"Clara… may I call you that?"
Victor Fulton looked at Clara with great caution, stopping several steps away. He studied her expression carefully, afraid of upsetting her.
Ever since the last time he recognized her bloodied and wounded while she was risking her life to save Ethan, guilt had consumed him, leaving him desperate to make amends.
He had never married or had children. Clara was his only daughter, and if she was willing, she would be his sole heir.
She would one day rule the entire underworld of Harborcliff.
But all Clara had ever wanted was to stay by Ethan's side, and because of her mother, she had refused to acknowledge Victor as her father.
Victor did not know why she had suddenly chosen to return and inherit his position. All he felt was joy.
Clara looked up at him and caught the tenderness in his eyes, her vision blurring as her eyes reddened.
She threw herself into his arms and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Though she had once harbored many resentments toward him, he was now her only family left in this world.
Victor froze, then gently patted Clara's back.
Instead of feeling happy at her closeness, his face filled with heartache and anger.
"Did Ethan hurt you? Tell me, and I'll bring people with me right now to make him pay."
From the moment Clara had risked her life to save Ethan, Victor had been deeply dissatisfied with him.
What kind of man let his pregnant woman save him? Utterly useless.
Over the years in Asterfall, if it hadn't been for Victor's secret help and his old friends backing Ethan, Ethan would never have consolidated power so quickly.
Nor would he have become the underworld boss he was today.
Everything Victor had done was meant to spare Clara from suffering. Yet she had still been hurt.
The thought alone made him want to gun Ethan down on the spot.
"It's all in the past. I have nothing to do with Ethan anymore. I don't care what happens to him."
Victor snorted softly and did not press further when he saw she didn't want to talk about it.
Instead, he glanced at the four men nearby, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"These four are my adopted sons. If you're willing, you can choose one of them as your husband. He'll help you take over the organization as soon as possible."
From the moment he reunited with Clara, Victor had already seen them as replacements for Ethan.
In both looks and ability, all four far surpassed Ethan. Only men like them were worthy of Clara.
Victor paused, then waved a hand casually. "If you like, you can take them all."
Clara's cheeks flushed instantly as she shook her head in a panic.
"No, thank you. I'm not ready to start another relationship yet."
Over the years, Victor had often had the four of them send her gifts. Each time, she treated them coldly and threw the gifts away.
Still, over time, they grew familiar with one another.
The four men looked at Clara with eyes full of concern.
Back when she had stormed into their stronghold without hesitation, they had already admired her as a fearless heroine.
No one had expected that years later, Clara would end up in such a battered state.
There was a lifeless emptiness in her eyes, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Victor looked just as distressed and spoke quickly, "I've arranged the best hospital for a full checkup. You need to focus on resting and recovering."
Clara nodded in thanks, looking slightly embarrassed.
Over the following period, Clara recovered well under the care of the five men.
She filled out noticeably, and smiles returned to her face.
She even joked around with them from time to time.
Seeing more and more smiles on her face left Victor so emotional he couldn't speak.
A man who could stir storms across Harborcliff now had red-rimmed eyes, no different from an ordinary father.
Guilt quietly crept into Clara's heart.
Her mother had said before dying that she no longer blamed him, that leaving them back then had only been an accident.
Yet something had always been stuck in her chest, refusing to let her acknowledge him.
If she had returned to her father sooner, she might not have suffered so much.
"Miss Fulton, Kieran has gone way too far. He won't even let us come see you. You need to talk some sense into him."
The three men stood before Clara, looking aggrieved as they glared at the athletic man beside them.
Kieran Fulton shrugged innocently and spoke in a way that was guaranteed to infuriate anyone. "That's because you're useless. You all lost to me in a fight. We agreed back then that only the winner gets to stand by Miss Fulton's side and be her fiancé."
"Who agreed to that? You made it up yourself and then beat us into the ground."
"You fight like a mad dog. We're not interested in brawling with you. If you've got guts, let's use our brains."
"Exactly. How could Miss Fulton's fiancé be nothing but a brute?"
The four of them started arguing again, and Clara felt a headache coming on, pressing her fingers to her temples.
Kieran was the first to notice her discomfort. He shoved the three of them out with lightning speed and shut the door, ignoring their angry shouting.
He then sat by Clara's hospital bed and poured her a cup of warm water.
"Victor's been busy lately. Let me take care of you."
He helped Clara sit up with care and handed her a laptop with a game already loaded.
Clara sighed helplessly.
Kieran was the most shameless of the four, impossible to chase away.
She had no choice but to let him stay.
