Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 4: Has He Really Set His Mind on Protecting That Woman?

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Has He Really Set His Mind on Protecting That Woman?
Tina Hayes, upon hearing the lifeline offered, almost knelt before Claire Hale: "President Hale, even if it means scaling mountains of knives or diving into seas of fire, I will not hesitate to do it!"
"Keep your life intact, otherwise, if something goes wrong, I’ll be held responsible with you." Claire Hale glanced at her expressionlessly and said succinctly, "Within three days, find out who Tristan Lockwood is truly hiding. If there’s no result in three days, pack your things and leave yourself."
"Three days?!" Tina Hayes was practically in tears, "President Hale, that Tristan Lockwood is an elite among scoundrels, a fighter jet among elites. I spent half a month stalking him before finally catching sight of him hooking up with someone yesterday!"
Claire Hale raised an eyebrow at her: "Two days?"
Tina Hayes immediately shut her mouth, extending three fingers, her face filled with a resolved determination.
"Rest assured, I’m not one to flay living people, rewards and penalties will be clearly distinguished. If you get this done right, your bonus will increase tenfold."
"Tenfold?!"
Tina Hayes was so shocked that her mouth could fit two eggs, even though Claire Hale was always generous, a tenfold bonus was simply too much!
Claire Hale nodded affirmatively: "Tenfold."
After all, once this matter was settled, it would add another card to her hand in threatening Tristan Lockwood. The money she could demand from him far exceeded this amount. And Tristan Lockwood seemed so serious about this woman that she was quite curious to see what would happen if she did leak this woman’s matters to the Lockwood Family. How would Tristan Lockwood react?
People die for wealth, birds die for food.
Pushed by the lure of money, Tina Hayes efficiently sent Claire Hale an address on the evening of the third day.
"President Hale, there’s absolutely no mistake this time. Tristan Lockwood has been spending the whole night here every day for the past three days, and then going directly to Central Hospital the next day."
Claire Hale sat in the passenger seat, quietly looking at the upscale neighborhood not far ahead.
So, that’s why Tristan Lockwood hasn’t returned home these days.
This land is in Downtown Riverbend, where the housing units are large flat floors. The asking price for one set is unimaginable, costing more than two to three times what she asked from Tristan Lockwood for a commercial space last time.
Tristan Lockwood not only kept this woman well-protected, he was exceedingly generous with her. What took her painstaking calculation to acquire, this woman obtained with ridiculous ease.
"President Hale, didn’t you drive here today?"
Tina Hayes asked curiously, as Claire Hale usually drove everywhere herself, handling all matters personally.
"Had it sent for maintenance," Claire Hale answered nonchalantly.
The words were naturally false, but she couldn’t say the truth. After all, if she drove her car here and got seen by Tristan Lockwood, the entire effort would be for naught.
"Tristan Lockwood is coming out!"
Tina Hayes excitedly pointed to a distance ahead, and Claire Hale’s eyes shifted over. Sure enough, the Audi A8L, a car she’d only ridden once before being kicked out by Tristan Lockwood, was driving out from the underground parking.
"Should we follow him?"
Claire Hale squinted her eyes. She was genuinely curious what kind of woman Tristan Lockwood had hidden away, whom he protected so keenly.
In the two years of marriage with him, he’d been with numerous women, but never had he hidden them. He’s always too lazy to maintain such relationships, after all, those women who threw themselves at him were completely willing to stay by his side.
Just as she was immersed in her thoughts, the Audi A8 drove unhurriedly toward their direction and ended up bumper to bumper with Tina Hayes’s BYD.
Claire Hale’s heart skipped a beat, crying silently.
The driver’s door of the Audi A8 opened from inside, and a man wearing a shiny burgundy shirt and polished leather shoes walked over with a cocky smile on his face, leisurely knocking on the car window next to Claire Hale.
Claire Hale rolled down the car window, staring expressionless at the rogueish smile.
Nathan Quinn’s smile deepened as he deliberately spoke loudly, "Sis-in-law, Lockwood asked me to tell you, don’t waste your efforts."
After speaking, he unabashedly opened the back door and bent down to get in.
Nathan Quinn, although lean, was still a tall man of about six feet. The back seat of Tina Hayes’s BYD was narrow, causing him to have to hunch awkwardly, grumbling, "Sis-in-law, what kind of crappy car are you sitting in? Old Lockwood’s so rich and you’re a boss, couldn’t you pick a more spacious one?"
His words didn’t get a response from Claire Hale, but instead, Tina Hayes sputtered in retort, "You call this a crappy car? Your whole family’s got crappy cars! If you think my car is crappy, why’d you get in? Get out!"
Nathan Quinn was taken aback at first, then realized he was being sniped at by a young girl. He never took lip service lying down, immediately smirking, "Young girl, calm down. Not happy? Uncle will buy you a brand new and pricey one."
"A man of his word, you said it!"
Tina Hayes hit the pedal, driving straight to the nearest car dealership.
Nathan Quinn was dying of laughter, "How can you be so serious? Do you believe everything people say?"
"What? Chickened out to buy it?"
"Ha, I’m afraid to buy? Why don’t you ask around? Does your Uncle Quinn lack money for a car?"
"Then why don’t you buy it!"
"Quiet."
Claire Hale, having her head pounded with noise, rubbed her brow and said flatly to Nathan Quinn, "Is he dead set on protecting that woman?"
Her voice was cool but carried a chilling undertone.
Nathan Quinn, noticing the aura of cold emanating from Claire Hale, collected his frivolous smile and earnestly said, "Sis-in-law, don’t blame Old Lockwood. If it wasn’t for you scheming to force him into marriage, he wouldn’t be like this now. Maybe, in another world, he and his beloved would have long been together."
"I forced him?"
Claire Hale’s eyebrow arched, and the corner of her lips lifted slightly. Tina Hayes, sitting beside her, clearly felt the intense coldness next to her. Her boss was on the brink of anger.
"Isn’t it just like men to make women forcing you an excuse? Did I hold a knife to his throat and force him to sleep with me? Get it straight, the one who forced him into marriage wasn’t me, it was the Lockwood Family."
Those few words left Nathan Quinn speechless.
He wanted to say something but reconsidered, then swallowed his words, instead saying, "But being with him, aren’t you unhappy?"
"I don’t need happiness."
Claire Hale cut him off.
The word happiness had never appeared in her dictionary since she was born. Her mother attempted suicide with her at six, her father died in a car accident when she was ten, and she herself, was an illegitimate child despised by all.
Her birth was the original sin.
Love and happiness were too elusive for her; she could neither attain them nor desire them. Only the wealth and material possessions she held in her hands were tangible and within her grasp.
With that, Nathan Quinn stopped trying to persuade her further.
The story of Claire Hale being an illegitimate child had spread in their circle back when she clung to Tristan Lockwood like a shadow. Nobody believed then that Claire Hale could actually become Mrs. Lockwood. Nobody ever thought her professed affection for him was entirely an act.
Before getting out of the car, Nathan Quinn put on a serious face, "Sis-in-law, are you aware that Old Lockwood had depression before?"