Getting Close

Chapter 56 - Getting Close

Claire dismissed the black system window and looked around the apartment. Sam was still watching her, his face tense. There was something uneasy in his eyes, mixed with the jealousy he was trying hard to hide.

Claire let out a short sigh and leaned back in her chair. “I went there to rattle him.”

Sam frowned. “How?”

“He’s on a winning streak. He won again today.” She paused, watching Sam's reaction. “If we really want to break Mike, hurting him once isn't enough. We need to destroy his career too. Right now, that career is the one thing keeping him ahead.”

Sam’s expression darkened. “So you went there to mess with his head?”

“Yes.” Claire looked down at her hands. “I thought he still had a soft corner for me. He stepped in when Danny almost punched me, so I thought maybe I still meant something to him.”

She gave a bitter smile.

“I was wrong.”

Sam said nothing.

“It wasn't because I was special,” Claire continued. “That's just who he is. He would have helped anyone.” Her voice became colder as she remembered the door closing in her face. “I thought I could use that old connection to get close to him again. Instead, he slammed the door in my face so hard I nearly got my nose crushed.”

For a moment, the room went quiet. Sam's hands slowly tightened into fists. Claire noticed. But she said nothing.Claire turned toward Danny and watched him for a moment. He was sitting on the sofa, completely absorbed in the small pink remote-controlled toy he had ordered, moving it back and forth across his palm without a care in the world.

Claire's expression stayed calm as she asked, “How is the work on Mia going?”

Danny stopped playing with the toy and placed it carefully on the table. A wide smile spread across his face.

“It’s going really well,” he said. “She’s so obedient, but at the same time, she’s incredibly possessive about Mike. It’s almost funny watching her act fearless, like she can actually protect him from anything.” His smile grew darker. “Tomorrow, I’m going to put this toy to use.”

A low, evil laugh escaped him.

Claire glanced at the pink toy for a moment before turning her attention back to Sam. Danny's words had reminded her of the bigger problem. If they wanted to hurt Mike, they needed to keep finding ways to get inside his life. But she had just failed to get close to him herself.

“I need to find a way to get close to him again,” she said. “How can I do it?”

Sam stayed quiet for a few seconds, rubbing his chin as he thought. Then his expression changed, as if an idea had just come to him.

“I have an idea.”

Claire looked at him. “What is it?”

“You know Mike can’t stand seeing injustice when it goes too far,” Sam said. He leaned back slightly, watching Claire carefully. “He can ignore a lot of things, but if he thinks someone is being badly mistreated, he has a hard time walking away.”

Claire gave a short nod. A faint, mocking smile touched her lips. “Yeah. Too righteous for his own good.”

“That’s exactly why this might work.” Sam rubbed his chin again, thinking through the idea. “What if you go to him looking like someone hurt you? Bruises, a few scratches, even tears. You don't need to explain everything at first. Just make him believe you're in trouble.”

Claire's expression slowly changed.

Sam continued, “There’s no one else in this town who connects the two of you the way you do. If you show up at his door looking beaten and helpless, he’ll want to know what happened. And once he lets you inside, you have a way back into his life.”

Claire's eyes widened slightly. She could already see how easily it could work. Mike might hate her, but his sense of right and wrong was still the same. They could use that against him.

Sam suddenly raised another concern. “But what if he doesn't take you in? What if he tells you to go straight to the police?”

Claire looked at him.

“A dual-faced bitch like you can still act,” Sam said coldly. “Cry in front of him. Shake a little. Tell him you're scared. Remind him that you two were together throughout high school. Bring up the old memories if you have to. Make him feel like you're someone he can't just leave outside.”

Claire stared at him for a moment, then waved her hand dismissively. “Okay, okay. I get it. I'll see what I can do.”

While they talked, Danny had already picked up his phone. He opened his messages and typed a short text to Mia, telling her to come to the calisthenics park tomorrow. The first task of their deal was ready.

He read the message once, then pressed send.

A small smile appeared on his face as he placed the phone back on the table.

Claire remained quiet for a while. Her fingers rested against the arm of the chair as she went over Sam's plan in her head. It was risky, but it was also the first real chance she had found to get close to Mike again.

Her eyes slowly hardened.

Whatever it took, she was going to find a way back into Mike's life.

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