I was only playing hard to get, putting on this act.

If he thought I had gone after Isabella, then it meant he still cared.

But since I had indeed hurt Isabella and her unborn child, he had to stand up for them.

So Alexander Hughes helped Isabella to her feet and turned to me.

“Claire Bennett, apologize.”

Before I could speak, a message lit up my phone.

“Enjoy the banquet if you wish. If not, Thomas Reed is already waiting outside.”

I recalled what Ethan Walker had said earlier—he might not be able to accompany me to the Hughes family banquet. He told me if I didn’t want to go, I didn’t have to.

What had I answered then?

I had been indifferent.

Since I had chosen to marry Ethan and live my life with him, I would never let the past trouble me.

But today, Alexander and Isabella had gone out of their way to provoke me.

The rest of the Hughes family watched eagerly, their desire for drama plain as day.

I had no intention of being their monkey, performing for their amusement.

Picking up my bag, I stood to leave.

Alexander blocked my path.

“I told you to apologize. Did you not hear me?”

His eyes burned with anger.

I yanked my hand free with no hesitation.

“Apologize? Does she deserve that from me?”

My words made Alexander laugh coldly.

“You think you’re in any position to talk about qualifications? What leverage do you have to challenge me?”

“Didn’t you come here today just to win me back?”

“Claire, if you want to play games, don’t overdo it.”

He was still the same arrogant man he had been years ago.

But I was no longer the woman I had been back then.

Even the Hughes family members around us grew restless.

His sister, Emily Hughes, stepped forward first.

“Claire, my brother’s already been generous by not throwing you out. That’s more face than you deserve. What are you pretending for?”

Emily had followed Isabella since childhood, hanging on her every word.

Three years ago, she had made trouble for me more times than I could count.

Now, Emily supported Isabella and sneered.

“Isabella carries the Hughes family’s eldest legitimate heir. He’s precious. And you, with your worthless bones, dare provoke her?”

Hearing this, Isabella’s face brightened with delight.

Back then, Alexander’s branch of the Hughes family had been insignificant.

If not for Alexander’s father working under Ethan, Alexander wouldn’t have even been qualified to attend the banquet.

But now, Emily thought their family could strut proudly through the Hughes estate.

And Isabella believed that once her child was born into the main Hughes line, she would rise to glory.

The other Hughes family members exchanged glances but stayed silent, turning their eyes toward me.

I gave a cold laugh.

“The eldest heir? From her?”

Alexander hadn’t expected my defiance.

“Watch your mouth. Isabella is pregnant, she carries a child. Don’t upset her.”

So he did remember that pregnant women shouldn’t be angered. He could still handle them with such care.

Yet when I had been pregnant, he had forced me to dance for three days and nights—just to make Isabella laugh.

When I bled out and miscarried, he had ordered the doctor to deny me anesthesia because I hadn’t been able to keep dancing to please Isabella.

He had said that since I had upset her, I would pay her back in agony a hundredfold.

Emily sneered at me.

“Brother, why waste your breath on a barren hen like her? She’ll never bear children again.”

That wound—my lifelong scar—was now being mocked as a joke.

For the first time, a trace of sorrow flickered across Alexander’s face.

I had no intention of tangling with them any further and walked straight toward the exit.

Seeing me leave, Alexander Hughes made to chase after me at once.

But Isabella Reed let out a pained cry, halting him mid-stride. He turned back in alarm to check on her.

Outside, Thomas Reed approached the moment I stepped out.

He opened his mouth to say, “Ma’am—” but Alexander’s sharp voice cut him off.

“Drive to the nearest hospital. Now!”

He yanked open the car door and carried the unconscious Isabella into the back seat.

When Thomas didn’t move fast enough, Alexander lost his temper.

“Are you deaf? I said drive her to the hospital!”

But Thomas remained at my side.

Fury darkened Alexander’s face.

“Claire Bennett, you actually dared to buy off people from the Hughes family? Do you even realize where you are? This is Hughes territory—you don’t get to run wild here.”

Of course I knew where I was.

And I remembered clearly what Ethan Walker had once told me: When you can’t endure anymore—don’t.

Seeing me stand calm and unmoved, Alexander’s expression soured further.

“I’ll let this slide for now. But if Isabella or her child suffers even the slightest harm, I’ll make you pay dearly.”

Look at him—clutching that woman protectively. The sight was sickening.

My voice was cold.

“Get out of the car.”

Alexander blinked, as though he hadn’t heard me correctly.

“What did you say?”

I had no patience for his games. With a glance at the bodyguard behind me, the man understood at once. He stepped forward and dragged both Alexander and Isabella from the back seat.

