Friday was much harder. She tried to put it at the back of her mind, but she gave in to her curiosity and she started to read the messages. They didn't reveal any secret she might've not known. It wasn't anything besides a clear provocation - but it was working. Francesca was trying to make it seem like she and Gabriel are an item through an implication, by letting Claire know that they're betrothed, that they were childhood sweethearts, that they are a perfect fit for each other because they belong to the same social circle.
As much as Claire tried to think about it logically, it had an intended effect. Claire felt like, indeed, she was an ill fit for Gabriel. She definitely didn't come from anywhere close to his social background, and she definitely was a worthless cockroach compared to him. She didn't have a private education, nor did she have money, or generational wealth. She was rather uncultured and plain. She was nothing. As much as she hated it, Francesca's messages got under her skin. She hasn't responded, of course. She didn't want to argue. She had nothing to say. She silently agreed with Francesca. Compared to Claire, Francesca was a perfect fit for Gabriel. Besides growing up together, she had equally good private education as him, coming from a prestigious family, bringing in more wealth to the table, and she was a part of his social circle. She was accustomed to his lifestyle, to cooks, maids, housekeepers, gardeners, security, and servants. Francesca was accustomed to holidays at the corners of the Earth, fine dining, banquets, weekends on the yacht and collections of vintage cars.
When Gabriel came by her office with coffee and some snacks, she gave him the silent treatment.
"Hey, Claire dear. How are you keeping up?" Gabriel asked with a smile, kissing her on the cheek and placing the carrier bag on her desk. Claire stiffened up at his touch, her head filled with the thoughts of how he might've touched Francesca. She stared out of the window trying to find herself a distraction there.
Gabriel soon left, catching Gina and Zoe further down in the office. "Is she okay?"
"As far as her okay goes." Zoe shrugged. "Why? What's up?"
"She just gave me a cold shoulder and I'm not sure if it's anything I've done," Gabriel said with worry.
"She's been a bit off since yesterday." Gina pointed out. "I haven't had a chance to dig into it yet. She'll come around or she'll tell you what's wrong." She shrugged.
"Okay. Do you guys need anything?" Gabriel asked as he looked around at a busy department.
"Will to live?" Zoe asked.
"Yeah. After a week of over 12-hour days, we're very low on morale." Gina nodded.
"I can't do that, I'm afraid, but I'll get you more coffee." Gabriel smiled at them. "And I'll make sure that the new coffee machine is on order."
"Thanks." They smiled at him.
As Gariel promised, the department was soon handed out a delivery of fresh coffee from the local cafe, with some sweet treats, which did make employees a little bit happier.
Gabriel waited for Claire at home. He felt bad enough to miss her over the past few days and he wanted to see her for at least a bit before going to bed. Claire finally came back around 23:00, exhausted and irritated.
As soon as the door opened, Gabriel walked down the hallway towards her, but she walked past him, ignoring him completely. Her mind has been fixated on the messages from Francesca so much, that she couldn't look at Gabriel without getting angry at him.
"Good evening, Claire," Gabriel said behind her but Claire said nothing in response. "I'm glad to see you. Would you like me to make you tea as you get ready for bed?" Claire still didn't answer as she climbed up the stairs. She knew that if she were to open her mouth, she'd lose it. She pursed her lips as if trying to keep them sealed.
"Claire, for goodness sake, speak. Tell me what's wrong." Gabriel said, losing his patience at last. "Tell me what I've done wrong. I am dumb, as previously said, I need an explicit answer." He started walking behind her. "Please, Claire."
"Leave me alone," Claire said through her gritted teeth not even facing him as she climbed to the first floor.
"I can tell that something is wrong. I don't want to leave you alone when you're like this. I can tell that you're struggling." Gabriel followed her up.
"I'm only struggling because you're here," Claire said, turning back to face him.
"What have I done?" Gabriel asked with slight despair in his voice.
"Please, leave me alone."
"No, Claire. I want an answer. I don't want you to push me away while something's bothering you. I want to be by your side and I want to help you."
"You want to be by my side?" Claire repeated with a scoff as an image that Francesca send to her popped into her mind. "I wonder for how long? How long will you keep this shit up? How long can you pretend to like me? How long before I get thrown away like garbage? Are you waiting for me to start believing that this is real before you do it? So that it'll hurt more?"
