Chapter 3 Framed (Part Two)

Her half-sister then alerted her of Lucas's arrival. She even toasted to her birthday.

At the thought of her boyfriend's arrival, Claire didn't think much into it as she drank the glass in one gulp.

Although she was a lightweight, it was just a glass of red wine. She wouldn't have gotten drunk from that. In fact, she wouldn't have gone and slept with a wrong guy.

There was something sketchy about that glass of wine.

The events of last night slowly came back to Claire. After she drank a glass, she rushed to the hotel room. That was when she had entered his room and...

She found herself feeling something that she had never felt before. It was at that point when she had finally given up her virginity for a man she didn't even know.

Fiona?

Claire clenched her fists. Was she really behind all of this then? But why would she do that to her? Although they were only half-sisters, they had a good relationship.

How the hell would she face Lucas now?

Lucas had always wanted to be intimate with her when he was still in China, but after seeing her resistance to the activity as well as her insistence in waiting till marriage, he had never forced her again. Even as he kissed her, he had always done it with great care and respect.

"Don't you mind?" was something she'd always ask him.

He would roll his eyes and gaze at her affectionately before replying, "Silly girl, I'm willing to wait for you till the ends of the earth."

He had respected her so much... and now she blew it!

Claire had been sitting on the park bench for about an hour now as she tried to piece everything together. She didn't return to her home until the afternoon. Besides, escaping wouldn't solve anything. She needed to find out who was behind this.

When Claire opened the door, she saw that Fiona and her stepmother, Mia Fu, were the only ones present. They were making dumplings. Although they had seen her walk into the household, they continued making dumplings as if they hadn't seen her.

"Fiona, what happened last night?" Claire didn't bother to beat around the bush anymore as she confronted her sister.

A ferocious look flashed in Fiona's eyes. She had always been the more good-looking sibling. In fact, she had always dressed the part. Ever since she was a kid, people would praise her every move and word. Claire would always dress casually ever since she was a child. Even if she was good-looking in her own way, she was always shadowed by Fiona's beauty.

Fiona was fine with that until her sister actually snagged someone from a rich family. Although there were many men who tried running after Fiona, none of them were as rich as Lucas.

Ever since the two of them got together, she couldn't swallow her anger and bitterness.

After five years had passed, her opportunity finally came.

Fiona chuckled. "How did the man feel last night, sister? Since I never had my first time yet, do you mind telling me more?"

Claire's head was buzzing with thoughts. She knew what Fiona meant. On her way home, she had doubts that it was Fiona behind this.

But now, she confirmed that Fiona was the one who had arranged everything.

That bitch! Claire raised her head. She was about to say something when her stepmother slapped her on the face.

"How dare you return?" Mia Fu roared.

The smack came so heavily that it left a mark on Claire's cheek. She stared at her stepmother in disbelief. "What did I do wrong? Why can't I come back?"

"What did you do wrong? You have the nerve to ask me that? After messing around with other men, you think you could come back into this household? No matter how hard I teach you, it still does nothing to you! You're still a shameless woman." Mia Fu's eyes were filled with disdain. She had pretended to be a 'kind and loving' mother for so many years. Now, it was time to unleash her true feelings.

Claire blinked in shock.

"So it turns out you've never treated me as a daughter, huh? All of those years....all of those times you told me you loved me was a lie!" Claire had always looked at her as a mother figure, but now, she knew that it was all just an act.

Mia Fu snorted. "I only have one daughter, and that's Fiona. You? You're just a bastard. After staying in the Lin Family for so many years, it's time for you to get the hell out!"

"Mia Fu!" she called out her stepmother's name. After everything that had happened, Claire finally lost control of herself. "It's your daughter who's shameless. She's the one who framed me. If she hadn't told me that Lucas wanted to celebrate my birthday, why would I have gone to that hotel? Besides, my mother's a legal wife. I'm not a bastard. You think you can drive me away that easily?"

"Really?" Fiona sneered, patting the flour on her hands. "Our father's a very traditional man. If he knew that you slept with someone else last night, what do you think he'll do? Cherish you forever? How about we'll bring it up to him, shall we?" Fiona's eyes glinted arrogantly. This time, she knew she had won.