Chapter 3: Husband Awakens from Coma
Nora's POV
That voice cut through the room like a damn blade. My blood turned to ice, and Robert’s grip on my wrist went slack. We both whipped around toward the bed.
Alexander Claflin sat upright, his green eyes burning with a murderous rage. Not comatose. Not a vegetable. Fully, terrifyingly awake.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I stumbled back, my heart slamming against my ribs as Robert’s face went pale as a ghost. That voice—deep, commanding, and way too familiar—sent my brain into a tailspin. Flashes of Vibe hit me hard: rough hands, hot breath, a presence I couldn’t shake.
“Alexander, you… you’re awake?” Robert stuttered, sweat dripping down his forehead. “This is—this is a damn miracle! I was just—”
“Trying to rape my wife,” Alexander finished, his tone cold enough to freeze hell over. “ERIC!”
The door flew open, and a giant of a man stormed in. Without a second’s hesitation, Eric grabbed Robert and slammed him face-first into the wall with a sickening thud.
“You can’t do this to me!” Robert spat, thrashing against Eric’s iron hold. “I’m a fucking Claflin! I outrank you, you worthless piece of shit!”
Alexander swung his legs off the bed, moving with a fluid grace. “You don’t outrank jack shit in this house.” He nodded at Eric. “Take him to the living room. And get my grandfather down here. Now.”
As Eric dragged a cursing Robert out, I stood there, rooted to the spot, clutching my torn dress.
He stood, towering over me. The height, the broad shoulders, the way he carried himself—no fucking way. My back hit the wall as he stepped closer. I flinched when he reached out, but instead of grabbing me, he tugged my torn dress down further, exposing more of my shoulder and collarbone.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I snapped, yanking the fabric back up.
His smile was pure, cold malice. “Leave it. We’ve gotta sell this.”
“Sell what?” I demanded, my voice shaking with anger.
“Robert tried to assault you. I woke up just in time to save my gorgeous bride from my sick bastard of an uncle.” He straightened, his posture already flawless. “Your torn dress? That’s evidence.”
I stared at him, jaw on the floor. “So that’s your fucking plan? Use me as a prop in your twisted family bullshit?”
“You’re not bait,” he said, brushing me off like I was nothing. “You’re a tool. Big difference.”
God, I wanted to slap that smug-ass look right off his face. I’d pegged him as hot at first glance, sure, but I hadn’t accounted for what a colossal dick he’d turn out to be.
“Come on,” he ordered, heading for the door. “We’re going to see my grandfather.”
“Like this?” I gestured to my ripped dress, incredulous.
His eyes darkened with something that looked a hell of a lot like hunger. “Especially like that.”
I grabbed his suit jacket from a chair and draped it over my shoulders. “Move. Now.”
The main living room of the Claflin Estate felt like a damn courtroom. James Claflin sat in a high-backed chair, looking every bit the aging king on his throne, while Victoria paced like a caged animal in her overpriced heels.
When Alexander strode in with me at his side, the room went dead silent. Victoria’s mouth fell open, and James leaned forward, eyes wide with shock, like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Alexander?” James rasped, voice barely above a whisper.
Alexander’s smile was ice-cold. “Surprised, Grandfather?”
“How… when did you…” James fumbled, clearly rattled.
“Just in time to stop Robert from assaulting my wife,” Alexander said, his hand clamping down on my shoulder like a vice. “Seems I’ve woken up to one hell of a coup attempt.”
Victoria finally snapped out of her daze. “This is absurd! Robert would never—”
“Save it,” Alexander cut her off, sharp as a knife. “Eric, show them.”
Eric stepped forward, placing a small vial on the coffee table with a deliberate thud. “The poison found in Mr. Claflin’s food, sir.”
“That doesn’t prove a damn thing!” Victoria’s voice hit a shrill pitch, nearly cracking.
Alexander let out a humorless laugh. “The poison you bought last month during your little ‘spa retreat’ in Switzerland? We’ve got the receipts, the hotel footage, and your contact’s full confession.”
Victoria’s face went white as a sheet. “You’re framing me!”
“If I’m framing you,” Alexander said, calm as a predator, “then you won’t mind drinking this, right?” He nodded at the vial. “Since it’s clearly not poison, according to you.”
Her silence was louder than any scream.
“That’s what I thought.” Alexander turned to James, his tone hard. “Victoria poisoned me, hoping to take me out for good.”
James’s face darkened, fury brewing in his eyes. “Is this true, Victoria?”
Before she could sputter a defense, Alexander pressed on. “And tonight, Robert tried to force himself on Nora, thinking I was as good as dead.”
Robert, who’d been stewing in the corner, finally lost it. “She was begging for it! Practically throwing herself at me! She’s nothing but a gold-digging slut!”
My face burned with rage, but before I could fire back, Alexander snapped his fingers. A screen dropped from the ceiling, and security footage started rolling. There I was, checking on Alexander’s face, then Robert barging in, cornering me, ripping my dress as I fought him off.
James watched, his expression growing stormier by the second. When the video cut off, he turned to Robert and Victoria, disgust etched into every line of his face. “This… this is a goddamn disgrace to the Claflin name.”
Alexander’s voice was pure steel. “I want them arrested. Now.”
“No,” James said quietly, and I caught a flicker of surprise on Alexander’s face. “We’ve had enough scandals. I won’t drag this family through another.”
“So they just walk away from attempted murder?” Alexander shot back, his tone sharp with barely restrained anger.
James raised a hand, silencing him. “They’ll be confined to the Lake House property. Under guard. No contact with anyone.” He locked eyes with Alexander, his gaze heavy with intent. “And you, Alexander, will take your rightful place as CEO of Claflin Enterprises. Effective immediately.”
I could see the gears turning in Alexander’s head, weighing revenge against power. After a tense beat, he gave a curt nod. “Acceptable.”
Robert lunged forward, face twisted with desperation. “This is bullshit! He set this whole damn thing up!”
Two security guards grabbed him before he could get far. James stood slowly, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. “Take them away. I never want to see either of them again.”
As Robert and Victoria were hauled out, James approached Alexander, placing a shaky hand on his shoulder. “From now on, Alexander,” he said, voice heavy with exhaustion, “family matters are yours to handle. I can’t stomach this betrayal any longer.”
As if the weight of it all hit him at once, James coughed violently, blood staining his handkerchief. Alexander’s cool mask slipped for the first time, concern flashing across his face as he barked for medical help. Doctors rushed in, and the room erupted into controlled chaos.
I stood there, a complete outsider, watching a dynasty crumble and rebuild in the span of minutes.
Overnight, the power had shifted. Alexander was now the undisputed heir and CEO of Claflin Enterprises. And me? I’d just become the woman every socialite in town would either envy or despise.
All because of a marriage to a man who wasn’t what he seemed. What the actual fuck was my life?
