Chapter 343: Clara Whitmore's Memory Had a Gaping Hole

Clara Whitmore's memory had a gaping hole.

Her last recollection was her father asking her to escort Elias Mercer out.

What happened after?

Complete blankness.

The next morning, she stretched lazily beneath the covers, oblivious to anything amiss.

"Awake?" Helen Whitmore entered with a glass of water.

Clara accepted it, taking a sip just as her father's voice carried through the door.

"Let's see if you'll dare overdrink again! Last night you were like a feral cat with its fur standing on end."

Drunken antics?

Feral cat?

The glass trembled in Clara's hand.

Fragmented images flickered through her mind before vanishing.

She swallowed hard, voice shaky. "Dad...last night I..."

"Hmph! Playing amnesia?" Daniel Whitmore teased. "I asked you to see someone out, and you ended up clawing their hair into a bird's nest. Elias had to carry you back..."

"That's enough," Helen interrupted. "Stop teasing her—look how red her face is." She pulled her husband away, considerately closing the door behind them.

One.

Two.

Three—

"AAAAAH!"

A mortified scream erupted in the bedroom.

Clara buried her face in a pillow, wishing she could vanish.

Outside, Daniel and Helen exchanged amused smiles.

"She takes after you—rowdy when drunk."

"Clearly your genes—can't hold liquor but loves drinking."

Helen narrowed her eyes. "Say that again?"

Daniel immediately raised his hands in surrender. "My mistake."

* * *

While the Whitmores laughed, Catherine Holloway was having a far worse time.

Ever since Donna Russo and her son caused that hotel scene, the pair had discovered their golden ticket.

They stationed themselves daily outside the Holloway mansion with folding chairs and snacks, resembling dutiful sentinels.

Catherine still felt nauseous remembering that loogie.

"Still there?" she hissed at the returning maid.

The maid trembled. "Yes...the way they stare at us is downright predatory..."

Donna had grown cunning.

She knew better than to trespass, but a war of attrition worked just as well.

Her eerie gaze tracking everyone's movements was enough to unsettle the entire Holloway household.