No Strings Attached

Chapter 171

After dinner, Anders walked Clara back to her hotel. Standing at the door of her room, he finally mustered the courage to ask, “Clara, about what I mentioned last time, have you given it any thought?”

Clara hesitated. As she was about to speak, a deep, resonant voice called from behind. “Attorney Clara, do you have a moment? There’s a follow–up issue with my case Id like to discuss with you*

lan approached them, clad in black, his expression stic. His eyes betrayed no emotion, and his demeanor was polite yet distant. Anders clenched his jaw in frustration. He knew lan was doing this on purpose, trying to prevent Clara from agreeing to be with him. He shot lan a cold look and scoffed, “Mr. Hayes, aren’t you aware that Clara hasn’t had a decent night’s rest for days because of your case? Even capitalists should know better than to grind their workers into the ground.”

lan had never been this much of a gentleman before. He nodded politely at Anders. “My apologies, the matter is urgent and relates to my privacy. I must ask Attorney Anders to excuse us.”

Fuming, Anders clenched his fists. He knew that if the issue truly was about lan’s private case, which had been held in closed court, he shouldn’t be present.

Clara, ever composed, glanced at Anders and said, “Anders, I’ll give you an answer about that when I get back. I do need to discuss some things with him.”

Anders nodded and said, “Don’t stay up too late. I’ll pick you up for the airport tomorrow.”

As Anders disappeared into the elevator, a smug look flickered in lan’s eyes. Once inside the room, lan dropped the pretense. He eyed the bracelet on Clara’s wrist and remarked. “That bracelet

doesn’t suit you. It’s too matronly for a young lady. Let me help you take it aff.”

Without effort, he removed the bracelet from her wrist and swiftly replaced it with a sparkling diamond bracelet. The stones glistened under the light, making Clara’s wrist look even more delicate and beautiful.

lan observed her with an emotion that was hard to describe, as if admiring a piece of art. “Clara, don’t get involved with Anders. He’s been deceiving you all along. He claims to have liked you for seven years, but who knows, he might have kids behind your back by now. Unlike me, I’ve only ever been with you, and I only want to have children with you.”

Clara’s gaze was icy as she replied, “If that’s the urgent matter you had to discuss, then please leave. My personal life is none of your concern. I’ve already accepted your legal fees; I don’t need this bracelet.”

With that, she unclasped the bracelet, stuffed it into lan’s pocket, and opened the door with a gesture for him to leave.

Instead of taking the hint to leave, lan casually took a seat on the sofa. Moments ago, he had been full of passio. Now, he was all business.

“Nobody has seen my body except for you, so why does Helena know so much? Don’t you find that odd, Attomey Clara?”

“Are you accusing me?”

“Of course not. How could you betray me when you love me so much?”

His tone was casual, but the way he lingered on the words “you love me so much was deliberately provocative, causing Clara to frown slightly, a hint of red coloring her ears.

lan noticed these subtle changes and pretended to accidentally touch Clara’s ear, saying in a normal tone, “Is the air conditioning off? Your ears have turned red.”

Clara inwardly cursed and quickly regained her composure.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was shocked.

lan’s eyes, which had been gazing at Clara with deep affection, suddenly darkened, a crimson hue seeping into his gaze. His voice came out ice-cold, “Then let her jump.”

Dawson, wiping sweat from his brow, spoke with urgency, “Mr. Hayes, the situation is quite complicated. There’s a press group at the hospital today, and Ms. Heidi’s episode has gone viral. You’re in the eye of the storm now.”

lan’s forehead throbbed with tense veins, his fists clenched tight as if holding back a storm. His eyes locked onto Clara. He could see the shift in her the moment Grandma Rose posed her question. Hope flickered in Clara’s eyes, a subtle but telling sign.

fan strode over to Clara and bent down, his intense gaze boring into hers. “Clara, regarding Grandma Rose’s question, I’d like to hear your answer.”

Clara lowered her lashes, veiling all the tumultuous emotions swirling in her eyes. A faint smile played at the corner of her lips as she spoke softly, “lan, life is at stake here. Go handle it. The overseas case has already cost Hayes Corporation dearly, and you can’t afford any more scandals right now. You need to think of the bigger picture.” Text © by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

Her words carried layers of meaning. lan’s eyes blazed with a red fury as he understood her implication. “Clara, trust me, I’ll take care of everything. Wait for me to get back.”

Rose, seething with indignation, muttered, “Heidi is not like her mother May at all, always creating a spectacle. lan must have owed her something in a past life.”

Clara responded with a soothing smile, “Grandma, let’s not worry too much. How about some dinner? After all, we need to keep up our strength.” She picked up a bowl of food and handed it to Rose.

Rose, touched by Clara’s sensibility, sighed affectionately, “Clara, no matter what happens, I am on your side.”

By the time lan reached the rooftop, a crowd had already gathered. Many were filming with their phones.

Heidi stood on the edge, crying and calling out lan’s name. When she saw lan’s grim expression, her cries grew even more pitiful. “lan, I know you don’t care for me, but I just want to be by your side. Please don’t ignore me. If even you turn away from me, life has no meaning.” As she spoke, she feigned a step closer to the edge.

Paolo rushed to lan’s side, tears streaming down his face, pleading, “lan, please save Heidi. She risked her life to save you once. If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have lost the chance to become a mother. If she could have had children, she wouldn’t be suffering from severe depression now. Please, for the sake of me and the debt you owe her, grant her request.”

The bystanders, including the reporters, were stirred by Paolo’s words, and the public’s judgment turned toward lan.

“She can’t have children because of you, how can you reject her? That’s so heartless.”

“How much must a woman love you to do such a thing, and yet you don’t appreciate it?”

lan’s face darkened with anger, unaccustomed to being so publicly admonished. He glared at Heidi with a chilling gaze and spoke in a voice that terrified her. “You have one chance. Are you coming up or not?”

Heidi was frightened by his intimidating presence, but she needed to see this through for her own sake. Through tears, she shook her head. “lan, my life’s purpose is you. If you don’t care for me, then I’m better off dead. It’ll make things easier for you and Clara.” With those words, she edged another step forward. One more move and she would plummet to her death.

The crowd gasped in horror. From ten stories high, a fall would mean certain death.

Suddenly, a voice from the crowd shouted at lan, “What are you waiting for? Save her already, even if you have to lie to get her off the edge!