Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run
Chapter 56

Addison was almost moved to tears. Over in South Ashford, they had done

something good for the community but ended up taking the blame and nearly got attacked because of it. But here in North Ashford, the folks initially seemed tough to deal with, but once the misunderstanding was cleared up, everyone was suddenly warm and friendly like they'd been buddies forever.

She dug into her meal with enthusiasm. Clara had a small bowl of pasta and polished off a whole chicken drumstick. She was grateful for the gesture and determined not to waste it.

After eating, she fired up her livestream. The last time, the crowd that showed up for the drama was still hanging around, but because of the massive order cancellations, the platform was hesitant to feature her on the homepage. As a result, the traffic was much lower today. Still, from noon till midnight, she managed to sell five thousand orders, and thankfully, she didn't have to deal with her pesky sister, Quinn.

By the time she logged off, she was about to keel over, her vision fading into darkness.

"Clara!" Addison was startled, finally noticing that she was burning up with fever. "Are you okay?"

Clara shook her head slowly, her lips pale as she murmured, "Just a bit dizzy." "You've got a fever. Take something to bring it down."

The folks around her, still busy packing orders, rushed over when they saw Clara nearly faint.

"Ms. Clara, are you alright? Don't worry, maybe you should rest tonight. You were up all night yesterday."

"Yeah, one night off won't hurt us."

Clara's throat was raw from all the talking, so she took a sip of water. "I'm fine. Keep packing. I'll catch a few hours of sleep."

Addison's eyes brimmed with sympathy, her eyes misty. "Don't push yourself too hard, get some rest. We've all seen how hard you've worked, and selling fifty thousand pounds today is incredible."

Clara managed a faint smile, too exhausted to say much before she drifted off to sleep. The people around her immediately lightened their movements, careful not to disturb her rest. Someone even hurried to light a citronella candle to keep the mosquitoes away.

Addison initially planned to put away the streaming phone, but curiosity got the better of her, and she clicked into Quinn's livestream. Compared to Clara's weary appearance, Quinn was practically glowing, but she hadn't sold nearly as much as Clara today, only three thousand orders.

The chat was buzzing with gossip about her personal life, and her smile was starting to waver. Addison noticed a man's hand appear in the video. It was probably Simon's. Simon and Quinn had been together in a room throughout the night, not caring about appearances-Clara had been right about them. They were just shameless!

Addison glanced at Clara's tired face beside her and angrily typed a message in the chat. [Cheaters!]

But the message got lost in the flood of comments, and Quinn didn't see it.

Quinn was busy gossiping about Clara with her viewers. "My sister's always been like this. She's probably already gone home. She didn't communicate well with the farmers, so the issue couldn't be resolved. Her coming here to help was just on a whim."

Someone in the chat was quick to call her out. [Your sister just logged off not long ago. Stop spreading lies, you two-faced liar.]

Quinn noticed the comment, her brow furrowing. Hadn't Clara gone home? Was she still streaming? A hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes, but she quickly put on a smile again. Clara had more than twenty thousand orders left unhandled and was still streaming overnight. It was clear she was just trying to outdo Quinn. Clara was still the same impulsive person. Quinn couldn't wait to see how she planned to wrap this up.