No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian) novel Chapter 366

Teo's gaze froze as the name escaped her lips. Ford was the Hayes family's butler and the lone casualty of that devastating blaze years ago.

How on earth could Katherine know him? And why did she have such a vivid memory of that fire?

He stared at Katherine, his expression a mix of shock and curiosity. "Apart from Ford, do you have any other memories?"

Katherine shook her head. "I don't remember him at all. It's just that his name keeps coming up in my nightmares. I think he must have saved me, and it was from a fire, no less."

"But the surveillance footage from the time of the fire showed only Ford entering the building."

Teo felt a rush of panic. If Katherine had been there during the fire, it wasn't a simple accident. It was arson.

Suddenly, Brodie chimed in, "It's true that the cameras only caught Ford entering, but the footage from a week earlier, around two in the afternoon, is missing a crucial fifteen minutes—it was deliberately cut."

Teo furrowed his brow at him. "You suspect your mother was locked in there during that time?"

"It's a possibility."

"But a week earlier, our family was in crisis. Ian and his mother were kidnapped. We were all hands on deck to rescue them. If that's the case, it wouldn't have been someone from the Hayes family."

Hearing this, a cool shadow passed over Brodie's eyes. "It's not unheard of to create a diversion. I'll look into this case thoroughly. If my mother was harmed and it's connected to the Hayes family, I won't let anyone off the hook."

Brodie was almost certain now that his mother had that accident in that fire. The person responsible, whether Leonora or someone else, would pay.

Meanwhile...

Just as his worry peaked, he heard Clara's husky chuckle. She took Ian's hand, placing it over her heart, and whispered, "It's just here. It's beating a bit too fast."

At her words, Ian's tension melted away. He playfully pinched her nose. "Darling, that's because you're all worked up over me. Haven't I told you this is a delicate time? Why can't you stay put, hmm?"

Clara's cheeks flushed, her eyes soft and sparkling as they held Ian's gaze. "Then, can I have a hug?"

She wrapped her arms around Ian's cool waist. Her warm lips brushed against his chest unintentionally, igniting a fire within him.

He grasped her face in his hands, his voice a low growl of warning, "If you don't behave, I won't mind giving you a taste of what we had the other night."

The thought of those intimate moments scared Clara enough to freeze instantly, too afraid to move another inch.