Claire's hand paused mid-action.
For a second, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Why was Nelson here? Wasn't Cooper Group based somewhere else, not CTR Plaza?
"What's he doing here?"
Adrian followed her gaze, looking visibly unimpressed.
Claire was only stunned for a moment before it clicked—he must've known Vera Quinn was signing with XR today. He probably came here hoping to catch her. Too bad he had no clue the Vera Quinn he'd dumped overseas for three years was now that very designer at Velora Studio.
"Whatever, just ignore him."
Claire casually looked away.
They were divorced—she had zero interest in being friends with her ex. She didn't even bother greeting him. Taking the rose from Adrian's hands, she strolled beside him, her posture relaxed and graceful.
Nelson had never seen Claire like this before.
That once clunky fringe had been swept back, her long hair braide

Nelson stayed silent.
The answer was obvious.
Claire's smirk deepened as she reached out and tapped his chest with her fingertip. "Since you're planning to get married, then get it over with already. No need to make that girl keep waiting around for nothing. As for me—I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't need your permission. We're still married? You've got no say. We're not? Even less so."
With that, she took two steps back, the expression on her face wiped clean.
Calm. Untouched. Cold as stone.
"You should leave. I'm done getting dragged into your mess. I don't need any more trouble than I already had."
Even after the divorce papers were signed, Serena could still send someone to ruin her. If she let Nelson get close again, who knew what else might happen?
She'd already paid back every ounce of debt from the past. If he pushed her again, don't expect mercy this time.
Nelson didn't mo

No way.
Nelson instantly shut down that thought.
She was an orphan with no family, hadn't even been in the country for the past three years, and the few people she did know were the kind you'd find hanging around street corners. How on earth would she afford a luxury sports car?
After the Thompsons kicked her out, where else could she possibly go apart from the villa?
But the villa was completely dark.
The master bedroom upstairs was spotless—so clean it didn't look lived in at all. Except for the freshly made bed, there wasn't a single trace of her left.
Even her old beat-up suitcase was gone.
Nelson had searched every inch of Silverhollow Villa when he got back, but she was nowhere.
His gaze turned stormy as he raised his phone and called Evan Brooks. "Find out where Claire is. And put together everything she's been doing overseas these past three years."
"Yes, sir," Evan answered, but after a beat, couldn't help asking, "Weren't you planning to divorce Ms. Thompson, Mr. Cooper? Why look into her now?"
The line went quiet.
Then Nelson's voice came back on, cold as ice. "You sent her the divorce papers already?"
"Sorry, sir. I haven't had the chance yet," Evan replied with a guilty tone.
"We've been all over the renewal with Velora Studio. They said they won't extend the contract. We've been kept busy with that, and Vera Quinn hasn't agreed to meet us, so I put the divorce stuff on hold."
Nelson frowned slightly. "Even when we offered triple the money, they still refused to renew?"
"Yes. They even said not to bother offering ten times more—it's still a no." Evan's voice grew anxious. "Our partnership with them has been smooth the past three years. As far as I know, we haven't offended their designer. What we put on the table this time was a really attractive deal. We just don't get why they're turning us down. Still trying to work that out."
Three years ago, after the old Mr. Cooper passed, a company the size of theirs landed on a man barely past his twenties—the kind who couldn't even make his own decisions about marriage. Everyone on the board was waiting for him to crash and burn.
But teaming up with Velora Studio had made the company's first-quarter net profit skyrocket by 300%, and the steady growth since then had only strengthened that foundation.
It gave Nelson the confidence to move on other projects fast and hard.
You could say the reason Nelson had managed to solidify his position at the company so quickly had a lot to do with Vera Quinn's firm.
Now that the three-year deal was up, he just couldn't understand why they were suddenly backing out.Nelson paused for a moment before finally saying, "Let's put the divorce with Claire on hold for now. I want you to find out what Vera Quinn's been up to lately. I'll handle the contract renewal myself."
"Got it!"
–
One week later.
In the driver's seat of a black Spyker parked outside the XR Entertainment HQ, Nelson's face was grim.
"Still nothing? Evan, are you getting too comfortable in the president's office, or did all that flattery fry your brain?"
On the other end of the call, Evan was practically shaking. This was the first time he'd ever been chewed out like that at Cooper Group.
It didn't make sense—he'd scoured every security feed in Jadewick but still came up empty. No trace of Claire anywhere.
Even the footage around Silverhollow Villa had been wiped clean. There was nothing from the day she returned to the country either. It was like she straight-up vanished.
"Sorry, Mr. Cooper," Evan said nervously. "I've stationed someone near the address where the contract was mailed, but no sign of Miss Thompson yet. And about those three years she was abroad… she seemed pretty normal, like any international student. Just did part-time gigs when she wasn't in class. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Nelson rubbed his temples inside the car. "Update me the second something comes up."
Feeling the tension through the line, Evan didn't dare say more. "Yes, sir."
Nelson hadn't forgotten why he came here today. He checked his watch, his tone laced with growing impatience.
"You sure Vera Quinn is signing with XR Entertainment? Today was supposed to be her meeting with President Adrian."
He'd been waiting since morning and still hadn't seen Adrian show his face, let alone that mysterious designer from the firm.
Before Evan could respond, Nelson's eyes narrowed sharply as he looked out the window, his expression turning darker.
–
After cutting ties with her family, Claire spent two full days holed up at Adrian' apartment, curled up like a sleepy cat.
They'd scheduled to sign the contract today, so she had no choice but to drag herself out into the sun.
Almost at the building, she gave Adrian a call.
Ten minutes later, he showed up with a bouquet of roses.
His tailored slacks showed off those long legs as he strode over confidently, a couple of buttons undone on his black shirt, giving off that casual, rebellious vibe.
"Didn't embarrass my favorite girl today, did I?" Adrian grinned, handing her the bouquet. "Champagne roses for my beloved Vera Quinn, hope you like them."
"Thanks, Adrian." Claire chuckled, unable to say no to any kind of rose.
She took off her sunglasses, reaching out with a smile—only to pause as a familiar silhouette caught her eye.
In that instant, her gaze locked with a pair of cold, sharp eyes watching from a distance.

Claire's hand paused mid-action.
For a second, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Why was Nelson here? Wasn't Cooper Group based somewhere else, not CTR Plaza?
"What's he doing here?"
Adrian followed her gaze, looking visibly unimpressed.
Claire was only stunned for a moment before it clicked—he must've known Vera Quinn was signing with XR today. He probably came here hoping to catch her. Too bad he had no clue the Vera Quinn he'd dumped overseas for three years was now that very designer at Velora Studio.
"Whatever, just ignore him."
Claire casually looked away.
They were divorced—she had zero interest in being friends with her ex. She didn't even bother greeting him. Taking the rose from Adrian's hands, she strolled beside him, her posture relaxed and graceful.
Nelson had never seen Claire like this before.
That once clunky fringe had been swept back, her long hair braided with care, revealing a bright, striking face that seemed to shine under the sun.
He couldn't stop 

Chapter 15