CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 148: SETTING A TRAP ON PURPOSE

Serena Jennings slept more soundly than she had anticipated.

When she woke up, Caleb Lockwood was not by her side.

There were faint noises coming from the bathroom, and Serena thought Caleb must be freshening up inside.

She picked up her phone to check the time, only to see a news alert pop up:

Caleb Lockwood defends his wife fiercely!

Serena paused and opened the news.

The content was about how, yesterday, Ben Jennings attacked her, and Caleb Lockwood came with The Lockwood Family’s bodyguards to the rescue.

The scene of him carrying her away like a princess took up the largest part of the front page.

It’s trending on major platforms now.

The related content surprisingly involved The Lockwood Group’s stock.

Serena never cared much about stocks, but she clicked to see it nonetheless.

The Lockwood Group has been skyrocketing since the market opened today.

All thanks to the publicity from this trending news.

All of a sudden, Serena shivered, her fingertips icy as she held the phone.

Just then, Caleb’s phone rang; it was a call.

Serena got out of bed, picked up Caleb’s phone, and saw that the caller was Arthur Lockwood.

Caleb’s contact name for his father wasn’t "Dad" or "Father," but Arthur Lockwood’s full name.

Holding Caleb’s phone, Serena knocked on the bathroom door.

"Your dad’s calling you."

When handing over the phone, Serena accidentally pressed the answer button with her finger.

Immediately, Arthur Lockwood’s triumphant voice came through the receiver.

"You did well this time, just like that..."

Serena couldn’t hear the rest.

Because Caleb had already put the phone to his ear.

Standing at the bathroom door, coldness spread through Serena.

She thought Caleb had stepped up to protect her from Ben Jennings.

But was that really the truth?

Just the day before, Ben was manipulating public opinion to thrust her into the spotlight, and overnight, he became the rat everyone despises.

All those stories about Ben embezzling public funds, his gambling debts, and loan shark issues couldn’t have spread so quickly without some backstage manipulation.

Fiercely defending his wife...

The headline she saw earlier on her phone replayed in Serena’s mind.

As soon as Caleb put down the phone, Serena’s frosty voice demanded from the bathroom door:

"So you set up the whole thing to force Ben to target me, just to play the hero and fiercely defend your wife, using me to create a sensation and boost The Lockwood Group’s stocks... Am I right?"

Caleb silently stared at Serena.

He saw Serena glaring at him with reddened eyes, full of anger and disappointment.

That’s what Arthur Lockwood thought of him.

And that’s what Serena thought of him.

"Think whatever you want!"

Caleb’s voice was icy, like he was an ice sculpture emitting cold air from head to toe.

He walked out of the bathroom, brushing past Serena.

The cold anger was like a knife slicing across Serena’s face.

Serena couldn’t understand how Caleb still had the audacity to be angry.

Clearly, she was the one facing the knife.

She was the one being used as a tool.

Serena changed her clothes, intending to leave The Jade Pavilion when Caleb’s phone rang again.

Caleb pressed the speakerphone button.

"Caleb, are you busy today?"

When Claire Shaw’s sweetened voice came through the phone, Serena realized Caleb had intentionally put the call on speaker.

"I’m not busy. Where are you? I’ll come find you now."

Caleb, after setting up a meeting with Claire, hung up the phone.

Serena quietly left The Jade Pavilion.

As she left, Caleb didn’t say a word to her.

Claire arranged to meet Caleb at a couple’s café.

She was dressed beautifully.

She wore new clothes and applied sweet makeup.

Because Caleb’s attitude during the call was quite positive, Claire approached him as proactively as before and took his arm when she saw him.

But Caleb removed her hand.

This small action immediately stirred a foreboding feeling in Claire.

Originally, she didn’t want to lower her head first.

But she realized she had no choice.

For so many days, Caleb hadn’t taken the initiative to contact her.

Moreover, her parents told her that the plot of land in Northriver, which negotiations were going well for, had suddenly been transferred by Caleb to Ian Blackwood for free.

For Claire, it was like a bolt from the blue.

She couldn’t understand it. Clearly, Caleb and Ian were in a hostile relationship, and the land in Northriver was supposed to be developed jointly by The Lockwood Group and her parents.

How did things become like this?

The only possibility Claire could think of was that Caleb found out she had spiked the drink that night.

This was what Claire feared the most from the beginning.

"Caleb, why have you been so cold to me these days?"

Claire lowered her gaze, tears almost brimming.

Caleb took a sip of coffee, and after a long silence, he replied:

"The wine we drank that night contained drugs, did you do it?"

"How could that be?!"

Claire was visibly shocked.

"Did Zachary Aldrin do it then?"

"I have no idea..."

Claire blinked her innocent eyes.

"So, Caleb, you thought I drugged you which is why you’re mad at me? But you should know me, I would never do something like that!"

Claire spoke sincerely, holding Caleb’s hand.

Caleb’s hand was very cold.

"You once said I was the person you cherished the most, and you promised me that after divorcing Serena, you’d give me a status... Honestly, I don’t care about those things, all I want is your love..."

Claire’s voice trembled uncontrollably.

Caleb stared into Claire’s eyes.

Her tear-filled eyes were like a clear spring.

He could see right to the bottom.

What he saw was simply pure, without a trace of deceit, a longing for him.

"Caleb... please don’t ignore me, okay?"

Caleb responded with an "Mm."

Although, to Claire, it didn’t sound very sincere.

The two had a simple meal together and briefly discussed the land in Northriver.

"I owed Ian Blackwood a favor, so I gave him the land."

Caleb said simply, and Claire didn’t dare to ask more.

The two seemed to have returned to their previous ways of interacting, but Claire could still sense an invisible barrier between them.

After the meal, Caleb left first to return to the company and handle business.

Claire remained in the café, anxious.

This can’t go on...

She took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to joker.

After a while, joker replied, but with a question:

Are you all going to Meridia soon to attend the Nash Family’s first son’s wedding?

The question completely confused Claire.

Soon after, she received another WeChat from joker:

By the way, someone is desperately trying to pull strings to get out on bail.

On her way back to the office, Serena got a call from Arthur Lockwood.

"Serena, you should dress up tonight. There’s a social event I need you to attend, which is crucial for The Lockwood Family’s important project... I’ve thought about what you mentioned before, and I still believe you and Caleb shouldn’t divorce... Look, your uncle’s issue is resolved, and Caleb even took a knife for you to protect you. You shouldn’t be so ungrateful, right?"

Serena found Arthur Lockwood’s reasoning amusing.

The one who really rushed forward to shield her from a knife was Justin Nash.

Caleb was clearly the one who schemed against her.

Suppressing her anger, Serena calmly spoke: "Mr. Lockwood, where are you now?"

"I’m at Veridia Villa, why?"

"Nothing."

Serena hung up the phone, pulled over to the side of the road, and sent a WeChat message to Caleb:

I’m heading to Veridia Villa to see your dad now; you should come too. I have something to say.