Chapter 236: The woman I loved

Julianna stared at Dorothy in utter disbelief. Still, she forced herself to her feet and confronted her mother.

"Mom, I almost got hurt while cooking, and all you care about is this stupid house?" she snapped.

Julianna was already furious with the way Dorothy had been treating her. Not only had her mother forced her to clean this shabby house, but she had also made her take over the cooking and all the household chores.

She had gone from being the most pampered daughter in the family to being treated like a servant. It was humiliating and frustrating, and worst of all, it was her own mother who was forcing her to live this way.

Dorothy frowned at her.

"What else do you expect me to care about? This is the only shelter we have left. If you end up setting it on fire, where do you think we’re going to live?"

There was not even a hint of warmth in her voice.

That only made the anger inside Julianna grow.

What had she done to deserve this? Why was her mother treating her as if she were nothing more than a burden?

Julianna’s chest heaved as thoughts of Clara crossed her mind.

If only she had managed to get rid of Clara, perhaps none of this would have happened. Their lives wouldn’t have fallen apart, and her mother—who had once cherished her above everyone else—wouldn’t have turned against her.

"Now stop standing there and clean up this mess," Dorothy ordered. "Then go out and find yourself a job. We’re running out of money, and judging by how much food you’ve already ruined, I doubt we’ll have anything left to eat by evening."

Julianna’s eyes widened.

"You want me to find a job?" she asked incredulously. "Mom, how can you expect me to work under someone else?"

"Because you’re the reason we’re in this situation in the first place," Dorothy replied coldly. "And if you want us to survive, you’ll have to work and earn money."

Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

There was no way Dorothy was going to let her useless daughter drag her down any further. She had already lost almost everything, and she refused to end up begging for even the bare necessities.

"Now stop wasting time and get things done," Dorothy said before turning away.

Without sparing Julianna another glance, she walked out of the kitchen.

Julianna remained where she was, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, anger burning in her eyes.

For the first time, she truly hated the life she had been forced into.

"This is all your fault, Clara," she seethed as her grudge over her step-sister intensified.

***

Clara soon reached Adrian’s place and found him happily enjoying the desserts as though they were the best things he had ever tasted.

She smiled when she saw the sight.

"I’m glad you’re not upset with me," Clara said.

Adrian paused with a fork halfway to his mouth and gave her a confused look.

"What made you think I would be upset with you?" he asked, completely ignoring the frosting sitting innocently on the tip of his nose.

Clara shook her head with a small smile. She picked up a tissue, stepped closer, and gently wiped the frosting from his nose.

Adrian blinked at her before clearing his throat. "You didn’t answer my question."

Clara lowered the tissue. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Fine." She sighed. "I thought you might be upset because of what happened at the charity event."

Adrian’s expression softened.

"The event was important to you, and my family ended up ruining it," Clara murmured. The guilt she had been trying to push aside suddenly returned.

Although Dominic had managed to keep everything under control, Clara still couldn’t ignore the fact that Julianna had gone through with the entire scheme because of her.

"Even though I don’t consider them my family anymore, I still have Vincent Hayes’ blood in me," she said quietly.

Her voice carried a trace of bitterness.

"I hate that I have someone like Vincent as my father. But there’s nothing I can do about that."

She lowered her gaze for a moment before continuing. "I’m just glad I never truly considered him my father. I cut ties with him long before I even met him."

Adrian quietly studied her. That was something he had never expected to hear.

Clara might have been Vincent’s daughter by blood, but everything Vincent had done since then had made one thing painfully clear—he had never treated her like one.

Especially when he had openly accused Clara of supporting his other daughter simply because he wanted to force her to accept the mistake she never did and get rid of her.

Adrian had seen enough to understand what kind of man Vincent really was. And after everything that had happened, the truth had finally come to light.

The media had dug into Vincent’s past, exposing one scandal after another. Eventually, they uncovered the biggest lie of all—the story he had fabricated years ago to protect his business and preserve his reputation, and that was Clara was born before he got married to his wife Dorothy.

