Part 54

Now Claire was mute. Did she actually hate Antony? She didn't know. Did she hate the man, or did she simply not respect him? There was a difference between the two words, wasn't there?

"Have you forgotten the saying, 'You don't love what you don't know'?" Antony's question disrupted Claire's thoughts. She looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Whatever you've heard about me, I don't know how much of it is true."

"But if you want to know about me from my perspective, don't hesitate to ask. I'll answer everything honestly," Antony replied firmly.

Claire could only remain silent. She felt uneasy, embarrassed, and there was some other feeling she couldn't quite articulate.

"But in return, if I ask you something, you have to tell me the truth as well. Not something made up. Especially not something that will make me even more jealous," Antony added, his expression now annoyed.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked, confused.

"I don't mean anything by it," Antony answered ambiguously. "So, do you want to turn on the TV?" he offered again. Claire shook her head.

"My head hurts. Hearing the TV just makes my eardrums uncomfortable," she replied honestly. Antony could only nod in agreement.

"Then lie back down. Or do you want me to massage your head?" he offered, shifting closer.

"You're not going to ask for payment for your offer, are you?" Claire asked hesitantly.

Antony shrugged. He knew Claire was considering his offer, and he felt quite flattered by that. At least Claire wasn't pushing him away like she did earlier. Antony took that as progress. "I'm a self-serving person, Claire. Of course, I will expect payment for everything I do right now," he replied candidly.

Claire frowned again. "Nothing is done without expecting something in return. Even the most devout person will ask God to repay all the good they do, let alone someone like me," he said plainly.

"What kind of reward do you want?"

Antony thought for a moment. "I just hope you'll start to like me back. That's all," he replied. Claire was momentarily taken aback. "Come on, Claire. You know that what I'm doing right now is a way to win your heart and make you like me too."

"Are you usually this open?" Claire asked, not believing him.

Antony shrugged again. "If people make me comfortable, I have no hesitation in being myself. So you should feel proud that a handsome and successful CEO is trying to get closer to you."

"You have no idea what other charms I possess beyond this," Antony said confidently. Claire chuckled at that.

"Don't forget your daughter as a bonus," she teased.

"Yes. That too," Antony replied, slightly embarrassed. "So, do you want me to massage you?" he offered again. Claire looked at him for a moment, weighing the positives and negatives of accepting his offer. "Don't think too much. It'll only make your head hurt more," he said. "Come here, lay your head here." Antony patted his thigh. Claire fell silent for a moment, but then she inched closer and rested her head there.

Antony helped Claire adjust her hair. The long black strands were slightly damp from sweat. Claire felt embarrassed, but it seemed Antony was perfectly fine with it.

They exchanged glances for a moment, with Antony slightly lowering his head and smiling before lifting both hands to start massaging Claire's head with his thumbs.

"I have something I want to ask," Antony said. Claire looked up. "You can ask me back if you want," he offered.

"Okay," Claire replied softly. The massage on her head made her close her eyes in comfort.

"What's your relationship with Harry?" he asked.

"Harry?" Claire opened her eyes and saw a sharp glint in Antony's gaze. She closed her eyes again to avoid his golden eyes and then smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" Antony huffed.

"Just because."

"Do you like him?"

"If I say I do, will you stop all this 'winning me over' stuff?" Claire countered.

"I'll think about it," she replied. "I'm a businesswoman, so I need to consider everything from several angles," she continued.

Claire opened her eyes again and saw the man's gaze. It wasn't as sharp as before, but it still made her uncomfortable.

"I have to assess the opportunities, Claire. I can't force anything that's impossible," he admitted honestly. Claire smiled again. "So?" she asked, returning to the original topic.

"I like him," Claire said. She felt Antony's hands on her head pause for a moment before he resumed the massage. "Once," she added. "You must know because you were a teenager too."

"Just like the young guys who have crushes on the cheerleading captain or the popular kids in middle school. That's how I felt about Harry back then."

"He was a student council member and also good at basketball. He was handsome and friendly to everyone. He was polite and smart too. He was popular, so of course, many girls idolized him, including me," she continued.

"So, this is just a crush from a fan on their idol?" Antony asked, a smile on his face.

Claire shook her head. "Not exactly," she replied. Antony fell silent again.

"What do you mean?"

"I confessed my love to Harry."

"You? What?" Antony asked, incredulous.

Claire opened her eyes and saw the shock on Antony's face. She smiled instead.

"That's how it was. I once sent him a love letter. But he rejected me."

"He rejected you!" It wasn't a question, but rather a loud exclamation of disapproval from Antony. "That jerk, how could he reject you?" he asked again.

"That's his right," Claire said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you still like him?" Antony asked again. Claire nodded. "How can you still like a guy who rejected you?" Antony asked, not believing it. Claire opened her eyes again.

"Just like you. Why are you still pursuing me when I've already been rude to you?" she challenged.

"That's a different story, Claire," Antony retorted.

"What's different about it?"

"I'm continuing this 'modus' because I know I can make you like me."

"But now you know that I still like Harry."

"But that doesn't convince me to give up. Besides, before you marry, we guys can still make a move," Antony replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

Claire chuckled. "You really can't be trusted, Sir."

Antony shrugged again. "So, you still like him even though you know he doesn't like you back?"

"Who says Harry doesn't like me? You can ask Bella about that. In front of Bella, Harry said he likes me too," Claire answered honestly.

"After this, don't expect to see Harry again," Antony scoffed. Claire furrowed her brow in confusion. "I'll request he be transferred to a faraway island or even abroad," he continued.

"You can't do that, Sir," Claire said, sitting up in bed and staring at Antony sharply.

"Why not? I'm his boss. I can do whatever I want," Antony replied arrogantly.

"But that's not fair to Harry. What has he done to deserve such a distant transfer?" she asked, annoyed.

"The problem is he likes you, and he admitted it. I really don't like that. As a man, I have to eliminate all competitors who make it hard for me to win you over." Claire looked at Antony with her mouth agape. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. "All is fair in love and war, Claire. Haven't you ever heard that? I'm sure you've read about power plays like this in those novels you read," Antony added.

"Are you really going to be that cruel?" Claire asked, still in disbelief.

Antony shrugged. "Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends," he replied casually.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on how much you like him and how much you like me," Antony said, a smirk on his face. "If your feelings for him are smaller, then he'll be safe. But if not, then he's in an unsafe position."

"Is everything in your head just numbers?" Claire challenged. Antony nodded. Claire shook her head, realizing her head was throbbing even harder.

"Come here." Antony patted his thigh again. "Don't let that arrogant pretty boy make your head hurt more. I'll come up with another strategy to win you over once you're healthy again. So for now, don't think too much," he said.

Claire laughed hysterically at the man's statement. But what Antony said wasn't wrong. If she thought about Haikal's situation right now, it would only make her headache worse. Claire complied and laid her head back on Antony's lap.

"Now, may I ask you a question in return?" she asked politely.

Antony looked at her sharply, then nodded. "Go ahead, ask anything. I'll answer as honestly as I can," he replied.

"Even if my question concerns a past you might not want to bring up?" Claire asked uncertainly.

Antony was silent for a moment. "Since I decided to come to this city, I've considered many things, Claire. Including the possibility of reopening old memories," Antony answered logically. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened between you and Flavia's mother?"

That question was indeed simple. However, Claire knew it carried a long story behind it. She waited to see if Antony would answer everything or if he would steer the conversation to another topic to avoid it.