Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 254

Clara felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as she noticed all the staff on the top floor watching her and

Simon's tic entrance.

Simon kicked open the CEO's office door with one swift motion. There was Dylan, sitting calmly at his desk like

nothing in the world could ruffle him. Simon let out a mocking laugh and slammed the door shut, blocking out

the curious eyes from outside.

Releasing Clara's hand, Simon turned to her with a challenging glare. "Go on, spill it! You said Dylan isn't your

boyfriend. So who was the guy last night, huh? Who was making you feel so good?"

Clara pressed her lips together, her face turning a deep shade of red. Simon always had a knack for humiliating

her in front of Dylan.

Dylan, engrossed in his paperwork, seemed completely uninterested in their squabble.

Simon, irritated by Dylan's cool demeanor, snatched the files from his hands. "Dylan, was it you with Clara last

night?"

Clara's anxiety spiked at Simon's confrontational stance. She worried Dylan might react as he had once before

with Lincoln-calmly but decisively, maybe even lethally.

Simon might be a fool, but he didn't deserve to die. Clara yanked him back towards her. "Mr. Dylan, I'm sorry |

couldn't stop him."

Dylan paused, pen hovering over the paper, and glanced at Clara's protective stance in front of Simon. For a

brief moment, he caught a glimmer of caution in her eyes.

Without looking at her again, Dylan smoothly retrieved the stolen documents. "Has your boyfriend ever seen you

defend another man like this?"

Clara's previous boldness crumbled at his words, replaced by a creeping sense of guilt.

Dylan continued signing the papers at a leisurely pace. "Especially when that man used to be your fiancé."

Clara felt her confidence wane further, but Simon suddenly spoke up with smug satisfaction.

"Ha! So what if Clara is siding with me? It's obvious she cares aboutand doesn't wantto suffer Dylan's

wrath. Seems like Clara's boyfriend isn't you after all, Dylan. | thought you were more impressive than that.

Guess you couldn't outmaneuver another man, huh?"

Simon felt triumphant, convinced now that Dylan wasn't Clara's mystery man. Could it be someone she met on

the outside?

If that were the case, Simon thought, such a guy would be easy to deal with. He planned to uncover this mystery

man's identity-if he was just a waiter, Simon would offer him a substantial sum to disappear from Clara's life,

paving the way for himself to step in and make Dylan envious.

The more Simon thought about it, the more optimistic he becabout his prospects.

Feeling quite pleased, he grabbed Clara's hand again. "Clara, con. | have new evidence to show you."

Clara shook off his hand. "I'm still at work."

Simon glanced at Dylan, his smugness returning. "Fine, I'll wait for you to finish. By the way, what does your

boyfriend look like? Why doesn't he want to be seen with you? Is he too ugly? You should think about your future

kids. If you pick an ugly guy, you'll have ugly kids."

Clara was too exasperated to respond and left the office without another word.

Simon, buoyed by his own confidence, felt that getting rid of Clara's unattractive waiter boyfriend was only a

matter of time.

He was convinced that Clara's taste in partners had shifted, either due to past trauma or a subconscious belief

that attractive men weren't trustworthy.

He was about to follow Clara when Dylan's voice stopped him.

"The project in New Haven, you're going."

Simon halted. New Haven? What backwater place was that?

"I'm not going anywhere, Dylan. Don't think | don't know what you're up to. You want Clara's boyfriend gone, just

like I do. I've always been ahead of you, and this twill be no different. Even if you go to Grandpa, it won't

matter. | couldn't care less about the Ferguson family fortune."

Without that concern, no one could control him.

Dylan raised an eyebrow, setting his pen down. His tone remained calm and indifferent. "No wonder she's not

interested in you."

Simon's pride was wounded. Among the younger Fergusons, he was indeed the least ambitious. He'd once only

dreamed of marrying Quinn, and now he was scheming to win Clara over.

His face flushed with anger, contemplating whether he should focus on his career first. Maybe then Clara would

see him in a better light.

But the sight of Dylan's face snapped him back to reality.

"Even if | focus on my career, it'll be after I've won Clara over. You're just trying to get rid of me, and I'm not

falling for it. Within a month, Clara will break up with that ugly boyfriend, and you won't stand a chance."

With that, Simon marched out, feeling a renewed determination. Seeing Clara busy at her desk, he couldn't help

but wonder why he hadn't noticed her allure before. He must have been blind.

He wanted to approach her, but seeing the reluctance on her face, he knew he was currently unwelcome.

Perhaps it was better to gather more evidence about the car accident. Once he had something substantial, Clara

would surely look at him with admiration.

Buoyed by this thought, Simon was filled with motivation.

However, as soon as he arrived at his destination, he was ambushed. A bag was thrown over his head, and

before he could react, a brutal beating ensued.

The attackers were swift and ruthless, stopping short of killing him but leaving him battered and unable to get

out of bed for the foreseeable future.

His back, still healing from a previous punishment, was now reopened, and he lost consciousness from the pain.