Chapter 5 The Stephensons
The “he Clarisssa was referring to was obvious.
Neil nodded.
Clarissa brushed past him and reached for the door.
go
“Mrs. Moreno,” Neil quickly stepped in front of her, blocking the way. “You can’t in.
Clarissa smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you want to end up like Alina?”
Neil turned pale. “Mrs. Moreno, Mr. Moreno gave strict orders. You really can’t go in..
“Oh, is that so?” Clarissa took a step forward. “And what if I insist on going in?”
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Neil hesitated, still trying to stop her, but Clarissa wasn’t having it. She raised her voice and shouted down. the hallway, “Chandler, if you can’t do it, then don’t back down like a coward!”
The moment her words echoed through the floor, everyone in the office seemed to freeze.
Neil was a man who knew how to read the room, especially after taking a glance at the height of Clarissa’s heels today. He quickly stepped aside.
“Mrs. Moreno, please, come in!” With those sharp heels, he didn’t want to risk getting kicked.
As he moved aside, Neil shot a few warning glances at the employees who had been watching the scene unfold.
Clarissa was a little surprised at how fast Neil had switched sides, but she pushed open the door.
She smiled.
“Chandler, looks like you really are as fast as they say!” she taunted as she strode toward the desk.
“Whether or not you’re capable, you bastard, messing with my career makes you less of a man!”
The chair behind the desk slowly swiveled around.
Clarissa froze on the spot. Her face twitched.
“Dad…”
Her father, Hugh Stephenson’s stern gaze settled on her. “All the manners I taught you as a child, were they wasted on you? Is that how you speak to your husband?”
Clarissa clenched her fingers, digging her nails into her palm. “Dad, what are you doing here?”
“Why do you think I’m here? Hugh’s face was full of disappointment. “Clarissa, this is ridiculous!”
Clarissa’s heart sink.
Her nails dug so deep into her palms that she felt a sticky warmth.
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reprimanded her, his voice heavy with disappointment “And kidnapping? Do you think that’s something. you can just joke about?”
It was as if a tsunami had ravaged her heart, leaving only desolation in its wake.
Clarissa’s face was pale, her voice hoarse. “So you believe… that I staged all of this?”
Hugh snorted. “You’re still denying it, huh? You leave the house with at least eight or ten bodyguards. Who would dare to kidnap you?”
Clarissa’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
That’s right. She usually had bodyguards wherever she went. But when she didn’t, she got kidnapped.
So whose fault was it?
“Enough!” Hugh finally made his decision. “This ends here. The reason I’m here today is that your mother wants you both to come home for dinner.”
At the mention of going home, Clarissa stiffened, lowering her eyes awkwardly.
Once, the Stephensons had been her safe haven, a place of warmth and comfort. No matter how tired she was, going home would always soothe her.
But now, the Stephensons were no longer her home.
“Dad, about tonight, I-
“What? You still call me ‘Dad, but in your heart, do I even matter anymore?” Hugh suddenly stood, his expression dark as he stared her down.
Clarissa closed her eyes, the pain evident. “That’s not true.”
“Then come home for dinner. Understand?”
“Alright.”
Hugh left, leaving the cold, sterile office with only her and Chandler.
“Chandler, you’re not even a real man! Clarissa hissed through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, wait, I forgot! It’s not like you ever were.”
First, he went after her career, and now he was using the Stephensons to back her into a corner!
Chandler’s smile was even colder than hers, laced with mocking disdain. “Do you think I enjoy dealing with your leeching family?”
Clarissa felt her throat tighten.
She glared at him, eyes blazing-
“Hugh’s got his sights set on the farm out in the Willowbrook Ranch. He wants to turn it into some kind of eco–resort, Chandler said, leaning back in his chair, clearly savoring her reaction.
Clarissa’s face prew naler with each nassing second
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Chapter 5 The Stephensons
Once, she had been the proud eldest daughter of the Stephensons, admired and envied by all.
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Then, disaster struck the family. Hugh had been gravely injured and needed a blood transfusion. The cruel irony was that when she stepped up to donate, they discovered her blood type didn’t match either Hugh’s or his wife’s. That’s when they uncovered the truth–she wasn’t their biological daughter.
Soon after, the real Stephenson heiress was found and brought back home, and Clarissa was left to pack her things and move into a small apartment, her once grand life reduced to nothing-
At the time, the media had ridiculed her, mocking her for still clinging to the house the Stephensons had gifted her, even though she was no longer their daughter.
But she had nowhere else to go.
During that dark period, the only person who stayed by her side was Emily.
Later, Chandler’s grandmother, furious at his choice of girlfriend, ended up hospitalized. On her deathbed, she handpicked Clarissa from a pool of high society women, insisting that Chandler marry her.
Wracked with guilt over his grandmother’s death, Chandler was left with no choice but to comply, and thus became the “sinner of the Morenos.
And that was how they ended up tied together.
Before Clarissa could even process the whirlwind of suddenly becoming Chandler’s wife, she was already painted by the public as the “homewrecker” who had destroyed his previous relationship.
To make matters worse, after her marriage to Chandler, the Stephensons came knocking on her door again.
They repeatedly told her that after 20 years of living together, they still shared an unbreakable bond with her, assuring her that she would always be their daughter.