"What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?" Gabriel looked at her with worry, hurt by her words.
"Leave me alone, Gabriel."
"Explain to me where this came from!" Gabriel demanded.
"You explain to me what business you have with me!"
"I thought that I was clear. I thought that I couldn't be any clearer. I love you and I want to be with you. I want to be by your side for as long as you want me, for the rest of our lives if I can."
"What kind of manipulative bullshit is this?" Claire asked. "I can't imagine why a billionaire who can have any woman would pick someone like me unless they had some sick agenda behind it."
"I am not sure whether you're trying to offend me, but I hope you realise that you are pushing me to the edge now."
"And what are you going to do this time, huh?" Claire tilted her head. "Which wall is it going to be? Or are you going to destroy more of my belongings?"
"I don't understand why you are going after me right now. Have I done something wrong today? Or this week? Because I honestly don't know. I thought that we were doing okay. You seemed happy…"Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose as if that was going to help him understand it better. "Or is it that you've decided that you can't go past my mistakes and that's it? Is that your way of telling me that this is over?" Gabriel asked, feeling overwhelmed.
Claire went silent at his words.
"Yeah, let's end it. Let's not waste any more time together!" Claire spat out angrily.
"Okay," Gabriel said in a suddenly calm tone. "I'll do as you wish. But firstly, get some rest. We can discuss it tomorrow." Gabriel walked past her and walked into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Claire looked at the closed door, suddenly the reality dawning upon her. She let her emotions take over and now she was at an almost irreversible stage. She let Francesca get into her head and she did exactly as Francesca wanted. She was a puppet. She f*cked up.
Claire hid in her bedroom, curling up beside the door and sobbing. She just brought her relationship to an end. And what's worse, she felt all that pain inside of her because she had feelings for Gabriel. She broke the first real relationship she had apart, because of a single photo without a backstory.
She barely slept that night and as dawn set in, she left the house, in the hope to complete one last task she had to do for her parents. It was stressful enough to deal with it and meet Cecilia - George's wife - never mind the argument with Gabriel just a night before.
She left all of her tracking devices behind, ensuring that the security didn't follow her.
She drove far, arriving at her destination in the early morning, still thinking about her argument from the previous night.
But it didn't matter. If she could get Cecilia on board, that was it anyways. Or so she told herself. She tried to silently reassure herself that it was an inevitable end to their relationship.
Claire took a deep breath trying to hold her tears in as she walked up to a door to a small cottage and then she knocked. In the dead silence, she could hear her fast heartbeat.
"Cecilia, it's Claire Thompson," Claire said through the door. "I'm Leanne's daughter." Claire's voice cracked a bit as she tried to hold it together.
"Is anyone following you?" A quiet voice answered.
"No," Claire answered her. "I've made sure to take enough turns to lose any tail. No one followed me."
"Are you certain?" Woman asked.
"Yes. I have no tracking devices. No GPS. And I wasn't followed." Claire said in a calmer tone, a new task now overshadowing her upset over Gabriel.
The door was unlocked and a petite woman in her fifties opened it.
"Come in." She said. Claire followed her into the house, which was barely home. The windows were boarded up and there were at least five locks on the door. There was barely any light within the room, aside from a single candle in the corner. The house didn't have much, it was about the size of Claire's first apartment.
Claire rummaged through her handbag, taking a small package out.
"Sophie and George asked me to pass it to you," Claire said carefully, worried about startling the woman who lived in fear for the past seven years, letting it consume her.
"What's in it?"
"It's a small gift," Claire said reassuringly. "They've made you something themselves."
Cecilia carefully took the package and unwrapped it with shaking hands. She opened it to find a scarf from Sophie and a small wooden figurine from George.
"Thank you."
"They miss you," Claire said in almost a whisper. Cecilia pointed at the chair beside a table and Claire obediently sat down on it, being sat opposite Cecilia.
"How's Leanne and Joseph?"
"They're okay. They're way up North now."
"Shush, don't say anything! They're watching and listening!" Cecilia hushed her immediately.
"I'm sorry," Claire said quickly. "Cecilia, I'm sure that you know why I came."
"I'm not doing it." Cecilia shook her head.
