The Clothes Arrived

Julian acted as if nothing had happened, without the slightest suspicious emotion, and still thoughtfully drove her to the company.

It almost made Claire think she'd seen someone else yesterday.

When she entered the jewelry design department at Maison Verne Jewelry, she saw Naomi Pierce.

"Claire, good morning." Naomi greeted her with fake warmth.

Claire forced a fake smile. "Morning."

After Claire had run into Naomi and Ethan Sterling yesterday and they'd said all that, they seemed to have unilaterally decided they'd reconciled with her. They could actually still greet her as if nothing had happened. Their skin really was thick enough.

Claire didn't bother arguing with her too much. She wasn't overly friendly, but she wasn't particularly cold either, maintaining a strictly businesslike attitude.

The fake pregnancy incident last time had dealt Naomi a heavy blow.

Although Ethan had hired paid posters to whitewash it and claimed it was all a misunderstanding, the excuse was pretty flimsy. Netizens weren't idiots, and none of them believed that line.

Claire had also found out that the people who'd swarmed her Claire Bennett Mural Studio had been paid posters Naomi hired. She had already gotten rid of all of them.

Now people were placing orders with her again, asking her to go paint murals in detached houses.

Now that she had joined Maison Verne Jewelry as a designer, she naturally wasn't going to keep taking mural commissions. Soon after, she posted an announcement temporarily closing the studio, saying she'd talk about it again if there was a chance in the future.

But what surprised Claire was that because of this incident, she'd actually gained quite a few followers, and they all seemed to have come over from Naomi.

Claire sat down at her desk.

She sensed a gloomy stare fixed on her and looked toward the source of her discomfort.

It was Willow Lane.

After Willow saw Claire look over, she didn't rein it in at all. The intense jealousy in her eyes spilled out, completely undisguised.

Claire let out a cold laugh and didn't take it to heart.

She hadn't expected that she really was surrounded by enemies here. Besides having to watch out for those two pieces of trash, Naomi and Ethan, she also had to keep an eye on Willow, that shrimp soldier of a lackey.

But it didn't matter. She was no longer the naive Claire she used to be.

It wouldn't be so easy to deal with her!

At lunchtime, Claire's phone rang. It was someone from the clothing store calling to say the clothes had been delivered.

Delighted, she went downstairs to pick them up.

An employee from the clothing store downstairs handed the packaged bag to Claire and said politely and respectfully, "Miss, these are the clothes you purchased."

"Okay, thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

Claire glanced at the bag in her hand. The brand probably knew she was giving it as a gift, because they'd actually boxed it up in gift packaging. It looked very ceremonial, and made all the money she'd spent feel worth it.

She was just about to head back when her phone rang.

It was Sean calling.

"Hello, Sean. What is it?"

Sean said, "Claire, are you at Sterling International right now? My mom asked me to bring you something. I'll be downstairs at your company in a minute."

Claire answered, "I happen to be downstairs, so I'll wait for you for a few minutes."

Sean's mother, Mrs. Shaw, was Claire's aunt by marriage. After something happened to Claire's mother, Megan Shaw Bennett, she had continuously helped support Claire and had been sincerely good to her, practically like half a mother to her.

Claire was also very respectful toward her, so when she heard that Mrs. Shaw had asked Sean to bring something over, she didn't refuse at all.

Very soon, Sean's car appeared downstairs at the Sterling International building.

Claire walked over. Sean opened the car door and got out, then handed Claire a delicate little box.

After taking it, Claire opened it in confusion.

Inside the box lay an uncut gemstone three fingers wide.

Sunlight shone through the box, illuminating the gemstone inside until it looked crystal clear, dazzling, and gorgeously radiant.

Sean said, "My mom saw this at an auction a few days ago. She said it looked like it'd suit you, so she bid on it and bought it for you."

With something this valuable, how could Claire possibly accept it so casually?

She closed the lid, handed the box back to Sean, and said, "No, this is too valuable. I can't take it. You should bring it back."

"Why are you being so formal with us? It's not some valuable thing. If my mom finds out I didn't give it to you, she'll skin me alive. Cut it out and take it already!"

"No, I really can't take it."

At that moment, Julian was coming downstairs with Marcus Reed, Wes Mercer, and the others.

With one glance, he saw Claire and Sean shoving the thing back and forth at the entrance. Julian recognized the bag in Claire's hand as the brand of clothes she'd specifically dragged him to try on yesterday.

She wanted to give the clothes to Sean, but Sean didn't want them?

What an ungrateful idiot!

Julian pressed his thin lips tightly together. He didn't linger and just strode away.

Marcus and Wes exchanged a glance and saw regret in each other's eyes.

Why had they wanted to court death by dragging President Sterling out to lunch?