Love Against All Odds by Shirley Hugh

Chapter 1 

“Claire, come quickly. Your mom is in trouble… 

lin 

Claire Barker’s face instantly went pale when she heard the anxious voice from the other end of the line, and her b*dy couldn’t help but sway. In the scorching heat of June, she broke into a cold sweat in an instant. 

Before finishing the call, Claire hastily hailed a cab and urgently said to the driver. “Hurry to the hospital!” 

Upon arriving at the hospital, Claire pushed open the car door and stumbled out without waiting for the car to stop. 

When she reached her mother’s ward, the bed was empty, not a soul in sight. Turning around, she rushed out and ran into Julia Mendoza, who was looking for her at the door. 

Claire immediately grasped Julia’s wrist eyes brimming with tears of urgency. “Where’s my mom, Julia? Where is she?” 

“Claire, don’t worry. Your mom is fine, her condition stabilized just now. She’s in the intensive care unit. Let me take you there,” said Julia. 

Behind a thick glass window, Claire watched her mother, covered in various tubes and monitors. Seeing the steady wave on the heart monitor, Claire finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

Her mother’s illness, though serious, had been relatively stable. Especially after Claire had happily shared news of her upcoming marriage with her mother yesterday, she had been in high spirits. Claire really could not figure out why her mother suddenly ended up in the intensive care unit today. 

“What happened?” she asked Julia, 

“Just now, Kayla and Thalia came Julia hesitated as she looked at Claire’s troubled expression but decided to be frank. They said harsh words, and your mom got agitated, so 

Kayla Barker and Thalia Barker were Claire’s stepmother and stepsister. In the past Claire’s mother was considered a wealthy heiress in Zaltward and married Hyron Harker, Claire’s father. However, her grandfather’s company faced troubles later. The business went downhill, and fortunes dwindled. Her grandfather finally passed away from the depression. 

Later, Byron lied and took all the money left by her grandfather. He came to Darmbeck and met Kayla at the entertainment venue there. 

Upon learning this, Claire’s mother decisively divorced Byron, taking Claire with her. 

If it weren’t for her mother’s sudden kidney problems later on, Claire would never have had any connection with the Barker family again. 

At that moment, a doctor approached, handing the medical bill to Claire. “The patient is now mostly out of danger. Please settle the bill. Also, the kidney transplant surgery can’t be delayed any longer. Once there’s a suitable donor, you need to be ready with the surgery fee immediately, or I’m afraid the patient might not be able to make it to the next matching opportunity.” 

Claire took the bill and looked at it. Her heart sank. Perhaps due to the emergency nature of the surgery, expensive medications had been used, and the cost was nearly 100 thousand dollars. 

How could she come up with 100 thousand dollars? Although her father provided her mother’s monthly medical expenses as the price for her return to the Barker family, it only covered basic costs. This high expenditure had to be managed by Claire herself. 

But she also knew that the hospital had been kind enough to operate on her mother without receiving any money, and she had to pay that money as soon as possible. 

She said with bitterness, “Okay, I’ll pay as soon as possible.” 

Thinking about the news leads that no one in the entertainment department wanted to pursue, Claire decided to work 

overtime and earn back the money. 

With that in mind, Claire tried to pull herself together and called the editor–in–chief, Sacha Andrews. But a deafening, angry voice came from the other end of the line before she could speak. “Claire! Why did you suddenly leave just now? This is absenteeism, do you know that?” 

Her head, already heavy from a sleepless night, spun even more. She quickly apologized and said, “I’m sorry, Ms. Andrews. I’ll come back immediately. My mother was admitted to the intensive care unit, and I had no choice… 

“I don’t care about your reasons. If you dare to do this again, you don’t have to come to work.” 

Yeah. Ms. Andrews, I know. I… 

“For the news about Sirena’s secret marriage, you must get photos! I’m telling you, if you want your salary this week, go back and stake out immediately!” 

The call abruptly ended. Thinking about the news she had been waiting for outside the hotel last night, Claire had to catch a ride to the Grand Hotel in a hurry. 

Yesterday, the newspaper received information that the superstar Sirena Hall and an unknown man entered the Grand Hotel at night, suspected of a secret marriage. None of the other reporters in the newspaper wanted to follow up on this potentially false news, but Claire, under economic pressure, spent the whole night waiting outside the hotel. Just as dawn approached, she received a call and went to the hospital. 

Thope it won’t be too late, she said inwardly. 

Claire had just exited the car when her gaze froze in the distance. A tall and curvaceous figure emerged from the entrance of the Grand Hotel. 

Claire was glad she hadn’t returned too late, just in time for this scene she had been waiting for all night. It wasn’t a waste of her efforts. Quickly hiding behind a flowerbed, she took out her camera and prepared to take photos. 

The woman wore sunglasses and a mask. It could be said that her whole small face was fully covered and that see her features. 

no one could 

Others might not recognize her, but to Claire, not to mention that Sirena only covered her face, even if Sirena covered herself with a sack from head to toe. Claire could still recognize her at a glance. 

Claire quickly looked around Sirena, and as expected, a tall man followed closely beside her. 

The man also wore sunglasses, covering most of his face. Although his appearance couldn’t be seen clearly, based on his refined dress and noble demeanor, it was evident that he held an extraordinary status. 

It seems highly likely that he is Sirena’s clandestine spouse. The news turned out to be true! If I can photograph these two. I can earn a substantial reward to cover my mother’s medical expenses! Claire thought to herself. 

However, it seemed that pleasure had a sting in the tail. Before Claire could take the photo, she felt her b*dy suddenly lighten. She was lifted unceremoniously from the flowerbed without any warning. 

Claire’s heart skipped a beat. Mechanically turning her head, she saw the stern face of a security guard. 

She forced an amiable and docile smile. “I was just passing by… Really.. 

The security guard clearly didn’t believe her. Without giving her a chance to explain, he threw Claire out, and she landed heavily on the stone path in front of the hotel, rolling a few steps forward, 

This fall nearly disassembled Claire’s whole b*dy. In pain, she gritted her teeth and struggled to get up, but to no avail. 

Claire? A clear male voice sounded from above. 

Claire couldn’t help but shudder. ‘How did this voice sound so much like my newlywed husband from yesterday?‘ she wondered.