He Begged for Her, I Set Him Free

Chapter 4

Just as I expected, Christopher chose the first option. Not only was he afraid his future would be affected, but he also couldn’t bear to let his precious little darling suffer even the slightest stain on her reputation.

So when Claire came looking for me, I wasn’t surprised at all. In fact, I had been afraid she wouldn’t come.

I chose a quiet café for the meeting, a place Christopher and I used to visit often.

Claire looked exactly like the photos she posted on social media. Youthful, energetic, and full of life. But she also had the common flaw of someone young: she was far too impatient.

"Ma’am, you saw the photos I sent you, right? We’ve already slept together. Honestly, I just casually mentioned leaving, and he immediately panicked. But I should thank you. If you hadn’t pressured him so hard, how could he have realized how much better I am?" She was like an agitated hen, desperately trying to provoke me into divorcing Christopher.

But I simply smiled indifferently and let my gaze fall on the handbag slung over her shoulder.

"Luxe Atelier’s latest release. Christopher really is generous when it comes to spending money on you."

Claire curled her lips into a smug smile.

But before she could speak, I continued calmly, "I looked into your family background. There’s no way you could afford a six-figure bag. Little girl, let me educate you on the law. The money he spends on you counts as marital assets. If we divorce, you’ll have to pay back half of it. But I suppose most of the money’s already been spent by now, hasn’t it? Or maybe I should visit your parents instead. By then, everyone in your hometown will know that you, Claire Sullivan, became someone’s mistress while attending university."

Claire's smile froze instantly. She shot to her feet, and her once delicate, pretty features twisted into something ugly and vicious.

"How dare you!"

"You can try and see whether I dare or not!"

Even though I remained seated, my presence still overwhelmed her.

At that moment, the girl who had been acting so aggressive suddenly glanced behind me. The next second, she quickly grabbed her coffee cup and splashed it all over herself.

When she spoke again, her eyes were already red with tears. "I’m sorry, ma’am. Professor Elowen and I really don’t have that kind of relationship. I’m about to study abroad soon. Please stop forcing me, okay?"

Hurried footsteps sounded from behind me. I had never seen Christopher this anxious before.

He rushed forward and pulled Claire protectively into his arms, carefully wiping the coffee from her face.

When he looked back at me, his eyes were ice-cold. Yet because there were outsiders present, he didn’t dare openly criticize me.

I looked at him mockingly.

At that moment, several students following behind him began speaking all at once. They were obviously Christopher students as well. It looked like they had just finished a meeting, notebooks still in hand.

"So this is the infamous shrew everyone says Professor Elowen married? No wonder he never wants to go home. What century is this? Acting like the legal wife hunting down the other woman? Spreading disgusting rumors about another girl is seriously vile."

"Exactly. Claire already said she’s practically being forced to leave the country, and this woman still came here just to humiliate her!"

With every sentence they spoke, Claire's eyes reddened further. And Christopher's face grew paler.

I raised an eyebrow. The next second, before anyone could react, I strode over to Claire. I lifted my hand and slapped her hard across the face before smiling at the students.

"Did you all see that? If I really wanted to hit someone, I wouldn’t do something as weak and meaningless as splashing coffee."

Claire clutched her face as she collapsed into Christopher's arms, desperately hiding the hatred in her eyes.

Christopher finally snapped. "That’s enough! Vivian, don’t push things too far!"

Am I the one going too far?

What comes next will be far worse.

But before I could retaliate, one of the male students defending Claire shoved me violently.

"What else are you trying to do? Touch her again and I’ll call the police!"

I lost my balance and crashed to the floor, the back of my head slamming hard against the edge of the table. For a moment, the world spun around me.

The young man panicked immediately and hurriedly told Christopher that he hadn’t meant to do it. But Christopher only looked at me deeply.

In the end, he said nothing at all and simply left with the students.

Clutching my throbbing head, I struggled to stand up from the floor.

I didn’t look at the departing figures of Christopher and Claire supporting each other as they walked away.

Instead, I lifted my gaze toward a concealed corner near the ceiling.