[Get Maria out]

The next morning, Cain went to his office as usual. His desk was piled with papers, contracts, and files, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He hadn't yet visited Maria with the lawyer to process her bail. Staring at the contract in front of him, he shook his head, trying to clear the random thoughts clouding his focus. With a deep breath, he forced himself to dive into work, though his mind kept wandering back to the tangled mess he found himself in.

Meanwhile, Claire was busy organizing her room. The events of the past few days still lingered in her mind, but she pushed them aside, trying to bring some normalcy back into her life. Just as she folded a blanket, her phone buzzed incessantly on the bedside table. She glanced at the screen—an anonymous number. Rolling her eyes, she ignored it, thinking it might be Laila calling to pester her with another round of insincere apologies.

The phone continued to buzz, though, and Claire's patience snapped. Annoyed, she marched over, picked up the call, and snapped, "Have you got no chill? I said I'm busy, and I won't meet you. That's final!" She was about to hang up when a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Woah, Claire! I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome from my dear friend. Oh my, how dumb of me to think you'd be happy to hear from me," the voice said with mock disappointment.

Claire froze, her eyes widening in shock. "No… no way… Oh my God!" Her irritation melted into excitement.

"Fine, I'll just leave you to your busy schedule since you're clearly not interested…" the voice on the other side trailed off dramatically.

"Shut up, Beth! No! I'm sorry!" Claire quickly cut in. "I thought it was my stupid cousin annoying me. Wait—are you really out? Oh my God, where are you? How are you? What's going on?"

Beth chuckled. "Yeah, I'm out, babe! I got released a few days ago. We need to catch up! Maybe tomorrow for lunch?"

"Tomorrow?" Claire's tone dipped in disappointment.

Beth's voice turned teasing. "Why? Got a packed schedule, baby girl?"

"No, it's just… I was thinking of meeting you right now!" Claire replied eagerly.

Beth laughed. "Fine, why not? Let's meet at Cafe Smooth by 1 PM."

Claire barely contained her excitement as she ended the call. Beth wasn't just a friend—she was family during Claire's darkest days in prison. Beth had saved her countless times, protected her from bullies, and supported her when no one else did.

Looking at the clock, Claire realized it was already 12:15 PM. She hurried to get dressed and decided to buy a gift for Beth on the way. Grabbing her bag, she informed Linda, "Don't prepare lunch for me. I'm going to meet my best friend, and I might be late."

Claire avoided using the mansion's chauffeur or cars, preferring to keep a low profile. She booked a cab and stopped at a nearby shopping center to find the perfect gift. But after ten minutes of indecision and frantic searching, she gave up, glancing at her watch. It was already 1:30 PM. She bit her lip, frustrated, but decided to leave empty-handed rather than risk being even later.

Arriving at the cafe, Claire spotted Beth sitting in a corner booth. A grin spread across her face as she walked up behind her and hugged her tightly. "Beth!" she exclaimed.

Beth turned and squealed in excitement. Both women hugged and laughed, drawing amused glances from other patrons. Realizing they were causing a scene, they quickly apologized and sat down, their faces still glowing with happiness.

"I can't believe this!" Claire said, sipping her coffee. "I'm so happy to see you again. I'm sorry, Beth. I promised to bail you out, but… everything fell apart. Nana passed away, and then my life just spiraled…"

Beth reached out and patted Claire's hand. "Relax, babe. I never blamed you. Besides, it wasn't you who bailed me out—it was your boyfriend."

Claire blinked, confused. "My boyfriend?"

Beth smirked. "Yeah, your boyfriend. Mr. Cain Wilson, the business mafia himself."

Claire's jaw dropped. "Cain? He bailed you out? When? And how did he even know about you?"

Beth leaned back, enjoying Claire's astonishment. "Girl, he came to me looking for answers about what happened to you in prison. After hearing the whole story, he sent Verica and her crew straight to hell. And not just them—anyone who bullied you or made your life miserable paid back a hundredfold. As a thank-you for helping you, he bailed me out."

Claire was speechless. Cain had avenged her? Protected her friend? She didn't know whether to feel grateful or wary. Could she trust him again after everything?

Beth snapped her fingers in front of Claire's face. "What's wrong, babe? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Claire hesitated, then mumbled, "I'm… engaged to Cain."

Beth's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"

Her exclamation echoed through the cafe, drawing more stares. The manager approached, looking annoyed. "Ladies, please keep your voices down. This is the second time you've disturbed our customers."

Both women mumbled apologies, stifling their laughter as they paid the bill and decided to continue their conversation elsewhere.

---

By the time Claire returned home, it was almost 4 PM. Meanwhile, Cain was wrapping up his workday at the office when his phone buzzed. It was his father, Vincent. Cain sighed and answered reluctantly.

"Cain, how long will it take for you to handle Maria's case?" Vincent's voice was sharp with irritation.

Cain pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dad, it's not that simple. Maria's situation is already public. Whatever we do, the media will twist it. The company stocks are already dropping because of her actions."

"What do you mean by 'her actions'? You think she's guilty?" Vincent's irritation escalated to anger.

"No, Dad," Cain replied firmly. "If I believed the accusations, I wouldn't have met her. But this isn't just about her being framed. She barged into her company, assaulted her colleague, bribed the manager, and even attacked a media representative. How do we justify all that?"

Vincent was silent for a moment before sighing. "Maybe she acted recklessly out of frustration over the false accusations."

"Exactly," Cain said. "But public perception matters. If we bail her out now, it'll look like favoritism and damage our reputation further. I need time to handle this properly."

Vincent was quiet for a long moment before finally conceding. "Fine. Do it your way, but make it quick."

As the call ended, Cain leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. His mind was a storm of conflicting thoughts.

*Cain's POV:*

*If I bail out Maria, it would be unfair to Claire. How would she feel, knowing Maria was free to torment her again? Maria would surely twist the narrative, claiming I cared more for her than for Claire. Claire's already hesitant to trust me, and this would only drive her further away.*

*But if I don't act, my father will. And if he investigates, he'll uncover Claire's role in framing Maria. Worse, he'll side with Maria—he sees her as a daughter and still doesn't know the truth about Claire. If that happens, my father will turn against Claire, and her life will become even harder.*

Cain lit a cigarette, staring out at the darkening sky. No matter what he did, the consequences seemed dire. And he wasn't willing to let Claire suffer again.

He exhaled a long stream of smoke, his mind racing for a solution he couldn't seem to find.

---