Chapter 46
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When Claire came e down to the livin
to the living hall, Avery was being summoned by her husband for her opinions.
She left Tyler alone in the living hall. Claire took a one eighty degree gaze around her and realized it was just them. She immediately made a beeline towards him.
Folding her hands, she coughed to get his attention.
She felt her knees strangely shivering when he ever o uninterestedly bought his eyes up to meet hers.
“Do you need anything, Mrs. Macintyre?” Claire’s lips twisted.
She saw the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. He was teasing Her.
“I want to know how you took your revenge on Ezma?” She asked, avoiding his playful mood.
“Revenge? Why would I take revenge on her?” He sat straight.
“Come on, don’t act all gentleman. I’m sure you did something to Ezma to become how controlled and focused you are today. Her eyes flitted up and down his body in reference.
“I didn’t take any revenge on her. There was no need to.” He offered with a slight lift of his shoulders
Claire scoffed. She sat opposite of him, her disbelief showing on her face.
“You don’t have to lie, Tyler. I know your
past and I don’t judge you. So don’t worry. It won’t make any difference in how I look at you after I know your tactics for retribution. It’ll be safe with me.”
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Tyler straightened his posture and buttoned his coat. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned forward.
“Not that I care about it, Mrs. Macintyre. You can go and tell your husband about my past. I wouldn’t even miss a breath because it truly doesn’t matter now.”
Claire was disappointed by his confidence. A man with such a deep past couldn’t behave that way. He ought to have some insecurities, or effects of it…. Like it had on her.
“Ezma became unalive to me the moment I walked out of that apartment. Then she became non–existent when I sold that apartment off and every object in it. At present she’s not even in my memories as I have flushed everything related to her in the toilet
Tyler raised an eyebrow. He was truly not affected now.
“I don’t need memories or the people who tried to wound me severely. But yeah, I do remember the lesson they taught me. It’ll remain with me forever.”
Claire was still not convinced. He must have taken his revenge of her anyway.
“Still you must have done something to make her pay. Tell me about that.”
Tyler gave a lazy raise to his eyebrow, “The only thing I did was erase her from my life. Like she never existed.”
“That’s bull shit. There’s no way you let her go with her crimes she committed towards you without avenging her.” Claire stomped her foot.
Tyler observed her tight facial expressions. He was sorry that she couldn’t find what she wanted. As for him, he did find out
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why she was so desperate.
“You want to avenge Hunter, don’t you? That’s why you’re asking me all this
Exactly” Her face lit up with a cunning grin. “I will not let him go easily. One way or another I’ll make him pay”
Tyler looked at her expressionlessly. Then his eyebrows knitted together in annoyance.
“Then be at it for the rest of your life. But you won’t yield any fruit Tyler got up to leave.
“That’s what has happened in Ezma’s case, hasn’t it? You tried to make her pay and received disappointment.”
A dark smirk veiled his countenance. Tyler was amused by Claire’s determination.
“No. I didn’t even try anything because you can’t get anything our of revenge. It’s just a waste of time.” He asked a servant to inform his grandma about his leave.
He started moving towards the door but before that he shared the last piece of his belief. I let my case rest in the hands of the christ. I know that’s not the best thing to do but it was the wisest thing”
He ambled over to the door and halted. So did Claire who was hot on his heels
“Revenge brings you nothing, Claire. For a while it may seem like the best thing to do but it hurt you more in the end. Because by the end of it, you would have done things that were not your intention. I’ll
I suggest that you drop your desire for revenge and try to move on
Her eyes seemed to ask how do you move on!
“You don’t need to make them pay for your progress in life, Claire. All you need is a distraction. Tyler gave her a small smile.
“Go back to what you loved the most. Pick up your career. Donate to orphanages. Go on adventures. Do what will make you happy and eventually you’ll find yourself moving on.
Claire reflected on his words with a sore heart. She didn’t want to accept it, but he was right.
Revenge was bull shit. It was crap. It was nothing but a source that multiplied her sorrow since she decided that she wants to play it on Hunter.
Ever since she made her mind to seek revenge, she lost her desire to live for herself. She lost the light of her eyes. She lost her varying emotions to the intention to see Hunter suffer like her.
Otherwise she was such a vibrant girl before. She had an enchanting glimmer in her gaze that made her fall in love with herself. She was expressive and cherished every emotion she fell
But now all that was left was darkness within her. The darkness that wished to consume Hunter wholly,
A tear trickled below her lower lashes. Claire picked the salty drop on her fingertip and gazed at it
“The reason I wanted to seek revenge was to avoid these tears and the twisting pain in my chest. I had hoped that with Hunter’s downfall I would feel stronger and happier. But I loved him. He was a part of me which I worshiped. And if he’s in pain because of me, it might hurt me.” Claire burst into sobs.
