No Strings Attached

Chapter 149

lan stared at Clara, a mix of frustration and wounded pride etched across his face. “Clara, my wound has split open again. Help me change the bandage, and I’ll get out of your hair,” he pleaded.

Clara had never pegged lan as the clingy type. To her, he was always detached. and aloof, unless between the sheets.

Once upon a time, she was the one doing the chasing. How the tables had turned. Now he was the one acting like a desperate ex.

Biting her lip with irritation, Clara snapped, “There’s a community clinic two blocks down, on the right. Get yourself patched up there.” She shoved his suitcases outside the door, followed briskly by lan himself, and with an emphatic slam, the door closed behind him.

lan stared at his belongings, scattered on the doorstep. The sting of rejection was burning within him.

Just then, the door across the hallway creaked open, and out stepped Ryker, leaning nonchalantly against the frame, dressed head–to–toe in effortlessly cool leisurewear. A smirk played on his lips. “Well, well, if it isn’t my invincible cousin. What’s the matter? Ms. Clara kicked you to the curb?”

Already fuming, lan bristled at Ryker’s taunt. With a steely gaze, he retorted, “Your dad called me, Ryker. He wants me to school you in the art of running a business. I wasn’t keen on babysitting, but now, I’ve decided you’re starting at my office tomorrow.”

Ryker chuckled dismissively. “Why would I want to do that? I’m not sick in the head. Being Clara’s bodyguard is the sweet gig – there’s good company, good food, and she even pays me, not to

mention the threads she picks up for me. Running some stuffy company? No thanks. Whoever wants that headache is welcome to it. I couldn’t care less about the family empire.”

The Millers were old money in Riddleton, a family with a storied legacy. And Ryker was their sole heir, a rebel who marched to the beat of his own drum, never heeding anyone’s advice. His parents had hoped a stint in the military would straighten him out, but all it did was add an edge to his defiance.

lan’s face soured at Ryker’s careless words. “She’s your cousin–in–law, it’s her

job to look after you. Don’t mention it. And if you’re ever short on cash, I’ll foot the bill.”

Ryker’s cavalier expression turned to one of shock. “lan, have some shame, will you? Clara dumped you ages ago. Cousin–in–law? Get over yourself!”

lan’s lips curled into a smug grin at Ryker’s outrage. He summoned Dawson to collect his luggage. NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.

Meanwhile, Clara, having gathered herself, joined Ryker to head downstairs. In her hurry, she almost collided with the movers. She quickly apologized and glanced up to see them carrying a leather sofa set – the very one she’d admired last month, intending to place it in lan’s villa. How quickly times changed, she thought. Her eyes darkened as she slipped into her car.

Settling in, Clara pulled out some documents and began to review them. Today, she was representing an elderly woman in a case of neglect. The plaintiff, a mother in her seventies, had single–handedly raised three sons only to be abandoned in her twilight years, scraping by on what she could salvage from garbage bins.

Clara had stumbled upon this heartbreaking scene on the street and had volunteered to take on the mother’s case pro bono. The story had already made the rounds on the internet, with the ungrateful sons lambasting Clara for meddling.

The case had become a social media sensation, drawing the public’s eye. With her sharp wit and commanding presence, Clara left the sons speechless in court. The judge ultimately proposed a fair support plan, thanks to Clara’s efforts.

Her advocacy made headlines once again, and she found herself in the spotlight, even landing an interview with a national television network. Her reputation as a champion for the underdog was only growing stronger.