Tempting Him to Lose Control

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Playboy Pursuing Her

Miles Warren’s expression changed. Veins bulged on his arm, but the hand gripping Shirley Kendall didn’t move an inch.

He gritted his teeth, exerting force from an unnatural angle.

"Help!"

Jonathan Keller roared, and everyone surged forward, dragging the limp Shirley Kendall back.

Claire Kendall’s voice trembled. "Your hand..."

Cold sweat beaded on the man’s forehead. "It’s nothing. Just a dislocation."

"Quick, let’s get you to the ER to have it set," Jonathan Keller said, quickly steadying him.

Inside the hospital room, Shirley Kendall was sleeping peacefully under the effects of a sedative.

’Just two days ago, Mom’s mood was so stable. How did she suddenly become so extreme?’

Claire Kendall picked up her mother’s phone and entered the password.

As soon as she unlocked it, several messages popped up.

"Shirley Kendall, tell Claire Kendall to transfer money to me!"

"You old hag, the daughter you raised is just as useless. Can’t even hold on to a man. I’m telling you, as long as we’re not divorced, you have to listen to me! And Claire Kendall has to listen to me too!"

Claire Kendall stared at the lines on the screen, her fingertips trembling as fury burned in her chest.

’She should have known. The only person who could push her mother to this breaking point was her "dear" father!’

She took screenshots of each message, saved them, and sent them to her own phone. Then, she deleted the originals from her mother’s phone and blocked the number.

Once she had done all that, Claire Kendall left the room and went to the orthopedics department.

Miles Warren was sitting on a bench in the ER, his left arm in a sling.

When he saw her, his expression darkened slightly. "How’s your mother?"

"They gave her a sedative, so she’s asleep now." Claire Kendall’s gaze fell to his arm. "What did the doctor say? Is it serious?"

’A doctor’s hands are their most precious asset.’

’She had wanted his help, but she never imagined he would get hurt because of her.’

’This was too great a debt to repay, far more than she had anticipated.’

"It’s just a simple dislocation. It’ll be fine after some rest," he said, downplaying it. "No nerve damage."

He wiggled his fingers to reassure Claire Kendall.

"The kidney donor for your mother is a perfect match, and they’re very willing to donate. Once her physical and emotional state stabilizes a bit more, we can proceed with the surgery."

His words were a great comfort.

’The one-year wait for a match had been cut down to three months.’

’Her mother could be saved.’

"Thank you, Dr. Warren." She managed a tight smile, complex emotions swirling in her eyes.

The gratitude was real, but it was overshadowed by a deep unease.

’It would be better if he didn’t find out about Howard Kendall for now.’

Miles Warren keenly sensed the shift in her mood.

"Did you find out why? Why did your mother get so agitated all of a sudden?"

Claire Kendall shook her head, avoiding his inquisitive gaze.

"No... she just didn’t expect to find a donor match so soon. She was afraid of being a burden on me for too long."

She didn’t meet Miles Warren’s eyes.

’She had to deal with the Kendall family’s mess on her own first.’

’After all, Howard Kendall was too difficult to handle. He was an unpredictable variable.’

Miles Warren comforted her in a low voice. "Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged everything for her treatment. You should go home and get some rest."

Claire Kendall nodded.

-

「The Kendall Residence.」

Claire Kendall couldn’t remember how long it had been since she last set foot in this place.

Everything in the villa felt both strange and familiar.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. My dear older sister," a voice dripped with sarcasm.

Chloe Kendall, sporting a head of highlighted, wavy hair, was curled up on the leather sofa, scrolling through her phone.

She glanced up dismissively, her eyes raking over Claire Kendall from head to toe, her disgust palpable.

"Sister, after all these years of struggling out there on your own, this is the best you could do?"

Chloe Kendall smirked. "I’ve got a pile of designer clothes in my room I don’t want anymore. Maybe you should take them?"

Claire Kendall had no time for her half-sister, who was only five years her junior.

Without so much as raising an eyelid, her gaze landed directly on Howard Kendall.

He occupied the main seat on the sofa, rolling two glossy walnuts in his palm. His face was fleshy and bloated, and he smoked a cigarette, radiating the vulgar aura of the nouveau riche.

Upon seeing Claire Kendall, he snorted.

"So you finally decided to come back?" he said, his voice coarse. "I thought you’d died out there."

"Howard, don’t be like that. The girl finally came back for a visit." Martha Morris descended the stairs, her face heavily made-up but her figure well-maintained.

’She had once been Shirley Kendall’s best friend. When Martha had nowhere else to turn, my mother had kindly taken her in, only for it to become a classic story of the farmer and the snake.’

"Claire, how is Shirley doing? You called a while ago to borrow money, but we really didn’t have that much to spare."

Claire Kendall’s throat tightened. She was utterly disgusted. Every inch of air in this house felt suffocating.

"Cut the act. It’s pathetic," she said, standing before the three of them, her voice like ice. "I’m only going to say this once."

"Howard Kendall, stay away from my mother. Don’t you dare threaten her with your disgusting tactics again."

"I have records of everything you’ve done. If you touch her again, we’ll all go down together!"

Her every word was clear and laced with a chilling frost.

"You’ve got some nerve! You think you can do whatever you want now that you’ve been messing around on your own for a few years?"

Howard Kendall gave a cold, unhurried laugh.

"Go down together? Fine by me. The first one to die will be that old hag Shirley Kendall."

He lifted his eyelids, his narrow, triangular eyes sneering at her.

"You see, I happen to be your mother’s only legal guardian."

"I haven’t been kicking around Aethel all these years for nothing. I’ve already had a word with the hospital. Without my signature, no hospital will perform surgery on your mother."

"And the kidney donor... Believe me, I can have someone find out who they are and plaster their information all over the internet. Let’s see if they still dare to donate to your mother then!"

He leaned back against the sofa. "I’d like to see just how long your mother can hold on."

A chill washed over Claire Kendall.

’They weren’t divorced yet. If Howard Kendall caused a scene, the hospital and the donor would certainly have second thoughts.’

’Shirley Kendall didn’t have that much time.’

Claire Kendall’s voice was frigid. "So what do you want?"

"Simple. Money."

"How much do you want?"

Howard Kendall crossed his legs and waved his hand dismissively, a phony smile spreading across his face.

"Tomorrow night, in the banquet hall at The Golden Manor, you will accompany Ethan Lynch of Lynch Building Materials. Keep him happy, secure the partnership, and I won’t cause any trouble for your mother."

He sneered, his tone dripping with contempt.

"It’s your own damn fault for being so useless. You couldn’t even hold on to Jacob Sinclair and let him marry someone else. Otherwise, would I have to go through all this trouble to suck up to someone new?"

Claire Kendall’s fingertips trembled, her throat constricting.

’Her mother was about to get her kidney transplant.’

’At this critical juncture, there could be no more slip-ups.’

"Fine."

Claire Kendall agreed in a frigid tone.

"But, Howard Kendall, once I secure this partnership, we’re through. You will grant my mother a divorce, and we will sever our father-daughter relationship. After that, we go our separate ways."

"Hah, of course. You think I actually want a couple of deadbeats like you hanging around?"

Claire Kendall left the Kendall home without a backward glance.

’Ethan Lynch of Lynch Building Materials. They had been classmates in college. He had pursued her relentlessly, and when she rejected him, he’d proceeded to harass her for a long time. In the end, it was Jacob Sinclair who had stepped in and put a stop to it.’

Her phone rang, the sound jarring.

An unknown number flashed on the screen.

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