CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: SLANDER

The next day was Saturday, and Clara finally got a chance to rest.

In the morning, she went to the hospital to visit her mom.

In the ward, the mother and daughter were chatting.

Yvonne had lost all her hair after chemotherapy, so Clara knitted a hat herself.

Clara took out the hat and asked with a smile, "Mom, do you think this hat looks nice? I knitted it myself, using the stitch methods you taught me."

Yvonne had become much thinner, her frail body looking fragile as if it could break at any moment.

But she was in good spirits, her happiness like that of a child’s when she saw the hat.

"It looks nice, Clara is really amazing, you can even knit hats now."

"Mom, let me put it on for you."

"Alright."

Seeing her mother’s bald head, Clara felt a lump in her throat and almost couldn’t hold back her tears.

No crying.

She told herself that if Mom saw her crying, she wouldn’t be able to help but cry along too.

Clara put the hat on her mom, pushed back her tears, and smiled, "This hat looks really good, as expected of the one I knitted."

Yvonne laughed as well, "Quick, get me a mirror so I can see how good it looks."

"Here, take a look." Clara picked up the mirror.

Yvonne looked into the mirror, her face beaming with a smile, "It’s really beautiful, mom likes it very much."

"If you like it, I’ll knit a few more for you to switch around."

"Okay."

Clara sat by the hospital bed, and Yvonne held her hand, "A few days ago, Silas’ mom came to the hospital to see me."

Clara was taken aback, "Auntie Quincy?"

"Yes," Yvonne said, "She said that both she and Silas’ dad know about you and Silas being together, and they support you two being together."

Clara smiled softly, "Yeah, Auntie Quincy and Uncle Sheffield are really nice."

"Silas’ mom talked to me a lot, she said she’s not Silas’ biological mother, but she’s always treated him like her own. She also said she likes you a lot, and she’s very happy you and Silas are together."

"Yeah, Silas’ whole family likes me very much." Clara hugged her mom’s shoulder, "So you don’t need to worry about me, I’m doing very well."

Yvonne thought of something, her eyes growing moist, and asked with concern, "That woman who caused a scene in the hospital in Crestwood before, she...?"

"Don’t worry, Mom, she hasn’t bothered me anymore."

"That’s good," Yvonne said, "Why didn’t Silas come with you today?"

"A company president asked him to play golf and talk business today."

"I see."

Clara spent the whole Saturday at the hospital.

It was not until after dinner in the evening that she returned home.

The next day, Silas Sheffield had a rare free time and said he wanted to take Clara shopping to relax.

To avoid being seen by people from the company, Clara asked Silas to take her to another district.

This district was separated from Sheffield Corporation by another district, and it was far enough that nobody was likely to see them.

Silas took Clara around the mall and bought her a lot of clothes and bags.

Two servants followed them, carrying the items.

After finishing the mall visit, Silas had something come up and left first, arranging for a driver to take Clara back.

Since they bought many things, and there were two servants, Silas asked Driver Linton to drive a Range Rover to pick them up.

At the mall entrance, the Range Rover was parked by the roadside.

Clara opened the car door and got in.

She didn’t notice that, not far away, someone raised their phone and pressed record.

The next day, Monday.

Clara, as usual, took her water cup and headed to the pantry, but as she approached the door, she heard people inside talking about her.

"I finally found out how Clara Sterling got into the company," it was Jonah Shaw’s voice.

Another man asked, "How?"

"By relying on a sugar daddy," Jonah Shaw said in a flippant tone.

As soon as Jonah Shaw said this, Clara Sterling turned on her phone’s recording.

The door was slightly ajar.

Jonah Shaw and another man were chatting with their backs to the door.

Clara extended her phone inside to record.

In an amazed tone, the man asked, "What do you mean? Are you saying...?"

Jonah Shaw: "That’s right, exactly what you’re thinking, the sugar daddy. I went shopping with my girlfriend yesterday afternoon, and guess what I saw?"

"You saw her sugar daddy?"

"More or less," Jonah Shaw said. "I saw Clara Sterling getting into a black Range Rover by the roadside. It must be her sponsor’s car."

The man said, "It might not be, though. What if it was her dad’s?"

"Impossible, I secretly checked her profile before. She’s from a single-parent family, no dad, and her home address is listed as a small unknown town."

Jonah Shaw spoke disdainfully, "Girls from a small unknown town like hers, with no money at home and a lack of fatherly love, would easily break their moral boundaries with just a few sweet words from an old man and some money."

The other man clicked his tongue, "Then it probably is her sugar daddy. I never expected someone as pure-looking as Clara Sterling to be someone’s mistress in secret."

"Yeah, people driving Range Rovers tend to be older, and her sugar daddy might be old enough to be her dad, hahaha."

"Tsk tsk, people aren’t always what they seem."

"Nowadays, any woman with even a bit of beauty has a sponsor, right?" Jonah Shaw slandered, "I was wondering why the company hired her but rejected my girlfriend. My girlfriend is a master’s graduate, while she’s just a bachelor’s holder. If it wasn’t for a sugar daddy, how could she beat out my girlfriend?"

"Indeed."

"Bang—" Clara Sterling forcefully pushed the door open.

The sudden noise made the two men inside the pantry jump instinctively.

Clara Sterling furiously said, "Jonah Shaw, will you never stop? Do you just slander me behind my back because you know you’re not as capable as I am?"

The two turned their heads.

Jonah Shaw, not afraid, even laughed, "Oh, you heard it all, huh? Are you so upset because I hit the nail on the head?"

The other man, afraid of getting involved, gave an awkward smile and quickly slipped away.

Fire burned in Clara’s eyes as she gritted her teeth, "Don’t you know defamation is illegal? I recorded everything you just said. If you continue to spread rumors, I’ll sue you."

Jonah Shaw did not expect Clara Sterling to have recorded the conversation. His expression changed slightly.

"So you’ve been targeting me because you think I stole your girlfriend’s job?" Clara laughed in anger.

"Didn’t President Hawthorne say, didn’t he? The entire interview was recorded. If you want to know why your girlfriend was passed over and I was chosen, just check the interview recordings."

"Hmph, you talk so confidently because you know those recordings aren’t easy to get," Jonah Shaw sneered, "Do you think you can just ask and receive them?"

Clara Sterling coldly stared at Jonah Shaw, "Not only are you slandering me, but you’re also accusing the company of manipulation. This concerns the company’s reputation. I believe the company will release the recordings."

"I’ll immediately request the company to make the recordings public. Just wait," Clara Sterling turned and left angrily, her high heels clicking as she walked.

In Julian Hawthorne’s office.

After hearing Clara’s account of the events, Julian slightly frowned, "I understand the situation now. I’ll contact the interview officials to see if we can obtain the recordings."

"Thank you, President Hawthorne."

Julian Hawthorne: "This involves personal privacy, so I’m not sure if we can get them."

"I understand."

Upon leaving Julian Hawthorne’s office, Jonah Shaw cast a disdainful glance her way.

Clara ignored him and went straight back to her workstation.

Lisa Holloway asked, "What happened? You look really upset."

Clara said angrily, "Got bitten by a mad dog."

"Jonah Shaw?"

"Yes."

"What’s he up to this time?"

"Slandering me."

Clara opened WhatsApp and sent a message to Silas Sheffield.

[I need the interview recordings. I asked the manager to help me get them, but he said it might not be possible.]

Silas Sheffield quickly replied.

[Alright.]

Within five minutes of sending the message, Julian Hawthorne messaged to say the recordings had been obtained and asked her to go to the office.