Nothing But Pretend

Chapter 4 - Pearl

Chapter 4 - Pearl

The next day, Claire goes to work as usual.

She marries young—barely out of college—and moves straight into the Lowe family. Not into a fairy tale, but into responsibility.

Mr. Lowe assigns her to manage one of the family's mid-sized hotels. Not a flagship property, not something vital. Just a place for her to "play around," as he puts it. Something to keep her busy. Something to let her learn.

Claire takes it seriously anyway.

She studies marketing trends late into the night, restructures the management system, oversees renovations, expands capacity, and enforces regular staff training. She treats every decision like it matters—because to her, it does.

Three years later, the Telton Hotel is no longer forgettable. In North City, it has a name.

Its most distinctive feature is the bar on the lower level.

It's called Float.

The bar has rules. Age limits. Dress codes. No sloppy outfits, no cheap behavior. You need to look like you belong before you're allowed through the door. It isn't about arrogance—it's about atmosphere. And it works.

Claire's office is on the top floor.

By the time the city lights come on, she's preparing to leave for the night when her phone rings.

It's the operations manager.

"Claire," he says, voice tight. "There's a fight in the bar."

She answers calmly. "Then follow protocol. Any physical altercation gets reported to the police. Why are you calling me?"

There's a brief pause on the line.

"Normally I wouldn't," he says quickly. "I can handle it. But this time... one of the people involved is Miss Lowe."

Claire's brow furrows.

She already knows which Miss Lowe.

Ethan's younger sister.

---

Float is loud, tense, frozen in that charged moment before things explode again.

Pearl Lowe stands in the center wearing a white bodycon dress, arms crossed, expression bored and arrogant. Behind her are several people. Across from them, another group. Someone lies on the floor, groaning softly.

When Claire appears, Pearl drops onto the sofa, leans back, and looks up lazily.

"Oh, it's you," she says, dragging the words out. "Since you're here now, what's the plan? You handle it. This is your chance to prove yourself."

She's fearless. Untouchable.

Everyone in the Lowe family looks down on Claire. Pearl is simply the most obvious about it. In three years of marriage, she never once calls Claire "sister-in-law." She embarrasses her openly, repeatedly.

Claire is six years older. As the wife of her brother, she doesn't stoop to argue.

As someone with no powerful family of her own, she doesn't dare to.

As someone who loves Ethan, she swallows it all.

So Pearl expects her to clean up the mess. Like always.

Except this time, Claire isn't playing that role anymore.

She looks at Pearl, studies her for a second, then smiles lightly.

"The hotel has rules," she says. "Any fight gets reported. There are cameras everywhere. The police are already on their way. You can sort it out at the station."

Pearl's expression snaps.

"You called the cops?" Her voice rises. "Claire, who do you think you are?"

She knows she's at fault, technically—but in her mind, it's nothing money can't fix. This is a favor she's allowing Claire to do. A chance to ingratiate herself.

If the police get involved, the family will find out.

And that cannot happen.

"You actually called the police?" Pearl stares at her, incredulous. "You've got some nerve."

Claire used to smile at her. Used to back down. Used to try to get closer, flatter her, please her.

Now she doesn't.

Pearl's disbelief turns cold. "You think my mother will let this slide?"

Being dragged to a police station is humiliating. It's a stain on the Lowe name. And Claire—Ethan's wife—is supposed to protect the family's image, not expose it.

"This is you getting personal revenge," Pearl sneers. "You picked the wrong time."

Claire knows exactly what this will cost her. She knows who she's offending.

She just doesn't care anymore.

"I'm doing my job," she says calmly. "And I'm off the clock now. Good night."

She turns to leave.

"Claire!" Pearl stands, storms toward her, but security blocks her path. She glares past them, fury burning in her eyes. "You dare treat me like this? Who gave you the guts? You think this hotel belongs to you? I'll make my brother divorce you!"

Pearl is the family's precious daughter. Claire sees it clearly over these three years. Pearl never even respects Ethan much—until his position in the company stabilizes this past year. Only then does she restrain herself slightly.

