Chapter 6

Two days later, Claire sold the house.

The mansion, valued at $50 million, was sold to the buyer for only $28 million. Amelia angrily cursed their greed.

Claire gritted her teeth and said, "We'll sell it."

Victor couldn't wait inside any longer. Aside from legal fees, the Smith Group had a huge financial hole that needed filling. Under such pressure, Claire had no choice.

After selling the house, she managed to meet Victor.

Victor, handsome and distinguished, used to have a crowd of wealthy young women chasing after him wherever he went. But now, he looked a bit haggard as he spoke to Claire through a glass partition.

"Find a lawyer named Sebastian Vaughan."

"Claire, he can help us."

Claire wanted to ask more questions, but time was up, and Victor had to be taken away.

He looked at his sister with eyes full of reluctance. His beloved sister had been the apple of the Smith family's eye since childhood, and now she had to run around for the family. His heart broke.

Victor read the newspapers and knew Claire's situation very well.

As he was taken away, Claire stood up and grabbed the glass partition so hard her knuckles turned white. "Victor!"

Victor pointed his index finger to his lips and silently mouthed two words, "Take care."

Claire watched him being taken away. After a long time, she slowly sat down.

Sebastian Vaughan...

She had to find Sebastian.

As soon as Claire left the detention center, she received a call from the training institution to which she had applied. They respectfully addressed her as Mrs. Coleman and then informed her that they currently didn't have any openings.

Claire quietly hung up after hearing this. She guessed it was Liam's doing. He was forcing her to go back.

She wouldn't delude herself into thinking that Liam had developed feelings for her over time. He just needed a wife to serve him and had to make sure the Coleman Group's stock market wouldn't be affected by his personal affairs.

In Liam's heart, Claire was worthless.

Her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.

She answered it and heard Liam's cold and noble voice, "Claire, let's talk."

At noon.

The September sun couldn't warm Claire's body.

Half an hour later, Claire walked into the Coleman Tower. Joanne personally greeted her downstairs and escorted her to the top-floor CEO's office.

Pushing open the door, Liam was reading documents.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a god-like glow on him. He was incredibly charming and pleasing to the eye in every gesture. Even Joanne couldn't help but steal a glance at him.

"Mr. Coleman, Mrs. Coleman is here."

Liam looked up, his gaze sweeping over Claire.

After a week without seeing her, she still looked beautiful, but her face carried a hint of weariness.

Liam's heart didn't soften. He was always cold towards Claire.

He glanced at Joanne and lightly lifted his chin. "Leave us. Close the door."

Once Joanne left, Liam looked at Claire again and said with a mocking tone, "We've not seen each other in a week. Why don't you come over and sit? Didn't you always like making snacks and bringing them over? Don't you remember how affectionate you used to be?"

"Liam, I'm not here to reminisce."

Liam stared at her.

After a moment, he sneered, "Then you're here to plead?"

He picked up a cigarette box from his desk, shook out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.

Throughout this process, his eyes were fixed on her intently.

Whenever Liam looked at her like this, she found it irresistible.

Thin smoke rose as he spoke indifferently, "Before you came, I calculated your expenses. Given the Smith family's current situation, you need to earn at least thirty or forty thousand dollars a month just to cover your father's medical bills. Of course, this includes selling your wedding ring!"

Claire remained expressionless. "As long as you show mercy, Mr. Coleman, I'll find a way."

"Mr. Coleman?"

Liam sneered, "Last week in bed you were clinging to my neck like a kitten, calling me by my name. How did it become ‘Mr. Coleman' in just a few days?"

Claire knew he wouldn't let her go easily.

She spoke softly, "Liam, you have no feelings for me. I didn't ask for anything in the divorce. You didn't lose anything either, did you? You can easily find someone young and beautiful..."

Liam held his cigarette and stared at her.

He sneered, "And then let you use the title of former Mrs. Coleman to find another man?"

His words were harsh.

