I Married the President

After getting the money, Claire Sinclair handed it all to Ivy Tanner. Then, she turned to the mother and her two daughters and said, "I know about the 125 needles someone stuck in Ivy, and about the nail in her back. You’d better hope I don’t find out you were the ones who did it, or I’ll sue you into the ground."

"It wasn’t us, Reporter Sinclair! I’ve never done anything like that!"

"That’s right, that’s right! None of us did it!"

"Reporter Sinclair, you have to believe us..."

Claire Sinclair waved her hand impatiently. "Enough. The sight of you is irritating. Just get out of here."

The mother and her two daughters all glanced at the vacant-looking Ivy Tanner, hesitating for a moment.

Claire Sinclair’s brow furrowed. "I’m taking Ivy back to the hospital. Any objections?"

"N-No!" the mother and daughters said in unison. They turned and bolted without daring to look back.

The rage in Claire Sinclair’s heart finally subsided a little. She turned to look at Ivy Tanner, who was playing dumb, and said irritably, "Your relatives are something else. They make my own awful family members look tame."

"You get used to it." Ivy Tanner seemed surprisingly nonchalant.

Claire Sinclair took a deep breath, trying to calm her frayed nerves. "Let’s get back to the hospital," she said. "You can’t be discharged yet."

Ivy Tanner nodded in agreement.

The two got into the car, both taking a seat in the back.

Claire Sinclair immediately said, "You have money now. Give me back my hundred, and I’ll give you back your ring."

Ivy Tanner shook her head. "Forget it. I already sold the ring to you. I’m not fond of things like that. If you don’t like it either, feel free to sell it or just throw it away."

Claire Sinclair glanced at her. She couldn’t see any sign of attachment to the ring, but she had a gut feeling it held some special meaning for Ivy.

’Otherwise, why would she have kept it for more than ten years?’

With this in mind, Claire Sinclair said, "I’ll just hang onto it for you for now. That way you won’t regret it later."

Ivy Tanner just smiled and said nothing.

When they got back to the hospital, Claire Sinclair immediately had a doctor give Ivy Tanner a full examination. She breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that the wound on Ivy’s back hadn’t reopened and that she had no new injuries.

Claire Sinclair brought Ivy back to her hospital room. Just as she was about to leave, she turned and saw Ethan Kingsley appear at the door.

’He’s just showing up now?’

Claire Sinclair was furious. "Mr. Kingsley, do you have any idea what just happened? They took Third Miss Tanner away for less than half an hour and they’d already hit her. Have you always been this negligent toward her?"

Faced with Claire Sinclair’s accusation, the old Ethan Kingsley would have likely retorted with a stony expression. But for some reason, seeing the swelling at the corner of Ivy Tanner’s mouth, he found himself unable to utter a single word of protest.

Finally, he said, "My apologies. This was my oversight."

Claire Sinclair retorted, "Mr. Kingsley, I expect you to be more responsible for her. If you really want nothing more to do with her, then hand her over to me. I’ll take care of her, just like she’s one of my own family."

Ethan Kingsley’s brow furrowed, and his voice was grave. "I’ve already apologized."

It was obvious he was growing impatient, his anger starting to stir.

But Claire Sinclair fearlessly retorted, "What good is apologizing to me? I’m not the one you wronged, it’s Third Miss Tanner—your ex-fiancée. Even if she’s lost her wits and you don’t want her anymore, you should at least find her a proper place to go. That’s what a decent man would do. Do I really need to remind you of that?"