Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband

"Set you up?" Diana scoffed, folding her arms and leveling him with a cold glare. "Don’t make me laugh, Harris. If you hadn’t been so utterly incompetent, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I told you to handle Claire, and yet here you are, whining in a hospital bed!"

Harris gritted his teeth, his face contorted with anger. "Do you even know what happened to me because of you? Do you have any idea what I went through?"

"This is why I am here," Diana said firmly, her voice dripping with impatience. "I want answers. Why weren’t you at the scene as planned? What went wrong?"

"Hah!" Harris let out a bitter laugh, his tone laced with defiance. "I am not saying a damn word."

"Seriously?" Diana rolled her eyes, her irritation growing. "Do you think staying silent is going to spare you? If you don’t talk now, things will only get worse for you. Trust me on that."

"What the hell should I do then?" Harris snapped, his voice cracking with frustration. "I was beaten black and blue because of you! Who the hell is Claire, anyway? Why were there so many mysterious men around her? And Damian—Damian, of all people—was there, taking care of her!"

Diana’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Damian. She let out a small, relieved sigh, masking it with a calculated smirk. "Oh, so it was Damian who got involved?" she said, her tone casual, though her mind raced with relief.

Evander’s name hadn’t come up yet, and for now, that was all she cared about. If he stayed out of this, she still had room to make up and execute an escape plan if needed.

"Listen, Harris," Diana continued, her voice softening slightly as she leaned closer. "If Damian is involved, it’s manageable. But I need every detail to clean this up. You don’t want to stay in this mess, do you?"

Harris looked at her with a mix of anger and reluctance, his fists clenching at his sides. "Fine," he muttered after a moment. "But if this backfires, don’t you dare pin it all on me."

Diana straightened up, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Oh, don’t worry, Harris. You are already neck-deep in this. All I am offering is a way to keep your head above water—for now."

Her words hung in the air as she turned and walked toward the door, leaving Harris fuming in silence.

"So, are you going to speak, or do I have to drag every word out of you?" Diana raised her brows, her voice sharp as a blade. She had no need to be polite in front of him now that he had been caught and messed everything up in such a way.

Harris clenched his fists, his face pale but defiant. "When I got to the room, Damian was already there with someone else... and he attacked me!"

Diana’s breath hitched, but she kept her expression calm, though her eyes narrowed. "And? Did you take my name, Mr. Harris?" Her voice turned icy, and her heart thudded in her chest.

"Yes," Harris admitted, looking away in shame. "I was drunk, and... it slipped."

"Fuck!" Diana cursed under her breath, her composure cracking for a moment. "Couldn’t you have controlled yourself for once in your miserable life?"

Diana’s mind raced about what to do next. This was exactly what she feared. Her name was already out, and there was no way to erase it now. Damian knew. And if Damian knew, it wouldn’t be long before others did too.

She paced the room, her heels clicking against the floor, trying to suppress the panic rising within her. What could she do? Confront Claire? No, that would be a disaster waiting to happen. Claire wasn’t as naive as she once seemed.

Diana bit her lip, her thoughts spiraling. "Great, just great," she muttered to herself. "I need a better plan, something foolproof."

Harris, still slumped in his hospital bed, sneered at her. "You are over along side me, Diana. Maybe you should start thinking about how to save yourself."

She turned to him, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don’t you think I know that?" she snapped. "Unlike you, I don’t just sit and whine. I fix things."

But even as she spoke, she knew she was grasping at straws. Her usual tricks wouldn’t work this time. Damian wasn’t someone she could easily manipulate, and Claire... well, Claire wasn’t as powerless as she once thought.

"I need time," Diana finally said, more to herself than to Harris. "It’s time for me to figure out the next move. But mark my words, Harris, if you even think about dragging me down with you, you will regret it."

With that, she turned on her heels and left the room without another word.

~ ~ ~ ~

It had been two days since Claire stayed at home as everything at work was stopped. The news of Mr. Harris’s sudden and quiet dismissal from the set had sent ripples through the industry. Changes were being made rapidly among the cast and crew, yet Diana’s name was still not on the list. Today, however, was the day Evander had promised— everything would come to light.

Evander and Damian had joined forces with Caspian, keeping their promise to expose Harris and Diana. The atmosphere was tense as the trio worked behind the scenes to ensure their plan would succeed without a hitch.

Meanwhile, Claire sat in the living room, her heart heavy. She had been trying talk to Sissy since that day, but she was not ready to talk to her. Unable to bear it any longer, she walked into Sissy’s room.

"Sissy, are you still not going to talk to me?" Claire asked softly, her voice trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know I was wrong, but can you not keep quiet like this? I don’t like it!"

Sissy turned to her, her face hardened with hurt. "Really?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "After everything, you are asking me that? Who am I to you, Claire? What right do I even have to be angry now that you have a husband to lean on?"

Claire flinched at her words, guilt washing over her like a tidal wave. "Sissy, you know that’s not true!" she said, her voice breaking. "You have always been my family, my support. I never wanted to hide anything from you!"

"Yet you did!" Sissy cut her off, her voice filled with bitterness. "You shut me out without telling me anything! If I had not heard it by accident, I still wouldn’t have gotten to know anything at all."

"I was scared, okay?" Claire admitted, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I didn’t know how to face you after everything and repeat those things! I was terrified. I thought I would tell you when I was ready but..."

"Scared?" Sissy scoffed, her anger faltering as she shook her head. "You think I am mad because of that? Claire, I’m mad because you didn’t trust me enough to share what you were going through. I could have helped you! I wanted to stay by your side and console you and go through everything together! But I was not there when you are suffering so much!"

"I am sorry," Claire whispered, her voice barely audible. "I was wrong. I know that now. But please, Sissy, don’t shut me out. I can’t lose you. I really love you!"

Sissy sighed, her expression softening as she saw the sincerity in Claire’s eyes. "You are lucky I can’t stay mad at you forever," she muttered, crossing her arms. "But don’t expect me to forgive you that easily. You will have to earn it."

Claire managed a small, tearful smile. "I will do whatever you want me to do," she promised.

"Good," Sissy said, though her tone was less sharp now. "Because I am not in the good mood today, you must take me out for shopping!" She looked at Claire. "Even if you are an idiot sometimes, I just can’t let you be on your own."

Claire let out a hearty laugh, and for the first time in days, the heaviness in her chest lifted just a little. She was worried that Sissy wouldn’t forgive her.

"I will go get changed! Let’s shop till we drop!" Claire exclaimed with a smirk, dashing out of her room with excitement.

She nearly collided with Evander, who was walking down the hallway. "Where are you running to?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Sissy forgave me!" Claire announced, her voice brimming with excitement. "But now I need to take her shopping as a peace offering."

As she turned to leave, a thought hit her, and her face fell. "Damn it! I barely have enough money to live on, let alone a shopping spree," she muttered under her breath, tugging at her sleeve nervously.

Evander caught her hesitation and stopped her in her tracks. "Here," he said, pulling out his wallet and handing her a sleek black card. "Take this. Buy whatever you need; there is no need to hold back."

Claire stared at the card as if it might bite her. "No way!" she said, shaking her head and waving her hands in refusal. She couldn’t take your money from Evander. It felt so wrong. After all, it was money that ruined so much in the first place.

"Claire, please take it," Evander implored as he put the card in her hand. "What I earn is all for you! I would be happy if you..."