Many weeks ago:
It was difficult to push Gabriel to prioritise his treatment and get him to go to the States at such a crucial and difficult time.
Claire placed her hand on his thigh on the way to the airport, stopping herself from gripping onto him and never letting him go. She struggled to say anything as she was worried that if she were to speak, she'd change her mind.
He needed to get better and get the treatment and seeing the specialist was the best way to do so, but, part of Claire wanted to selfishly stop him and keep him for herself.
The drive to the airport was silent. She felt the heavy pit in her stomach, afraid of being on her own.
Gabriel was her shield and support for a while now, even if she struggled to admit it. The moment when he was shot still replayed in her mind and the fear of losing him still lingered. And now, he was going away and she couldn't keep tabs on him to make sure of his safety.
Mark already waited at the airfield, by Gabriel's private jet.
Claire hugged Gabriel as tightly as she could without hurting him, kissing him eagerly.
Letting him go was harder than she thought it'll be. Barely months earlier, she would've done anything to send him away, and now…
She knew that he was going to be in good hands. Eva was excited to have her brother visit, and Mark was going to be by his side. It was Claire that was being left with less protection than him.
Saying goodbye to him was difficult.
Claire stood to the side of the airfield, watching the plane ready itself and then take off, disappearing on the horizon.
She sobbed quietly for a few moments before she turned around and went back home with Klaus driving her.
"Would you like a coffee or a dessert, perhaps?" Klaus offered. "A sugar boost? I know a drive-through place that does an amazing cake."
Claire smiled into the mirror.
"That doesn't sound like that bad of an idea."
Klaus passed by a small place on the edge of the city that she never saw before and ordered them drinks and a dessert. Claire sat on the passenger seat beside him and they sat down and ate it in the car.
"Sugar is good when you're feeling down." Klaus explained with a smile.
"Thank you." Claire said with appreciation in her voice.
Gabriel's staff grew accustomed to her and her ways, and they often showed her their care through small gestures, but it was probably the first time that Klaus openly interacted with her.
He chatted with her on the way home, telling her of what he observed as a driver, of all the new places being built and opened.
"And here's the prettiest hotel I've ever seen." Klaus pointed at a building which looked familiar to Claire.
"Thank you." Claire chuckled, her mind occupied with his conversation enough to distract her. "I've designed it."
"Really? That's stunning. I've stayed there with my wife for our anniversary last month and it looked so splendid. I've never seen such a tall hallway before."
"I've designed the lobby to have natural lightning through the roof, making it extraordinarily high by building the surrounding rooms almost like a spiral balcony."
"It reminds me of the style of this place." Klaus pointed at another building in the city.
"You're just picking everything I've designed." Claire laughed.
"Really? You have one big talent. I'm sure you know that this is one of the most popular spots in the city. It became one of the local attractions."
"I haven't, no. Not directly, at least. I knew that it generated a hefty amount of profit."
"It became one of the architectural spots of the city. I had a family come over asking to see it as part of their sightseeing."
"Unbelievable. I do hope that they've liked it."
"Very."
Klaus made sure that the drive home was as distracting as possible and it worked. It went so quickly that Claire was surprised when she realised that they pulled up by the gate.
She thanked Klaus profusely before entering the villa. She kept an eye on the time, Counting down to Gabriel's expected time of arrival. She was to check in with Eva when Gabriel was to arrive.
Her anxious mind was coming up with the worst scenarios throughout that time. She already imagined the plane simultaneously bursting into flames, or falling out of the sky. And as time went on, her imagination was running wilder.
Claire sat down in her study in the hope to distract herself.
It was harder than she ever imagined. She has tried to focus on something that wasn't Gabriel or trial.
At first, her mind was blank, but then she realised that she very much so needed to come up with the perfect plan. A plan for her career and life and how to live happily ever after with Gabriel. The trial has consumed all of her energy in the past few weeks.
She considered all her options and she realised that for the first time, she had the resources and time to do what she truly wanted to.
Her dream was to set up her own design company. She was aware that she lacked some crucial skills in business management and finances and now she sat down and was looking started to look at the postgraduate courses at the nearby university. She was fantasising about a perfect end, of having her dream company, of having Gabriel by her side, of going on holidays, of having her family nearby.
She easily met the entry requirements and her work portfolio was more than sufficient to prove her capability towards the course.
She looked at the list of courses available: business and economics, business and Human Resources, business and financial management, and many more.
