Chapter 433 - 436: Strike First

Claire Bennett’s fingers were still clenched around the binoculars, the suspicion in her eyes yet to dissipate.

Before returning to Aston, she had undergone professional counter-surveillance training. A keen intuition had been etched into her very bones; she wasn’t just imagining things.

She was certain that someone had been following her just now.

Just as she was about to call property management to retrieve the complex’s security footage, the doorbell suddenly rang, shattering the dead silence in the apartment.

Claire Bennett’s body and mind tensed in an instant. She made no sound, her steps as light as a shadow’s as she slowly approached the door.

She subconsciously held her breath and cautiously peered through the peephole. The person standing outside was her cousin.

Claire Bennett immediately relaxed. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and opened the door.

"What brings you here so suddenly?" She stepped aside to let her cousin in. The moment the door closed, her gaze darted across the hallway and toward the elevators, confirming no one had followed.

Her cousin dispensed with the pleasantries. The first thing she did upon entering was pull a securely sealed manila envelope from her bag and hand it to Claire Bennett.

"Another letter from my father?"

Her cousin nodded, her expression grave. "Quick, see what it says. Just like last time, burn it as soon as you’re done."

Claire Bennett lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable. She gestured for her cousin to wait in the living room, then turned and entered the bedroom.

As she unfolded the letter, her father’s firm, steady handwriting came into view.

The letter contained no pleasantries. It opened by bluntly restating his prohibition, every word carrying an air of indisputable finality.

[Immediately cease all actions against the Lancaster family and Wren Sutton. Stop at once. Do not make any more rash moves.]

[I will cover the losses from the Bennett family’s bankruptcy. No one from the Bennett family will dare cause you trouble, but there won’t be another family like the Bennetts in Aston to cooperate with you.]

[If you still consider me your father, then do as I say. Stop your revenge. Stop all this foolishness. Do not let your impulsiveness and obsession destroy you, and the entire Marshall Family along with you.]

[We can write, but do not call. It is dangerous and easily monitored.]

A black card with no spending limit was also included in the envelope.

Claire Bennett gritted her teeth. Her fingers, clutching the letter, slowly tightened, bit by bit.

She crumpled the paper into a ball and angrily tossed it into the shredder.

’I won’t accept this.’

A moment ago, she was wondering about the identity of her unseen pursuer. Now, her father’s prohibition felt like a shackle clamped firmly around her, threatening to derail her plans.

Claire Bennett didn’t understand. ’Why is even my own father opposing my revenge now? Shouldn’t he be supporting me?’

’Why should I have to forgive Wren Sutton? Stop my revenge?’

’What is Wren Sutton to him? Why does he care so much about her safety?!’

’Why is the whole world on Wren Sutton’s side? Why?!’

’Why can Wren Sutton do anything she wants, but I can’t?!’

Claire Bennett’s eyes were filled with ice and venom, the corners turning scarlet. Her exquisite makeup now looked twisted and monstrous.

A suppressive chill permeated the air.

A moment later, Claire Bennett emerged from the bedroom and returned to the living room, looking completely dead inside.

"I’ve read the letter, and I’ve burned it. You should go. Don’t come looking for me again anytime soon."

Her cousin rose from the sofa and took a step forward, her expression grave.

"I don’t know what was in the letter, but you must take its contents to heart. Do as your father instructs. Don’t just follow your own impulses, and more importantly, don’t do anything rash."

"I know all about what happened at the Flynn family’s hundred-day banquet. The Lancasters are clearly furious and want to make someone pay on Wren Sutton’s behalf."

"You were lucky to get away with it this time, but you won’t always be so fortunate."

Her cousin paused, her gaze sweeping over the discreet high-rise apartment.

"Don’t think I’m nagging, but there’s one more thing I have to remind you. The world now knows you as the long-lost daughter of the Bennett family. The Bennetts have officially declared bankruptcy, and as one of them, you have to act the part."

"Since you’ve decided to stay in the public eye as Claire Bennett, you have to play this part flawlessly. From start to finish, you can’t let anyone find a single thing to criticize."

Her cousin’s tone was tinged with anxiety.

"If one of your little schemes exposes a weakness, and someone gets leverage over you and uncovers our true background, all our previous preparations will be for nothing."

Claire Bennett listened without interrupting, lowering her gaze to conceal the malice and resentment churning in her eyes.

’Of course I know I have to see the act through. Of course I know I can’t expose my identity.’

But the more she was constrained and held back, the more that obsession festered and grew inside her. She was long past the point of no return.

"I know. I’ll listen to my father. I won’t act rashly or give anyone leverage over me."

Hearing this, her cousin finally relaxed a little. She repeated her warnings a few more times, and only after confirming that Claire Bennett wasn’t being stubbornly defiant did she turn and hurry away.

The soft click of the lock echoed from the entryway.

The mask of meek forbearance on Claire Bennett’s face vanished in an instant.

’Listen to my father? Stop at once?’

’Impossible!’

’Father is afraid of drawing fire, afraid of provoking the Lancaster family. I’m not. If it comes to it, we can all die together.’

