Tempting Him to Lose Control

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Rest Assured, I’ll Never Come Back

Miles Warren’s thin lips tightened, but he didn’t respond.

From this angle, however, Claire Kendall could clearly see the tips of his ears slowly turning red.

The iodine stung as it touched the back of her hand. Claire instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but he held it fast.

He said in a low voice, "Don’t move."

Claire whimpered, deliberately feigning a pout. "Then be gentle. You’re clearly getting back at me."

Miles didn’t say anything, but his movements became a little more gentle. After he finished treating her hand, he poured her a glass of warm water.

"I’ve already called the police. After they investigate and collect evidence, building management will come clean up the mess outside."

His tone was calm and methodical. "You’ve had a scare. It’s best if you go to the police station tomorrow to give a formal statement."

"Remember to bring the footage from your smart lock’s camera. There’s a high probability it captured the person’s face."

In just half an hour, Miles had already arranged everything that needed to be done.

"Have you offended anyone recently?" he asked, his gaze serious.

Claire thought about it seriously and shook her head.

’Even someone like Jacob Sinclair wouldn’t stoop to such a vicious, underhanded tactic. Besides, I’ve moved, and I’ve never told anyone my new address at Regency Gardens.’

The image of the poor little cat and the bloody note flashed through her mind again, unbidden... Her heart clenched, and a chill ran down her spine.

"Don’t overthink it," Miles said softly. "The police will catch them."

"Dr. Warren, thank you for letting me stay here tonight."

"Get some rest."

"Good night, Dr. Warren." Claire went into the guest bedroom as if she’d been there a dozen times before.

Miles walked out to the balcony, made a call, and kept his voice low.

"Yes, it’s at my place. Apartment 502, across the hall."

"Look into it and send me what you find."

The next morning, when Claire woke up, Miles had already left for the hospital.

She reached for her phone and saw several unread text messages on the lock screen.

[Breakfast is in the microwave. Don’t go running around for the next few days, and especially avoid construction sites or raw material markets. I have to volunteer at a clinic. I’ll be back in two days.]

Concise and to the point—his classic, no-nonsense style.

But between the lines, she could feel his concern for her.

’Is this... progress?’

Claire replied.

[Okay, I’ll be good.] She added a cute, obedient-looking sticker.

She put her phone away.

Not working was pretty much out of the question. The textile factory in Wexall Village was still waiting for her site inspection.

Claire quickly gathered her things. Before she could leave, she got a call from the police station. They had caught a suspect.

Claire rushed over to give her statement.

A middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a delivery driver’s uniform, was trembling all over as he was being questioned.

"I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything... Someone hired me online. They gave me ten thousand yuan to leave that bag at the door."

"Here are the chat logs. It’s all here." The man handed over his phone, shivering.

The police investigated and found that the person had used a VPN and an overseas account. The money had also been transferred via cryptocurrency, leaving no trail.

The man’s face was pale. "Officer, miss, I just had a moment of weakness! I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone."

The police officer said to Claire, "We will continue to track them down. We’ll notify you as soon as we have any news."

"Thank you."

The officer added, "By the way, remember to let Dr. Warren know about the update. He was very concerned."

Claire was taken aback. "You know him?"

"Of course. He operated on my father last year. He’s a highly skilled doctor and a good person."

"He’s just a bit cold, is all. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him so concerned about a young woman. He came down here himself late last night to check on the situation."

Claire’s ears grew hot.

After leaving the police station, she sent a message to Miles.

[Dr. Warren, everything at the police station is all taken care of now. Thank you again.]

She added a cute sticker of a "bowing kitten."

*Nuzzle, nuzzle*~

He replied quickly.

[Mm]

Just one word.

Claire stared at the screen, a slow smile spreading across her lips.

’Looks like the old-fashioned man isn’t so impregnable after all...’

After leaving the police station, she headed to the Sinclair Design department.

Jacob Sinclair was reviewing the latest design report.

The man was impeccably dressed in a suit, his expression cold and severe. His eyes swept over her, lingering for a moment on her bandaged arm.

His voice was cold and arrogant. "So you do remember you have a job to come to?"

"Your arm," he said, tilting his chin toward it. "What happened?"

Claire didn’t want to waste her breath on him and tried to walk past.

Jacob stepped forward, blocking her path, his brow tightly furrowed.

"I asked you, what happened? What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said I won’t die. No need for Mr. Sinclair to trouble himself."

"Claire Kendall!" Jacob’s suppressed anger finally ignited. "Do you have to speak to me with such sarcasm? What good does it do you to provoke me?"

"You’re not a child. You don’t need to resort to these kinds of tricks to get my attention."

His voice softened, and his tone became a little gentler. "Since you’re injured, go home and get some proper rest. I’ll handle things here at the design department."

Claire stopped in her tracks, her expression icy and impatient.

"Mr. Sinclair, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here to work."

She enunciated every word.

"I’m here to move my things. The stuff I packed up from my office last time was put in storage. I’m here for the key."

A storm of emotions surged through Jacob.

"Claire Kendall, I’ve already given you full responsibility for the Crescent collaboration. What more do you want?"

"Just humble yourself a little before me. You can have any office you want in Sinclair Tower. Whatever resources you need, I can give them to you."

Seeing her standing there in silence, Jacob felt a flicker of panic, which he quickly suppressed.

"Don’t tell me you actually want to go to that godforsaken place, Wexall Village?

"Claire Kendall, you need to think this through. Once you walk out of Sinclair Group’s doors, it won’t be so easy to come back!"

Claire didn’t even turn her head.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Sinclair. I’ll never be back in this lifetime."

She took the key and left Sinclair Design.

When it came to matters of the heart, she was never one to drag things out.

Wendy White helped Claire move her things back to Regency Gardens.

"Claire, let me go with you. Your hand..."

"Don’t worry. I’ve chartered a car. It’s a same-day round trip."

’I can’t let Miles know,’ she thought. ’Around him, I have to be a model patient who follows the doctor’s orders to a T.’

「The rural outskirts west of Aethel」

The skyscrapers disappeared, replaced by low-slung residential houses. The roads became bumpy and uneven.

The textile factory was even more remote than she had imagined. The driver followed the GPS for a long time trying to find it.

Mottled red-brick walls, rickety power lines... it was hard to imagine that this was the former site of Sinclair Design.

The iron gate was rusted. Claire pushed it open. The space inside was large, but it was incredibly hot and dimly lit.

A few elderly men and women sat by the windows, hunched over as they cut fabric. Beside them, old machines whirred and creaked, looking as if they might fall apart at any moment.

Claire touched the semi-finished products piled on a worktable. The texture was surprisingly fine. She gave one a tug and found it was exceptionally sturdy. The craftsmanship was far superior to most towels on the market today.

It was just that the styles and patterns were too old-fashioned, and the packaging was cheap. Naturally, sales wouldn’t be very high.

"What are you doing here?"

An old man of about sixty, wearing faded work clothes, walked over. He eyed her warily.

"Hello, sir. I’m from the Sinclair Group’s design department. I came here because I’d like to..."

"Get out, get out, get out!" The old man reacted instantly at the mention of the "Sinclair" name.

"I’ll say it one last time: we’re not selling! There are dozens of people in this village who depend on this place to make a living. What good is the measly amount of money you’re offering?"

"No company from the Sinclair family is any good!"

The old man cursed as he pushed Claire toward the exit.

"Sir, you’ve misunderstood. I..."

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the factory building.

"Cole! Hurry, the doctors from the city are here again!"

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