She was trying to work out the subtle differences between some of them to work out which one would be the most suitable for her.
Her fantasies were abruptly interrupted as she heard the slight buzzing and a message on her phone. Harry let her know that the system was down and that he will be seeing her promptly.
Claire had a gut feeling that this was not a good sign. She checked the time, it was still a fairly early afternoon. Almost three more hours until Gabriel's landing in the States.
She walked out of her study and she had her worst fears confirmed as she approached the stairs.
"I suspected that you will be hiding here." Michael sneered as he walked up to Claire. Claire stood up straight, trying to hide her uneasiness. "You've played your cards well, but you see, my hand was always better." without warning he grabbed Claire by her neck and pushed her into the wall. She tried to conceal her fear. Nothing was standing in his way of killing her. It could be a few-second job. "I hoped to avoid doing the dirty work myself, but what can I do?" he squeezed his hand around her neck. Maybe it was a shock, but he didn't really fight him. Claire focused on trying to remain calm, on deciding a plan of escape. She was genuinely surprised by how strong Michael was. He must've been in his fifties now but he held onto her without a single sign of struggle.
Gabriel was stronger, she knew that. He would've punched the heck out of Michael if he wasn't hurt or most importantly if he was there.
There was a glimpse of Gabriel on Michael's face. They shared the same eye and face shape. Claire knew that Michael must've been equally handsome as a youngster. His features now were waning, his youth slipping away.
Cards. What cards did she have left to play? Not many, she knew that, but the last few cards were definitely Aces.
"And how will you explain it?" Claire managed to utter. The pressure on her neck was getting worse. She started to struggle to breathe. It wasn't how she imagined her death. She was naive in hoping that this won't happen. After all, she knew that she didn't have a life ahead.
"I don't need to explain anything."
"You're wrong."
"Who will care about a vermin like you?" Michael laughed. It was a wicked laugh.
"Gabriel will." Claire said with confidence.
"You're just a fling, darling. He will forget about you within a week."
"You're wrong." Claire laughed. She thought that her confidence and laugh were going to be the only way she could put doubt in Michael. "You know nothing." She smiled with satisfaction knowing now how to play her cards. One thing that she knew about Michael was that he loved being in control and any glimpse of the unknown scared him. "It's funny that you don't know."
"Don't know what exactly?"
"You do not know that your very son is married." A smile on her face was unnerving to Michael. She saw the first sign of hesitation as his brow briefly propped up. "I'm a Moore now. You can't just eradicate me without consequences." She finished. It was the first card that she had left to play.
"You're crazy." Michael said decisively but she managed to plant a seed of doubt inside of him. His grip wasn't as confident. His fingers subconsciously loosened up.
"Maybe. But I wonder what will come of it when it comes to the light that you've killed your daughter-in-law?"
"No one will find out, you bitch. You're lying!" His forehead creased as he contemplated her words carefully.
"What will you tell Gabriel and Eva?"
"Eva?" Michael furrowed his brows further and his fingers loosened slightly more. Enough to not dig deeply into her skin. But pressure remained.
"Oh, she knows about my marriage to Gabriel. She adores me. We're best of friends. There are so many people that know. As soon as I die, it'll be revealed to the world. But you know what's even better? I've filed a lawsuit against you. It's been put in the system. People already know what you did. More people than what you can kill." Claire smiled victoriously.
"You're bluffing." Michael still insisted.
"Go on then. Take your chances." Sound confident, Claire reminded herself. If there was a way for her to survive today, this was it. It was a risky game but the only one she could play "There are more than enough copies of my marriage contract with Gabriel. There are more than enough copies of the evidence of everything that you've done. Even if I'm gone, people will go after you. But just imagine what Gabriel will do once he finds out that you've killed me. He might be naive but he isn't stupid." Michael released Claire's neck from his grip. It was so unexpected that she fell to the ground. She looked at him with her own wicked grin. "You're finished, Michael Moore. You'll pay for everything you have done."
"No one is going to believe you."
"Gabriel believes me and that's just the beginning."
Michael picked Claire up by her neck again. His jaw was clenched and he was full of determination. Claire knew that she provoked him too much. She knew that she went too far. Michael pushed her without hesitation, and as he did, Claire realised where she stood. She lost her balance and fell down the stairs, tumbling on the sharp corners, and landing on the cold marble floor at the bottom with a thud.