Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0224

+25 BONUS

Claudia’s lips trembled as she clenched her fists even tighter. I did not doubt. that if there were no outsiders here, she would have punched me.

Claudia stood alone behind me in silence for a while. I did not know what she was thinking, but I could tell from her demeanor that she had finally calmed down.

She sat down at the makeup table next to me. Our eyes met in the mirror. Her gaze was as sharp as a scalpel, just shy of piercing through her usual facade.

“Arianna, even though I’m going abroad, I’ll be back soon. How much longer do you think Dad can hold on? In the future, Nick will be in charge of this family. He’ll bring me back then.

“We’ll have plenty of time together in the future. Just thinking about it makes me happy!”

She rested her chin on her hand and looked at me with a smile. She had reverted to her usual innocent facade. Her voice was jubilant as she asked, ” Don’t you agree, Arianna?”

The stylists in the room looked uncomfortable, but people like them who worked at events like this knew that they could only listen and not speak.

I glanced at them coolly. Sure enough, they only dared to focus on my hair. They did not even dare to let their eyes wander.

I simply grunted lightly in response. “Indeed, we have a long future ahead. But your brother and I will look for a suitable gentleman for you. We’ll marry you off early so he can have peace of mind.”

Claudia’s face turned green. She slammed her hand on the table, “You-”

Before she could finish, a staff member rushed in and announced, “Mrs. Hawk, Ms. Quirk, the press conference is about to begin. Please get ready. backstage!”

“Got it.”

1/3

Chapter 01224

“Okay. Thank you.” Claudia and I replied in unison.

The corridor was long. There were staff members following not far behind. us. Claudia was a bit nervous, but my face was cold without any signs of anxiety.

For Claudia, this was an ordinary press conference. But for me…

“Claudia,” I called her softly with a somewhat empathetic expression. “You heard them, didn’t you? They call me Mrs. Hawk, while you’re Ms. Quirk. You’ll never be part of the Hawk family.”

Claudia’s face changed. She gritted her teeth. “Arianna, how… how can your say that to me! I’ll tell Nick!”

Hearing her naive words, I suddenly laughed, “Do you know why Nicholas. asked a tiny girl like you to take care of me just now?”

“Do you know why he said I wasn’t feeling well today?”

Confusion flashed in Claudia’s eyes, “What do you mean?”

I raised my hand to cover my mouth and pretended to dry heave. I then looked at her with squinted eyes and a smile.

She pointed at my belly in shock. “You…”

I nodded with a light chuckle. “Claudia, you must take good care of me during today’s event. If anything happens, you know the consequences.”

“You’re pregnant? You’re having Nick’s child!” Claudia exclaimed in shock.

“That’s right.” I smiled as I reached out to pat Claudia’s head. I glanced at the staff behind us apologetically. “Sorry, Claudia is a bit excited. She’s too happy.”

Claudia slapped my hand away. She lowered her voice considerably. ” Arianna, don’t touch me. Have you gone crazy or have I? If anything happens to you, it has nothing to do with me. In fact, I hope something happens to you!”

I rubbed the back of my hand and smiled indifferently. “After you made Jasmine unable to have children, Daniel kicked you out of the Hawk family. immediately. If it weren’t for your brother pleading for you, you’d be a pariah right now.

“Try harming my child and see what happens. Let’s see if this press.

conference can still proceed smoothly. Let’s see if Nicholas would choose you or the child in my belly.”

Claudia and I stopped at the entrance of the venue. We could see Nicholas’s tall figure standing on stage through the half–open door. We both watched him as if we were looking at someone unattainable.

In a sense, Claudia and I were the same kind of person. We were too used to looking at a certain man from afar.

I asked flatly, “Think about it. Do you still want to see him?

“Claudia,” I called her. “I’m also quite curious if you dare to lay a finger on me.