Claire and Nicholas After Divorce novel · Chapter 7 of 24

Chapter 7: The Press Stage

Claire's POV

By noon the headline had been shared two hundred thousand times.

Audrey read the comments aloud over room service eggs.

"'Rich girl plays poor, leaves loyal husband.' 'Imagine lying to your husband for five years.' 'Poor professor.'"

"Stop."

"Here's a good one. 'Her dad must be so ashamed.'"

"Audrey."

She put the phone down.

"He's holding a press conference in the plaza in forty minutes," she said. "Corbin Home's PR sent the invitation to every outlet in the city."

"What is he going to say?"

"That his daughter is troubled. That he's worried about her."

I wiped my mouth and stood up.

"Then I'd better go and be troubled in person."

The plaza in front of the tower was crowded when we got there.

A small stage had been set up with a podium and the company logo.

Cameras lined the front, and the reporters shouted over each other.

Gerald stood at the podium in a charcoal suit, with his hands folded and his face arranged.

"I want to say first that I love my daughter," he said.

I stopped at the back of the crowd.

"Claire has had a difficult life. She lost her mother young. She has made choices that I could not understand. I'm told she has been hiding assets and a name from a faithful husband for years."

A reporter raised a hand.

"Mr. Corbin, is it true she's challenging your chairmanship?"

"My daughter is not well," Gerald said gently. "I hope she'll accept help."

A murmur went through the crowd.

I walked forward through it.

People moved aside when they saw who I was.

I went up the three steps at the side of the stage and Gerald saw me coming.

His smile did not slip, but his hand tightened on the podium.

"Here she is," he said warmly. "Claire, sweetheart, come and sit with the family."

I took the microphone from the stand.

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