Diana sat stiffly, sticking close to Connor and positioning herself as far from Claire as possible. Her heart raced with anxiety, but having Uncle Connor nearby made her feel a tad safer. Meanwhile, Chloe found herself next to Claire. Her face was a mask of calm, but her eyes showed a flicker of caution. She felt like she was walking into a trap.

Chloe had her worries too, but she knew she had to brace herself and adapt to whatever happened next. The seat beside Claire stayed empty for a bit until Ruben showed up. He immediately started showering Claire with compliments. Once Ruben took his seat, there were still two people missing: Barrett and Pax.

Claire asked casually, "Ruben, where's Barrett?"

Ruben hadn't expected that question. Given the pre-arranged guest list, it was possible Barrett and Claire knew each other. Ruben shot a glance at Connor, who was expressionless, pouring himself some water, and decided to lie, "Barrett wasn't feeling well and left early. We sent him home to rest yesterday."

Claire replied, "Oh? Is that so?" in a tone that betrayed nothing.

Chloe's heart skipped a beat. She knew Barrett was Claire's secret lover. Was Claire here because Barrett had gone missing? Chloe had no idea where Barrett was or how Connor planned to handle him. All she could do was watch the siblings battle it out.

"Claire, since when

protégé of an

thought. Faith could hardly wait to start eating. But Claire hadn't given the go-ahead yet. If Claire didn't pick up her fork, no one else dared to either Impatient, Faith asked,

"Pax fell off his horse and ripped his clothes. He's

the dining room, totally relaxed, and pulled out

watched with a mix

next to Claire but was stopped by the butler, who informed her that Claire didn't like anyone sitting beside her. Yet, Chloe had been seated on Claire's left, leaving the right side open

to kick Pax out but instead, Claire

"Pax, you must be important.

to

in his place, a payback for making her eat shake sashimi. But then Claire did something astonishing. She picked up the first piece

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255