<section>


    ~CLARA~


    Was Nicole responsible for this? Did she hire these men to kidnap me? That didn''t make any sense. Why would she hire the ckners to kidnap me when it was obvious they wanted to do it on their own? They didn''t need her to tell them to take me. Besides, I was most definitely Ace''s mate; that wasn''t something that he could lie to me about.


    So then, why did Nicole know these men? I''ve never heard her mention Ace or any of the ckners to ric or anyone else before.


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    I tried to hear more of their conversation, but it was over too quickly. Ace shuts the door and slowly returns to me.


    I narrow my eyes as I try to read his expression. Who was Nicole to him?


    "You said that you saw me crying in the parking lot of the academy," I say, looking him straight in the eye. "That means that you also saw the woman I was speaking to, didn''t you?"


    He ces his hands in his pockets and leans back against the wall, "why do I need to answer your question?"


    "Because I''m absolutely sure that I just heard her voice." I snap. "That means that you know exactly who I''m speaking about. It means that you know that woman."


    He folds his hand over his chest and studies me, "it sounds like you''re not a huge fan of this woman. How do you know her?"


    I narrow my eyes at him, "I asked you first."


    He looks amused, "I don''t think I''m obligated to answer any of your questions. In case you haven''t noticed yet, you are the one that''s been kidnapped. You have to answer my questions, not the other way around."


    "She was married to a man that I know," I tell him. He didn''t need to know the whole truth about ric and me.


    He quirks a brow at me, "really?" he asks. "It''s a small world then, isn''t it?"


    I fold my arms over my chest, "Nicole has never once mentioned knowing the ckners. Are the two of you close?"


    He takes a few seconds before he finally says, "No, we aren''t. She''s just a woman that I fuck. Nothing else."


    My eyes widen at his words. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    I couldn''t believe he''d just said that to me.


    "You''ve slept with her?" I ask for confirmation.


    He nods, "on multiple asions."


    Multiple asions?


    Did she sleep with him after the divorce, or was sleeping with him even while she was still married to ric?


    I''ve never been more interested in a conversation like I am right now. If Ace was telling the truth, Nicole had a lot of exining to do. I always knew that she was a liar, but there was never any proof that she was sleeping around with anyone else; this is the closest I''ve ever gotten to it.


    "How long have you been seeing her?" I demand. "Were you having sex with her while she was married?"


    He frowns, "You seem to be very interested in my sex life."


    I narrow my eyes, "I''m interested in Nicole''s while she was married to ric."


    He quirks a brow, "ric?" he asks. "You say his name as though you are quite smitten with him. But that can''t be, since he was once married to Nicole."


    I was feeling extremely frustrated and annoyed with him. It seemed like he was intentionally trying to avoid answering my question by asking questions of his own. I couldn''t understand why he couldn''t just give me a straightforward answer. At this moment, I felt like no man had ever irritated me as much as he did. All I wanted was for him to tell me what he knew and then leave me alone. It seemed like a simple request, yet he was making it so difficult for me.


    "From everything I''ve heard from her mouth, this ric man was not attractive at all. She said that she never desired him, and I could provide much more for her than he ever could." He continues.


    I couldn''t believe her. Did she truly say those horrible things about ric to this man? If that were the case, why the hell would she still sleep with him if she felt that way? Why would she intentionally get pregnant for him?


    But could I even trust Ace? He didn''t seem like the kind of man that one could trust.


    "She lied to you," I say calmly. "ric is the most handsome man I''ve evere across. There are not many men like him. You don''t evene close to him."


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    A low growl escapes his mouth, and I think I''ve managed to anger him. Maybe it wasn''t a good idea to provoke him right now. But I was being honest. In my eyes, no onepared to ric. It didn''t matter that Ace also had looks, and there was no doubt that any other woman would fall for his charms, but that was just not the case for me.


    "Who exactly is ric to you?" He asks in a low but deadly tone.


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