Forced to Marry the Sickly Billionaire-Chapter 371 Family Banquet

Serena Summers’ smile deepened at the corner of her lips, and she generously waved her hand towards Clara Shaw. "Let’s forget it this time. I hope there won’t be a next."

The smile on her face deeply agitated Clara Shaw’s nerves, and this time, she couldn’t hold back anymore.

"Serena Summers, you bitch! What gives you the right to flaunt your superiority in front of me? This is the Shaw Family, what are you, an outsider, so smug about?"

Clara Shaw quickly stepped forward, raising her arm as if to swing it at Serena Summers.

Yet the slap never landed; instead, it was caught by a slender, pale hand.

Standing in front of her, Serena Summers narrowed her bright eyes slightly, revealing a dangerous cold gleam.

"Clara Shaw, have you forgotten the warning I gave you before?"

Serena Summers’ glare sent chills creeping up Clara Shaw’s spine, making her shudder involuntarily.

She panicked and instinctively stepped back, trying to escape, but found her hand still gripped tightly by Serena Summers.

She took a step back, and Serena Summers took a step forward. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

"W-what do you want to do?"

Clara Shaw was genuinely terrified now.

She struggled with all her might but found she couldn’t break free.

"Have I been too lenient with you? Is that why you think I’m easy to bully?" Serena Summers sneered coldly.

Previously, she’d ignored Clara Shaw, treating her antics as mere air.

She hadn’t expected Clara to not relent but escalate her behavior instead.

Clara Shaw swallowed nervously, on the verge of tears in her panic.

"Serena Summers, I’m warning you, this is the Shaw Family. If you dare touch me, Grandpa won’t let you off!"

"Won’t let who off?"

Suddenly, a deep, commanding voice echoed from not far away.

Just one short phrase made Clara Shaw’s body freeze. She looked toward the living room doorway in disbelief.

When she clearly saw who it was, her pupils contracted. "C-cousin Adrian?"

Adrian Holt walked with steady steps and stopped in front of Serena Summers. "Serena, did she bully you? Are you hurt?"

His deep eyes gazed at Serena Summers, filled with endless concern.

Not once did he glance at Clara Shaw, as if she was completely beneath notice.

Seeing her wrist still held in Serena Summers’ grip, Clara Shaw felt even more aggrieved, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face.

"Wah... Dad, Mom, save me!"

Was there no justice in the world anymore?

How did this situation make her look like the one being bullied?

Was her cousin blind?

Watching the drama unfold, Nathaniel Shaw’s temple throbbed sharply. "Lucas, it’s my fault for failing to manage Clara properly. My apologies."

"Dad, whose side are you on!" Clara Shaw glared at Serena Summers with defiance and anger.

Why was it that despite being the eldest daughter of the Shaw Family, everyone at home adored Serena Summers?

Why?

She couldn’t accept it!

Serena Summers cast a cool glance at Nathaniel Shaw and released Clara Shaw’s hand with a swift flick.

"Uncle, I thought moving her out of the Shaw Family might teach her a lesson and make her restrain herself. Unfortunately..."

If Clara Shaw didn’t provoke her first, she wouldn’t retaliate.

But if Clara dared to stir trouble, Serena wouldn’t back down.

"It’s my failure. I’ll make sure to keep Clara in check from now on. Serena, can you forgive her just this once?"

Nathaniel Shaw was known for his good temper and indulgence toward his own child.

Otherwise, Clara Shaw wouldn’t have grown up to be this spoiled and unruly.

Serena Summers shook her head faintly in her heart but gave Nathaniel Shaw some face. "I hope there won’t be another next time."

Today was a family gathering, and Serena Summers didn’t want to cause a big scene, so she turned and left with Adrian Holt.

Adrian had been observing everything and had roughly pieced together the situation.

Serena Summers wanted to let it go, but he couldn’t.

He still remembered the humiliation Clara Shaw had inflicted on Serena a month after he’d arrived at the Shaw Family.

She blamed Serena for being a curse, for causing deaths.

Serena’s reaction had been calm at the time, which suggested that such incidents were not new.

The thought of Serena enduring so much when he wasn’t around twisted Adrian Holt’s heart with pain.

He halted his steps, released Serena’s hand, and returned to confront Clara Shaw.

Seeing Adrian walk away, Clara finally exhaled a heavy breath. She had always feared this cousin of hers.

Two years had passed, but his aura was colder and stronger than ever.

When Adrian Holt had first appeared, she hadn’t dared to breathe.

Now that he’d left, Clara Shaw glared venomously at Serena Summers’ retreating figure, cursing her silently a thousand times.

But before she had time to collect her twisted expression, she noticed Adrian walking back toward her.

The man approached with an intimidating stature, sharp and upright. His long legs took deliberate strides toward her.

The steady sound of his footsteps echoed in the spacious living room, each step pounding into her chest.

Clara Shaw instinctively held her breath, staring at him in disbelief.

"Cousin Adrian?"

"I already warned you before—stop provoking Serena Summers. Do my words mean nothing to you?"

"Cousin Adrian, let me explain..." Clara stammered in panic.

"If you continue acting up, then get out."

Nathaniel Shaw’s face darkened, his sharp eyes fixing on Adrian Holt.

Evelyn Hart hurriedly intervened. "Lucas, Clara may be immature, but she already knows her mistake. Can you forgive her?"

"Let’s hope." Adrian Holt cast a dismissive glance at Clara Shaw and left without looking back.

"Lucas..."

Evelyn Hart wanted to say more, but Nathaniel Shaw stopped her.

"He’s still angry. Don’t provoke him. Clara, what did I tell you before? Did you forget everything?"

Clara Shaw’s lips parted slightly, searching for words to defend herself, but nothing came out.

Her throat felt clogged.

Every time she thought of Serena Summers receiving everyone’s unconditional love within the Shaw Family, while she herself had been cast out from the family estate, her chest burned with frustration.

Her grandfather, her three brothers—all revolved around Serena Summers.

And her?

She had nothing left.

Though resentment brewed within Clara Shaw’s heart, she never acknowledged that Master Shaw had poured immense love on her in the past—only to end up deeply disappointed.

Upstairs, Master Shaw overheard the commotion downstairs and sighed heavily.

"That Clara—she used to be spoiled but at least reasonable. Now, look at her."

He had doted on his only granddaughter relentlessly, offering her all the finest things imaginable.

But that indulgence had shaped her into naive, even foolish, character traits.

Previously, she’d been manipulated by Sylvia Lane, engaging in numerous actions against Serena Summers.

After Sylvia had been expelled, Clara then directed all her grudges toward Serena Summers.

No matter what Serena Summers did, Clara saw her as wrong.

"Master Shaw, Miss Clara was manipulated before. If you guide her properly, she’ll undoubtedly turn around." The butler offered consolations.

Master Shaw waved a hand dismissively. "Turn around? As long as Evelyn Hart is involved, I doubt it."

He wasn’t blind. Many of Clara’s misdeeds had Evelyn’s hand lurking behind them.