Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 167: Behave Yourself

She didn’t care about the confession matter, and quickly pushed through the crowd, pulling Nathan Quinn out from the center of the dance floor: "Get me a private room!"

Nathan Quinn immediately noticed Claire Hale’s drenched and disheveled appearance, felt a jolt in his heart, and quickly sent her into his empty top-class private room.

He arranged for someone to deliver clean clothes and towels, and provided hot water and a hairdryer.

Tina Hayes and Joy Sharp helped Claire Hale change clothes in the private room, while Nathan Quinn stood guard outside with a complex expression.

Last year in his bar, Claire Hale was hit on the head with a beer bottle, and now she’s been drenched here again. How does this keep happening at his bar?

This is simply disregarding him as the owner.

Nathan Quinn immediately informed Tristan Lockwood about today’s incident with Claire Hale. After hearing the news, Tristan hung up without saying a word.

Twenty minutes later, Tristan Lockwood arrived at the bar.

"It’s you again."

Tristan’s expression wasn’t good; he was thinking along the same lines.

"As the owner, you seem to be just a shell, foolishly letting others walk all over you without any solutions."

He coldly made this remark then pushed open the door to the private room.

Claire Hale, having changed into clean clothes, was now sitting with Joy Sharp beside her, who was blow-drying her hair.

Tristan Lockwood walked over, stopped in front of Claire, and glanced at Joy Sharp: "Give it to me."

Though Joy knew that the two had broken up and it wasn’t appropriate for them to be alone together, she was genuinely intimidated, too scared to provoke someone as powerful as Tristan Lockwood.

She promptly handed over the hairdryer, then pulled Tina Hayes away.

Tristan sat beside Claire Hale, naturally blow-drying her hair.

She wanted to do it herself, but as soon as she moved her hand, he grasped it.

"If you don’t want me to do something excessive, be good," he said, his fingers stroking her palm. Although his words were teasing, he was very seriously helping her dry her hair.

Claire Hale paused, withdrawing her hand from his grip, saying, "Ask Nathan to check the bar’s surveillance."

While drinking with Joy Sharp earlier, she noticed someone watching her. At that time, there was no one wearing a mask in the bar, so she deliberately lingered for a while to ensure the person following her would be caught on camera.

As expected, when Nathan Quinn reviewed the surveillance, he discovered a man always following Claire Hale.

"It’s him again."

Claire Hale frowned; this time the man’s face was clearly visible, just an ordinary face she didn’t recognize at all.

"Again?"

Tristan Lockwood noticed her wording and furrowed his brow.

Tina Hayes quickly linked it to the previous night’s incident and chimed in, "President Hale probably believes that the person who wrote those words on her car last night is also this man."

"What words?" Nathan Quinn made the mistake of asking.

Tina Hayes glared at him: "Shut up, will you?"

Nathan Quinn: "?"

After instructing Nathan Quinn to send her the surveillance footage, Claire Hale prepared to leave the bar.

Tristan Lockwood wordlessly followed her.

Tina Hayes and Joy Sharp also headed outside, but a glance from Tristan Lockwood was enough to send them away.

The look that told them to back off was clear even to a fool.

"Let me take you two home; Sis drank and can’t drive," Nathan Quinn cooperatively offered, stepping forward to speak to the two.

Only then did Tristan Lockwood retract his gaze and catch up with Claire Hale before she got into her car. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"I’ll drive you home."

He took her hand, guiding her to his car, saying, "Even if you don’t want to, I’ll follow you anyway. Why waste energy in a needless argument?"

Claire Hale still wanted to resist: "But my car..."

"Don’t worry, it’ll be returned to your building before tomorrow morning."

While speaking, Tristan opened the passenger door, waiting patiently for her to settle inside before leaning over to fasten her seatbelt.

With his broad shoulders hunched over, he almost cocooned her in his arms.

The chilly breath mingled momentarily with hers.

Claire Hale’s breathing hitched as she turned her head, avoiding his gaze resting on her.

When they reached the neighborhood entrance, she recalled previous instances of Tristan Lockwood uninvitedly entering her home and asked him to stop the car so she could walk back.

Tristan obediently stopped the car.

Claire Hale didn’t realize he was following her until she reached the building and glanced back.

Yet when she turned, he remained stationed under the streetlamp where he usually smoked, quietly watching her without moving closer.

Claire Hale hesitated briefly before averting her gaze, heading home without a backward glance.

Tristan Lockwood didn’t leave until Claire Hale’s house lights were on, comforting him.

Upon returning to his vehicle, he called Nathan Quinn: "The incident last year and today’s were both at your bar. If you don’t give me an explanation, how can you possibly invite me for drinks again?"

"I’ll investigate, alright?" Nathan Quinn sounded more than a little aggrieved.

"Don’t act like you’re miserably overwhelmed." Tristan Lockwood said bluntly, "Someone causing trouble on your turf, and you want to pretend to be a turtle? Nathan Quinn, what happened to your old imposing ’big brother’ way?"

"I’m just getting old, settling down."

Tristan Lockwood sneered: "I want results in three days."

Right after his words, Nathan Quinn was met with a dial tone indicating the call was disconnected.

Old Tristan, treating him like a Lockwood Group employee?!

...

The man on the surveillance footage was someone Claire Hale didn’t recognize, but she felt sure he was the one who had hit her head in the bar last year.

The sinister look he gave her, though she’d sensed it for just a second, left a chilling impression she couldn’t forget.

But the man was clearly prepared; had she not noticed something wrong this time, the cameras might not have captured him.

Unexpectedly, the matter soon showed signs of resolution.

The reason was a phone call from Renee Lynn.

"Claire, you must be careful these days. Cheryl Yates visited me a few days ago, saying she wanted me to join her and Cynthia Hale to rekindle childhood joys. She said you’re doing so well now, maybe you’ve healed and forgotten the pain, and need to remember them for fun."

"Cheryl Yates?"

Claire Hale repeated the name, trying to match it to someone from the bullies who tormented her.

"It’s Rochelle Yates; she changed her name later."

Talking about Rochelle Yates made Claire Hale recall her clearly.

If Renee Lynn was Cynthia Hale’s lackey back then, Rochelle Yates was Cynthia’s inseparable ’strategist.’

A great deal of the tactics for tormenting her came from Cheryl Yates’ crafty mind.