Free Web NovelChapter 187: Who are you trying to investigate?
Clara’s eyes filled with tears ...
Her lips trembled as she leaned forward and hugged her mother, breaking into sobs.
"Mom, I love you ..."
Charlotte slowly rubbed her back, gently comforting her with steady strokes.
"Silly child, you ... don’t have to endure things like that," she said softly. "You have a family. You have us. No one can bully you while we’re around. We’ll always have your back."
Clara nodded against her.
If this had been before, she would have felt completely satisfied —content just being pampered like this.
However, now—
She simply couldn’t.
Their love and care ... weren’t hers alone.
They loved her. They cared for her.
But they also loved Adelyn. They cared for Adelyn too.
And sooner or later, they wouldn’t just pamper her—
they would pamper Adelyn the same way.
That thought alone made something inside her twist.
So, she had to make sure that never happened.
She needed to eliminate Adelyn completely.
As long as Adelyn never returned —everything here would belong to her.
And it should belong to her.
A dark glint of determination flashed across her eyes as those thoughts settled firmly in her mind.
She slowly pulled away from Charlotte’s embrace, sniffling lightly.
"I understand, Mom, but ..." she said, her voice soft, almost fragile. "But please don’t act on Maria’s words. She’s only speaking out of concern for me."
She lowered her gaze slightly before continuing,
"We don’t even know the actress who was selected. How can we judge her like that? She might truly be exceptional."
She sounded reasonable —almost convincing.
But the faint trace of reluctance and regret in her tone was impossible to miss.
Charlotte frowned.
Something about her daughter’s words didn’t sit right with her ...
She stood up and turned away slightly, her back half-facing Clara as her gaze hardened.
"You are too kind, Clara," she said firmly, "But not everyone deserves kindness."
Her eyes sharpened as she stared ahead, voice turning colder.
"Whether that new actress has talent or not —it doesn’t matter. What matters to me is your happiness."
"But Mom—"
"That’s enough, Clara," Charlotte cut her off.
She turned back, reaching out to cup her daughter’s face gently ...
"Let me handle this for you."
Clara didn’t argue further.
She simply nodded and leaned into her touch obediently.
"Mom, I won’t make you worry like this again."
"You better not," Charlotte said with a faint smile. "Just the thought of you lying here in the hospital shaved ten years off my life. I don’t even know how many more decades I have left."
Clara immediately lifted her head, frowning.
"Mom, what are you saying? You still have many decades ahead of you ... not a single day is being reduced. I’ll have you with me for my entire life. I’m not letting you go anywhere."
She leaned forward and hugged her again, pressing her face against her stomach.
Charlotte froze slightly at that.
The thought of a future where she wouldn’t be around her daughter—
It unsettled her deeply.
She had already missed more than ten years of Clara’s life ...
Another ten years —she couldn’t even imagine it.
"Alright ... alright," Charlotte said softly, stroking her hair. "I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay with you forever. Now lie down and rest properly."
She gently pulled her away and eased her back onto the bed.
Carefully adjusting the covers around her, she turned to Matilda.
"Go and ask them to bring freshly prepared porridge for her."
Matilda nodded, and left quietly.
Charlotte remained seated beside Clara, gently stroking her hair, her gaze filled with motherly affection that she had always carried for her.
Before long, Clara’s breathing evened out, her eyes closed as if she had fallen asleep.
Charlotte watched her for a moment—
And then, her gaze changed.
A faint trace of longing flickered in her eyes ... something deeply familiar.
But she quickly closed her eyes, forcing that emotion down, suppressing it completely.
When she opened them again, that softness was gone.
What remained was certainty. freёwebnovel.com
She looked at the daughter lying beside her.
She had one daughter with her now—
And she wouldn’t allow her to be disappointed again.
Reaching out, she gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from Clara’s face.
Even in sleep, Clara looked pale ... fragile.
And when Charlotte thought about what had caused all this—
It felt utterly insignificant.
One movie. One role.
How could something like that ever matter more than her daughter?
But if it mattered this much to Clara—
Then she wouldn’t let her suffer for it.
Her expression hardened.
In a colder, more resolute tone, she asked,
"Who is the actress that was chosen over her?"
Maria shifted slightly where she stood.
She glanced toward Clara —who now appeared to be asleep.
When Charlotte didn’t receive an answer, she turned to look at her directly.
Maria immediately straightened.
Usually, Charlotte’s demeanor wasn’t intimidating.
But at that moment—
There was something in her gaze that made Maria’s chest tighten.
"Madam Scott, she..." Maria hesitated.
That hesitation only deepened the crease between Charlotte’s brows.
"You were speaking just fine a moment ago," Charlotte said, her voice still soft but noticeably sharper. "Why are you stuttering now? Are you hiding something?"
Maria swallowed.
Her face paled slightly before she quickly shook her head.
"No... I—I’m just not sure how to explain it."
"Then explain what I asked," Charlotte said matter-of-factly. "Who is the actress they chose over my Clara?"
"She ... she’s no one."
Even as she said it, Maria felt the answer sounded weak.
How could she explain when she herself didn’t know?
She only knew that some unknown actress had been chosen over Clara Scott.
"No one?" Charlotte repeated slowly. "What does that even mean? Weren’t you just talking as if you knew her?"
Maria felt her throat tighten.
She—she ...
"Madam Scott, no one really knows who she is yet," she said, trying to steady her voice. "All we know is that she’s a newcomer who auditioned and was selected. She has no reputation. Even ZX Media hasn’t publicly acknowledged any association with her."
"Someone like that ..." Maria added quietly, "how could she even compare to Ms. Scott?"
Charlotte’s expression darkened.
This time, Maria’s words didn’t convince her as easily as before.
But when her gaze shifted back to Clara—
She couldn’t help but believe them.
"If she can’t stand in comparison to my Clara," Charlotte said coldly, "then I won’t let her stand at all."
She turned to Maria with finality.
"Find out who she is. I want her details."
"What details, Mom?"
Liam’s voice cut in through the room, making Charlotte pause.
She turned toward the door—
Only to see him standing there, watching her intently ...
"Who’re you trying to investigate?" he asked again, his brows drawn into a serious frown.
