Free Web NovelChapter 62: Chapter 62: Getting Goosebumps from Her Touch
’How long has it been since I last saw him?’
Although Damien Vaughn had never officially admitted they were boyfriend and girlfriend, he had indeed done a great deal for Claire Clark and the Clark Family.
He arranged for her to study abroad, paid for her living expenses every month, and even got her a job at Central Hospital after she returned to the country...
After all these thoughtful gestures, one after another, Claire had genuinely fallen in love with him. She hoped to marry him and thought about him constantly, madly.
’But now that I finally get to see him...’
Since coming back, she had seen him three times, and he had grown colder with each meeting. Claire didn’t know what had gone wrong, and her heart ached.
She couldn’t help but question him, her voice thick with unshed tears.
"Damien, how can you talk to me like this? Do you really not want to see me that badly? I miss you so much. I think about you like crazy every day. I finally worked up the courage to come find you, but you..."
Having a woman whine tearfully in his ear when he was already on edge was enough to drive a man insane.
Damien Vaughn was in no mood to listen to her heartfelt confessions. He irritably yanked open his desk drawer, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one right in front of her.
"So you came all this way just to tell me this?"
"I..."
Claire wanted to get angry and act coquettishly, but she couldn’t bring herself to be mad.
Damien Vaughn was just too handsome.
Whether he was being gentle with her, cold toward her, or acting as he was now—arrogant and impossibly cool—he was always breathtakingly handsome.
The entire room was practically overflowing with his palpable masculinity. Claire was completely mesmerized by his face. Watching his thin, sexy lips as he exhaled a puff of smoke, she instantly suppressed her feelings of grievance.
"Can’t I? You’ve been so good to me and done so much for my family. Isn’t it only natural that I miss you?"
"We’ve known each other for so many years. You’re all I ever think about, and you know it."
Damien Vaughn was also staring at Claire Clark.
Her looks, figure, and complexion were admittedly not bad, but her personality was definitely not his type.
After that impulsive night, he had tried for so many years. He had done his best, but he truly couldn’t bring himself to accept her.
Besides, he had already compensated her so much. It was time to say goodbye.
"You’re right, Claire Clark. I haven’t treated you badly, nor your family. But it was only one night. After all these years, I’d say my compensation has been more than enough. So, don’t come looking for me anymore. Get married, find a boyfriend, do whatever you want. You don’t need to fill your head with thoughts of me."
’What?’
The words struck Claire like a bolt of lightning.
Damien Vaughn was telling her not to look for him anymore, to go find a boyfriend?
’Is... is he trying to cut ties with me? Why?’
A sharp pain pierced her heart, and tears welled up uncontrollably. Claire’s voice trembled.
"Did I hear you wrong? What are you saying, Damien? Why can’t I come see you anymore? Why should I go find someone else? Are you dumping me?"
"Did I... did I do something wrong? I’m sorry. Maybe sometimes I was a bit too dramatic trying to get your attention, but please believe me, I didn’t do it on purpose! I just wanted you to look at me more!"
"Please, don’t be mad at me. I’ll change! I know I was wrong. As long as you let me stay by your side, I’ll change anything!"
Before, she had been feisty and a bit dramatic. While Damien Vaughn hadn’t liked it, he’d at least found her personality straightforward, somewhat normal.
But now, with her crying and begging, utterly devoid of self-respect, Damien found her even more repulsive.
He really didn’t want to look at her for another second. Damien Vaughn pulled over a chair, sat down, and flicked the ash from his cigarette.
"We’ve known each other for so long, Claire Clark, yet you still don’t understand me."
"If I haven’t thought something through, I, Damien Vaughn, would never come to a conclusion. And once I have, it’s impossible to change it."
"Crying and carrying on won’t work on me. It only makes me look down on you."
"..." Claire was so frightened she immediately choked back her tears.
’Damien isn’t himself today. He’s radiating a murderous aura; he clearly has something on his mind. I used the wrong strategy. I shouldn’t have tried the tear-jerker routine on him right now.’
’When a man’s in a good mood, anything is negotiable. When he’s not... I should probably wait until he’s in a better mood to bring this up again.’
’I worked so hard to latch onto him. My whole family already considers me the Young Madam of the Vaughn Family. There’s no way I, Claire Clark, am letting him go this easily.’
Composing herself, Claire walked toward him.
"It’s only because I care about you so much that I couldn’t control my tears. Okay, okay. You don’t like it, so I’ll stop. I’m not crying anymore."
"Damien, have you been under a lot of stress at work lately? You look exhausted. I know some acupressure points that can help you feel refreshed and relaxed. Let me give you a massage."
’Didn’t I just tell her to stay away from me? Why is she getting closer?’
Damien Vaughn was about to impatiently shoo her away again when Claire reached his side and placed her hands on his head.
"Don’t be mad. Just for a few minutes. Close your eyes and lean back to rest. I won’t say a word. I’ll just massage your head for a few minutes, and then I’ll leave."
"Damien, please. You’ve done so much for me, and I can never help you with anything. Just let me do this little thing for you."
As she spoke, her fingers, like a cat’s paws, slipped into Damien Vaughn’s hair and began to knead softly.
Damien Vaughn only felt his scalp tingle unpleasantly. Goosebumps broke out all over his body, and his stomach churned. He shot to his feet.
"Ryan!"
Ryan rushed into the office. "President Vaughn!"
"Show our guest out! And from now on, Miss Clark is not to be allowed in the company without my express permission!" frёewebnoѵēl.com
"Yes, President Vaughn!"
Ryan looked as if he’d been waiting for this command for a long time. The moment Damien Vaughn finished speaking, he extended a hand toward Claire Clark, his expression impassive.
"Miss Clark, if you please."
Claire Clark tightly clutched a strand of Damien Vaughn’s hair between her fingers. Seeing his cold, ruthless expression, her heart soured with bitterness as she ran out of the president’s office.
Ryan followed close behind, closing the office door for Damien Vaughn. He had just turned around when Claire blocked his path.
"Ryan, what’s with President Vaughn today? Why is he in such a foul mood? This is infuriating!"
Ryan maintained his deadpan expression. "How would I know what the president is thinking?"
"You’re his assistant! Isn’t it your job to be by his side and take care of him every day? How could you not know?!"
This was what Ryan disliked most about Claire Clark: she acted as if she were already the president’s wife, ordering him around and shouting at him at the drop of a hat.
It was as if she were born his superior.
Unlike Miss Archer, who would thank you repeatedly just for handing her a glass of water.
"Mm. I don’t know. So what are you going to do about it, Miss Clark? Fire me?"
"You..."
’He knows perfectly well I don’t have that kind of power. Isn’t he just saying that to piss me off?’
’It’s true what they say: a tiger stranded on the plains gets bullied by dogs!’
’When Damien Vaughn was good to me, this little assistant had to do whatever I told him!’
’We haven’t even officially broken up, and he already dares to talk to me in this tone?’
’Just you wait! Sooner or later, I will be Mrs. Vaughn! And when that day comes, you’ll be the first one I fire!’
Claire Clark stomped away angrily in her high heels.
The first thing she did after getting into her car was call an old classmate who worked at a private hospital.
"I need you to run a DNA test for me. And make it fast."
