Love Against All Odds by Shirley Hugh

Chapter 13 

“Claire? Claire?” A colleague’s voice woke Claire from her infatuation with Gavin’s beauty. 

Claire blushed and coughed a few times in embarrassment. Then she said, “Alright, alright, you can stop. I’ll share my experience with you guys.” 

Upon hearing that Claire was about to recount her experience of capturing a piece of headline news, everyone gathered around, earnestly looking at Claire. They all wanted to learn from her and apply it to their future work. 

Claire felt helpless upon seeing that her colleagues were so eager to hear her story. She drew upon her past skills of creating fictional scripts to weave an adventurous tale to meet their expectations. 

“That day, I went there with my camera, and..” Claire looked at her colleagues and began her story earnestly. As she was about to elaborate further, an inexplicable uneasiness suddenly surged through her mind. Her heart pounded restlessly as if something bad was about to happen. 

A colleague quickly noticed Claire’s discomfort and asked if everything was alright. 

Claire wasn’t sure. A sense of unease lingered in her heart without a reason. She couldn’t tell why she had such a strong and bad feeling out of the blue. 

‘Could it be that there’s something wrong on Mom’s end? Claire paled at that thought. She shuddered to think how she’d cope if something happened to her mom. 

“Claire, are you sure you’re okay?” another female colleague asked in concern. She noticed Claire’s visibly pale complexion as if she were sick. 

I’m sorry, everyone. I need to make a quick trip to the hospital. Please help me to take leave. Claire swiftly left the company with her bag, heading straight to the hospital. 

She wanted to confirm the source of her unease. If something happened to her mother, it would be disastrous. “Could it be that Thalia and Kayla intentionally caused trouble for niy mom again? she thought on the way to the hospital. 

After she reached the hospital, Claire did not delay a second and rushed to her mother’s ward. She quickly pushed open the door and saw her mother safe and sound on the bed. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

Thankfully, it isn’t Mom who’s facing trouble, she thought. 

Wanda looked somewhat surprised at the sudden appearance of her daughter. Seeing Claire’s pale face, Wanda asked with concern, “Claire? What’s wrong? You don’t look well 

“It’s nothing, Mom. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Claire suppressed her anxious expression and forced at comforting smile for Wanda. Her mom was still sick, and she didn’t want her mom to worry about her. 

“What could happen to me? Silly child.” Wanda looked at Claire affectionately, and her anxiety dissipated when she heard Claire say nothing had happened. 

“Mom, if everything is fine, 111 go off. I left something behind.” Claire remained unsettled despite seeing her mother in good condition. That uneasiness lingered within her, and there was no way she could get rid of it. 

“If nothing happened on the hospital side, could it be that something happened at home? she thought. 

Claire quickly rushed out of the hospital. She came to the roadside and hailed a taxi, heading straight to the upscale residential area. After living in the neighborhood for a few days, she had familiarized herself with the road and Gavin’s 

address. 

When she arrived at her destination, Claire barely closed the taxi door before rushing into the elevator. She didn’t know what she was worried about, but she somehow felt like something was taken away from her. 

As soon as Claire opened the door, someone was violently thrown at her feet, creating a loud noise. She looked down in. 

disbelief to see Thalia sprawled on the floor while Gavin was seated on the sofa with a dark expression. Everything became clear in an instant. 

This incident happened half an hour ago. 

Gavin returned to the law firm and realized he had left some relevant documents at home, so he had to drive back to retrieve them. However, as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he encountered Thalia who was waiting at his doorstep. 

Ignoring her completely, Cavin opened the door and walked straight in. But little did he know that Thalia would be so shameless as to walk in after him boldly. 

“Gavin, can you please help me? I beg you.” Thalia could only act helpless in front of Gavin. She hoped to win the sympathy of this handsome man and gain his help. 

Gavin, however, was not cooperative. He shattered all her illusions with just a few cold words. 

“Your sister and I think the old man is a suitable marriage choice for you. Besides, what makes you think I would help you?” His words, as cold as ice, froze Thalia’s heart instantly. She had expected Gavin, as her brother–in–law, to offer every help he could, but Gavin’s indifference was beyond her expectations. 

“… I…” At this moment, Thalia was at a loss. It was her mother’s idea to seek Gavin’s help and she had planned everything for her before she arrived. 

If Gavin didn’t agree to help, she was supposed to undress in front of him to tempt him just like Kayla did with Byron. After all, not many men in the world could resist such a temptation 

Thalia listened to Kayla’s advice and began to undress herself before Gavin while he was sorting through documents. 

Thalia suggestively exposed herself, making her private parts visible from the outside on purpose. 

Then, she slowly approached Gavin. As she was about to lift her leg to sit on him, Gavin firmly grabbed her wrist in disgust. and threw her forcefully to the door. 

“Gavin?” Claire called out his name uncertainly. Gavin’s face was extremely gloomy, and the room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. It was evident that he was in a bad mood. 

