Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 29: You Bring Up Other Men at a Time Like This

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: You Bring Up Other Men at a Time Like This
Tristan Lockwood seemed to realize his momentary lapse and withdrew his hand, staring at her meaningfully.
Claire Hale sneered inwardly, but showed no emotion on her face, saying, "Not for now."
Sean Lockwood seemed to have expected this response and casually retracted his gaze.
"However..." Claire Hale shifted her tone, a hint of apology in her expression, "I did have Tristan help out with it, after all, Jade Sutton is also his aunt. And Tristan’s connections in Riverbend are far wider than mine, so I thought it would be more efficient, but I wasn’t sure if you minded."
Sean Lockwood: "You haven’t made any progress either?"
This question was obviously directed at Tristan Lockwood.
Tristan Lockwood: "No."
He turned his head slightly, smiling faintly as he stared at her, with an air of settling scores later.
Claire Hale pretended not to see it, lowering her head to play with her phone.
The topic passed, and the three of them didn’t say much for the rest of the way.
Over by Sean Lockwood, the phone never stopped ringing, all business-related matters, keeping him occupied without much time to engage in conversation.
Given his status, it wasn’t necessary for him to initiate any conversations.
Between Claire Hale and Tristan Lockwood, there was even less to talk about.
After getting off the plane, Claire Hale said goodbye to Sean Lockwood, ignoring Tristan Lockwood, and took a taxi to the hotel she had booked in advance.
Unexpectedly, she encountered this uncle-nephew pair again at the front desk.
She learned upon inquiry that the Lockwood Family was an investor in this summit, and Sean Lockwood and Tristan Lockwood were invited as guests to attend.
While Claire Hale was getting her room key at the front desk, Sean Lockwood glanced at her room card indifferently and asked, "Are you sleeping separately from Tristan?"
Claire Hale was about to say yes when Tristan Lockwood suddenly snatched her room card, returned it to the front desk, and said, "Cancel this room."
He then looked at Claire Hale: "If you had told me earlier that you were coming, I wouldn’t have let you book a room alone."
Claire Hale thought, you didn’t tell me in advance either.
But she could see the strong warning in Tristan Lockwood’s eyes, and besides, she didn’t mind sharing a room with him, as it was just a matter of sleeping in separate beds.
Tristan Lockwood had booked a suite, which indeed had several bedrooms. As Claire Hale dragged her luggage in, someone hugged her from behind at the waist.
Tristan Lockwood stepped forward, causing her to retreat two steps, tumbling onto the bed.
He pressed down on her, his fingers lifting her chin, the expression subtle: "You looked for Jade Sutton to help Sean Lockwood? And you wanted to use me as a springboard; you really have quite the imagination."
Claire Hale pretended not to understand his meaning, blinking her eyes, and said, "Jade Sutton is President Lockwood’s wife, your aunt-in-law. Helping your uncle find a wife is a good thing, isn’t it?"
"You better be planning that."
Tristan Lockwood got off her, casually tugging at his rumpled tie.
Claire Hale: "What else could I plan? President Lockwood gave so much; I can’t let him spend money for nothing. Besides, Jade Sutton came back alone and could hide so well in Riverbend, where she has no relatives; not even you could investigate, maybe there’s someone influential behind it."
Tristan Lockwood looked at her, saying nothing.
She paused, suddenly thinking of something, and tilted her head to look at him: "Speaking of which, you are the only relative Jade Sutton has in Riverbend, and you’re so capable; hasn’t Jade Sutton sought your help?"
"He got married abroad without notifying the family, how would I know his wife?"
Seeing Tristan Lockwood pretending not to know Jade Sutton, Claire Hale couldn’t help but want to give him a thumbs-up for his acting skills, a shame he’s not an acting emperor.
"You haven’t met Jade Sutton? Impossible, you saw her when you were kids, didn’t you?"
Tristan Lockwood frowned: "When we were kids?"
She immediately silenced, seeing his reaction, likely he had forgotten about meeting her and Jade Sutton as kids, but they were only eight years old back then, so him not remembering was quite normal.
When Claire Hale retrieved her skincare products from her suitcase, Tristan Lockwood walked into the bathroom and pinned her against the sink, asking, "Did you see me as a kid?"
Her eyes flickered, and she said, "Before grandpa passed away, the Hale Family and Lockwood Family kept in touch. It’s pretty normal that I’ve seen you."
The grandpa Claire Hale referred to was her biological grandfather, Walter Hale.
After Elder Hale passed away, the people of the Hale Family fought over the inheritance, causing an ugly scene, even seeking Elder Lockwood, claiming Elder Hale had sacrificed his legs to save him and demanding medical and recovery expenses back.
Byron Lockwood gave the Hale Family a sum of money and brought Claire Hale to the Lockwood Family, cutting ties with the Hale Family thereafter.
Tristan Lockwood stared at Claire Hale for a long while, unable to recall seeing her as a child.
Noticing his confusion, she calmly said, "I was the illegitimate child in the Hale Family that they couldn’t show; it was normal for you to not see me as they would lock me in places like the bathroom during family gatherings."
After speaking, she gently brushed aside his hand from her waist and was about to leave when Tristan Lockwood suddenly gripped her wrist, his expression extremely stern, and said, "You were locked in the bathroom too?"
"Too?"
Claire Hale moved closer to him, curiously asking, "You were locked up too? Or is it your friend?"
Her enchanting eyes were filled with a watery mist, their corners lifted in curiosity, or rather, it seemed more like seduction.
Tristan Lockwood’s interest was instantly piqued.
He lifted her and placed her on the carpet in the bedroom, pressing on top of her.
Claire Hale’s palm pushed against his lips as he approached, asking, "You haven’t answered me, were you locked in the bathroom as well?"
"I’m the only one of my kind in my generation in the Lockwood Family; do you think anyone would dare do that to me?"
Tristan Lockwood looked at her as if she was missing some intelligence.
Claire Hale thought about it and felt he made sense, and when he kissed her neck again, she asked, "So is it your friend who was locked up? Nathan Quinn? Or Jenson Jennings?"
His hand slid off her shoulder, his voice cold, "At a time like this, you’re mentioning other men?"
To punish her distraction, he lowered his head and bit her shoulder again.
Claire Hale whimpered in pain, lowering her eyes to look at the top of his head buried in her shoulder, turning away with little interest.
"I don’t want to do it."
His motion halted, raising his eyes to look at her.
She took the opportunity to distance herself from him, picking up the dress that had been removed.
Ever since she saw him and Jade Sutton holding hands walking in the park last time, a knot had formed in her heart, even seeing his hands with clear joints made her feel terrible.
Her attitude caused Tristan Lockwood to lose most of his interest.
After getting up, allowing his shirt buttons to stay undone, he left the room without saying anything.
In the evening, Claire Hale was about to order food delivery when Tristan Lockwood asked her to go out to eat.
She was a little surprised, wondering what got into him to actively ask her for dinner tonight.
"With Sean Lockwood."
Seeing her thoughts, he added.
Sean Lockwood is considered her major client now, and being Tristan Lockwood’s uncle, she really had no reason to refuse.
She nodded: "I’ll touch up my makeup."
When Claire Hale came out of the bathroom, Tristan Lockwood was on the phone in the suite’s living room; she heard his voice, cool and gentle, saying, "I’ll be back soon."
The tone was very tender.