Chapter 374: Dropping a Bombshell, Slinging Mud
Just then, Claire Bennett turned her face.
The moment their eyes met, a perfectly calibrated look of surprise appeared in her eyes, as if this meeting was a complete coincidence.
Then, she slowly rose, smoothed her wind-tousled hair, and walked toward Wren Sutton at a measured pace.
The car crash was a major traffic accident. The entire city’s media was reporting on it, and the headlines were everywhere. Almost everyone in Aston knew about it.
Claire Bennett felt there was no need to feign ignorance. ’Pretending not to know would just seem contrived,’ she thought. ’It’s better to face it head-on. That’s the only way to make the act flawless.’
Her voice was soft and her tone sincere as she expressed her concern for Wren Sutton. "I can’t believe such a terrible accident happened. That truck driver is simply unforgivable. Mrs. Lancaster, are you all right?"
Wren Sutton hadn’t expected the familiar figure to be Claire Bennett.
They had met once at the charity gala, so they weren’t complete strangers.
Although there had been a few unpleasant incidents that day, it wasn’t enough to turn them into enemies upon meeting again.
However, any notion of them being close or familiar was out of the question.
"Miss Bennett, what a coincidence. We meet again." Wren Sutton’s voice betrayed little emotion.
"I have a relative who’s sick in the hospital, and it happens to be this one. I came to visit him today." Claire Bennett casually spun a lie, her deception effortless.
Wren wasn’t suspicious, nor was she in the mood to play games with her. She gave a perfunctory, distant reply and prepared to leave.
Claire Bennett subtly took a step forward, blocking Wren’s path. She then angled her body slightly to maintain a respectable distance, her face a mask of harmlessness, even a hint of innocence.
"Since we’ve run into each other, forgive me for asking, but how is President Lancaster doing now? The news said he was seriously injured."
She paused, then quickly added, "Mrs. Lancaster, please don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just asking."
Wren Sutton’s cold gaze swept over her, clearly drawing a line.
"You don’t need to worry about my husband, Miss Bennett. You should focus on your sick relative."
Claire had been rebuffed, though not harshly. ’Bitch,’ she cursed internally, but her expression remained polite, even innocent.
"It seems Mrs. Lancaster is still angry about what happened at the charity gala."
Wren was unfazed, letting her say whatever she wanted.
"I don’t have time for small talk. Move."
She disliked Claire’s facade of concern that was clearly a front for prying. Even more, she despised her hypocritical and calculating eyes.
Claire Bennett froze, the curve of her lips slowly retracting as a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
She knew Wren’s personality. She appeared gentle, but deep down, she possessed a resilience that ordinary probing couldn’t shake.
’Since the soft approach isn’t working, I’ll just have to hit her where it hurts the most.’
This was the real reason Claire had gone to the trouble of staging this "chance encounter" at the hospital today.
Watching Wren’s retreating back, Claire Bennett suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Mrs. Lancaster? I was just being kind and asking after him. If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. There’s no need to be so aggressive."
"Even if you don’t say it, everyone in Aston knows. The reason President Lancaster was so badly injured in the crash is that he risked his life to protect you and your child. That’s why he’s in this state. The surgery was a success, and his life was saved, but he’s still in the ICU, unconscious."
Wren’s steps came to an abrupt halt. The muscles in her back tensed instantly, and the hand at her side quietly clenched into a fist.
Those words dredged up the deep-seated self-blame and pain within her. The images of the accident exploded in her mind again.
The screech of brakes, the shattering glass, the force with which Adrian Lancaster had unhesitatingly pulled her under him for protection, and the sight of him covered in blood—every scene stabbed at her heart.
Claire Bennett walked closer, taking in every detail of Wren’s expression.
She sneered inwardly, but her face remained impassive as she spoke, her words deliberately provocative.
"The whole city knows how dangerous that crash was. President Lancaster took the full impact, yet you escaped with just a few minor scratches, completely unscathed."
"Mrs. Lancaster, don’t you feel bad at all? Don’t you feel like you’re the one who dragged President Lancaster into this?"
Every word from Claire Bennett was a precise jab at Wren’s heart, designed to stir up her guilt.
And the flicker in Wren’s eyes just now told her that her objective had been achieved.
’No matter how calm Wren tries to act, she can’t escape the shackles of her own guilt.’
Wren Sutton slowly turned around. She forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions in her usually cool and calm eyes, leaving only a sharp, icy glare.
Only she knew that her heart was aching intensely, each beat pulling at the endless self-reproach the accident had brought.