The agonizing days and nights, the humiliation she had swallowed, the old hatred concealed by her prosthesis—none of it could ever be erased by simply backing down.

The more people tried to stop her, the more determined she became to defy them.

「A moment later.」

A cold, heavy look still lingered in Claire Bennett’s eyes.

She took out her phone to call property management, resuming the task she’d been forced to abandon.

The moment the call connected, Claire Bennett seemed to transform. Her tone was gentle, tinged with the perfect amount of anxiety, perfectly fitting the image of a frightened woman living alone and asking for help.

"Hello, I’m a resident in the high-rise. I felt like I was being followed by a car when I entered the complex just now. Could you please pull the security footage from the entrance and my building? I’d like to confirm what happened. Thank you for your help."

Her wording was perfectly measured—not aggressive, but not overly deferential either. By framing it as a normal resident’s request, she gave the property manager no reason to refuse.

The employee agreed and quickly sent the requested security footage to Claire Bennett through their online system.

Claire Bennett sat in the darkened living room, her eyes sharp as a blade as her finger tapped the screen and swiped through the security footage.

The footage clearly showed a discreet black sedan following her car, maintaining a deliberate but safe distance.

She stared at the license plate and the car’s highly recognizable custom detailing. It was a discreet, bespoke model. After just a few seconds, her heart sank.

It was one of the Lancaster family’s cars. She could never be mistaken.

Claire Bennett gripped her phone, her knuckles turning white. A trace of panic pierced through her shock.

’Why would the Lancaster family be following me? Is it Adrian Lancaster or Wren Sutton?’

’Whoever it is, it means the Lancasters have grown suspicious of me.’

’I thought my cover was seamless. I didn’t leave any loose ends or expose any weaknesses. How could I have suddenly aroused the Lancasters’ suspicion?’

’Where did I go wrong?!’

’Could it be...’

Claire Bennett forced herself to calm down, frantically reviewing every detail in her mind.

Her daily interactions, public appearances, and private movements—she had layers of protection for all of them, with no oversights.

After thinking it through, the only place a clue could have slipped out, the only opening someone could have exploited, was the hospital.

The hospital was the only place where a record of her true physical condition existed. It was the one weak point not entirely under her control.

Claire Bennett’s expression tensed. She immediately found her attending physician’s contact information and quickly dialed the number.

The instant the call connected, Claire Bennett suppressed her inner panic, keeping her tone as gentle and nonchalant as always, betraying no hint of her anxiety.

"Doctor, sorry to bother you. I was wondering, did anyone happen to come to the hospital today to ask about my medical records or inquire about my physical condition privately with you?"

The doctor paused what he was doing and spoke cautiously.

"Miss Bennett, according to hospital regulations, we are always strictly confidential with patient privacy. We would never disclose any information."

"However, something did happen. A woman claiming to be your friend came to see me today. She was asking if you wore a prosthesis on your left leg. I gave her a noncommittal answer."

Panic seized Claire Bennett’s heart. "What did the woman look like?"

The doctor tried to recall. He had some impression.

"Around your age. She was dressed like she wasn’t an ordinary person—very elegant, as if from a prominent, wealthy family."

A loud buzzing exploded in Claire Bennett’s head.

Based on the doctor’s simple description, she already knew the answer.

’It couldn’t be anyone else but Wren Sutton.’

A cold fury shot up through her chest, her eyes filling with a sinister chill.

Claire Bennett hung up and threw her phone onto the sofa. Her face was as cold as ice as she ground her teeth.

"Wren Sutton," she snarled, "it seems I underestimated you."

For Wren Sutton to have found the hospital and inquired about her condition meant she was intent on digging until she found the truth.

If she could find out about the injury today, then by following that lead, she would sooner or later uncover her true identity.

Once her identity was exposed, all the past grudges, the history of her prosthetic leg—everything would be stripped bare, layer by layer.

Everything she had painstakingly built would collapse in an instant, leaving her with nowhere left to turn.

This latent crisis was the most terrifying kind—irreversible.

’And if she finds out about the car crash...’

A chill ran down Claire Bennett’s back, genuine terror flashing in her eyes.

The more her fear grew, the more intense the sinister ruthlessness that surged within her became.

’I absolutely will not allow Wren Sutton to expose my true identity.’

’Absolutely not.’

Claire Bennett’s hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into fists. A sudden murderous intent flared within her.

’As long as Wren Sutton is gone, no one will keep digging into my past. No one will follow the trail from the hospital to its end. And no one will be able to rip away my disguise and expose my real identity.’

’As long as Wren Sutton is dead, all the hidden dangers and crises will disappear along with her.’

Before, she had only wanted to plot, to suppress, to get revenge.

But now, this sense of crisis had pushed her into a corner.

’Rather than wait for Wren Sutton to dismantle me piece by piece, expose my identity, and ruin my name, I should strike first.’

The corners of Claire Bennett’s mouth twisted into a vicious, cold smile.

"Wren Sutton, you’ve backed me into a corner. Now I’ll drag you to hell with me."

’And no one is going to stop me!’