A taxi finally took Claire to a large shopping mall. Inside the mall was a jewelry store called "Black Rose," which Nova had suggested. Claire entered the jewelry store and looked at the many pieces of jewelry in the display case. Seeing how beautiful all the jewelry was made Claire smile. She felt confused as she tried to decide what to buy. "Sorry, miss. You can't just come in here. Please leave before I call security to remove you." Just as Claire looked around, a saleswoman with a nametag that read Nora on her chest reprimanded Claire and pulled her out of the store.Naturally, Claire was confused; why would the saleswoman kick her out when she was trying to make a purchase? "But I want to find a necklace for my mom's birthday," Claire said, refusing to leave and letting go of Nora's hand that was holding hers. "Your mom's birthday? Why don't you go to the thrift store and find her a necklace? Maybe you can find a suitable necklace for your mom there." Nora's words immediate
Claire was just curious and silent. Meanwhile, the saleswoman looked indifferent and played with her red lacquered nails. She didn't care who Alex called. A few minutes later, the manager of the 'Black Rose' store, Leuwis, came through the door with a firm step. Seeing her boss coming, Nora, who had been busy with her nails, immediately pretended to be very busy and diligent and went to Leuwis. "Nora, what's going on?" Leuwis asked Nora with an irritated look on his face. "Mr. Leuwis, these two people came into the store to look at some jewelry. In fact, they have no money. Their presence is only disturbing the customers coming into our store. I have asked them to leave, but they insist on staying. You should call security immediately to remove them from the store. People like them might steal." PHow surprised Nora was when her complaint was met with a very hard slap from Leuwis. The slap landed on her right cheek, leaving a red mark and a sting, as well as a shocking sense of e
"Happy birthday, Mom!" Claire exclaimed excitedly as she walked into her mother's treatment room and handed over a box containing a diamond necklace.Emma was wide-eyed at the gifts from her daughter and son-in-law. Yes! Alex had also come to the hospital to accompany Claire and surprise his mother-in-law. "Thank you, Claire, Alex. I'm very happy. You shouldn't have bothered buying gifts and cake. Just having you two around makes my birthday special," Emma said with a big smile."Mom, you should know that this necklace was actually bought when there was a big promotion for the hundredth person. And I won the promotion." Claire couldn't resist sharing her best jewelry-buying experience.Seeing the happy look on his wife's face, Alex felt proud of himself for giving her that little bit of happiness. When Claire told her the real price of the two necklaces, Emma was shocked. Especially when Emma heard that Claire had bought them at the Black Rose. "You are very lucky, Claire. I'm hes
Afraid of getting caught, Alex was forced to nod."Why didn't you tell me? Congratulations, I'd love to hear it. I've already cooked lunch. Let's eat together."Alex complied as Claire pulled his hand and they sat down behind the dining table.Claire's face turned red when Alex looked at the food."I'm sorry, our lunch menu today is very simple. We've run out of food in the fridge. I forgot, we're supposed to go shopping once a month. I still have some money in my purse.""Keep your money, Claire. I have the money. Let's go to the supermarket and do our shopping," Alex said as he wolfed down his food and looked at Claire."But you just started work today. Oh, did your boss give you a signing bonus? Wow, he's so nice."Alex just smiled slightly at his wife's guess."Alright. Then we'll go to the supermarket," a smile appeared on Claire's face.That beautiful smile made the corners of Alex's lips curl. Claire didn't change, wearing only her sling bag, while Alex decided to stay in his c
Noah laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "That useless husband finally showed his face again. Turns out you're just a handyman," Noah scoffed, his eyes fixed on the construction uniform Alex was wearing.Alice laughed softly at Alex's appearance, which she found very disgusting. Although his face was very handsome, it would be useless if he was just a construction worker."I will give you a chance to apologize to my wife. If you don't, I will have you thrown out of this mall in disgrace!""Oh, is that a threat? A worker is threatening the CEO of the Sanders Company." Noah clapped his hands."He's so shameless. How dare he try to threaten us." Alice snorted. Her arms folded across her chest.Claire was getting tired of this argument so she put her arm around Alex. "Alex, we should go home now. We don't need to deal with them.""No, Claire. It's not us who should go, it's them."Alex's words made Noah smile sarcastically. "You're really shameless? I'm calling security right no
