Chapter 114 General Hawthorne’s Reluctant Denial
1/5
Frederick slood sexxen, sating at Bates the snoone Body. He didn’t move muck,
It wasn’t until Zreland fnd sem he any and earned that Frederick suapped out of his spr
In the end, it was Kishard win called for an ambulance Frederick simply folkret, siken and feast al the way to the hospital
Once there, he stood in front of the emergentes mom’s glowing red sign, unmoving, his eyes fred on it
Even now, he couku’t fully grasp what had happened. Claire had thrown herself in harm’s way, Easting her life to save his.
He knew she had barboed feelings for him since childhood. But to Frederick, her affection had always felt haben
Claire had once been the spoiled little princess of the Prescott- family, accustomed to having everything she wanted handed to her on a siber platter.
Frederick had always believed she liked him only because he was the one man who didn’t dote on her like everyone else.
1e figured it was his indifference that caught her attention. She couldn’t have him, and that was why she wanted him.
Glunder Gambarne’s Reluctant… 2/5
the sem prison, he thought
because she had no
But in
The tena un longer the Preem family’s cherished daughter. She
nies, she was completely under
More importantly, it had been him that had condemned her,
dual dave upo, she had arrogantly tried to negotiate with him, waing footage from the slums as leverage.
He couldn’t believe that, in a matter of days, Claire had transformed into someone willing to sacrifice her life for him.
I was unless she had ulterior motives,
Fredericks clung to this belief. He refused to accept the idea that Claire truly loved him, let alone that her love for him was so deep it outweighed her repard for her own life,
Besides, he didn’t think he deserved her love, He felt he was nothing more than a bastard of the Hawthorne family.
Though no one outside the family knew the truth, he was all too mware of his precarious position.
i was why he had worked so tirelessly, clawing his way up from obscurity to become a general, even planning a bid for the presidency
If he succeeded, he could finally cement his place in the world.
Chapter 114 General Hawthorne’s Reluctant… He would no longer have to live in fear…
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The thought sent a shiver down his spine, dragging him back to the dark, damp basement of his memories, and he remembered the soft, gentle voice he could never forget.
“General Hawthorne, are you all right?”
Richard’s voice brought Frederick back to the present.
Seeing Frederick standing still, Richard was concerned.
Frederick turned his head slightly, meeting Richard’s concerned
gaze.
“I’m fine.”
He redirected his attention to the red light above the emergency room door, standing as still as a statue.
For five hours, Frederick stood there, waiting. He didn’t budge until the doors finally opened.
“Doctor, how is she?”
The moment the doors parted, Frederick stepped forward, his voice urgent.
Richard followed closely behind him.
“The bullet struck near her chest, but fortunately, it missed any vital organs. It didn’t reach her heart. We’ve removed the bullet.
“She’s out of danger but will need to stay in the ICU overnight for observation. If she wakes up without complications, she’ll be
- Chapter 114 General Hawthorne’s Reluctan… the doctor explained, pulling off his mask and wiping his forehead,
4/5
Frederick exhaled deeply, his chest loosening as a weight lifted. He followed Claire as she was wheeled into a recovery room.
“You can go home now,” he told Richard once Claire was settled.
“Yes, General Hawthorne.” Richard hesitated, wanting to stay, but seeing the tension in Frederick’s face, he chose to leave without further protest
Frederick remained in the hospital room, standing by Claire’s bedside. She looked fragile and pale as if she could fade away at any moment. He stood there the entire night, never moving.
When Richard returned the next morning with breakfast, he found Frederick in the same spot. He looked haggard, his eyes rimmed red with exhaustion.
“General Hawthorne,” Richard asked as he put down the breakfast, “did you stand there all night?”
As if on cue, Claire stirred. Her eyes fluttered open just in time to hear Richard’s words.
She opened her eyes and turned her head toward Frederick, her – voice faint and unsure. “You… stayed all night?”
Her heart skipped a beat.
Frederick scoffed, his voice laced with cold mockery. “What makes you think I’d waste a whole night on you?”
Chapter 114 General Hawthorne’s Reluctan…. 5/5 himself that he had stood there with Claire all night.
If it weren’t for Richard coming to send breakfast, reminding him, he might have continued to stand there, motionless.
Claire remained silent, a bitter ache twisting in her chest.
She thought, “Of course. Why would I think Frederick would stay by my side?”
“Or did you think saving my life would earn you something in return? Were you gambling, hoping that if you survived, I might be moved enough to let you go?”
Frederick’s tone grew harsher as her silence unsettled him.
Claire’s chest tightened, and she looked up sharply.
She had thrown herself in front of a bullet for him. She didn’t expect that in his eyes, it was nothing more than a calculated ploy, a wager.
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