At that time, he could only see her.
But now, he's protecting someone else, and scolding her.
Humiliation surged up like a tide, overwhelming her.
Vanessa seized the opportunity to throw herself into Liam's arms, sobbing, "Liam, I didn't mean to, I just wanted my sister to see the ring..."
"It's okay, it's okay," Liam patted her back, his voice so gentle it was almost tender, a stark contrast to his earlier scolding of Clara. "I'll buy you an even better one, don't cry."
The two snuggled together, oblivious to everyone else, picked up the rings from the floor, and then went back into the restaurant.
Clara was the only one left in the living room.
She sat on the sofa until the sky outside the window was completely dark, until the lights in the dining room were turned off, until the whole house fell into dead silence.
Clara slowly got up, groped her way back to the second bedroom, and locked the door.
She pulled her phone from under her pillow, the screen's light reflecting the coldness in her eyes.
She opened the encrypted chat window; the contact's name was "Team K".
Fingers flew across the screen: [Immediately begin collecting Liam Company's financial statements for the past seven years, focusing on patent transfer documents, especially those related to my designs, to see if they have engaged in any illegal activities.]
After sending the message, she opened the appointment booking app, found the most authoritative ophthalmology hospital, and booked the earliest possible surgery time. In the remarks column, there were only four words: "The sooner the better."
After doing all that, she opened the cloud drive and backed up all the chat history, transfer receipts, and design draft transmission records between her and Liam.
Every document is a potential weapon that will later be used against Liam and Vanessa.
The moonlight outside the window shone on her face through the gap in the curtains.
Clara looked at her reflection on her phone screen and slowly curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
The game has only just begun.
She will take back everything she has lost with her own hands.
The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor. Liam had gone to the office, leaving only Clara and Vanessa in the large house.