Chapter 43: When the Ex Cries, the Current Loses

The cold words suddenly brought Clara Bennett back to the expression on Samuel Grant’s face when he spoke to her. This change was so obvious that it was shocking. Is this what they call bluffing? It really can scare people. This reaction involuntarily reminded her of William Foster’s handsome face, carrying a strong sense of intimidation when he wasn’t smiling. The pressure was so great that on the first night she met him, Clara truly felt he was an extremely dangerous person, making people afraid to approach easily. Sigh, if William Foster were to become an actor, he could definitely win the Best Actor award; his acting is indeed very realistic. After sorting out her thoughts a bit and calming down her mood, she then spoke: "It’s me, Clara." Upon hearing her voice, William Foster’s tone immediately became much gentler, "Darling, still not asleep this late? Are you missing me and can’t sleep?" This conversation seemed to return to the previous intimate state, forming a stark contrast with the previous cold attitude. Facing such a change, Clara did not explain much, just said simply and directly: "Don’t overthink it, I’m handling some things right now. The call is to ask you something. Did you arrange for someone to beat up Samuel Grant today?" Mentioning Samuel Grant was actually one of the things she was most curious about, after all, it involved the complex relationship network between two people. When he received this news, William Foster had already received relevant photo material. Seeing the photos of Samuel Grant beaten with a black and blue face. Once somewhat resembling his current deformed state—his inner feelings were actually quite delightful. A thought once flashed by to send these images to Clara for a look, but after thinking it over, ultimately chose to abandon the idea. If he showed them to Clara, wouldn’t it prove he secretly didn’t listen to her? That would inevitably lead to Clara having doubts about him, which was not the result William Foster wanted. Appearing outwardly obedient while not following through in secret, if this thing was discovered by Clara, it would completely ruin the harmless image William Foster had been maintaining, hence, he decisively abandoned the thought. Unexpectedly, Clara still learned about this matter. William Foster couldn’t help but feel a burst of agitation, thinking a bit, surely Samuel Grant that bastard couldn’t resist contacting her proactively. This guess made William Foster’s eyes turn cold immediately, yet outwardly, he had to pretend as if clueless, with a slightly puzzled tone he asked: "Darling, what are you talking about? Samuel Grant got slapped by someone, did he? Who did such a good deed? Frankly, this guy deserved it, didn’t he?" Although his words were full of surprise and confusion, he actually felt quite relieved about Samuel Grant being taught a lesson. Clara’s response carried a clear probing intent: "Previously, you clearly expressed an intention to have someone teach Samuel Grant a lesson. Are you now going back on your word, saying it wasn’t your doing? Was this really not done by someone you arranged?" Clara had obviously sensed something unusual and intended to bring the issue out into the open to clarify it. Seeing this, William Foster immediately put on a hurt expression to answer her question: "Of course, I did think about doing that, but didn’t you especially remind me last time not to get involved in anything? To abide by your wishes, I really didn’t do anything. Now you’re asking me this way, it makes me feel like I’ve become an untrustworthy person. Do you no longer find me worthy of trust?" William Foster tried to use an emotional approach to defuse this crisis, hoping to make Clara believe he was not involved in this matter. However, Clara’s response was unexpectedly calm: "Oh, nothing in particular, just asked casually. Since it’s a misunderstanding, let’s just forget about it." These seemingly simple words made William Foster secretly heave a sigh of relief, for he dreaded most that Clara would have real suspicions about him. However, soon he started to pursue another key point: "Then how exactly did you find out about this affair with Samuel Grant being beaten?" On this issue, William Foster showed great curiosity, seeming eager to know the underlying reason. "Oh, Samuel Grant himself called, yelling and shouting a lot over the phone." Clara simply replied, "He even suspected if it was me secretly instructing someone to teach him a lesson." Regarding the true background of the matter and its potential consequences, Clara had yet to realize its seriousness, nor anticipated that a casually mentioned detail would trigger a series of subsequent chain reactions. As William Foster heard this, a subtle expression flickered on his face before he promptly asked: "So you’re saying, until now, you still keep your ex-boyfriend Samuel Grant’s contact? When he’s attacked, he comes to complain and whine to you? Based on these pieces of information, naturally you suspected it was me ordering someone, right? Is that your logical deduction?" Judging from his tone, at this moment, William Foster seemed to be suppressing dissatisfaction and jealousy, trying his best to keep his tone calm and composed. Faced with this sudden barrage of questions, Clara was obviously caught off guard, feeling an indescribable pressure gradually spreading in her heart. She opened her mouth, but for a moment, didn’t know how to respond to his doubts... Hold on! Why does she feel this atmosphere is somewhat weird? The air around seemed to be filled with a kind of ineffable oppression, as if something bad were about to happen. She seemed to have suddenly become a woman being questioned by her current boyfriend over entangling with an ex. An absurd feeling welled up in her heart as if forced into a role not fitting her at all. Turn into a scumbag? No, this shouldn’t be happening. Clara quickly explained: "It’s not like you think, I’ve already blacklisted him, really! I forgot before, but this time I truly blocked him. Trust me, I don’t want to have any more contact." William Foster’s expression remained cold, his gaze sharp as he stared at her, "But because of this, you doubted me. If it really was me, what would you do? Stand up for that so-called friend of yours? As expected, when the ex cries, the current loses, right?" William Foster’s voice was as cold as ice, each word clear and sharp, piercing straight to Clara’s heart. Clara was momentarily speechless, only feeling waves of helplessness rising from the bottom of her heart. "..." She wanted to say something to defend herself, but found no suitable words. What the hell is this? Clara couldn’t help but mentally complain a little, yet didn’t dare to show it.