Lockwood paused his hand as he set down the wine bottle.
He calmly gazed at Claire, watching the tears glistening in her wide, watery eyes.
To say he didn’t feel a trace of heartache would be a lie.
After all, Claire was his first love, his Ellie from the juvenile detention center, where they suffered and relied on each other through life and death.
But...
"I’m sorry."
Caleb offered an apology.
Claire was stunned.
Everyone knew how hard it was to hear those three sincere words from Caleb’s mouth.
Yet at this mont, Claire didn’t want to hear those words one bit, not one bit!
"Caleb..."
She saw clearly the pain for her in Caleb’s eyes, but at the sa ti, she saw even more clearly his inner resolve.
"I can no longer give you my love..."
Caleb said resolutely and with unwavering determination.
"I already told you this the day you returned to the country and I ca to pick you up."
A buzzing sound filled Claire’s mind.
Yes...
When she returned to the country and reunited with Caleb after many years, Caleb had clearly told her—
"I can no longer give you my love... because I am married."
However, Claire never believed it.
What is marriage anyway?
Caleb didn’t marry Serena out of love.
He married Serena to spite her, to get back at her, and due to his grandfather’s command.
Now that she was back, all Caleb had to do was divorce Serena and marry her, and everything would fall back into place.
"So what do you want to say?"
Claire grabbed onto Caleb’s collar forcefully.
"Are you saying you fell in love with Serena?"
"..."
"Did you leave because you fell in love with Serena?!"
Claire roared, her voice full of anguish.
"No..."
Caleb shook his head.
But Claire couldn’t tell which of her questions Caleb’s "No" was answering.
The first?
Or the second?
"Ever since you chose to break up with and study abroad... it beca impossible for us to be together again..."
Caleb’s calm words left Claire’s face deathly pale.
He once thought, for Ellie, his heart would never change.
At first, losing and then regaining her made Caleb’s final high school year one of indulgence in his affection for Claire.
But his grandfather disapproved of Claire.
And just as he was racking his brain to change the bad impression Claire had left on his grandfather, Claire chose to study abroad while his grandfather was hospitalized.
He wouldn’t abandon his grandfather, so Claire broke up with him.
Caleb never expected Ellie would force him to choose between the grandfather he cherished and her.
Even to this day, Caleb still couldn’t understand.
Was it him who changed?
Or was it his Ellie who changed?
Seeing Caleb’s eyes filled with confusion, struggle, and conflict, Claire forcefully pushed Caleb away.
"No... You can’t not love , you’re just getting back at for leaving you, right?"
"..."
"Caleb Lockwood, you swore to love only forever, are you going to break your word?!"
Claire’s hysterical questioning left Caleb speechless.
It was precisely because he didn’t want to break his vow that Caleb had tried, had put in the effort, and had maintained Claire’s dignity in front of others as much as possible.
However...
Caleb picked up a bottle of Ace of Spades and downed it in one go.
Even after a bottle of wine, Caleb’s dark eyes were still very clear.
"Is there anything you want? I can compensate you..."
Hospital.
Serena was playing on her phone when Peter ca to visit her.
"I brought you so valuable news, want to hear it?"
Serena lifted her head, with a hint of interest in her eyes as she looked at Peter.
"What is it? Is it related to jewelry design?"
"Smart."
Peter said, sending Serena a docunt.
"A new vein was recently discovered on Mount Phosphor in Country C. The governnt of Country C invited a company called CD to survey it, proving it has rare gemstones and ultra-high-quality diamonds, with an estimated reserve value of over fifty billion... Reliable sources say Country C’s governnt is preparing to open up mining rights, and our FY is interested in bidding. Do you want to try as well?"
Serena raised an eyebrow, not answering Peter’s question but instead posed her own:
"Who else is bidding?"
"Quite a few mining companies are interested, as well as several jewelry groups, and..."
At this point, Peter’s voice paused.
"And what?"
Serena asked curiously.
"And I’ve heard... Claire secured quite a large sum from the Lockwood Group, probably taking all of their liquid assets... It was approved by Caleb himself."
Even if Peter didn’t emphasize the last part, Serena could have guessed.
Currently, Arthur Lockwood and Lilian Young have their sights on The Linton Family, how could they have allowed the Lockwood Group to put all their liquid assets into an investnt for Claire?
Peter originally thought that telling Serena about this would upset her.
Regardless of whether Serena still loved Caleb or not, hearing about how her ex-husband was so lavish with another woman would make anyone uncomfortable.
However, he saw Serena smile instead.
Peter closed his eyes tightly, and upon reopening them, Serena’s face was without a smile again.
"Thank you for telling this valuable news... but if I get involved in the bidding, we would be competitors."
After hearing Serena’s words, Peter chuckled humorously.
"If FY does win the mining rights for this new vein, I promise FY will partner with you in joint mining, on the condition that you collaborate more with us in a jewelry series."
As Peter spoke, he extended his pinky finger to Serena.
Serena hooked pinkies with Peter.
"However I see it, I’m the one getting the benefits!"
Peter slightly bowed his head, his smile sowhat shy.
"It’s my privilege to let you have the benefits."
The news of Serena deciding to participate in the bidding spread quickly, naturally reaching Claire’s ears.
Currently, Claire’s studio is isolated and precarious.
Apart from Caleb and the Lockwood Group as her strong backing.
She had nothing else.
And Serena was serious about it.
Though she was still in the hospital, from the mont she decided to participate in the bidding, she contacted many helpers.
Claire heard that Serena enlisted Ethan White, using his connections within the governnt to assist her.
She also secured at least a billion in funding from the Ian Blackwood and Patrick Rhodes families.
Moreover, rumors suggest that if FY were the successful bidder, Serena would also get joint mining rights.
Initially, Claire was determined to win this new vein.
That was what Caleb promised her.
Not to ntion whether she can win over his heart.
Since Caleb promised her, she naturally intended to seize this opportunity for a major coback.
Once the vein was in her hands, she would profit imnsely and rise as a capital player.
Maybe when she makes a coback and stops leeching off Caleb and the Lockwood Group, the Lockwood family would view her differently, and Caleb might rekindle his love for her.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she couldn’t lose this bid, especially not let the mining rights fall into Serena’s hands, so Claire drove to City D.
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