The CEO Gets What He Wants

Chapter 545

Chapter 545 Like Mother Like Daughter

The news came as a bombshell for Claire. At that moment, she felt her heart getting torn away piece after piece.

Unable to believe her ears, Claire clutched Silvia's shoulders, her face pale as a sheet. “S-Say that again, Silvia.”

“Your daughter is still alive. The baby you gave birth to was not a stillborn baby, and—ouch!” Silvia felt Claire's nails dig into her shoulders. “You're hurting me!”

Claire retracted her hands immediately. Her face lit up in happiness briefly but quickly dimmed in skepticism. “This cannot be. I did give birth to a stillborn baby. Her body was cold when I held her. I remember it,” she muttered.

The thought of her daughter brought tears to her eyes again.

Her children had always been her pride but also her weakness.

Silvia drew a piece of tissue and wiped away her tears. “No more crying, Claire. You need to take care of your eyes. You cried too much after labor. It's already bad enough that your night vision is impaired because of that. I bet you don't want to go blind. I know it has not been easy all this while, but you know the truth now. I ran into Allie yesterday when I went shopping, and guess what she said...”

Then, Silvia told Claire about how she had met Allie and the female stranger at the embroidery shop and their conversation.

Claire was dumbfounded upon learning the truth.

She was in such a profound shock it took her a long while to snap back to her senses, and even when she did, there was disbelief and anguish all over her face.

If what Silvia said was true, then that made Allie the most despicable person in the world.

Over in Ackleton, the sky gradually darkened until rain drizzled down on a cafe in the city.

Over on the window close to where Claire sat, the rainwater formed spatters of different sizes.

At the table, Claire gazed through the wet marks on the window to the outside again and again as if she was waiting for someone impatiently.

“Why did you want to see me?” A haughty female voice rang out suddenly, interrupting Claire's thoughts.

She turned around and saw the heavily-adorned Allie, who had just arrived and was keeping her wet umbrella.

Seeing the woman sit down impatiently, Claire said calmly, “It's been a long time, Allie.” Her gentle and serene demeanor starkly contrasted with the proud and ostentatious woman opposite her.

Allie glanced at Claire disdainfully, unimpressed by her choice of bland fashion.

Allie glanced at Claire disdainfully, unimpressed by her choice of bland fashion.

In her heart, Allie could not understand why the state secretary's wife, who was also at the helm of a giant company, would dress so plainly.

Besides, there were no accessories around her neck or on her ears, let alone anything luxurious.

The only thing that barely caught Allie's eyes was the decent diamond ring that was not entirely a spectacle.

Allie thought that the all-too-small diamond made the wearer seem overly stingy.

Like mother like daughter, I suppose. Both of them never really put any thought into their appearance. Neither of them like jewelry too. What a sore in the eyes.

Suddenly, a sense of superiority rose in Allie's heart as she beheld the unembellished and ordinary woman who once earned her jealousy and envy.

“I don't mind having a catch-up session, but you should pick a day when the weather is better or when I'm less busy. The rain soiled my new dress,” Allie complained, flipping her white dress in large movements conspicuously as if there was indeed dirt and water on it.

“I'm here to clarify something,” Claire stated. Disregarding Allie's mean attitude, she looked at her earnestly in the eyes.

“What is it, Claire? I understand we used to be close back then, but we haven't talked for so long. I don't think there's anything worth talking about between us. Is this about our children's engagement? If that's the case, then let me tell you that I can't decide what Cayden does. You know he has a mind of

his own. Even if I am his mother, I can't tell him what to do. If Nickie insists on marrying into my family, she'll have to figure out how to win Cayden's heart. I'll give them my full support if Cayden likes her. Rest assured that I adore Nickie. I can't wait to welcome her into the family as my—”

“Allie,” Claire interrupted calmly, “I'm not here to talk about their marriage. I understand that we can't force our children to marry anyone. I respect Cayden's decision if he doesn't want to marry Nickie. I won't demand Nickie marry him either.”

“Then what else do you want to talk about? Is your company in a financial crisis? Do you need Cayden to invest in it? I can't help with that, though,” Allie stated, blowing her freshly-manicured nails with a scoff.

“I just wanted to know if my daughter—my biological daughter—is still alive. Don't you dare lie to me!” Claire looked intently at the woman before her.

Allie shuddered at Claire's sudden change of attitude, for the latter was usually gentle and kind.

Quickly, she collected herself and forced a confident smile. “Claire Walsh, stop being delusional. Your daughter died twenty years ago. From what I remember, you held her cold body in your arms when you cried as if your heart broke into pieces. Why do you even think she is alive? You're being ridiculous. I can't take it anymore. I'm leaving. Enjoy your coffee.”

Allie shot up from her seat and grabbed her bag, ready to leave, but Claire snatched her bag from her.

Her grip was so tight Allie could feel Claire would not give up unless she received an answer that day. “Allie Musk, I know you worked with the obstetrician and swapped my baby!”

Glints of guilt glimmered in Allie's eyes as she evaded Claire's glare. “Are you crazy? I have no idea what you're talking about! As I said, your daughter is dead. She died because of you, so stop dreaming of her coming back to you, you crazy woman!”

Then, she pried open Claire's grip and grabbed her bag before stomping out of the cafe in her heels, ignoring all the glares from the other customers.

Claire let the woman off because she had gotten the answer she wanted. After going through all the pain, she was no longer the helpless and unsuspecting woman she was twenty years ago when she lost her child.

Years of experience made her more observant of Allie's body language.

Although their short meeting did not end up well, Claire could still read Allie like a book. After all, they had been good friends for some time.

Claire recalled that Allie had flinched when she interrogated her. Also, Allie had looked to the right, which was what she always did subconsciously when she lied. Perhaps Allie herself was not even aware of her habits. Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

After the meet-up, Claire felt hopeful and glad to confirm that her daughter was still alive, but at the same time, she was anxious and despondent, for she had no clue where her poor daughter was.

In fact, she wondered if the girl would resent her for deserting her.