Claire opened her mouth but only managed to stammer a few broken, incoherent syllables.
"I... didn't..."
"Didn't?"
Richard's gaze darkened, the coldness in his eyes intensifying. His grip tightened further.
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
His voice, hoarse and low, sounded like the whisper of a devil, leaving no room for Claire to argue.
"Don't think I don't know what's going on. The Ashford Family is desperate for a breakthrough, a lifeline to rise to the top. And you—you're Edward's perfect pawn to latch onto the Hawkins Family."
Before coming to the Ashford Estate, Richard had already sent someone to investigate. Edward was a shameless opportunist, a hypocrite through and through.
This family dinner, orchestrated at the risk of angering him, was just another ploy t
