Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Clara turned to leave, but Simon stuck to her like a shadow, refusing to give up. "Clara," he called after her.

She stopped, clearly losing patience. "If you keep following me, I'll have to do something about it."noveldrama

Simon scoffed to himself. He was sure her earlier judo throw had just been a fluke if it came down to it, she was no match for him. He could take her away by force if he wanted, bring her to another city, somewhere the Fergusons couldn't touch her, somewhere Dylan wouldn't even be a memory.

Just imagining it made his heart race. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, holding her tight.

"Come with me. Get in the car. There's a lot we need to talk about. If you keep going after Dylan, my grandfather won't let you off easy. He's watching you, Clara. He's already called the Fergusons overseas, and their elders are flying in soon to talk about a marriage alliance with the Chester family. Don't you see? You've already been pushed out. And Dylan-he doesn't even remember you. Honestly, before you, he didn't care about women at all."

He barely finished before Clara's knee slammed into his stomach.

Simon crashed back against the car, gasping for air, pain twisting his face. He stared at her in disbelief-when had she gotten so strong?

Clara stood over him, her expression cool and calm. "Stay out of my life."

Simon lowered his head, fighting back both the ache in his body and the sharp, deeper pain in his chest. It all twisted together until it felt unbearable.

Clara...

Why would she rather chase after Dylan than even glance back at him?

He would do anything for her. He'd even die for her if that's what she wanted.

His fists clenched tightly, his breathing ragged.

But Clara didn't look back. She got in her car and drove straight to Ferguson Corporation.

When she arrived, Dylan was still in a meeting. Through the glass doors, she could see more than a dozen senior executives inside.

They'd been listening intently to a report, but as soon as they spotted Clara, everyone stood up.

Conlan hurried over and opened the door, grinning from ear to ear. “Mrs. Ferguson, you're here! Did you bring lunch for the boss? The meeting's get about ten minutes left.

The person giving the report trailed off, and all eyes landed on Clara.

This was the entire executive team of Ferguson Corporation. Anyone else might've felt intimidated, but Clara just smiled.

"I'll wait outside. Go on with your meeting," she said, her voice easy.

Conlan nodded quickly and closed the door behind her. "Of course! We'll be done soon. The boss must be starving."

As the door clicked shut, the meeting resumed.

Aiden, sitting next to Dylan, glanced over. Dylan's brows were furrowed, like he wanted to say something but just pressed his lips together and kept quiet.

Aiden's mind d drifted back to the day Dylan was brought home, pale as a ghost. The doctor had called the medication odd-couldn't say exactly why. Maybe it was something sent over by the

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Fergusons abroad.

After he woke up, Dylan's eyes were cold-like ice. He treated everyone with the same detached politeness.

Aiden had worked by his side for years and seen this before: Dylan, all walls, like a machine with no feelings. He could hang up on Mr. Colton and the others without a word.

But when Mrs. Ferguson showed up with lunch, Dylan had held himself back, not reacting at all.

Even now, with her interrupting the meeting, all he did was frown.

Aiden couldn't decide if it was unbelievable or reassuring. So what if he forgot? True love is deeper than memory. The first moment you see the person you love, something inside you just wakes up-nowords needed. Even if your mind forgets, your body remembers, and you find yourself reacting before you even realize it.