Claire was enraged, her voice hoarse. "If you won't divorce me or leave me alone, then I have only one last option."

Liam's face instantly darkened.

Before Claire could react, he was already beside her. He grabbed her delicate chin and whispered in her ear, the warning in his tone unmistakable, "Are you planning to sell your body?"

Claire trembled all over but didn't deny it.

Liam laughed instead of getting angry. He leaned even closer. "Who would want you in Beach Port with your title as Mrs. Coleman? And could you stand being touched by someone else? If someone wants to buy you, it's only to satisfy their desires. Do you remember how much pain you were in on our wedding night? Have you forgotten?"

Claire turned pale.

How could she forget? On their wedding night, Liam had been very rough out of revenge.

Just the thought of that night made her want to die.

Now that he had made his point, Liam let go of her and gently caressed her face as he coaxed, "Come back to me. We'll be just like before."

Claire's back tensed tightly.

Suddenly, she noticed a shiny new violin on the bookshelf across the room.

Claire remembered the gossip articles that reported how he had spent a fortune of $20 million to buy the extravagant violin for the woman he loved.

So it was this one...

Claire laughed softly. Could they really go back to how things used to be?

To be his plaything in bed again, to serve and please him every day, and yet receive no care or respect in return? Even his secretary could give her a cold look. Did she really want to share her husband with other women again?

She didn't want the life she had before or a man like him!

Claire's smile faded, and she spoke each word clearly, "You can find someone else to be Mrs. Coleman!"

After saying that, she turned to leave.

In the next moment, she felt Liam wrap his arms around her.

Liam held her slim waist, his handsome face close to her ear, exuding a masculine aura that could easily stir a woman's emotions.

Claire trembled slightly.

Liam chuckled, his long fingers gliding over her delicate form, quickly making her feel weak.

Claire tilted her head back slightly.

Her long, fair legs in high heels trembled uncontrollably. Liam knew her body all too well. Claire was sensitive, and just a little teasing like this was enough to overwhelm her.

He pressed against her slender back, his hands igniting her senses as he continued to speak, "Divorce? Then who will satisfy you after the divorce?"

"You're so insatiable! What kind of man would be able to satisfy you easily, hmm?"

As Claire listened to him utter such shameful words, she struggled desperately.

Others might not know, but after being his wife for three years, she understood him all too well.

Liam presented himself as a refined businessman in public, but in bed, he was crude and brutal. He loved to make her cry and beg. Sometimes, Claire felt he had a psychological issue, deriving pleasure from tormenting women in bed.

Liam's words and actions grew more excessive.

Finally unable to take it anymore, Claire raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

The air thickened. It was the first time she had ever laid a hand on him. Probably the first time he had been slapped by a woman, especially by his once obedient wife. Liam's expression immediately turned cold.

All his desires vanished as if the passion they had just shared was nothing but an illusion.

He gripped her delicate chin, leaning in close, his voice icy enough to freeze. "You've learned to hit now?"

"Do you really want to divorce me?"

"Claire, three years ago, you schemed to marry me, and now, you're scheming to leave me! Do you think you can leave me as you please? Or that I am so easy to manipulate?"

Claire paused, her heart sinking.

Finally, Liam spoke the truth.

He hated her, Victor, and the Smith family.

He resented the accident that forced him to marry her.

That was why, after marrying her, he tormented her in bed. He rarely took his time with foreplay. He preferred to see her break down and cry...

After the Smith family fell, Liam had the means to help, yet he chose to stand by and do nothing.

Claire didn't explain the past anymore.

She trembled slightly and said, "Liam, it was my fault before. I should have never loved you!"

She wouldn't love him anymore.

After saying that, she began to straighten her clothes, which he had disheveled.

Her silk shirt had a few buttons torn open, and the hem of her skirt had been pushed up to her thighs, while her sheer, flesh-colored stockings were pulled down to her knees, leaving her looking thoroughly disheveled.

She was a complete mess.