Part 86

"I guess I should go," Gladwin joked to his twin. He quickly grabbed the car keys and his wallet before stepping out of his own apartment. "You two need to make up; stop pulling each other's hair like alley cats," he added before really leaving the two lovebirds.

Antony walked in just as Gladwin left the apartment, while Claire stood frozen in place. "How could you...?" the girl asked, confused.

Antony shrugged. "Gladwin seems suspicious," he said flatly. He took off his jacket and carelessly tossed it on the bar table before walking over to Claire. "As a twin told that her sister is missing, she's acting way too calm and relaxed. Unlike Richard, who is the complete opposite, though he also said that Gladwin definitely knows you're gone," Antony said as he moved closer to Claire.

The girl then sank onto the sofa, tilting her head back to look at Antony, who was staring back at her.

"Then I thought of something," the man said with a grin on his face. "I asked someone to follow Gladwin to see where she goes," he continued, smiling.

"You?" Claire frowned as she looked at him.

Antony finally sat down next to Claire, so close that there was no space for air to pass between them.

"And I know where she went and who she met. You know, my legs were itching to chase you all the way to that inn. But then I realized I had to be patient. I needed to give you time. I didn't want to make you even more upset with my actions." Claire remained silent, allowing the man to say what he wanted. "Then I heard that you were back. I thought maybe you had forgiven me, so I waited for you at your house, hoping we could talk as soon as you arrived. But then my informant told me you didn't return home; instead, you came here," he said sadly. "I asked him to let me know where you were."

"So? When you contacted Gladwin earlier, you already knew I was here?" Claire asked, her tone displeased.

Antony nodded in response to her question. "I've been downstairs for a long time. I was waiting for my informant to tell me exactly where Gladwin's room was. Then I tried contacting Gladwin again just to pass the time while waiting for my informant to give me an update. I can't exactly knock on every door to find Gladwin's room, right?" he asked rhetorically. "And then your twin got me annoyed." He frowned. "How could she order me to find another girl if you didn't want to marry me? Isn't that just cruel?" he pouted like a child who had just lost his toy.

Claire looked at him with a disgusted expression. Antony just laughed at that. He then took both of Claire's hands and held them tightly.

"I'm sorry," he said firmly. "For everything that happened." He continued in a softer tone, "I don't know what you're really thinking; can you tell me the real reason why you left?" he asked, his gaze full of hope.

Claire looked at Antony while biting her lower lip. The man was apologizing for a mistake that wasn't entirely his fault, and that inevitably made Claire feel embarrassed.

"I'm embarrassed," she said softly. Antony responded with a deeply furrowed brow. "When I heard Gian's parents were coming, I felt a flutter of excitement and thought they were coming for us. I mean, you invited them to our event. But then I realized that we hadn't moved forward. That we hadn't gotten any blessing from my mom because we hadn't met her in person yet," Claire began.

Antony didn't argue; he let Claire speak until it was time for him to explain.

"Then you went home with Flavia just like that, without any notice or decision about what we would do next. Honestly, at that moment, I felt embarrassed and disappointed in myself, not you. I thought you left me because of my cheap behavior the night before." Claire could see Antony's eyes widen in surprise, but he didn't say anything. "Then that dinner happened, and the engagement was announced. What could I do? Should I tell everyone that I couldn't get engaged to the man my mother chose while my own choice seemed to vanish without a trace?

"Then when I went back to the office, I saw you. But you seemed to be ignoring me. I felt hurt, and once again, I was embarrassed and disappointed in myself. I felt like I was losing my dignity as a woman. I thought that because you had already caught the fish, you no longer needed bait to lure me closer. Since I had already given myself to you, you didn't want me anymore. Isn't that how most men are? Once they lose their curiosity about the woman they're after, they look for a new target?" Claire said, frustrated. But her frustration was met with loud laughter from Antony.

"Oh my God," the man said, shaking his head. One of his hands, which had been holding Claire's, now lifted to play with her hair. "Should I swear to God that all those thoughts never even crossed my mind?" he asked, tucking a strand of Claire's hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry that my enthusiasm about our relationship ended up making you misunderstand," he said softly.

His hand then dropped to hold Claire's jaw, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

"Do you remember that night when you asked me when I was coming home?" he asked, to which Claire nodded. "I came home that night after meeting the man your mom chose for you," Antony said flatly. "You told me that you didn't need to know, so I thought that if you wanted to know, you would ask me. So I didn't say anything more because I didn't want to bore you."

"I'm sorry," Claire murmured. "I should have asked you for the details then." She continued, "I thought if you wanted to share, you would do so without me having to ask."

Antony smiled and shook his head. "That was our first mistake. We need to remember this so it doesn't happen again. Next time, I'll share when you ask because then I'll know you'll listen. And I won't share if you don't want to hear it, because I don't want to bore you with something you think is unimportant," Antony said authoritatively.

Claire simply nodded. To the point, no coded messages. That was the essence.

"Then after that, I showed you the decorations, but you said it wasn't necessary yet. I should have told you then that your sisters and I had made plans for a surprise at the engagement party," Antony continued. "I thought your sisters had already told you about the plan Gian came up with, which was approved by all three of your sisters," he said with a questioning tone.

Claire frowned and then shook her head. Three sisters? Does that mean Richard and Harry are involved too? she wondered, feeling confused. It wasn't surprising that Gladwin was part of this silly scheme that she hadn't fully understood yet. But Richard? Her oldest brother was the most obedient one; how could he agree to such a ridiculous plan concocted by Gladwin and Antony?

"Richard is involved too?" Claire asked, curious. Antony nodded in agreement. "Why?" she asked, surprised. "I mean, why would Richard go against Mom? He's always been like her puppet," she admitted softly.

Antony just shook his head. "Maybe because Rafka knows that your mom isn't always right and doesn't have the right to decide the future of her children," Antony replied hesitantly.

"Forget that. So why did you ignore me the next day?" Claire challenged, her tone displeased.

"I swear, I wasn't ignoring you," Antony said, taking Claire's hands again and gently squeezing them. "But I truly didn't know you had gone back to work. I thought you were still recovering. After hearing from Richard that the engagement date had been set, I figured I needed to work extra hard so I would have more time to spend with you later. I did nothing but work and work. I swear, I didn't ignore you. I was just too caught up in my work," he said softly, filled with regret.

Claire could only gaze at him in silence. Antony looked at Claire, searching for an answer in her eyes. But Claire seemed unmoving.

"So, do you forgive me?" he asked with a pleading expression like a child afraid of being scolded by his mother. Claire smiled, nodded her head, and then threw herself into Antony's embrace.

"I'm sorry," she murmured against the curve of Antony's neck. "I'm sorry for misunderstanding and not acting like an adult." She received a kiss on the temple from Antony in response.

"I should be the one apologizing. I should have paid more attention to you," Antony said as he kissed Claire's cheek again and gently rubbed her back. He then pulled Claire away, looking directly into her eyes, which were filled with confusion. "Scold me if I make you angry," he instructed Claire. "Yell at me if I annoy you. But please, don't leave like that again," he pleaded again, his expression pitiful.

Claire just smiled and nodded. Antony, feeling playful, leaned in and kissed the face of the girl who had made him panic repeatedly, causing her to giggle with delight.