Worship The Ground You Walk On

At Crawford's mansion, the housekeeper and the nanny were cleaning up the house.

When they arrived on the third floor, the housekeeper hesitantly pulled the nanny to stand on the stairway, looking grave.

Then the housekeeper went to the bedroom to find Claudia, "Mrs. Crawford, the third floor hasn't been cleaned for a long time. Do you think it's time to clean it?"

Claudia nodded her head naturally.

But the housekeeper stood in the doorway, looking disturbed. He was almost hesitant to say, "But..."

Claudia froze and remembered that when she first came to the Crawford mansion, she had heard the housekeeper say that Ben had ordered that no one was allowed to set foot on the third floor.

It was like a holy place. She hadn't seen anyone go in since they got married for more than a year...

"But Mrs. Crawford, the third floor hasn't been cleaned in almost two years. If I don't clean the third floor again, I'm afraid... Mr. Crawford will not be happy!" The housekeeper said.

Claudia thought about it and said to the housekeeper in sign language that she would clean the third floor and let him, and the nanny go downstairs first.

The housekeeper had the same idea. Then he gave Claudia the vacuum cleaner and hurried downstairs with the nanny.

Claudia had never been to the third floor before, and this was her first time here. As soon as she got upstairs, she saw a lot of dust bunnies and had an unspeakable feeling.

The lilies in the vase in the hallway had long since wilted and dried up. The rose-colored sofa was also dusty. The design of the wood furniture was very different from downstairs. And there was a grand piano in the corner.

Claudia cleaned it with a vacuum cleaner. When her fingers accidentally touched the keys, she heard the melodious notes.

When she was little, and her father was alive, she had been playing the piano for many years, which was also a hobby of hers. Claudia sat down and fell for the beautiful melody. This is a Steinway, shipped directly from Germany, had a sound quality that was unmatched by any other piano. Along with her excellent skills, she was able to play great music with simple notes.

Ben was drawn to the sound of the piano as soon as he walked in the house.

He walked up the stairs step by step and reached the third floor, an area that had been closed for years. The familiar tune made him feel enchanted and obsessed for a while.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance, which echoed the music and made people feel refreshed. It smelled like the unique fragrance of that person.

He could not help but walk up and hug her from behind. Then he leaned down, rested his jaw on her shoulder, and smelled her hair, making him not want to leave her.

"Hanna..."

Ben closed his eyes, moved his thin lips, and murmured.

At first, he and Hanna met because of a piece of Mozart's C major. Whenever he heard this piece, his mind would go back to the past. Although it was a long time, he still couldn't forget it. The piano stopped abruptly.

Claudia just let him hold her stiff body. The name he called her stung her heart. As she smiled sadly, her lips were instantly captured by his cold lips, and Claudia was confused for a moment! He held her face and kissed her deeply. She felt the tenderness he had never felt for her.

Claudia calmed down. Then she decisively pushed him away with all her strength and stopped the kiss. As she moved backward, she fell to the floor with a thud.

Ben was in a daze for a moment, but his rationality won. Then he looked down at her, and his gaze was cold.

The tenderness in his eyes had been replaced by a vicious look, which shot at her like a knife. His voice sounded cold and somber, "Who told you to touch her piano?"

Tears filled her eyes. She got up and bit her lower lip, looking defiantly stubborn.

Claudia had no idea that the third floor had been sealed up and the long-standing piano belonged to Hanna...

"Who told you to come up?"

His deep, cold voice broke in her ears.

He grabbed her wrist violently and roughly with his big hand. He clasped her pulse hard, making her feel suffocating pain and deadly sadness. Claudia's bleak eyes met his gaze.

Did he care about Hanna that much?

Ben looked at her with eyes devoid of warmth. Then he slowly leaned down to her and said softly, "Do you know what kind of woman I hate the most?"

His sneer was as cold as the biting wind that made Claudia clench her hands unnaturally.

