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“Claire, you went out to have fun and it’s been so long without a call. Are you having too much fun and forgetting about me?”
Elizabeth’s voice on the phone remained kind and gentle, still so
warm.
“No, Grandma, I was just about to call you these past couple of days. I think Queenstown is a great city, and I’m enjoying my time here. I’m thinking of finding a job and staying.”
The long–lost warmth suddenly washed over Claire. She glanced around the room and thought of the basement where she lived a few days ago. She almost burst into tears, but she forced herself to hold it back.
“What? You want to stay in Queenstown?” Elizabeth was
shocked.
“Yes, Grandma, I want to stay here. You know, because of Anna’s incident, Harrison and my parents…”
Claire nodded and brought up Anna’s matter as an excuse.
Elizabeth couldn’t handle any more shocking news now. She needed to come up with an excuse to keep it from her.
“Well, as long as you’re happy. Just remember, don’t let yourself suffer out there. If you need money, tell me. Come back and visit
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me whenever you have time.”
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Elizabeth smiled and cautioned her worriedly. She knew about Claire’s situation in the Prescoll family, and she had seen everything during the month after she was discharged from the hospital.
Although it pained her, Elizabeth understood that there was a life involved. For Harrison, Robert, and Margaret, it was the best solution.
Although she didn’t believe that Claire would kill anyone, Harrison, Robert, and Margaret were not like her. They really hated Claire.
From the beginning, when she used her life as leverage, she never considered that Claire would be able to stay in the Prescott Manor and continue living as before after being released from prison.
But she didn’t expect the separation to come so soon.
Still, it was for the best as long as Claire was doing well.
“Yes, Grandma, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself. I’ll visit you whenever I have the opportunity.”
Claire tried hard to restrain herself, trying to make her voice sound calm.
After hanging up the phone, Claire hugged herself and buried herself in the blanket, crying uncontrollably.
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Every time she heard Elizabeth’s voice, it felt like she was brought back to her days as the princess of the Prescoll family.
Back then, she was so adored, so dazzling, but now even surviving became such a struggle. How could she not feel sad?
But the truth was, she didn’t even have the right to cry.
As soon as she buried her head in the blanket, there was a loud knock on the door.
“Get up and start working! Mr. Hawthorne ordered it. From today onwards, you’ll be working in the manor. You can’t just eat and drink for free!” Bailey said.
“Okay, I’m coming.”
Claire wiped away her tears and quickly got up to wash and freshen up.
For the rest of the day, she tirelessly cleaned, scrubbed toilets, wiped tables, mopped floors, and took care of various miscellaneous tasks.
Because of the incident where a servant had saved her and was being skinned alive, none of the other servants would care for her anymore.
From the moment she stepped out of her room, she worked non–stop until evening, without a single moment of rest, except for meal breaks and drinking water.
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Meanwhile, Caroline sat in her room painting her nails, listening to music, and texting on her phone while ordering the other servants to find ways to keep Claire busy.
Caroline didn’t believe Claire, having grown up spoiled, could
tolerate it.
But to her surprise, Claire never complained or showed signs of exhaustion. She simply endured and continued working relentlessly.
After finishing her work, she went back to her room and fell asleep immediately. She was too tired to have random thoughts or worry anymore, feeling content with her fatigue.
In the past, when she was in prison, Claire never slept peacefully, always afraid that she would wake up to find her blood or someone else’s blood.
Now, being able to sleep well, even if it meant feeling tired, was a luxury she appreciated.
“What? She finished all the tasks without a word?”
The next day, Caroline was shocked and infuriated upon hearing that Claire had completed all the work.
At the same time, it further confirmed her belief that Claire was putting on an act for Frederick.
However, Caroline couldn’t help but laugh when she thought of
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this. Claire had miscalculated her plan. There was unrest in at town in Kingstown, and Frederick had called yesterday to say he wouldn’t be coming back for a few days.
“Claire, you’re done for these next few days. I will make sure that you leave before Frederick comes back!”
Caroline slammed her foundation powder onto the table and called Bailey.
“Since she is so capable, let her continue working hard.”
She was certain that Claire, the spoiled princess, wouldn’t last long.
In the next few days, Caroline pushed Claire to her limits, making her do all the work of everyone in the manor. The work of dozens of people had piled on Claire’s shoulder alone.
A week later, Claire finally couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed on the ground.
Seeing Claire in such a feeble state, as if she were about to die, Bailey was concerned about the situation escalating and decided to call Richard.
Of course, Bailey knew what to say and what not to say, and he was well aware of how much Frederick hated Claire.
“General Hawthorne, Bailey called to inform that Claire had been doing all the tasks for dozens of people in the manor these past few days and fainted from exhaustion.”
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After Richard hung up the phone, he hesitated for a long time before reporting the matter to Frederick.
Frederick sat at his desk, his hand pausing in the midst of signing a document. He furrowed his brow, and for a brief moment, an unnoticed pang of pain flickered in his heart.
Did this woman perform so well just to win his sympathy and make him spare her?
Caroline came pleadingly, asking him to let Claire move out of the basement, and he agreed. So she thought there was hope that by desperately putting on a show, she could be spared, was that it?
Dream on!
“If she faints but is still alive, then why bother reporting it to
me?”
Frederick’s eyes darkened, and he continued to sign the papers on his desk.
In the manor, Claire lay dazedly on the bed, truly feeling like she was on the verge of death. With great effort, she managed to open her eyes, only to hear the conversation between Bailey and Richard.
“General Hawthorne has ordered that as long as she’s still alive, there’s no need to report it.”
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