Falling into Her Trap: Don't Cross the Line, Mr. President-Chapter 148: Killing the Body and Crushing the Soul—Don’t Call Her Ms. Shaw, Call Her Aunt
Murdering the heart!
Ethan Blackwood’s words were more potent than any magical attack, like a heavy hammer striking Owen Crawford’s heart.
The more he loved Claire Shaw, the more it pained him right now.
Of course, there was also anxiety; clearly, Claire used to be his girlfriend, yet he ended up pushing her into another man’s arms despite all his efforts.
How could he not be angry about this?
If it were another man, he would have exploded long ago, but it happened to be Ethan Blackwood, who was several levels above him.
Even though he was on the verge of madness with jealousy, he had to feign a nonchalant demeanor on the outside.
"Yes, I propose a toast to Uncle and Ms. Shaw... Wishing you a long and prosperous marriage!"
It took him tremendous effort to utter those last few words.
But Ethan wasn’t satisfied. He gently swirled the wine in his glass, "Owen, that’s being too formal. You call me Uncle, so how can you call her Ms. Shaw and create a disparity?"
At this point, if Elliot Blackwood still couldn’t see through the situation, he would indeed be foolish.
Ethan and Claire were drinking red wine, while Owen filled a wine glass with white liquor.
This didn’t look like a toast; it seemed more like an apology.
Though Ethan was usually cold, he generally wasn’t overly harsh with others; clearly, today, he was at odds with Owen Crawford.
So Elliot quickly stepped in to diffuse the tension: "Indeed, Ethan has always been dedicated since he was a child. Once he’s decided on someone, that’s your Aunt now. Calling her Ms. Shaw is too distant; you should quickly change the way you address her."
Just this afternoon, Owen was still dreaming that Claire would someday realize his worth and come back to him when she had no other options.
Now it seemed that unless the Blackwood family went bankrupt, this was absolutely impossible!
What powers did he have to bring down the Blackwood family?
The social status he used to flaunt in front of Claire had now become his comeuppance.
Owen held his glass, his fingers uncontrollably trembling.
He looked at Claire and, in extreme pain, spoke aloud: "I toast to Uncle and... Aunt, wishing you both a long and prosperous marriage."
Claire’s first reaction wasn’t satisfaction but a regret that Mia Hughes, the gossip enthusiast, wasn’t present.
Ever since they broke up, she’d been cursing Owen daily, wishing for retribution to befall him.
But when the day finally arrived, Mia wasn’t there to witness it. If Mia knew, she’d probably slap her own thigh until it was bruised from regret.
Ethan lifted his glass to lightly clink it with Owen’s, producing a soft "ding."
"We accept your goodwill."
Claire also spoke calmly, "Thank you."
They both took small sips of their red wine, while Owen had to down his glass of white liquor in one go.
On the side, Yvonne Crawford looked on sympathetically. Who told them to be blind and provoke Claire of all people?
After one glass, Owen poured himself two more
A normal person probably couldn’t handle even one glass, but Owen drank three in succession and then excused himself to the bathroom.
With such strong liquor, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up vomiting all his internal organs.
When he came out, Claire was washing her hands at the sink.
"You’re here to laugh at me?" Owen’s face was flushed, his tall body weakly leaning against the wall, no longer showing his earlier arrogance.
Claire calmly dried her hands with a tissue and then applied a layer of moisturizer.
Her reflection was bright and pure in the mirror.
There was no ridicule or disdain in her eyes; her gaze was calm, "It’s not about laughing. I just want to ask if being trampled by the social class you always spoke of feels satisfying?"
"How different are you now from when I had to scrape together a living for change? At least I earn my money through my skills, while you rely on your family. Without them, you’re nothing but useless."
Though Claire was a head shorter than him, her presence was overwhelmingly powerful, making Owen detest her more because she resembled Ethan Blackwood!
Powerful, cold, unapproachable.
"Claire, you’re just relying on Ethan. Do you think he’ll really marry you? Someone of your status wouldn’t even be allowed to enter the Crawford Family’s door, let alone the Blackwood Family?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Owen sneered, "If I were you, I would quit while I’m ahead. Don’t be as foolish as before. A woman’s youth only lasts for so many years; make the most of it while he still treats you well, or else..."
Claire finished her hand care and looked up at Owen’s face, made ugly by jealousy.
Her voice was soft, "Do you know why after years with you I never opened my heart, yet with him, in just three months, I’m willing to share everything?"
Owen stood stunned, not expecting Claire to bluntly address such a blow to his masculinity.
Instinctively, he wanted to claim it was for wealth and status, but recalling how he’d tried to lure Claire with power for years without success stopped him.
"Why?"
"Because you never treated me as your girlfriend. No matter how nice you were on the surface, in your subconscious, I was just a plaything, but he never would. He knows how to respect a woman."
"Impossible, there’s no man like that in the world. He’s just better at pretending than I am. Claire, don’t be naive."
Claire crossed her arms, speaking firmly, "The naive one is you. You’ll never know Ethan’s goodness. Even if it’s just three days, I’d fall for him. You say I can’t enter the Blackwood Family? One day I’ll marry into it respectably, and you’ll kneel to serve me tea, calling me Aunt."
Owen found the words laughable but terrifying when coming from Claire.
Because he’d witnessed her determination; she was talented in whatever she did.
Once, someone cursed her in Russian, and the first time she didn’t understand but guessed from their expression.
A month later, Claire taught herself Russian and cursed him back.
She’d just suppressed her wild nature to become a teacher, but quitting now was like breaking free from chains.
Claire might soon shine in a way that would spark his deeper jealousy.
"Owen Crawford, I’ve known about you and Yasmin Yorke for a long time. Today, I came to tell you clearly that Claire Shaw has never been a soft target for you to exploit. If you act unfairly, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"
With that, Claire turned and left.
Leaving Owen in turmoil, wondering what this crazy woman would do.
With his stomach churning again, he returned to the bathroom to vomit.
When she returned, Ethan was peeling shrimp and crab, placing them in Claire’s bowl with his hands.
She once said she disliked seafood, and Owen thought it was about taste, but now he knew it was because she found it troublesome.
When someone prepared it for her, how could she dislike it?
As she ate the shrimp, Ethan scooped some chicken soup for her.
"Darling, try the soup. It’s flavorful."
"I’ll drink it later," Claire barely managed to eat the shrimp fast enough.
Ethan then offered a spoonful to her lips, "Be good; it’ll get cold soon."
"Then I’ll just have a small sip."
"Good girl..." The affection in his eyes practically overflowed, like an invisible slap across Owen Crawford’s face.