Alex squinted. He knew what the cashier was thinking. She probably thought that Alex was just a worker who had stolen a rich man's black card."Sir, where did you get the black card?" the cashier asked Alex."Why do you ask that? The black card is mine!"Alex's calm reply made the cashier smile sarcastically. "Really? Do you know that these black cards are only owned by the wealthiest few? Your appearance doesn't suggest that you deserve to own one," the cashier said, giving Alex a dismissive look.Alex's forehead wrinkled. "You're just a cashier, your job is to serve the customers, not meddle in matters that don't concern you," Alex said."But as a cashier in the largest supermarket in New York, I will not accept payment for stolen goods. I'm sure this black card belongs to your boss and you stole it. Confess quickly! If not, I'll call the police!"The corners of Alex's lips twitched as he heard the threat from the cashier in front of him."Go ahead and call the police! I'm not afraid
"You bastard, Claire Jhonson!" Alice returned home with hasty steps. Her feet stamped the floor in annoyance.She threw her expensive bag on the couch before collapsing on the living room sofa."Alice, what's wrong, dear? Why do you come home with a frown on your face?" Nancy approached her daughter. Followed by Graham, who was also concerned.His forehead was furrowed with curiosity. It was rare for their daughter to come home upset."It's Claire.""Claire?" Graham repeated. Suddenly his face clouded at the mention of his eldest daughter's name."Yes. She embarrassed me.""What did she do to you? Tell me!""Noah and I went to the grocery store today and ran into Claire and her husband. Claire was unhappy to see me with Noah and asked her husband to throw me out of the store. Claire humiliated me. That's the first time I've ever been humiliated in front of a crowd." With her cunning, Alice was good at making up lies.Graham's blood boiled immediately. His jaw clenched until the veins i
Claire was awakened by the sound of Alex's gentle snoring.Opening her eyes, Claire's lips smiled as she realized that Alex's strong hand was wrapped around her stomach.The strapping man was pressed against her back. Their bodies were naked under the white sheets.Yes, Claire and Alex had finally made love.They slept very well. "He looks very handsome even when he sleeps," Claire said, shifting her sleeping position to face Alex.When he closed his eyes, the man looked so peaceful.Claire couldn't help but kiss Alex on the forehead. It was the first time Claire had ever felt so comfortable and safe with a man.Claire's eyes went to her cell phone on the small table next to the bed. Claire's eyes narrowed as she saw her father's name on the screen. Why is he calling me? Claire thought to herself.[Damn kid! Come to my house right now!]"What if I refuse?"[I will have your mother evicted from the hospital!] Graham's threat caught Claire off guard."You can't have my mom evicted from t
Claire could see the anger on Alex's face. Her husband's jaw was tight, so that the veins of his neck were protruding from each other.Ronald only wore a calm expression even though Alex was staring intently at him.As for the two security guards, their faces turned pale and they both lowered their heads as soon as they saw Alex.Without hesitation, Alex punched Ronald in the face, causing his hand to slip out of Claire's hair.Claire immediately took a step back behind Alex, while Ronald received several hard punches from Alex, before two security guards held Ronald's hands from the side.“So, you're Claire's husband? What were you doing in the Golden Era? You're probably an intruder. Mr. Knight doesn't like intruders very much. He could put you in jail,” Ronald hissed as he rubbed the corner of his lip which was cut and bleeding slightly from Alex's hand.Hearing Ronald's words, Claire's face was instantly filled with fear and panic seized her heart.Her husband was not part of the
After hearing his wife's confession, Alex felt sorry because he didn't expect Claire to be bothered by Ronald all this time.“Take it easy, Claire. From now on, you won't have any trouble at your workplace,” Alex said reassuringly while holding Claire's hand.“How do you know?” Claire's forehead wrinkled in surprise.Her eyes looked at Alex with a probing gaze.Not wanting to make Claire suspicious, Alex hid his tense face, then smiled and replied, “Because sooner or later, the Golden Era manager's bad behavior will definitely be exposed as well. I just hope that it can happen as soon as possible so that you can work comfortably.”Hearing that, Claire nodded, smiled, and then clasped Alex's hand in return. “Alex, you know what? I'm lucky to have you. You're a good man, responsible and very trustworthy.”“I'm... very trustworthy?” repeated Alex, numbly.Claire nodded. “Yes. You never lie to me or hide things from me. That's one of the reasons why I love you. For me, mutual trust is ver
"You can't dodge anymore, now?" Nova raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Noah Sanders is your nephew and you deliberately put Noah and his girlfriend's names on the guest list. That's a big no-no.""Mrs. Nova, I... let me first explain that...""Will you leave voluntarily or be forcibly evicted like your nephew and his girlfriend?" asked Nova, making Ronald's eyes widen.He didn't expect things to turn out like this.Not wanting to endure the embarrassment of being forcibly evicted like Noah and Alice, Ronald chose to leave with an upset heart.Arriving outside the Golden Era Building, Ronald was surprised to see Noah and Alice still there, standing by their car.Their eyes widened as they realized Ronald's arrival.“Uncle Ronald!” Noah exclaimed, and approached Ronald. Followed by Alice who followed behind Noah.“Uncle! Why didn't you defend us earlier? You didn't even recognize me as your nephew. You said that you would help me get close to Mr. Knight during the Golden Era's birthday party