The stern expression on his face softened upon hearing Claire’s voice, but he continued staring at Thalia with displeasure as he sat on the sofa. 

Claire stepped over the writhing Thalia on the floor and ignored her moans of pain. She slowly approached Gavin, reaching out to touch his forehead. Before she could retract her hand, it was forcefully pulled back, and she stumbled into Gavin’s 

arms. 

Claire looked bewildered at the scene before her. She had only come to check if Gavin had a fever, and unexpectedly, she was pulled into his embrace. 

Gavin rested his chin on Claire’s head as he spoke tenderly, “Claire, you’re back. His coldness seemed to have disappeared completely. 

“Uh–huh,” Claire replied, unsure of how to respond. Wasn’t this supposed to be a family drama? Why did the plot change suddenly?’ she murmured inwardly, 

Thalia lay on the ground, groaning in pain. She rubbed her bruised arms as she slowly got up. 

When she attempted to seduce Gavin, she was unexpectedly thrown to the ground by him with one hand and with great force that it felt like her bones were close to shattering 

Thalia raised her head to look at Gavin with teary eyes, only to witness Claire in his arms. 

Why would that be the case? Why should I marry an old man when Claire got to marry such an outstanding man? Unfair! Its so unfair!’ Thalia shouted in her mind. 

Chapter 1 

Thalia clenched her fists tightly, completely forgetting her failed attempt to seduce Gavin just moments ago. 

Claire noticed Thalia waking up and, as she looked over, met Thalia’s resentful and envious gaze. Gavin followed Claire’s guze. 

Gavin’s face turned dark again as he impatiently said, “Aren’t you leaving yet?” His tone was full of anger. 

Claire looked at Gavin in surprise. He had a cold demeanor all the time. It was the first time she had seen him so angry. 

Thalia, frightened by Gavin’s cold tone, woke up completely. She scrambled to her feet and ran frantically outside. She seemed afraid that a second’s delay would result in Gavin getting mad at her again. 

Gavin turned around just in time to see Claire, who looked stunned. With an apologetic smile, he lightly k*ssed Claire’s forehead. “I’m sorry that I scared you,” he whispered. 

“No, no, not at all. Claire hurriedly waved her hands, trying to explain that she wasn’t scared but captivated 

She was mesmerized when she saw how handsome Cavin’s dominant look was. And when she realized this, she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. 

“Are you going to the office later?” Claire asked to break the silence, feeling a bit awkward under Gavin’s intense gaze. 

“No, not going.” Gavin answered after a moment of silence. His earlier encounter with Thalia had drained away all his work- related motivation. 

“Then what about Sirena’s case?” Claire asked with concern, Sirena was getting a divorce, and if Gavin wasn’t at the office, what if they needed him? 

“Don’t worry. You don’t need to concern yourself with that. It will be resolved soon. Gavin was pleased to hear Claire’s concerned words and happily ruffled her hair. 

Gavin was content that his wife was finally showing concern for him. 

Claire obediently let Gavin pat her head and felt like a child waiting for the reward of candy. 

“Why did you suddenly come back, Claire?” Gavin suddenly thought of something and inquired, 

“Oh, me? I just took a day off to rest and relax, Claire replied nonchalantly. She didn’t want Gavin to know the real reason for her sudden return home. 

“What? Are you not feeling well?” Gavin looked at Claire with worry, his large hands continually reaching out to check if she had a fever. 

“It’s nothing. I need a break, that’s all. Claire awkwardly removed Gavin’s hand from her forehead. She said inwardly, T checked Gavin’s temperature just a while ago to see if he had a fever, and now, it’s his turn to check up on me, huh? 

“I’ll carry you to your room then.” Cavin remained concerned and looked at Claire nervously. In his eyes, Claire was a precious gem that he bad to handle with care. He was afraid that Claire would get hurt if he wasn’t careful 

“No need for that.” Claire declined, preparing to get up and return to her room. However, as she shifted her b*dy, she realized she had been sitting on Gavin’s lap the entire time, 

Feeling incredibly awkward about wriggling on someone’s lap, Claire hesitated and did not dare to move. 

Amused by Claire’s discomfort, Gavin chuckled. Without further ado, he effortlessly lifted Claire and carried her back to the room, each move exuding undeniable dominance. 

Gavin, attentive as ever, took off Claire’s shoes, covered her with a quilt, and made sure everything was in order before exiting the room slowly. 

After closing Claire’s room door, Gavin’s gentle expression instantly turned stern. Cold air surrounded him, and the temperature dropped sharply. 

Gavin took out his phone, dialed a strange number, and said, “Help me with something!” 

“What? The powerful Mr. Byrd still has to ask someone for help?” A relaxed and humorous male voice came from the other. end of the line. 

“Do not digress. This is not a joke,” Gavin said seriously, his tone icy 

“What is it?” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before a voice slowly came through.