Adrian looked at Clara again. "You know something?" he said quietly.

Clara looked up. "What?"

"Being related to someone doesn’t mean you have to carry their sins."

Clara’s eyes softened. "I never did since I never consider them as my own."

Adrian picked up another dessert and casually took a bite. "And for the record, I’m not upset with you."

Clara smiled. "Good."

He then pointed at the dessert in his hand. "I am, however, slightly upset that you interrupted my dessert."

Clara stared at him before laughing. "Seriously?"

"Very seriously." Adrian finally broke into a laugh, unable to maintain his fake seriousness.

The two continued chatting for a while until Logan stepped into the room, holding a file in his hand.

"Boss, this is the record of the children who were rescued from the child trafficking case fifteen years ago, as you requested."

Adrian nodded, and Logan placed the file on the table.

"Hello, Mr. Logan. I got some dessert for you too," Clara said, handing him another box.

Logan’s face immediately lit up.

"Oh, that’s very kind of you, Clara. Otherwise, I’d have to sit here and feed myself by watching someone else eat."

Adrian slowly turned his head and shot Logan a sharp glare.

"What exactly are you implying, Logan?" he asked. "Do you think I wouldn’t share the dessert with you?"

Logan shrugged innocently.

"Seeing how you’ve been eating, I honestly doubt there would be anything left by the time you remembered I was here."

Clara covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"You’re getting quite brave lately."

"I’m simply stating the facts, Boss."

"You know, I could still decide not to give you any."

Logan immediately hugged the dessert box closer to his chest.

"Fortunately, Clara already gave me mine."

Clara couldn’t help but chuckle at their playful bickering.

Logan didn’t wait for Adrian to come up with another comeback. He turned toward Clara and smiled.

"Thank you for the desserts."

"You’re welcome."

With that, Logan turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Adrian staring after him.

"He really has no filter," Adrian muttered, clicking his tongue.

He placed the dessert aside and finally picked up the file Logan had brought.

"Now, let’s see what we have here."

His expression gradually turned serious as he opened the file and began going through the records.

Clara noticed the sudden change in his demeanor and leaned closer.

"Can I ask you something, Mr. Graham?" Clara asked.

Adrian looked up from the file.

"It’s Adrian for you," he corrected.

Clara gave him a puzzled look.

"Why?"

"Calling me Mr. Graham makes me feel old."

A soft chuckle escaped Clara.

"Well, Adrian it is, then."

Adrian gestured for her to continue. "Ask me anything you want."

Clara glanced at the file in his hand before looking back at him.

"Who exactly are you looking for?"

Adrian’s expression changed. He slowly straightened in his seat, his earlier playfulness disappearing.

"I’m looking for someone who was one of the children kidnapped by a trafficking group fifteen years ago."

Clara’s brows furrowed.

The moment she heard his words, an old memory surfaced in her mind—a memory she had tried to bury for years.

Adrian continued, his voice quieter this time.

"The daughter of the woman I loved was one of those children."

Clara’s eyes widened in surprise.

"You... loved someone?"

Adrian gave her a faint smile.

"Yes. Once."

There was something strangely melancholic in his voice, and Clara couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between them.

"That’s not something I usually talk about," Adrian admitted. "Only Logan knows the whole story."

He paused before looking at Clara. "But since you’re no longer a stranger to me, I suppose you deserve to know."

Clara remained silent, taking in his words.

She had always assumed Adrian had simply never been interested in marriage. He was successful, respected, and had everything a man could possibly want, yet he had remained single all these years.

Now she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason behind it.

"Was that why you never married?" she asked carefully.

Adrian’s gaze lowered to the file. "Perhaps."

Clara hesitated before asking the question that had suddenly begun troubling her.

"And the daughter you mentioned... Are you looking for her?"

Adrian’s fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the file.

"Yes." His quiet answer sent a strange feeling through Clara.