“Who am I kidding? It will sure as fuck hurt me. Everything related to him did.” She covered her face and cried.
She cried harder.
“Tyler is right. Revenge is not the solution. It will not bring me happiness or help me move on. It will only suck me deep in the morass of detriment and leave me deeply damaged. Like Tyler, I will rest my case in Christ’s hands.”
“What I need to do is detach myself from his feelings. Treat hit unalive in my life like Tyler dad Thare the lggest punishment he could have?
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She removed her hands and looked into them. Tears fell in her pink palms. One after another. Like her hopes of seeing Hunter fall. This was her determination of revenge melting and disassociating from her.
When tears no longer fell and her heart no longer ached, she grip and washed her face. Claire went to the rear garden. where Scott and Shawn were playing cards with some workers that were on their tea break.
She retrieved Tyler’s number from Shawn and called him. He picked up after the fourth ring
“Hello,” His deep voice made her hands clammy.
Yet, somehow she held herself together,
“It’s me, Tyler.”
“Mrs. Macintyre? I didn’t realize you had my number. You never called me before.”
The teasing in his voice was palpable. But more than that, she recognized the willingness in it to help her.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?”
“Ermm, Tyler,” She clutched her dress. “I thought about what you said. And maybe…”
“Maybe??”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Right about what?” Tyler wasn’t here but she can imagine him smiling.
“About revenge being a waste of time and pointless.”
“And?”
“And I thought that maybe…”
He sighed deeply on the phone, “Another maybe!”
“Umm, maybe you can help me move on.”
you want me to
hen you move o “How can I help you NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.
on, Claire?” He asked, his voice calm yet very emphasizing. “Wait, don’t tell me you be your boyfriend as Scott wanted?”
Her ears became hot and cheekbones numb. She quickly shook her head as if he could see her declining to it.. “You said distraction did it for you. Maybe you can help me discover the distraction I need for myself to move on.”
He was silent after she said that, Claire nervously chewed on her lips. She really didn’t want him to think that she approached him with a hidden motive.
So she clarified, “You have been through the same pain. At this point I don’t think anyone else can relate with me other than you. So maybe if you helped, it would be easier and a lot quicker for me to make progress.”
“Hmm.” Tyler hummed, which made her feel shy. “In that case, why don’t you come to my office tomorrow, Claire! I am working on a new project design and as a person bearing a degree of civil engineering you can be of great help to me. Also, this way you’ll step back into your career, the only distraction I think you need.”
“You know I am a civil engineer?” She was amused that he was cognizant of her profession.
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Tyler hummed again. “And I was disappointed too when I learned that you dropped your career to marry Hunter two years ago.”
Claire’s heart twitched. She really sacrificed a lot of things for a fruitless marriage.
She thought she should say something to justify herself.
“Anyways, I have a meeting in five minutes. Let’s meet tomorrow and discuss business, Claire. I’ll wait for you. Best of luck.” Tyler spoke and hung the call while she gladly smiled, acknowledging his empathy.
That night, Claire had been super excited for the morning to arrive. It showed on her face and in her voice.
Penelope couldn’t be happier. She assumed it was because of the approaching night of the old Mr. & Mrs. Murphy’s anniversary party. Shawn’s parents were elated to see her so actively talking on the dinner table. And grandma Avery was thrilled to see her glowing face while Scott and Shawn exchanged victorious looks with each other.
Although Claire was fascinated as she couldn’t wait to go back to working, Scott and Shawn presumed it was because of Tyler’s charm.
They misjudged her happiness for affection towards the elder heir of Murphy empires. Hence, the next morning when Claire left to meet Tyler in his office, they smirked at each other and high–fived.
“Plan B is also a success, partner. It’s time to move on to Plan C. A mischievous grin uplifted Scott’s mouth…
“I’m working on Plan C. And there… Plan C is initiated.” Shawn replied after pressing the enter button on his laptop.
Actually he sent an attachment of pictures he and Scott captured of Claire with Tyler on the bridge. They were taken from a distance and from angles that would mess with the heads of the viewers.
The pictures were blurry but they showed Claire in the arms of Tyler. If eager viewers zoomed in, they would see two heads close together as if they were kissing. So he sent them to a journalist whose email they found on Facebook with a fake ID.
“In no time these pictures will put the internet on fire!” Shawn exclaimed.
Scott raised a glass of wine in toast as he murmured, “As will Hunter’s heart. I can’t wait to see it
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