She heard the words he spat out slowly, and each word hurt her, "The woman like you!"

Claudia froze for a long moment. Her long, slender eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her face was as pale as paper. She bit her lower lip hard and kept from crying. Then she tried to ignore the pain in her wrist that made her feel faint.

With a bang, he suddenly gathered his strength and threw her aside.

"Get out!"

All he left her with was his cold back before she could get up from the floor.

Ben ordered the housekeeper coldly as he went downstairs, "From now on, lock down the third floor. And no one is allowed up there!"

E

Yes, Sir."

Claudia froze and slumped on the cold floor. Her heart seemed to be crushed directly into a fine powder, dissipating with the wind.

The next day, Claudia took Conrad to a hospital in the city to pick up the oral vaccine pills for the newborn and she took him for a walk.

The line at the pediatric unit at The Central Hospital was not very long, and Claudia was able to get the pills in a few minutes with the baby in her arms. She then crushed the pills, mixed them with warm water, and gave them to Conrad before putting him in his stroller. She was just coming downstairs when she met Hanna.

Hanna smiled and greeted her, "Claudia, what a coincidence!"

Hanna came closer and said to Conrad in the stroller, "Conrad, how are you doing? Do you miss me?"

Conrad giggled and grabbed her with his little hand.

Hanna leaned down, picked him up, and teased him, which seemed to be a natural scene. However, Claudia overlooked the medical record sheet in Hanna's handbag. Medical records showed a part, showing obvious words to almost blind her eyes.

It was the medical record from the department of reproductive health!

Then she thought of the conversation she had heard in the restroom at the party that day. Could it be that Hanna was really suffering from some... obscure disease?

Claudia didn't dare picture any further. Then she smiled faintly towards Hanna and picked up Conrad carefully.

"Conrad, you still like to find your mother, don't you?" Hanna was still playing with the baby. And Conrad was grinning happily at her.

Claudia felt panic and inexplicable nervousness, which made her feel lost.

Hanna looked at her and said, "I postponed the auction date of the old mansion for a month. Don't worry. Take your time!"

Claudia bowed her head. After she briefly thanked Hanna, she said goodbye to Hanna and left with Conrad. The moment she and Hanna crossed paths, she seemed to see some rash on Hanna's wrist... Claudia has been worried all day.

If she had heard wrong, what about the medical record sheet she saw in Hanna's handbag and the rash she saw on her hand when she met her at the hospital?

At night, around ten o'clock, a red Lamborghini stopped in front of the Crawford mansion, and Hanna unbuckled her seat belt. When she got out and went around to the passenger seat, Ben was already out of the car.

She offered to help him and said, "You drank a lot for me tonight. Ben, thanks."

He smiled lightly, "It's okay."

"Although I know you can drink a lot, you might want to drink less for your health." She sighed slightly. A look of obvious concern showed in her eyes.

Ben stared at her with misty eyes. Looking at her fair hand on his arm, he met her eyes. "Would you like to come inside and sit for a while?"

Hanna was stunned. She then raised her hand to tug the loose hair from her ear behind her ear. She shook her head in slight dismay, "Nah. You need to rest."

He curled his lips slightly. The strength of his grip on her hand increased, "It's fine. And you can see Conrad..."

"Well..." Hanna hesitated, thought about it, and still refused him, "I can see him another day."

"What?" Ben stared at her and sensed her confusion.

Hanna said, "I think Claudia doesn't like me being near Conrad, but that's normal. If I had a baby, I wouldn't like others to approach my kid either."

When she finished speaking, Hanna was worried that it would be inappropriate and explained a little more. "Don't blame her. I think she's very nice. Ben, if you take this the wrong way, I won't say anything to you anymore!"

"Alright."

Ben slowly lowered his head. He watched Hanna get into the car and leave. Then, he immediately turned around and stepped into his villa.

In the room upstairs, Claudia had just put Conrad to bed. And she had finished her bath. As she was about to rest, the bedroom door was pushed open.