Isabella hit the ground and woke with a cry of pain.

Alexander was still reeling.

“Claire, how dare you! To defy me here, on Hughes ground?”

I gave a cold snort.

“Defy you? Alexander, don’t forget who you are.”

Of course he hadn’t forgotten.

Whenever he represented the Hughes branch family at these banquets, his father always warned him to tread carefully.

But he hadn’t expected me to show up—or to strike at Isabella right in front of everyone.

That was why he’d lost control.

Now, desperate to salvage his standing, he moved as if to rush at me, but the bodyguard blocked his path.

I cast Alexander a dismissive glance and slid into the car without hesitation.

Only then did he notice the license plate.

His face shifted.

“Get out! That’s not a car you’re qualified to sit in.”

What a joke. Since when did I need his permission for where I sat?

As I pulled the door shut, Alexander lunged, jamming his arm into the frame despite the pain.

“Claire, get out now. This is my uncle Ethan’s car.”

He was so focused on me he didn’t even hear Isabella’s moans behind him.

I stared at him, unimpressed.

“So what?”

Seeing my indifference, Alexander grew anxious.

“You don’t understand—my uncle’s methods are ruthless. No one in New York high society dares cross him. Don’t bring disaster on yourself.”

I didn’t know who he thought he was pretending for, but his false concern only made me sick.

“Let go. Stop being an eyesore.”

When he realized I had no intention of yielding, his patience snapped. He reached to drag me out of the car.

“Claire, I told you—this is the Hughes estate. Here, you obey me.”

I slipped out of his grasp with a glare.

“Don’t touch me.”

Perhaps it was the hardness of my tone—or the undisguised disgust in my eyes—that finally made him falter.

Alexander Hughes froze mid-motion, as though some thought had struck him.

“Claire, get out of the car first.”

And why should I ever listen to him?

I hadn’t three years ago, and I certainly wouldn’t now.

The mockery in my eyes was barely concealed.

Tired of wasting breath on him, I kicked Alexander hard, shoving him out of the car, and slammed the door shut.

As the engine roared to life, he tried to chase after me again.

But Isabella Reed clutched at him from behind.

“Alexander, my stomach hurts—my ankle too!”

Only then did his gaze shift back to her.

After settling Isabella in the hospital, Alexander finally remembered me.

He immediately ordered his men to investigate and obtain my address, then rushed straight over.

I had just hung up the phone when the doorbell rang.

Opening the door, I found Alexander standing there.

The moment his eyes fell on me in a loose robe, a flicker of possessive hunger lit his expression.

I gave him a cool glance.

“What, didn’t get enough of a beating today? Want me to kick you again?”

My words made him laugh, though his amusement was laced with arrogance.

“You went through all that trouble today just to draw me here, didn’t you?”

So that was it. He truly believed I was playing some elaborate game of hard to get.

When I didn’t respond, he pressed on.

“To reel me in, you even risked bribing my uncle’s men. Claire, you’ve learned a few tricks.”

His hand reached toward my face.

“I came to you as you wished—why pretend otherwise?”

But before his fingers could touch me, his phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, he stepped aside to answer.

On the other end, a woman’s voice whined and cooed. Alexander’s tone softened at once.

“Be good, don’t worry. I’ll be right there.”

After hanging up, he looked back at me.

“I have to go. You—”

I cut him off without ceremony.

“Then get lost quickly. Don’t stand here embarrassing yourself.”

“If my family saw you, they’d only feel disgusted.”

His face darkened at that.

“Claire, playing coy once is enough. Don’t keep testing my patience.”

“And besides, your parents are long dead. Other than me, what family do you even have?”

Even now, he stood over me with that same lofty arrogance.

He could mention my parents’ deaths so carelessly—as if he’d forgotten that it was his doing.

Had he forgotten how we spent three years locked in vicious combat, trying to destroy each other?

Why did he now act as though nothing had happened—so casually speaking of the pain he caused me?

That unbearable ache surged up again, and I couldn’t stop myself.

My hand flew across his face in a resounding slap.

“Alexander, you disgust me.”

He faltered, stunned, staring at me with my fury blazing in his reflection.

One hand rose to my cheek, the other slipped to my throat.

“So many years later, you finally speak the truth.”

His smile held no warmth, only cruelty.

“Disgusting, am I? Do you still think you’re that pure little flower you once were?”

“You’re nothing but a ruined toy now. What right do you have to stand against me?”

His grip tightened, cutting off my breath.

Just as the edges of my vision began to darken, I grabbed the heavy object at my side and swung it hard at him.