Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 138: Not Going to See Old Lu?

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Not Going to See Old Lu?
The scent of cedar filled the car. It was a smell unique to Sean Lockwood.
"You and your friend should watch your behavior in the future. It’s foolish to cause such a scene in front of Jared Jennings."
Sean suddenly said bluntly.
Tina Hayes, who was in the passenger seat, felt a chill rise up her spine. She quickly pretended to be a shrinking turtle, closing her eyes to feign ignorance.
Claire Hale also knew that today’s scene in front of Jared was inappropriate. However, thinking that Tina had acted so recklessly for Joy Sharp, she couldn’t help but defend them, saying:
"If Jude Jacobs wasn’t such a jerk, we wouldn’t have gone to this extent."
Sean glanced at her, watching her calmly.
His pupils were deep and dark. Yet, unlike Tristan Lockwood’s unrelenting coldness, there was something different.
Sean’s eyes always seemed to hold an unfathomable calm.
Like a windless sea.
So calm that one subconsciously kept looking at him.
"Jude Jacobs and Ariel Jennings being together is an open secret in the circle. If you really think about it, it’s your friend who’s getting ahead of herself trying to ruin someone’s relationship."
Sean’s composed voice pulled Claire back to reality.
She frowned, her voice sharp: "It’s clear that Jude never explained things to Joy, giving her the constant illusion that he liked her. Why is it Joy’s fault?"
"Not explaining means rejecting."
Sean said concisely.
"We’re all adults here. If someone can’t even understand a subtle rejection, isn’t that naive?"
When he said "naive," he was already choosing his words carefully for Claire’s sake.
In the end, Joy Sharp clinging onto someone while feeling she’s the most wronged was, in their view, the stupidest behavior.
The car stopped at the entrance of Central Hospital, and Claire didn’t continue to argue with Sean.
She and the likes of Jared Jennings and Sean Lockwood were not from the same world. No matter how much she said, they’d never gain each other’s approval, so there was no need to waste words.
But when she got out of the car, Claire sincerely thanked Sean: "Thank you, President Lockwood."
Sean nodded his head, then instructed the driver to drive away.
The Range Rover sped off, and Claire immediately took Tina Hayes to emergency care.
Clarence Finch was quite surprised when he saw Claire Hale, "Miss Hale, it’s really been a while."
"Long time no see." Claire hurriedly entered with the number in hand. "Dr. Finch, are you on emergency duty today?"
"Yes. What brings you to the emergency room? What happened?"
"My friend got injured. I need your help, Dr. Finch."
Claire helped Tina sit down. Seeing her anxious expression, Clarence didn’t bother with small talk and seriously attended to Tina’s bandages and prescribed some medication.
Claire took the prescription to the pharmacy.
In her haste, she collided with someone when turning a corridor corner.
Claire wasn’t able to stop in time and was about to fall back, but the other person caught her by the waist.
"Thank you."
She steadied herself and looked up, only to be stunned.
Tristan Lockwood retracted his hand, standing in front of her with an indifferent expression.
Though they hadn’t seen each other for a while, his face was still strikingly handsome. However, fatigue was more evident in his cold eyes.
Claire averted her gaze, lowered her eyes, said nothing, and walked past Tristan.
Tristan stood in place, watching her slender silhouette disappear into the distance for a long time before finally turning to leave.
When Claire returned from the pharmacy, Tina was already sitting on a hospital corridor bench, playing with her phone in one hand.
Since there were no other patients at the moment, Clarence stepped out of the consultation room, and seeing Claire, he casually asked, "Not going to see Old Lockwood?"
Claire paused slightly, then said without a change in expression, "I’ve completely cut ties with him."
Clarence was momentarily stunned but then seemed to understand, saying, "No wonder Old Lockwood has been like a workaholic lately, either in surgery or in meetings. Turns out he’s heartbroken."
Claire didn’t react much, just gave a faint "hmm."
Still, Clarence chuckled and said, "Miss Hale, I kind of admire you. To be the woman to break up with Old Lockwood, probably in his lifetime, you’re the unique one."
"Dr. Finch, let me correct you, it was Tristan Lockwood who wanted to break up with me."
Claire stated.
Although this "breakup" was all an act, at least on the surface, to Tristan, she was the one who got dumped.
Even though the act was over, she couldn’t let her guard down. Tristan hated being deceived. If he found out her true intentions, there was no telling what he’d do.
Clarence was surprised to hear Claire say that. "Is it true? Old Lockwood looks so lost these days; I can’t imagine it was he who dumped you. Just the other day he was..."
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving with my friend now."
Claire cut him off before he continued.
Soon, she took Tina and left together.
Clarence watched her walk away, that unhesitant back view, and shook his head with a wry smile, murmuring quietly, "Just the other day, Old Lockwood had a fever and was mumbling your name in his office."
...
After the incident with Jude Jacobs, Claire paid special attention to Joy Sharp’s mood for several days. Seeing her stable emotions, she felt a bit of relief.
In the morning, Joy came knocking on her office door, saying, "President Hale, Miss Lynn is here to see you."
"Miss Lynn?"
"Yes, Renee Lynn."
Claire immediately said, "Bring her to my office."
Regarding the lawsuit against Jared Jennings, Claire had kept it in mind but there hadn’t been any progress.
Especially, the more she dealt with Jared, the more a sense of danger arose in Claire’s intuition, hinting that dealing with Jared would be very dangerous.
After Renee entered the office, Claire poured her a cup of tea and led her to the guest sofa.
Renee took the tea, looking weary. "Thank you."
Renee’s complexion was better than before, but she was still very thin. Despite her exquisite makeup, the fatigue under her eyes couldn’t be concealed.
For some reason, in Claire’s mind, a memory suddenly flashed of seeing Tristan Lockwood at the hospital a few days ago.
The fatigue was also evident in his cold, dark eyes.
"Did you come to see me because there’s some movement from Jared Jennings?" Claire asked, sitting beside Renee.
Renee’s expression turned complex, and disbelief flickered in her eyes.
She said, "I saw Jared Jennings with Jade Sutton."
Claire blinked in surprise, "What?"
"They booked a room in a hotel together."
Talking about her husband being with another woman in a hotel, Renee showed no anger. A person whose heart has died wouldn’t show any emotions.
"That hotel is in a very secluded, suburban area, a place Jared normally wouldn’t go."
Claire opened a map on her phone, asking Renee to point out the exact location.
Renee tapped a spot on the screen.
Claire paused, a noticeable reaction.
Renee: "What’s wrong?"