Had they argued?

Claire checked her phone every few minutes.

Ethan still hadn't replied.

Had he not seen the message, or was he deliberately ignoring her?

Oh well. 

She was stubborn, thick-skinned, and persistent when it came to love.

After work, she would go find him herself.

—

At noon, Claire was eating in the cafeteria when her phone suddenly began ringing nonstop.

Her mom had created a W******p group with only three members:

Morning Rose, Fernando Fernandez, and Claire of Wealthy Descent.

After taking a few bites, Claire swiped open the chat and glanced at the messages.

Morning Rose: [This matchmaking agency is outrageous! They scammed us and refuse to give a refund. Shameless!]

Fernando Fernandez: [Just treat it as a loss. Forget it.]

Morning Rose: [Forget it? That's fifteen thousand dollars…real fucking money! Why should I let them get away with it?!]

Fernando Fernandez: [What else can we do? We've argued with them all morning and they still won't refund us.]

Morning Rose: [They'd better return the money whether they like it or not. If they don't, I'll call the police and have them arrested!]

Fernando Fernandez: [Forget it. Calling the police won't help.]

Claire put down her chopsticks and typed in the group.

Claire of Wealthy Descent: [Mom, that matchmaking agency has gone too far. I support you in getting the money back!]

After sending the message, she set the group chat to DND, placed her phone aside, and continued eating peacefully.

If her Mom had something to busy herself with, she wouldn't have the energy to keep arranging blind dates for her.

Whatever happened in the group chat afterward had nothing to do with her.

—

At 5:30 p.m., Claire packed up her things, shut down her computer, and prepared to leave work.

Just then, Manager Holly walked over and tossed a document onto her desk.

“There's an issue with this order. Check it again and give it back to me.”

Left with no choice, Claire put down her bag and turned her computer back on.

At the same time, she informed the small family group chat that she would be working overtime.

By the time she finished rechecking the order and handed it back to Manager Holly, it was already 7p.m.

She hurried toward the subway station.

—

Meanwhile, Justin and Kyle left work one after another.

Xavier glanced at Ethan, who was still sitting in front of his computer.

It seemed President Reed was planning to sleep at the company again tonight.

Xavier couldn't understand it.

President Reed was married and even had such a beautiful wife, why would he rather sleep at the office than go home?

Had they argued?

His brother-in-law was the same.

Whenever he fought with Xavier's sister, he would hide outside and refuse to go home.

But that never solved anything. 

It only made the relationship worse.

Of course, as a subordinate, Xavier couldn’t possibly advise his boss.

“President Rees, should I order you some takeout?”,he asked.

Ethan stared at the code on his computer without looking up.

“No need. Go home.”

After Xavier left, Ethan picked up his phone and glanced at the screen.

It was already eight o'clock.

Wasn't she supposed to bring him his clothes?

He stood up and walked outside, stopping by the elevator.

He waited for a moment.

When the elevator arrived, he suddenly turned and walked back toward the company.

After taking a few slow steps, he realized the elevator hadn’t even stopped on this floor.

it had gone straight up.

A faint, self-mocking smile curved his lips as he rubbed his temples.

He was truly losing his mind.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened behind him, followed by the sound of footsteps.

He turned around and met Claire's bright gaze.

Her eyes lit up immediately as she ran toward him.

“Honey!”

The word slipped out naturally now, without a blush or a racing heartbeat.

Ethan glanced briefly at the elevator.

Claire had come dowm from the top floor.

“I forgot to press the floor button,”she explained sheepishly. 

“So I ended up riding all the way to the top with the people inside.”

Ethan took the bag containing his clothes.

“What did you tell your parents?”

Claire knew he was referring to the clothes.

“Oh, I told them a male friend came to my place and got his clothes dirty, so he changed there. I’m not sure if they believed it.”

“This morning, I said I'd return the clothes to that male friend, and they didn't question it. So I guess they believed me.”

Ethan placed the clotheson his desk in the offce before locking the door.

“I’ll walk you to the subway station.”

Claire shamelessly hooked her arm through his.

“Honey, I worked overtime today and haven't eaten dinner yet. I'm starving so let's grab something to eat first.”

Ethan pulled his arm free and walked toward the elevator.

“We'll head back after eating.”

Claire hurried after him, this time keeping a small distance.

But the smile never left her face.

—

Ethan led her to a nearby pedestrian street filled with restaurants.

“What do you want to eat?”

Claire pointed at a mutton hot pot restaurant.

“It's so cold lately. Let's have mutton to warm up. My treat.”

“I have money now."

“The other day I went grocery shopping with my mom. She saw me being stingy and picky about everything, so she transferred three three thousand dollars to me.”

Ethan's eyes darkened slightly, but he said nothing as he wallked into the restaurant.

Claire was baffled.

Why did he seem even angrier?

She jogged to catch up with him.

The two ordered a mutton hot pot and two bowls of rice.

The broth bubbled vigorously on the induction stove, steam curling into the air.

Claire scooped a bowl of soup and handed it to him.

“Drink some soup frst. It'll warm you up."

Ethan glanced at her but accepted it without refusing.

Claire drank a bowl herself and instantly felt warmth spread through her body.

The food was delicious. 

She was too busy eating to talk, and Ethan had even less interest in conversation.

The two finished the meal in silence.

When Claire stood up to pay, Ethan had already settled the bill.

“It was supposed to be my treat.”

Ethan put away his phone and turned toward the door.

“Let's go. I'll take you to the subway station.”

Claire sighed helplessly at his chauvinism.

Hopefully, he'd be just as generous during the divorce and give her a large settlement.

—

They walked quietly toward the subway station.

Claire glanced sideways at the tall man beside her.

“Honey, you've seemed a litle down these past few days."

Ethan shot her an indifferent glance without replying.

“Is the company having problems?”, she asked.

His aura immediately grew colder.

Without a word, he suddenly turned and walked away.

“My parents will leave in a few days," Claire called after him. 

“Just bear with it a little longer."

Ethan suddenly stopped.

Claire stopped too. “Honey? What's wrong?”

He turned around, his gaze deep and unreadable.

“Claire... are you hiding something from me?”

“Ah? No...no, of course not.”

Her answer came out guiltily.

“Really?”

“Of course. Why would you ask that?”

Claire fiddled nervously with her fingers, her eyes darting around.

Ethan glanced at her tangled hands.

A cold smile curved his lips.

“Claire, I gave you a chance, didn't I?”

“You said you wouldn't divorce me."

“So why did you do that?"

Claire froze.

What did he mean?

Did Ethan really know about the blind date?

No way.

She still clung to a sliver of hope.

“Honey.”

“Claire Bennett," he cut in coldly.

“Is it fun going on blind dates behind my back?”

“Is it fun playing me for a fool?”