At noon, traffic was at its worst. Ethan was stuck on the road, laying on the horn over and over again.

Images of Clara with her swollen belly kept flashing through his mind, guilt weighing heavily on his chest.

How could he be such a bastard?

How could he leave Clara, fragile and pregnant, alone in the mansion and walk away without a care?

He had to go back and make it right with her.

For the next while, he would have to stay by her side properly.

But the moment he pushed open the door, his entire body froze.

Everything that belonged to Clara was gone. The mansion was empty, just like his heart at that moment.

"Clara? Clara, where are you?"

He searched the rooms frantically but found no trace of Clara.

Had she gone back to the hospital on her own?

With trembling hands, he called Clara, only to find her phone already turned off.

The unease in his chest grew stronger.

He immediately called the hospital, but the person on the other end sounded confused.

"Sir, the pregnant patient in that room has already been discharged and hasn't returned."

"That's impossible. Her pregnancy was unstable. She was supposed to stay in the hospital until delivery. How could she have been discharged?"

The nurse sounded baffled. "Huh? Didn't that patient already have the abortion? The doctor advised her to stay and recover, but she insisted on leaving. There was nothing we could do."

Hearing this, Ethan instantly relaxed.

"Then I must have remembered the wrong room number. She cares deeply about her child. There's no way she would have an abortion."

He hung up at once, yet his heart began pounding violently.

As if something terrible was about to happen.

Ethan grabbed his phone to make another call, only to realize it had shut down. His hand shook uncontrollably.

He left the mansion and drove straight to the slum apartment.

He kept reassuring himself that Clara had probably gone to see her mother.

Terrified that something had happened to Clara, he pounded on the door like mad.

His mind filled with horrifying images of Clara lying in a pool of blood, the child lost.

His heart raced as fear swallowed him whole.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kick the door down.

Thankfully, the door finally opened, and he let out a breath.

He blurted out in a rush, "I'm sorry, Clara. I'm late. You—"

When he saw the unfamiliar face before him, Ethan's expression twisted with fury.

"What are you doing in my house? Get out. Now!"

The other man was tall and burly. Hearing that, he instantly lost his temper and raised a fist.

"This is my house. If you don't leave, don't blame me for getting rough."

Ethan looked around in confusion. This was clearly the old house where Clara's mother had lived.

He spoke firmly, "This is my house. Where's Clara? I need to see her."

The man's expression softened as realization dawned on him.

Keeping his patience, he said, "Are you a friend of Clara's? She already sold the house to me. If you're looking for her, you'll have to try somewhere else."

In an instant, Ethan felt like he'd fallen into an ice abyss.

How could Clara possibly have sold the house?

Ignoring the man's protests, he forced his way inside.

As expected, Clara's mother's memorial photo and ashes were nowhere to be seen in the living room.

Hadn't she come here because she missed her mother?

Why would she sell it?

A possibility suddenly struck him, cold sweat breaking out down his back.

Had she found out?

He called Clara again and again, but her phone remained off.

At that moment, he finally realized something was terribly wrong.

He rushed outside, desperate to find Clara, only to realize he had no idea where she might go.

Clara had no family left and hardly any friends.

She had always relied on him to survive. Where else could she possibly go now?

Ethan forced himself to calm down and made a call. "Check Clara's whereabouts for me. Find out where she's gone."

The other man hesitated, clearly wanting to ask more but not daring to. He only murmured a quiet acknowledgment.

After he hung up, Ivy's personal ringtone rang.

A wave of irritation washed over him. He clicked his tongue and hung up.

But the calls kept coming, as if she wouldn't stop until he answered.

Left with no choice, he answered.

He growled impatiently, "What do you want now?"

A panicked scream came through the line, as if she'd been frightened by something. "Babe, come quickly!"

Ethan sounded annoyed. "If something's wrong, find a doctor. I'm busy."

On any other day, hearing Ivy like this, he would've rushed over without hesitation.

What he liked most was how dependent she was, clinging to him for everything.

But now, all he felt was irritation.

Ivy's terrified cries continued ringing in his ears.

"They're trying to kick me out of the hospital. They said Clara ordered it. She even had people scare me on purpose. My stomach hurts so badly…"

"What did you say?"

Ethan finally became alert. He straightened up and said, "I'll be there right away."

He started the car and sped toward the hospital, running more than a dozen red lights along the way.

The moment he pushed the door open, he demanded, "Where's Clara? Where is she?"

Ivy threw herself into his arms, pointing at the hospital staff and shouting hysterically.

"They're the ones trying to kick me out. Teach them a lesson!"

Only then did Ethan look over and see the hospital director standing at the door with dozens of security guards, their expressions cold.

