Chapter 11
“I’m just a lawyer, Mr. Lloyd. I’m not even friends with Ms. Carlson. Why would she tell me where she went?”
Finley didn’t believe Raoul. “No, you must know where she is. Tell me. Whatever you want,
I’ll give it to you.”
He yanked out his checkbook, scribbling frantic amounts and tearing off checks. “Ten thousand? Fifty? A hundred? A million?” His voice cracked. “Just tell me where she is, and it’s yours!”
Raoul didn’t flinch. “I don’t know where she is, Mr. Lloyd. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell
you. It’s my professional duty as her lawyer.”
“Duty? To hell with duty! With this much money, you can do whatever you want. Who cares about duty?”
Raoul’s expression stayed neutral. “Sorry, I really don’t know. And even if I did, you should understand–if Ms. Carlson is determined to divorce you, she’s not going to let herself be found. Why would she trust me with her location?”
“I get it.”
He collapsed onto the couch, defeated. “Raoul, you can go now.”
“Very well. Please sign the papers soon, Mr. Lloyd. Don’t make this harder than it needs to
be.”
With that, he left.
Not long after, Finley’s phone buzzed. His heart leapt. Claire?
“Claire!” he answered.
“Mr. Lloyd? This is Megan, Renee’s manager. She’s been in an accident and was rushed to the hospital. She’s asking to see you. Do you have time?”
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“An accident?” Finley frowned. He had no energy left for Renee or her endless drama. For the first time, he felt like choosing Claire over Renee–a choice he’d never made before.
“How bad is it?”
“Well…” Megan hesitated before continuing, “Pretty bad. You know how it is–Renee’s a celebrity. Any accident could be serious. If she ends up scarred, her career might be over. She’s been unconscious, calling for you. We didn’t know what else to do. If you’re available, could you come by?”
Finley let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll be there soon.”
After hanging up, he dragged himself to the hospital.
He braced for the worst, expecting Renee to be gravely injured. But when he opened the door to her room, there she was, sitting on the bed, perfectly fine, munching on an apple.
The moment she saw him, she jumped off the bed and ran over. “Finley, you’re here!”
He blinked at her. “Didn’t you get into an accident?”
“I did!” Renee pouted, pointing at a small bandage on her forehead. “Can’t you see? I hit my head. It hurt a lot.”
Finley’s gaze dropped to the tiny bandage, then flicked to Megan, who looked exasperated.
It hit him like a slap. He’d been tricked. “Why did you lie to me?”
“Lied to you? I did get into an accident! I got hurt, didn’t I?”
But she noticed something off. In the past, Finley would’ve rushed to her side, no questions asked. Today, Megan had to spin a whole story to get him here.
“You weren’t unconscious. You weren’t seriously injured. Just a tiny scrape, and you made me come all the way here?” Finley’s voice sharpened as he stepped closer.
Renee froze, her eyes filling with tears. “I just wanted to see you. Finley, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you so mad at me?”
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He grabbed her arm, eyes bloodshot. “Do you even get it? Claire and I… we lost our baby.”
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