The Bride Widow
Chapter 139: Ch 139: My Reputation? - Part 2

Chapter 139: Ch 139: My Reputation? - Part 2

Noah’s playful smile faltered as he studied her face. The sincerity in her words, the worry etched into her features, stirred something in him. He reached out, gently placing a hand over hers. "You don’t get it, do you?" he said, his tone softening. "I don’t care about my reputation, Anabella. I care about you."

Anabella’s breath caught, and she quickly averted her gaze, not sure how to respond to the raw honesty in his words. She wanted to believe him, but her own doubts and insecurities held her back.

Meanwhile, outside the hospital room, Daniel was standing in the corridor, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder from where Noah had shoved him. His face was a mix of anger and humiliation, but beneath it, something else began to take root—recognition.

Noah’s face and the fiery temper he’d displayed were naggingly familiar. Daniel’s mind raced as he tried to piece it together. And then it hit him like a bolt of lightning: a conversation he’d had with his mother not long ago.

Daniel’s mother, a formidable woman who prided herself on keeping tabs on the who’s who of society, had once sat him down to discuss influential people he should tread carefully around. She’d listed names, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good relations with them. Among the names at the very top of that list were Noah and his mate, Clair.

"Don’t ever cross them," his mother had warned sternly. "They’re not just influential—they’re untouchable. Their reach extends far beyond what you can imagine, and they don’t forgive easily."

Daniel’s stomach twisted as the memory resurfaced. He glanced back toward the hospital room he’d been thrown out of, his thoughts a chaotic mess. If Noah and Clair were indeed the same people his mother had spoken about, then he’d just made a colossal mistake.

The realization sent a cold chill down his spine. He’d not only crossed paths with them but had also antagonized Noah in a way that could have serious repercussions. Daniel clenched his fists, his pride warring with the growing fear gnawing at him.

For the first time, Daniel felt something he wasn’t used to: genuine unease. He’d always believed himself to be untouchable, a powerful figure in his own right. But now, standing in the sterile hospital corridor, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d stumbled into a battle he wasn’t equipped to fight.

As he turned to leave, Daniel’s mind churned with thoughts of damage control. He needed to find a way to fix this—or at least minimize the fallout. But the image of Noah’s piercing glare and the weight of his mother’s warning loomed large, leaving Daniel with an unsettling sense that he might already be too late.

______

Daniel paced in the hospital parking lot, his thoughts a whirlwind of frustration and unease. His run-in with Noah had been a disaster—one he wasn’t keen to repeat. As much as he loathed admitting it, the encounter had left him shaken. Noah’s controlled fury and sheer presence had made one thing clear: Daniel had no upper hand here.

But if Noah was off-limits, perhaps Clair would be more approachable. She was the other half of the duo Daniel’s mother had warned him about, but in his mind, Clair might be less volatile than Noah. Maybe she’d be willing to listen, to understand his side of the story.

Spying Clair stepping out of the hospital, Daniel’s pulse quickened. She was walking toward her car, her movements purposeful and unhurried. Daniel seized the opportunity and hurried to intercept her, his expensive shoes clicking against the pavement as he approached.

"Miss Clair," he called out, forcing his voice to sound composed despite the tension in his chest.

Clair turned, her expression unreadable but sharp enough to cut. She stopped mid-step, clearly unamused by his presence. "What do you want, Daniel?"

He hesitated under her piercing gaze but quickly recovered, adopting a conciliatory tone. "I just want to talk. Can we clear the air? This misunderstanding between us—it’s unnecessary."

Clair’s brow arched, and she crossed her arms, her stance unwavering. "Misunderstanding?" she echoed, her voice calm but dripping with disdain. "What exactly do you think there is to clear up?"

Daniel tried to keep his frustration in check, but her dismissive tone grated on him. "Look, I know things have gotten... complicated. But I’m trying to sort this out. Noah’s reaction—"

"Was entirely justified," Clair interrupted coldly. "Don’t even try to spin this like you’re the victim."

Daniel exhaled sharply, his composure slipping for a moment. "I’m not saying I’m the victim. I’m just asking for a chance to explain myself."

Clair’s lips curved into a humorless smile. "Explain what? That you’re a self-centered alpha who threw Anabella under the bus the moment things got difficult? That you paraded another omega into her life and expect everyone to be fine with it? Or is this about how you think you can intimidate people into fixing your mess?"

Her words hit like a series of well-aimed arrows, each one sharper than the last. Daniel stiffened, his jaw clenching. "That’s not fair," he argued. "You don’t know the full story."

Clair’s eyes darkened, her voice dropping to a dangerous calm. "I know enough. And let me be perfectly clear, Daniel—I’m not interested in whatever excuses you’ve cooked up. You’ve hurt someone I care about, and that’s where my patience with you ends."

Daniel opened his mouth to protest, but Clair raised a hand, cutting him off with a look that silenced him instantly. "If you think cornering me like this is going to change anything, you’re sorely mistaken. I don’t play games, Daniel. Not with you, not with anyone."

She turned on her heel, her dismissal absolute, and began walking away.

Desperation flickered in Daniel’s eyes. "Wait," he called, his voice unsteady. "Please, Miss Clair. I’m trying to fix things—for Anabella. For James."

Clair stopped but didn’t turn around. "Fix things?" she said softly, her tone laced with disbelief. She slowly looked over her shoulder, her expression icy. "If you really cared about fixing things, you wouldn’t have destroyed them in the first place."

With that, she strode off, leaving Daniel standing alone in the parking lot, his chest tight and his thoughts chaotic.

For the first time, Daniel felt the weight of true isolation. The realization settled heavily on him: no one was coming to his rescue—not Clair, not Noah, and certainly not Anabella. And as much as he hated to admit it, this time, he had no one to blame but himself.