She lifted her gaze to Claire Bennett, her eyes piercing straight through the other woman’s hypocritical mask.
"What happens between my husband and me is not for an outsider to comment on. As for what I’m thinking, that’s even less of your business." Wren’s tone was imperious, leaving no room for argument. There was no trace of panic, let alone vulnerability.
She had seen through Claire’s game at a glance. It was a charade of concern, a relentless push to provoke her emotions and make a fool of her.
’In front of someone so malicious, vulnerability is useless. It’s the very weakness they want to exploit. I’d rather swallow all my pain than show even a hint of distress in front of Claire Bennett.’
"..." Claire’s smile didn’t seem to change, but a flicker of hidden triumph crossed her eyes.
She had never intended to force Wren to break down and cry on the spot. All she needed was confirmation that her words had lodged themselves deep in Wren’s heart, that this guilt would torment her every moment. That was enough.
However, Wren’s composure still surprised Claire.
Even after being hit where she was most vulnerable, Wren could maintain such a calm and assertive demeanor. It made Claire’s provocation seem all the more deliberate.
Wren shot Claire one last cold glance, then ignored her and walked away.
Watching Wren’s retreating figure, Claire’s eyes swirled with a dark mix of malice and triumph, a cold smirk playing on her lips.
She didn’t feel like she had lost.
’So what if Wren is good at putting on a front? The pain and guilt in her heart can’t be hidden. I’ve already succeeded in planting a thorn in her heart.’
’From now on, that thorn will slowly torture her. That’s far more satisfying than any verbal provocation.’
...
After Wren’s figure had completely vanished from sight, Claire Bennett didn’t leave the hospital immediately. Instead, she returned to the bench, pretending to casually look at her phone while vigilantly scanning her surroundings.
Confirming she was in a surveillance blind spot with no passersby, she quickly took out an ordinary-looking burner phone.
After unlocking it with her fingerprint, the screen showed no social media apps—only a few encrypted messaging tools and an anonymous browser connected through an overseas proxy.
Claire Bennett dropped her disguise completely. Her eyes turned cold and ruthless.
Her fingers flew across the screen. She didn’t even use cellular data, instead connecting to a pre-prepared portable encrypted hotspot.
The signal bounced multiple times before finally connecting to an anonymous server located overseas.
All traces of her activity would be automatically deleted within twenty-four hours. Her IP was layered with proxies, so even if someone investigated later, they would only find a series of empty overseas nodes, leading nowhere near her.
She typed out a series of concise instructions and sent them to an anonymous contact with no profile picture or nickname.
[Proceed with the plan. Distribute through overseas nodes. Emphasize that President Lancaster risked his life to protect his wife, is seriously injured and in a coma, while Mrs. Lancaster is unharmed. Steer public opinion to sympathize with President Lancaster and question his wife’s cold attitude.]
[Move fast. I want this to blow up the headlines by tomorrow morning.]
[First wave: Go with the sentimental victim angle. Keywords: Adrian Lancaster sacrifices himself to save his wife, Wren Sutton escapes unharmed. The copy needs to be sensational. Include a few blurry but impactful photos from the crash site, especially a close-up of Adrian covered in blood, contrasted with the insignificant scratch on Wren’s face.]
[Second wave: Pay off major influencer accounts to repost. The main attack point is Wren Sutton’s "lack of guilt." Claim she was calmly touching up her makeup outside the hospital room, when in reality it will be a secretly taken photo of her wiping away tears, which will be maliciously misinterpreted.]
[Third wave: Drop the bombshell. Wren Sutton once considered divorce; she was never truly in love with President Lancaster. Why did she only suffer minor scratches in such a severe accident? Why did the driver’s impact target President Lancaster? If you think about it, it’s terrifying. This accident isn’t simple. There might be a hidden story. Smear Wren’s name and lead netizens to suspect premeditated murder.]
After sending, Claire Bennett immediately cleared the history, destroyed the session, then exited and uninstalled the app.
She was using the mouths of netizens to strike Wren where it hurt most.
Once this blew up online, everyone would sympathize with Adrian Lancaster, who had risked his life for his wife. They would then turn to condemn the unscathed Wren Sutton as "cold-blooded," "ungrateful," and "completely unfazed."
At that point, if Wren didn’t explain, she would be seen as admitting her indifference.
If she did explain, it would be seen as a guilty defense.
No matter what she did, she would be raked over the coals.
"Wren Sutton, the real show is just beginning. Let’s see who gets the last laugh this time!"