"You don't have to come out. You can stay here." Claire reassured her. "All I need is your signature." Claire took out a file from her handbag, moving it across. "All I need is your statement."
"I am not signing anything. My signature can be used against me." Cecilia still protested.
"You used to trust Leanne, my mum, didn't you?" Claire asked as she took another file out of her handbag, showing her mum's signature on a similar document. "She signed it too. And so did David and Horace. I found them all." Claire sighed. "I know that it's difficult. But… This is the only way for you to see George and Sophie again. I know that you miss them. And I know that you're scared. I have been threatened and followed for weeks now. It's scary." Claire admitted. "I am scared."
Cecilia watched Claire carefully.
"I am not signing it." Cecilia shook her head.
"You did nothing wrong, Cecilia," Claire said with a reassuring smile. "I understand." Claire stood up readying to leave.
"Who is on your side?" Cecilia asked with shaken curiosity.
"Well, obviously David, Horace, and mum. My uncle, Adam Best, is going to file the lawsuit. And I think…" Claire hesitated. "I think my husband will be on my side." She said carefully still afraid to know for sure where Gabriel was standing, never the outcome of their argument from the previous night. But she needed this argument to sway Cecilia, even if it was a blatant lie. "He is now more powerful than Michael Moore ever was. He has money and power. He has connections and resources. Once I have your signature, I'm sure I can get even more lawyers and support."
"He's going to kill you," Cecilia said with worry.
"I know." Claire nodded. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to bring him to justice."
"And your husband, and friends, and family."
"He isn't going to kill them," Claire said with confidence.
"And Leanne is okay with you…?"
"My mum doesn't want me hurt but she knows that there is no stopping me now." Claire smiled. "I've got her stubbornness, after all."
"Her stubbornness is the reason why we're here," Cecilia said quietly.
"No, Cecilia. You were fierce and you've tried to do the impossible. My mum could never make you do it."
Cecilia smiled looking at the paper in front of her.
"What's your plan?"
"If you sign it, I'll file it all in the court. I'll sue Moore Pharmaceuticals."
"That's an ambitious plan."
"If I fail, nothing will change for you," Claire said looking around. "If I succeed, you may have your life back. We may have our lives back."
"Your chances of success are low," Cecilia said with pessimism.
"Even if there's the tiniest chance, I'll take the risk. I can't live like that for the rest of my life, Cecilia. I want to live. I tried to live in a shadow, but I don't want to anymore. I want to go on holidays, parties, and try new things, without looking over my shoulder every step of the way." Claire sighed taking the phone out of her handbag. "This phone cannot be tracked. You can call them now. You can ask them why they've signed it." Claire offered.
"Are you sure that it cannot be tracked?"
"I am sure." Claire nodded.
Cecilia looked at the phone in contemplation.
"No." Cecilia shook her head. "I'm not taking that risk."
"I understand." Claire nodded, putting the phone away. To her surprise, Cecilia picked up the pen and signed the document.
"I've lived most of my life, but none of you kids ever did." She smiled in pain. "Jenny never did."
"I know, Cecilia." Claire nodded. "We need to bring justice to Jenny."
Cecilia started sobbing as she signed the papers.
"I'll be brave for my Jen." Cecilia smiled as she gave Claire the paperback with her shaky signature. "Now, please, would you like a tea? I'd love to hear about where everyone is now."
"Of course." Claire nodded. "And I'd love a cup of tea." She sat with Cecilia, telling her of her mum's fight against her cancer, and her transplant, how her dad sold the restaurant to fund the chemotherapy, and of her work as a designer and then head of the department. Cecilia was eager to listen, asking questions and telling Claire stories from her past, of how was it when she worked alongside Leanne for years, how George used to work in the mines, and of how Sophie crafted the most beautiful dresses for Jen when she was a child and then teenager. The night fell before l Claire was hugged tightly by Cecilia and on her way, unsure where to go. She wasn't yet convinced about Gabriel. She wasn't sure whether she was yet ready to face him. And if she did face him, she wasn't sure whether she could admit to her wrongdoings. And she knew that she was in the wrong. She knew that she let her head spiral out of control.
She drove back in the night, feeling increasingly anxious and upset. As she reached the villa, she sat in a car for a few minutes trying to stop a panic attack.