Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband
Chapter 96: Why Are You Doing This To Me, Claire?

Chapter 96: Why Are You Doing This To Me, Claire?

Evander’s POV

I rolled my eyes instantly and shoved Damian back with a firm hand. "Don’t," I snapped, my voice colder than ice.

Damian’s expression shifted, his smile faltering for a fraction of a second before it returned, more forced than before. "Come now, Evander," he said, feigning hurt. "I have been waiting for you for so long."

I narrowed my eyes, my patience wearing thin. "Cut the act, Damian," I said, my voice sharp enough to cut glass. "You are wasting my time."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Claire shift uncomfortably, her gaze flickering between Damian and me. Her presence was like a magnet, drawing my focus, but I tried to stop myself as best as I could.

"Um... Mr. Strome," Claire spoke up, breaking the tense silence. She glanced down at her watch and pronounced. "If I may, then can I please read the contract at home and then sign it? I can’t focus on it here in such a chaotic atmosphere."

Before I could respond, one of the actresses—who I didn’t even recognize—snapped as she stood up abruptly. "How dare you!" she sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. "Can’t you see the two big bosses are talking here? How dare you meddle with them?"

I felt my anger flare at her audacity, but I held back, keeping my focus on Claire, who didn’t even flinch.

"Pardon!?" Claire shot back, her voice laced with annoyance. Her eyes narrowed, clearly irritated by the actress’s interruption. "I didn’t think I was meddling! I simply said I couldn’t understand the terms of the contract, and I need more time to go over it. Moreover, my manager isn’t here with me."

The actress scoffed loudly, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Claire with contempt. The room grew colder as the tension between them thickened. I could feel my hands ball into fists, itching to throw that woman out of the room, but I held myself back. There was no need to step in—Claire could handle this herself.

This was one of the qualities I admired about her. She didn’t need anyone to fight her battles. When someone tried to disrespect her, she didn’t hesitate to put them in their place, with or without support. She was fierce in a way that I found both captivating and reassuring.

As the actress opened her mouth to respond, Claire raised a hand, cutting her off before she could speak. "It seems you misunderstand the situation," Claire said coolly, her voice calm but carrying an undeniable authority. "I was simply stating that I needed time. If that’s a problem for you, perhaps you should reconsider how you approach others."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. The actress seemed to shrink under Claire’s steady gaze as all her confidence seemed to be shattering.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride swelling inside me. Claire had a way of handling these things with such elegance and control. It was something I hadn’t seen many people do, and it made me respect her even more.

"If you are done reprimanding me, then... I would like to leave," Claire said, her voice calm but clearly laced with annoyance as she stood up with the contract in her hand, ready to walk away. Just as she moved toward the door, the producer spoke up, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I heard you were rude and had a trash personality," he sneered, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Claire. "But to think you were such a wench..."

The venom in his words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I could feel the control I had been desperately trying to maintain start to slip away. I took a step forward, anger boiling within me, but before I could say anything, Damian’s hand grabbed my shoulder, holding me back. He gestured for me to stay quiet.

I shot him a death glare, my fists clenched, but before I could act, I heard Claire’s voice—cold and deadly.

"Is that so?" Her tone was icy, her eyes glinting with something dangerous. I watched as her lips curled into a smirk, the kind that made everyone around her take a step back. "It seems you are very well informed about me," she continued, her voice growing sharper with every word. "Why don’t you tell me exactly how much of a trash personality I have? Or maybe you can tell me where you got that information. Perhaps from my previous workplace?"

She glanced at me for just a brief moment, the look in her eyes unreadable, before turning her full attention back to the producer. "Either way, this is who I am. If you have a problem with that, then please feel free to leave the project. I would much rather have my husband invest in this project on your behalf if you would prefer to step aside."

Her words hung in the air with a clear challenge in them. The producer seemed to falter, his mouth hanging open for a moment as he processed her response. There was a pin drop silence in the room, and even the other actresses were quiet, waiting to see how this would play out.

I stood there, watching Claire with a mix of admiration and awe. She had taken control of the situation without raising her voice, without even breaking a sweat. And she wasn’t afraid to use her influence—our influence—to get what she wanted.

But wait! Did she just mention her husband? Was that me? Was she talking about me? Me!?

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. My heart skipped a beat as I glanced at Claire, who, to my surprise, was already looking at me. The moment our eyes locked, she quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing a deep red. She seemed to avoid making eye contact, her movements a bit frantic as if trying to escape something.

What did she mean by that? Why would she say it like that? I needed to know that, and there was no way I could let this go.

She had just told Damian that everything between us was over and that there was nothing left. So why would she bring me up like that? Why would she mention me as her husband? I thought she never liked to be linked with me!

I refused to believe that she had someone else in her life, not like that. Not after everything we had been through. There was no way she could have moved on so quickly.

I took a step forward, determined to get some answers, but before I could say anything, Claire turned on her heels and hurried toward the door. Her pace quickened, almost like she was running away from me.

Claire! I almost called out, but she had already left. She didn’t even look back.

I could feel the frustration building up in me, but I couldn’t let her leave like this. I needed to know what she meant. I couldn’t let this confusion hang in the air.

Without thinking, I took a step toward her again, but she was already gone.

Damn it, Claire! Why are you doing this to me?

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