No Strings Attached

Chapter 351

Ian’s sculpted fingers pinched Clara’s chin, his lips curling into a smirk as he gazed at her. “I was just trying to help you get the sleep out of your eyes. What did you think I was up to, huh?” He gently rubbed the corner of her eye, a low hum of pleasure escaping from his throat.

Clara’s cheeks blazed a furious red as she stammered, “You...”

The sight of her all puffed up with indignation only deepened the smile on Ian’s lips. “If you wish, Mrs. Hayes, I can bear the pain to satisfy you, and if not, I can still make you...”

Clara immediately clamped her hand over his mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. “If you say another word, I’m done with you.”

Ian’s tongue playfully flicked against her palm before he took her hand and led her towards the hospital room. “Enough teasing. Let’s go check on Casey.”

Hand in hand, they entered the room. They arrived just in time to see Anders reading Casey’s will to him.

Clara quickly snatched the document away. “Dad, what are you doing? Why are you drafting a will all of a sudden?”

Still weak from surgery, Casey explained with frail breath, “Clara, you and Ian are about to get married. I’ve deposited a cool billion in your account and prepared jewelry for you, all safe in our home vault. After I’m gone, the rest of my assets are all yours. If I don’t set this straight, your grandma might take it all, and you’d be left with nothing.”

“So the other day when she called you over, she was pressuring you to make a will, to get all the assets for herself?”

“When I left Bell International, I only took my own shares. My assets have nothing to do with the Bell family, and nobody should set their sights on them. They’re all for you.”

Hearing this, Clara’s eyes grew misty. She took her father’s hand, comforting him, “Dad, I don’t need any of it. I just want you to be okay. Once you’re a bit stronger, we’ll leave all this behind.”

Ian could tell Casey wasn’t telling the whole truth. He patted Clara’s shoulder and said, “He’s just being cautious. Nothing’s going to happen. Don’t worry. I’ll stay with him for a bit. You go over the will in detail with Anders in the next room.”

Once Anders and Clara had left, Ian asked, “Dad, did Eva force you to do this using Clara’s identity?” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Tears welled up in Casey’s eyes. “She heard from someone that Clara isn’t my daughter and even did a paternity test in secret. She claims Clara shouldn’t inherit my estate. She even compelled me to make a will, leaving everything to her. Otherwise, she’d tell Clara about her origins. Ian, if Clara finds out Paolo is her biological father, she won’t be able to handle it. I fear the shock would harm her, especially now that she’s pregnant. I never imagined my illness to not only risk Clara losing the child but also almost take you from us. I feel like a burden to you both.”

Casey thought about the immense pressure Clara had endured while he was sick, and it cut him to the core. Tears trickled down his cheeks.

Ian’s handsome face hardened with a cold resolve upon hearing this. Eve knew her son had a heart condition and how crucial Clara was to him, yet she deliberately provoked him. Clearly, she had been manipulated.

The question was whether it was Paolo or someone else behind it.

Just then, Ian’s phone buzzed to life. He saw the caller ID and immediately answered.

Edwin’s deep voice came through the phone. “Ian, I’ve checked. Your mom, Leonora, met with Eve before Mr. Casey’s incident.”