The director, one of Clara's father's men, spoke arrogantly, "These are the abortion consent form and the divorce agreement sent by Miss Fulton. This hospital is Miss Fulton's property. You are not welcome here. Leave immediately. Throw them out, along with everything they brought."

"Clara… may I call you that?"

Victor Fulton looked at Clara with great caution, stopping several steps away. He studied her expression carefully, afraid of upsetting her.

Ever since the last time he recognized her bloodied and wounded while she was risking her life to save Ethan, guilt had consumed him, leaving him desperate to make amends.

He had never married or had children. Clara was his only daughter, and if she was willing, she would be his sole heir.

She would one day rule the entire underworld of Harborcliff.

But all Clara had ever wanted was to stay by Ethan's side, and because of her mother, she had refused to acknowledge Victor as her father.

Victor did not know why she had suddenly chosen to return and inherit his position. All he felt was joy.

Clara looked up at him and caught the tenderness in his eyes, her vision blurring as her eyes reddened.

She threw herself into his arms and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Though she had once harbored many resentments toward him, he was now her only family left in this world.

Victor froze, then gently patted Clara's back.

Instead of feeling happy at her closeness, his face filled with heartache and anger.

"Did Ethan hurt you? Tell me, and I'll bring people with me right now to make him pay."

From the moment Clara had risked her life to save Ethan, Victor had been deeply dissatisfied with him.

What kind of man let his pregnant woman save him? Utterly useless.

Over the years in Asterfall, if it hadn't been for Victor's secret help and his old friends backing Ethan, Ethan would never have consolidated power so quickly.

Nor would he have become the underworld boss he was today.

Everything Victor had done was meant to spare Clara from suffering. Yet she had still been hurt.

The thought alone made him want to gun Ethan down on the spot.

"It's all in the past. I have nothing to do with Ethan anymore. I don't care what happens to him."

Victor snorted softly and did not press further when he saw she didn't want to talk about it.

Instead, he glanced at the four men nearby, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"These four are my adopted sons. If you're willing, you can choose one of them as your husband. He'll help you take over the organization as soon as possible."

From the moment he reunited with Clara, Victor had already seen them as replacements for Ethan.

In both looks and ability, all four far surpassed Ethan. Only men like them were worthy of Clara.

Victor paused, then waved a hand casually. "If you like, you can take them all."

Clara's cheeks flushed instantly as she shook her head in a panic.

"No, thank you. I'm not ready to start another relationship yet."

Over the years, Victor had often had the four of them send her gifts. Each time, she treated them coldly and threw the gifts away.

Still, over time, they grew familiar with one another.

The four men looked at Clara with eyes full of concern.

Back when she had stormed into their stronghold without hesitation, they had already admired her as a fearless heroine.

No one had expected that years later, Clara would end up in such a battered state.

There was a lifeless emptiness in her eyes, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Victor looked just as distressed and spoke quickly, "I've arranged the best hospital for a full checkup. You need to focus on resting and recovering."

Clara nodded in thanks, looking slightly embarrassed.

Over the following period, Clara recovered well under the care of the five men.

She filled out noticeably, and smiles returned to her face.

She even joked around with them from time to time.

Seeing more and more smiles on her face left Victor so emotional he couldn't speak.

A man who could stir storms across Harborcliff now had red-rimmed eyes, no different from an ordinary father.

Guilt quietly crept into Clara's heart.

Her mother had said before dying that she no longer blamed him, that leaving them back then had only been an accident.

Yet something had always been stuck in her chest, refusing to let her acknowledge him.

If she had returned to her father sooner, she might not have suffered so much.

"Miss Fulton, Kieran has gone way too far. He won't even let us come see you. You need to talk some sense into him."

The three men stood before Clara, looking aggrieved as they glared at the athletic man beside them.

Kieran Fulton shrugged innocently and spoke in a way that was guaranteed to infuriate anyone. "That's because you're useless. You all lost to me in a fight. We agreed back then that only the winner gets to stand by Miss Fulton's side and be her fiancé."

"Who agreed to that? You made it up yourself and then beat us into the ground."

"You fight like a mad dog. We're not interested in brawling with you. If you've got guts, let's use our brains."

"Exactly. How could Miss Fulton's fiancé be nothing but a brute?"

The four of them started arguing again, and Clara felt a headache coming on, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Kieran was the first to notice her discomfort. He shoved the three of them out with lightning speed and shut the door, ignoring their angry shouting.

He then sat by Clara's hospital bed and poured her a cup of warm water.

"Victor's been busy lately. Let me take care of you."

He helped Clara sit up with care and handed her a laptop with a game already loaded.

Clara sighed helplessly.

Kieran was the most shameless of the four, impossible to chase away.

She had no choice but to let him stay.