Flash Marriage: Slow Down Mister novel Chapter 196

Horace was startled, he suddenly changed his face and rolled over in front of her, "What did you say? You dragged me?"

Ashlee was so frightened by his sudden approach that she fell to the ground.

She felt nervous but didn't want to back down, "What? You wanted to deny that?"

Horace grabbed her chin and glared at her impatiently, "Repeat what exactly happened that day!"

"I...I..." Ashlee mumbled and didn't make eye contact with him with her head down, "I don't remember."

Horace sensed something was wrong, grabbing her.

"You better not mess with me, or I'll bury you alive."

Ashlee got scared but she couldn't give in to this situation.

"I really don't remember."

Horace shook her chin away and left.

Out of the basement, Isaac asked about what happened, and Horace said, "That little girl carried me not dragged me. I guess Ashlee was not her. Isaac, go look into it carefully."

"Yes, sir."

Clara went back to work after a few days of recovery.

Sarah and those saw her and sidled up to ask, "Clara, how's the baby?"

Clara replied with sadness in her eyes, "It's gone."

They thought she had a miscarriage as Horace asked for days off on such short notice, looking at her compassionately.

Darren came out and saw Clara was sorting out files by herself as others went out for lunch at noon.

"C, how have you been?" Darren asked after hesitating for a while.

Clara didn't bother to answer and didn't even take a glance at him.

Seeing this, he tentatively asked more.

"C, do you know where Ashlee is? Do you know why Horace has her? And do you know why he did that to my father..."

Clara got annoyed by him and replied with anger, "Just ask your father!"

Darren was dumbfounded. He linked things together and wondered if it had something to do with her baby.

Darren called his father right away, "Dad, did you do something to Clara's baby?"

"I did it, so what?" Sean answered impatiently on the phone.

Darren said furiously, "You promised you'll leave her alone!"

"She did it to herself. She shouldn't have taken Horace's side!" Sean got more annoyed than he already was and hung up.

Darren hung up, feeling bad.

He felt that not only he and Clara could not be lovers but they started to turn against each other.

At the CEO's office of Solrace.

Isaac walked in hurriedly with a strange look on his face, and he said in a low voice, "Mr. Kirkland, I'm sorry."

Horace raised his eyebrows and said, "What?"

"I investigated thoroughly about the girl who saved you ten years ago when you were kidnapped. Ashlee was in summer camp, so she couldn't be the one." Isaac felt ashamed, "I got carried away when I found the dress and I forgot to confirm forward. It was my mistake."

Horace was not surprised at all and was relieved as he had been holding doubts.

Luckily, it wasn't her.

But who else would it be?

Ashlee was the only one who bought the dress in the entire Stratmont. If it wasn't her, then who else?

Did she loan her dress to another girl? Or the dress was not even a genuine one?

Horace felt that everything had to start over.

Clara called when Horace was telling Isaac to continue investigating. She said that she wanted to see her mother and she hoped Horace would accompany her as she didn't know how to explain about the baby.

Horace agreed quickly and let Isaac drive him home to pick Clara up and then headed towards Helena's apartment.

Clara told her mother shortly about the baby in the end, including the fake pregnancy and how Horace retaliated.

Helena thought about her miserable past and cried in sadness and disappointment seeing her daughter living a complicated life.

She said, "How many times have I told you that things are complicated in rich families. You can easily be buried alive with your disposition."

Helena turned her head to Horace and reprimanded, "Mr. Kirkland, I trusted you with my daughter because I believed that you'll be responsible for her and take good care of her. But if you can't protect her, please let her go."

"Mom!" Clara tried to stop her mother.

She thought her mother was saying too much and it wasn't all Horace's fault.

But Horace apologized sincerely to Helena, "Ms. Selman, it truly was my fault. I didn't see that coming to her. I owe her."

"Horace..."

Seeing his nice attitude, Helena stared at him and said nothing more.

"Horace, why don't you take a rest in the next room and I'll chat with mom."

Clara threw him off intentionally as she didn't want her mom to scold him anymore. Horace went to the study and left this room for them.

Helena usually lived alone but there was plenty of stuff in the study.

Horace looked around and saw a pile of albums in the corner.

The one on the top caught his attention.

He opened it and found that these were all photos of Clara when she was a kid.

He got nothing else to do and he found it cute, so he continued to take a look.

But suddenly he saw a photo which made him gasp.

...

Clara was comforting her mother and emphasizing how good Horace was to her, which made Helena feel better.

Clara went upstairs to the study after that and noticed the strange expression on Horace's face.

"What's wrong?"

Clara felt weird because he was just holding the album of her childhood, which was nothing.

Horace picked up a photo and asked, "Is that you?"

Clara checked it and said, "Yes."

There was a glint in Horace's eyes. He stood up from the wheelchair and held her into his arms.

Clara felt his unusually strong hug in bewilderment, "Horace, what's wrong?"

Horace didn't answer but held her for a long time before letting go of her, and whispered while staring at her, "Clara, I've been looking for you for ten years."