CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 144: HE’S ANGRY

"Had a cup of coffee with a friend," Clara said vaguely.

Considering Julian Hawthorne had already resigned, they wouldn’t have any interactions in the future, and she decided it was better to let it be and not name names.

She wasn’t lying; she did go out for coffee.

Silas Sheffield took a few steps, sat on the living room sofa, and extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table.

The man leaned back, raised his eyes to meet Clara’s slightly guilty gaze, "Come here."

He didn’t ask who she had coffee with, and Clara felt relieved.

She had no other intentions with Julian Hawthorne, just went to clear things up and say goodbye.

Even though things were clear between her and Julian, she still didn’t want Silas to know.

Silas could be really difficult when jealous; the last time in Ardendale was still fresh in her memory.

Clara obediently walked over, intending to sit next to him.

With a stretch of the arm, Silas pulled her into his embrace, seating her on his lap.

The tobacco smell on him was stronger than the one floating in the air.

Clara looked at the ashtray on the coffee table, where five cigarette butts lay.

She didn’t like the smell of smoke, and Silas didn’t usually smoke; what was up with him today?

"Why are you smoking today?"

Silas didn’t answer, just lifted her chin.

The man’s thin lips slightly pressed, his deeply chiseled face carrying a cold calm, his eyes beneath gold-framed glasses sharp and narrow, with a hint of chill in the black pupils.

Just one look brought a wave of oppression over her.

Clara swallowed, her heart beating rapidly.

She couldn’t see through this man; his stern silence was quite intimidating.

Silas’s eyes, black as lacquer, stared unblinkingly at Clara’s face.

His wife was very beautiful, her skin fair and tender, akin to fine mutton fat jade, her almond eyes bright as stars, moist like spring water.

Yet in those pretty eyes, he saw a glimpse of guilt she tried hard to hide.

Silas said nothing, lowering his head to capture her lips.

After kissing her lips, his kisses moved down to her collarbone and neck.

Clara tilted her head back, feeling a bit ticklish and numb.

The man seemed to kiss and bite her in retaliation.

Clara cried out in pain, "Ah... it hurts..."

Silas, however, didn’t stop, becoming even more reckless, intensifying his force, making Clara tremble all over.

As he continued, Silas stood up, pressing her onto the sofa, pushing aside her long hair, and unzipping her dress.

The man’s fingertips touched her skin, whiter than snow, the hot sensation making her shudder.

Tonight, Silas seemed like a different person, not gentle at all, wearing Clara out.

Afterward.

Clara lay on the sofa, slightly panting, her body sweaty, feeling utterly exhausted.

The sofa was in disarray, her clothes scattered on the floor.

Silas, however, was still neatly dressed.

The man leaned down, picked up her naked body, and carried her into the bathroom.

He filled the bathtub with hot water, placed her in the tub, and turned away.

Clara watched his retreating back, muttering to herself, he really was heartless after the fact.

After wearing her out so much, he wouldn’t even help her wash up.

Clara soaked in the hot water for more than ten minutes before slowly washing herself.

Coming out of the bathroom, Clara went straight back to her room, not going to Silas’s master bedroom.

Wondering what was wrong with him today, and when she asked, he wouldn’t say, just kept wearing her out.

He only stopped after taking her three times in the downstairs living room.

Luckily, Ms. Cheney and the butler weren’t around, so it was just the two of them in the large villa.

Clara was utterly exhausted, falling asleep immediately upon hitting the bed.

In the middle of the night, she seemed to feel a pair of warm arms wrap around her from behind.

Instinctively, she snuggled closer.

A low groan and a soft breath sounded vaguely by her ear.

Perhaps too tired, Clara slept deeply.

The next morning when she woke up, the space beside her was empty.

Clara felt a wave of disappointment.

Having shared a bed with Silas for so long, she got used to waking up to his face every morning.

Clara got up, washed, and went to Silas’s bedroom door.

The door was open.

She poked her head in, but there was no one.

Did he go to the office?

Puzzled, Clara received a call from Anabelle Spencer.

Once connected, Anabelle’s tone was anxious, "Clara, did you meet Julian Hawthorne alone yesterday?"

Clara was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t told anyone about meeting with Julian, so how did Anabelle know?

"How did you know?"

Anabelle was urgent, "You better check X, someone’s posted pictures of you meeting Julian online, and it’s trending!"

Clara’s eyes sharpened.

Ending the call, she quickly opened X.

As Anabelle said, the photos of her meeting with Julian were trending.

The headline clearly stated, "Sheffield’s CEO wife cheating just after announcing?"

Clara quickly clicked in and saw photos of her and Julian sitting face-to-face in a café from yesterday afternoon.

The person who took them chose a perfect angle; from that view, Julian’s smiling face was clear.

People who knew Julian Hawthorne understood that those captivating eyes could look lovingly even at a dog.

But Internet users didn’t know Julian, interpreting his smiling eyes in the photo as "deep affection."

Even though they did nothing inappropriate, Julian’s warm gaze was enough to set imaginations wild.

Sadly, Julian’s identity was unknown to the online community.

However, Clara had just officialized her relationship with Silas, with the announcement video going viral and topping trends, drawing a lot of shippers online.

Yet, right after the announcement, these pictures of her "dating" another man got out, with captions hinting at her cheating.

The comments section was full of insults, accusing Clara of betrayal, putting a green hat on Silas, and calling Julian unethical for meddling.