No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)

lan bent down and planted a kiss on Clara's belly. "You're behaving now. I'm taking your mom out for breakfast."

He escorted Clara to the bathroom, providing her with full assistance. Even brushing her teeth was something he insisted on doing himself.

Clara always felt a bit uneasy, but she didn't say anything more.

The couple made their way downstairs, where Casey had already prepared breakfast. Ian settled Clara into a chair before heading into the kitchen to help.

Casey quietly closed the kitchen door and pulled out a card from his pocket, handing it to lan with a smile. "I've sold the company. Here's a bit of cash, a little over 20 billion. It's of no use to me, so I thought I might as well invest it in your project. That way, I can earn some dividends. What do you think?"

lan understood Casey's intentions immediately. He knew that lan's company was facing difficulties and wanted to inject funds in this manner.

Suddenly, lan felt a warmth in his eyes. He put the card back into Casey's pocket. "I don't need it for now. If such a small difficulty could ruin the Hayes family, then all my years of effort would have been in vain Keep the money for yourself. As for the dividends, I'll give them to you every year."

"But that won't do. Taking money without investing doesn't sit right with me. Take it. Clara's share was given to her as a wedding gift, and this is what I've saved for retirement. But look at me. I'm still strong. I don't need it for retirement. Take it. It'll help you out in your time of need."

lan couldn't refuse any longer and had to accept the card. Then, he carried the breakfast out.

After breakfast, he took Clara to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. Everything went smoothly, and as they were leaving the ward, they saw Heidi sitting in a wheelchair by the elevator, as if she had been waiting for them all along.

After months of recovery, Heidi could now speak a few words. Her upper body had largely recovered, but it seemed she would be confined to a wheelchair for life.

Heidi saw Clara, who was heavily pregnant and tenderly supported by lan. It made her eyes nearly bulge out of her sockets. She croaked out in a raspy, ominous voice. "Clara!"

Clara stopped in her tracks, stared at her for a few seconds, then smiled lightly. "It seems you're recovering well. The doctor lan found for you is indeed miraculous. You escaped death."

Heidi gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly, her mouth opening several times before she could make a sound, "Are you satisfied?"

Clara's expression was gentle. "I'm not the person who caused your current state. You did this to yourself. You should ask yourself if you're satisfied with your life now. You could have had a better future, but you chose to self-destruct. You can't blame anyone else."

Then, Clara linked her arm with lan's, ready to leave.

Heidi's face looked demonic, and although she wore a mask, the scars on her body were still vaguely visible. Clara noticed these scars and was reminded of the fight on the boat.

If Clara had lost, she might have been the one in that condition now.

Just as they were about to leave, Heidi immediately turned her wheelchair's speed to the maximum and charged towards Clara's belly.