No Strings Attached

Chapter 379

Hearing her voice, Casey shuddered, his face ghostly pale as he looked at her.

After a moment of awkward silence, he finally spoke, "I couldn't sleep. I just needed some fresh air. Why are you up? Hurry back to bed. It's chilly down here."

Casey tried to usher Clara back to her room, but she sidestepped him. Her gaze fixed on her father's evasive eyes, she asked, "Dad, where's Ian? Has something happened?"

Casey forced a smile, "What could happen to him? He just had to take care of some business at the company. He'll be back once it's sorted. Don't worry, go back to sleep."

Clara's suspicion only grew. Her father was insistent on sending her upstairs, clearly hiding something from her. "Dad, where's my phone? I want to call Ian and see what he's up to."

Casey immediately brushed her off, "You shouldn't be on your phone this late. It's not good for the baby. Ian's fine, you'll see him first thing in the morning. Now, go to bed."

As he spoke, Casey wrapped an arm around Clara's shoulders, guiding her upstairs. In a swift move, while he was distracted, Clara snatched the phone from his pocket.

As the screen lit up, the first thing she saw was a live feed of a smoky, fiery scene. The comments scrolling across the stream hit her like a blast of icy wind. She clenched the phone tightly as the messages buzzed by, but she still saw them.

Prayers for Ian's safety filled the chat, and the burning building was none other than the Hayes family estate.

Tears welled up in Clara's eyes as she looked at Casey with a heated gaze. "Dad, take me to the Hayes family estate."

Realizing he could no longer conceal the truth, Casey comforted her, "Clara, it's dangerous there now. You have to believe in Ian. He escaped the war zones of Africa. A fire won't stop him. Come upstairs with me. Keeping you and the baby safe is his top priority."

"Dad, please, just take me there. I'll keep the baby safe. I just need to see him."

"Clara, this fire was set on purpose. I'm afraid they want you and Ian out of the picture. Don't fall for their trap." Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

"Dad, if it's intentional, that's all the more reason I won't let them win. I have to bring Ian back."

Casey knew he couldn't sway his daughter. He patted her shoulder, "Once we're there, you do as you're told and stay away from danger, alright?"

Clara held back the tears in her eyes, nodding repeatedly. She knew Ian was in danger and the Hayes Corporation was facing a crisis. She couldn't just stand by.

On the way to the Hayes family estate, she got the full story of what had happened. When she learned it was Leonora who had set the fire, she clenched her teeth in anger.

She stepped out of the car and didn't rush to the scene of the fire as Casey had expected. Instead, she calmly approached Teo and commanded, "Teo, lock down the scene. Don't let anyone slip away."

Seeing her arrive, Teo expressed his concern, "Clara, what are you doing here? You need to go back."

"Teo, there's a mole in the Hayes family. We need to root them out, or who knows what could happen later."

Recognizing her resolve, Teo sighed and said, "It's already locked down. All the staff of the Hayes estate are under control, but there's still no word from Ian."

Clara turned her gaze toward the ruins of the Crimson Manor, the pain in her eyes unmistakable. Her throat ached unbearably as she looked at the remains, her voice hoarse and low, "Ian, if you leave me and our child, I will never forgive you."