Claire turns back, unbothered.

"Go ahead," she says.

Once upon a time, the word divorce terrifies her.

Now?

She couldn't care less.

Pearl completely loses it. "Sophia Shen is a hundred times better than you! Ethan wanted to divorce you for ages!"

Claire doesn't even look back.

She lifts one hand and flashes an easy OK sign.

Pearl freezes.

She's still stunned when the police escort her out. Even at the station, it doesn't feel real.

Then rage takes over.

She calls home.

If the family is going to know anyway, she'll make sure they take her side. She'll remind Claire exactly who the outsider is.

---

Ethan throws himself into work the moment he arrives at the office.

He barely sleeps the night before. He can't explain why. Divorce is something he's long anticipated—something he should feel relieved about. Instead, there's a restless emptiness he can't shake.

As the second son, he isn't groomed as the heir. Some of the older executives never take him seriously. They resist him subtly, undermine him quietly.

Ethan has kept score for years.

If they don't respect him, they can retire.

He already has evidence on both of them. Originally, he plans to handle it slowly, cleanly—ease them out without drama, make himself look reasonable.

But today, his mood is foul.

So he fires them. Both. In one day.

The company explodes.

People are shocked. The gentle, polite second son suddenly looks ruthless.

Rumors spread fast.

Everyone knows Ethan grows up unwanted. His mother's pregnancy overlaps with his father's affair. The family never recovers from it.

Some say he's always ambitious. Some say he's been waiting for this moment. Some even whisper darker things.

Calls flood in.

His father's voice is furious.

"Those men have worked here for decades! You show no respect. Don't forget—you're not the owner yet."

Ethan answers mildly. "Of course not. I'm just acting on behalf of the board. You should look into what they've been doing."

Then his mother calls.

She lectures him. He responds with a single, polite "Mm."

Finally she says coldly, "You've changed since marrying that woman."

"She has a name," Ethan replies. "It's Claire."

That's all he says.

Mrs. Lowe hears his response, and when he doesn't say anything further, she drops a final warning, "Don't disappoint me." Then she hangs up.

She has used that line to control him for years. Her second son has always tried to please her, seeking her approval, craving her love. But now... she feels more and more that her words no longer carry weight.

If her words no longer matter, then someone else's must. And who is that someone? Could it be the young lady from the Shen family?

She recalls the whispers she's overheard over the years—rumors about her second son and that Shen girl.

Yes. She actually knows her second son has never liked Claire. She's aware they haven't been living together, and in her eyes, Claire is nothing but a temporary visitor in the Lowe household.

With Ethan now clearly positioned as the next-generation heir of the family, having Claire as his wife? In her eyes, it's utterly unfit. Her second son apparently agrees—he has never publicly introduced her, never paraded her in front of society.

And the Shen daughter has been visiting occasionally, signaling her intentions clearly. Well... that's acceptable, isn't it?

Mrs. Lowe thinks of her eldest son again and closes her eyes in pain. She only has two children now. Because of past events, she has never been able to feel affection for her second son. Thankfully, she still has her precious daughter, who comforts her heart. Even if that daughter can be a little mischievous, she indulges her, keeps her in check, and consoles herself by thinking: she is nothing more than a pitiful mother.

So when she hears that Claire has taken the precious young lady to the police station, she trembles with rage—so shaken that, for the rarest of moments, she lets her guard down in front of the servants.

"Bring Claire to the ancestral house! Immediately! Right now!" she commands, her voice trembling.

A woman with no background, no power. A woman her son does not even like. And yet... this woman dares to enter her house without respecting her place.

---

Meanwhile, Ethan is still buried in work at the office. When he sees a call from Margaret, he immediately thinks of Claire. Nearly every call from her involves that woman.

What now? Is she already regretting asking for a divorce?

He has already given her several chances. If she's regretting it now, it's far too late.

He answers the phone, expecting something routine—but instead, Margaret's panicked voice bursts out,

"Sir! What's happening?! Oh my god! Madam was taken—people from the ancestral house barged in and took her away! What... what's going on?!"