No Strings Attached

Chapter 97

lan’s eyelids lifted, his deep, dark eyes locking onto Clara with an intensity that could cut through steel. He was searching for any sign of pain and reluctance on her face. He wanted to hear her approach, apologize, and beg for his forgiveness. What he heard was anything but that.

“Mr. Hayes, I’ve sent my resignation to both you and the HR director. You just need to approve it in the system. Regarding the handover, I’ve got everything organized and passed it on to Dawson. If there’s anything he doesn’t get, he can always reach out to

1. me.

Clara’s face was devoid of any pain. In fact, there was a ghost of a smile playing at her lips, her gaze calm and unruffled as she looked at him.

lan gnashed his teeth in frustration. He scoffed, “Do you really think you’re irreplaceable? Clara, don’t be so full of yourself!”

Clara’s smile was light, almost airy. “Of course not. Hayes Corporation is a veritable breeding ground for talent. I’m just being polite. After all, who likes to be constantly pestered with questions by their former employer? Am I right?”

lan’s grip on his pen tightened. Then he pulled out a check from his drawer, scribbled a number on it with a flourish, signed his name, and handed it over to Clara with a tone dripping with scorn and contempt. “With your looks, this amount should tide you over for three years. Don’t play the saint with me. Take this, leave, and never come back!”

Clara looked at the check; a billion–dollar figure stared back at her, next to lan’s flamboyant signature. It was like scalding water on her chest, a burning pain that refused to subside.

With this move, lan made it crystal clear that she was nothing more than a sugar baby he had tired of, and now she was to take the money and get out.

Clara masked the emotion in her eyes and took the check from lan’s hand. Her smile was pretty as she said, “Thank you, Mr. Hayes. I won’t be coming back.”

She turned to leave. lan’s cold, merciless voice followed her. “Take everything I gave you. I expect not a trace of you left in the house.”

Without turning back, Clara responded with a detached, “Fine, I’ll go get them now.”

As the office door closed and Clara’s footsteps faded, lan’s pent–up emotions finally erupted. He grabbed a crystal glass from his desk and hurled it toward the door..

Clara’s indifference had clearly struck a nerve. He had been the one to end things, yet why didn’t she show any pain? Instead, it seemed as if she had been set free.

Later that night, lan came home late. Dragging his weary body, he unlocked the door to

11:54

his house and was struck by the cold emptiness that greeted him.

The once warm and romantic home felt barren, all of Clara’s soft touches gone. In their place was the stark, cold white decor he used to favor.

A pang of heartache hit him, and he ripped off his tie, throwing it to the ground as he stormed upstairs.

Upon seeing the bedroom, his fist slammed into the door. The bed, the wardrobe, the jewelry box, even the bathroom bore no sign of Clara. It was as if she had never been there at all.

Clara had left without a trace. From now on, she would be erased from his world.

The thought was too much, and lan felt a searing pain in his chest as if a cherished treasure had vanished into thin air.

The next morning, Dawson arrived to pick up lan but found no sign of him in the living

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Puzzled, he thought to himself. Mr. Hayes was a creature of habit, and this was usually

his breakfast time.