Chapter 8

Clarissa didn’t reply to him. Instead, she blocked Patrick's number for good.

While the larger Rockwell Family was drowning in trouble, Victoria’s side of family remained well. They had run away at the first sign of danger. Recently, they even bought a large villa.

Clarissa stared at her phone blankly.

The next second, she received a message from Victoria: [Clarissa, look! This is the villa Ricky just bought.]

[I heard he’s working with the Larisson Family now.

He’s a powerful figure these days.]

Clarissa suddenly understood.

She thought of all the recent problems at her company. Those failed projects had all been handled by Patrick before. She had wanted to cut ties with Patrick as soon as possible and remove him completely from the Rockwell Group. But she never expected him to strike through the projects he once controlled.

What shocked Clarissa even more was that the Larisson Family had always been the Rockwells’ sworn enemies. Patrick knew this very well. Yet he still chose to cooperate with them.

When the Rockwells were at their lowest point, he even joined others to divide the Rockwell Group completely.

Clarissa’s fingers turned white.

She couldn’t stop thinking, Does Patrick have any conscience at all?

It was Christmas. Laughter and joy filled the streets outside. The sounds drifted through the window to Clarissa’s ears.

She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching everything with empty eyes. Perhaps moved by the scene, she went downstairs and walked aimlessly along the street.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Victoria had posted another update.

In the photo, Patrick was wearing the wedding ring he once shared with Clarissa, holding Victoria’s hand tightly in the snow.

Clarissa stared at the picture.

Snow fell softly as the two of them smiled at each other. Their bright smiles pierced her heart.

She told herself many times, “Clarissa, this is the man you once chose.”

There were only three days left. She had planned to drag Patrick down. But now, the one with nowhere to go was her.

The Rockwell Family mansion had been mortgaged and sold. The buyer was Patrick himself.

After doing so many unforgivable things, he still spoke to her gently, “Clarissa, I bought your family’s house. As long as you behave, you can still live there.”

His rare softness made her feel colder than ever.

She dug her nails into her palm.

Three days. In three days, she would leave with her parents and never come back.

On the first day, Clarissa packed her belongings. She auctioned off valuables and used the money to pay her employees’ wages.

On the second day, she auctioned her wedding dress and wedding ring. She had chosen that ring because of its name: Eternal Love.

She once hoped her marriage with Patrick would be the same. But now she sold it.

The ring was sold quickly. But Patrick bought it back.

He threw the ring in front of her and demanded, “Why did you sell our ring?”