If not for the mysterious man who had appeared with her and his capable lawyer , she and that man might have been the ones charged with assault instead . Thinking back on the state those thugs had been left in , even after years on the force , the officer shivered . They had been brutalized . Truly , a ruthless hand . Of course , the ruthless one was Sterling . Everyone assumed the one who fought was Sterling . Claudia ? That quiet , delicate , pretty girl ? No one believed she was capable of such savagery . And Sterling himself had let them believe it . But the officer , sensing this family's misunderstanding , deliberately twisted the knife with his words . " She was in a bad way when she was brought in - covered in blood , her head cut , her arm injured . She was so shaken she could barely speak . Who wouldn't be terrified , being surrounded at midnight by a gang of thugs ? She had no family to call , just sat there in the corner , silent , cooperating with every question . It was pitiful to see . " He went on , " When we told her to call someone to pick her up , she tried several numbers and couldn't reach anyone . She said she lived alone . In the end , it was that kind stranger's lawyer who bailed her out . We thought she was an orphan and didn't want to reopen her wounds . But she has a family ? Then why didn't you come last night ? " It was an ordinary question , but the Lancaster family flushed crimson . They had thought Claudia was sulking over the ruined proposal and , with Lydia's health on their minds , none of them had the patience to listen . So , in unspoken agreement , they had all turned off their phones . Jasper remembered the call he had received . He remembered her saying someone was following her , begging him to come . And how he had brushed her off , telling her not to make trouble . How frightened and desperate must she have been in that moment ? He thought of the promise they had once made - to always answer , no matter what , to never let a call go unanswered . He had broken it . 9:34 Tue , Oct 7 M A sharp pain clenched his chest , as though a giant hand had seized his heart . Wilson was silent for a long moment . " Tell Claudia to come home for dinner tonight . Make her favorite dishes . " Zane , who hadn't expected this time to be anything but one of Claudia's stunts , shifted awkwardly , half angry , half uneasy . " Did they at least catch those thugs ? " The officer confirmed they had . Clarence's face hardened . " We want them punished to the fullest extent . And that good Samaritan who helped my sister last night - do you have his contact information ? We should thank him properly . " He thought grimly of arranging for his secretary to send money . Since they hadn't been there , it was only right to pay the man off . The others murmured their agreement . But while the Lancaster family peppered the officer with questions , the so - called good Samaritan - Sterling himself - was already paging through Claudia's entire file . His long fingers flipped slowly through the thick folder , his dark eyes unreadable . Claudia's life fell neatly into three stages . Before six , she was the Lancaster family's only princess - adored , spoiled , bright and cheerful . After six , when the Lancasters adopted Lydia , Claudia faded into silence , a mere shadow . Rarely seen in public , she ceased to be known as the Lancaster heiress . That title belonged to Lydia . For years , she lived without distinction , complying with Lydia's every demand , a puppet without a soul . Then at seventeen , something had changed . Claudia transformed - defiant , vicious , her every move aimed at Lydia . Her relationship with her family only worsened until , after college , she left the Lancaster home for good . Clint finished his report with a sigh . " The Lancaster sisters couldn't be more different . The elder , gentle and talented , beloved by all . The younger , arrogant , cruel , untalented . " In his chair , Sterling's handsome face shifted only slightly . His lips curved . " Pathetic . " No one knew who he meant . 214 9:34 Tue , Oct 7 M Clint kept his eyes lowered , his lips sealed . The Romero family was half the power of Liberty City , Sterling , heir apparent , could tilt the sky with a flick of his hand . If he passed judgment on someone , their life or death was sealed . Why then had the golden boy suddenly taken an interest in a woman ? Surely it wasn't love . The very idea was absurd . He nearly laughed at himself for thinking it . Besides , with the Reaper's gaze on her , how unlucky that girl must be . As Clint's thoughts spun , Sterling's eyes returned to the section on Claudia's sixth year . Lydia's mother , Zoey Wallace , and Claudia's mother , Lottie , had been sisters . Zoey was supposed to marry Wilson first , but somehow , Wilson had chosen Lottie . Lottie's marriage was happy - two sons and a daughter . Zoey , however , had wed a gambler and abuser . Eventually , with her sister and brother - in - law's help , she divorced , raising her frail , premature daughter - Lydia - alone . But tragedy struck . On Claudia's sixth birthday , Zoey - who had come to celebrate - died in a car accident while searching for Claudia , who had run away after a fight with the family . From then , Lydia became half an orphan . The Lancasters , guilt - stricken , adopted her . To atone , they treated her even better than their own daughter . And Lydia thrived under it . She won every heart in the household . Even Claudia's brothers loved their adopted sister more than her . Sterling's eyes lingered on a photo of young Claudia - her chubby little face lit up with a sunshine - bright smile . Then his gaze slid to the teenage Claudia : quiet , brooding , her eyes heavy with shadows . He reached up and rubbed his forehead unconsciously . That sly little woman had slammed him hard enough that it was still tender . He thought of the look in her eyes last night - like a snarling young wolf . Yes . Far better this way . Her defiance , despised by her family , was precisely what made her interesting to him . To the Lancasters , her rebellion was a flaw . To him , it was a virtue . 3/4 9:35 Tue , Oct 7 M ... : 82 Claudia bore the weight of her so - called sins and still dared to fight . Against her sister . Against her whole family's gaslighting . Her resilience ... promising . " What do you think ? " Sterling murmured , almost idly . " If we put her in the Romero family , would she turn the whole place upside down ? " It sounded like a casual remark , just a passing thought . But the ever - stoic , almost robotic Clint's eyes widened , his face twisting in shock . 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