Confidently, Alice and Noah made their way to the VIP seats to approach Alex.However, they were stopped in their tracks when Nova addressed the guests with a microphone. Her loud voice echoed throughout the room.“I apologize for interrupting your time. We have just received word that an intruder has entered this party. Mr. Knight strictly forbids intruders from entering the Golden Era. Therefore, before we act to forcibly evict, we would like to ask the intruder to leave voluntarily,” Nova said, which surprised the guests.Meanwhile, Alice and Noah just smiled casually.“The intruder Mrs. Nova is referring to, must be Claire,” Alice whispered to Noah.Noah nodded. “That's for sure. Claire might have gotten into this party using a fake invitation.”“I'll count to ten. If by the count of ten, the intruder still won't leave, then don't blame me if I use harsh means.” Nova spoke up again. This time her voice sounded firmer than before.Turning to Claire, Alice chuckled sarcastically and
Suddenly Ronald's eyes widened when he saw that his shirt was wet.His jaw hardened. His eyes glared angrily at Claire.“You bitch! Don't you know how much my suit costs? Even if you collected your salary for a year, you wouldn't be able to afford it. And now you're ruining it. I don't want to know, you have to pay compensation. I'm asking for 200,000 dollars!” Ronald said as he cleaned his suit with a tissue, then his hand gripped Claire's hand.“I'm sorry, Mr. Ronald. I don't care how much your suit costs and I won't pay any damages. You made me do this yourself,” Claire retorted, not to be outdone.Her chin was raised at Ronald. Seeing Claire's attitude that showed absolutely no fear, made Ronald even more furious.Clenching his jaw, Ronald said, “You're the only employee who dares to defy me, Claire. You will know the consequences. Today, I'll talk to Mrs. Nova to get you fired from Golden Era.”The threat surprised Claire a little.Claire had heard about Ronald often relying on h
“Mr. Knight!” Aaron's speech was cut off by the exclamation of a female invited guest who sounded excitedly approaching her friend.“I overheard Mrs. Nova talking to someone earlier that Mr. Knight is already here. He might be around us. Let's go and see the people, in case we meet him,” said the woman who was then greeted excitedly by her friend. They walked away towards the center of the ongoing party.'Mr. Knight is already here?' Alice murmured inwardly. Her lips turned up in a smirking smile. She must not be preceded by those flirtatious women.She had to be the first woman to catch Mr. Knight's attention.Having said that, Alice immediately pulled Noah's hand and stopped the argument between Noah and Alex.“That's enough. There's no point in us talking to them, we'd better go inside and find Mr. Knight.”Noah nodded. That was indeed their goal.The hope of being able to cooperate with the Golden Era was still soaring in their hearts, until now.After they left, Alex turned to C
Golden Era's birthday party...With security guarding every entrance, the invited guests handed in their invitations, then joined the main room that served as the center of the party.Alice smiled widely, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the tall building before her.“Let's go inside!” called Noah, answered by Alice with a nod of her head, then she flanked Noah's arm and stepped together.“Noah, your uncle is really great. He's really reliable. Thanks to him, we were able to get on the guest list at this party,” Alice said as she continued to walk beside Noah.“Keep your voice down! People will hear it. No one should know that we're dark guests,” Noah whispered, bringing his lips to Alice's ear.Alice nodded her understanding, and they arrived at the entrance of the party.Both of their invitations were checked, and then they were welcomed in.However, Alice and Noah stopped their steps, and frowned when they saw Claire walking in her black dress that made her look stunning.Claire,
As soon as Noah and Alice left, Glenca immediately told the security guard at her boutique to never let them visit again.“Mr. Mike, Miss Claire, I'm sorry. I feel so bad about what just happened. I promise, this will not happen again when you come back to my boutique,” Glenca said as she bowed half of her body towards Mike and Claire.“It's okay. The important thing is that they will never show up at your boutique again. So, next time, Claire and I can shop in comfort.” Mike put his arm around Claire with a big smile.However, Claire's face showed confusion.For some reason, Claire felt that there was something odd about Glenca being so respectful and obedient to Mike.Despite having many questions raging in her mind, Claire chose to try to ignore them.“Grandpa, is it true that this dress has been paid for by you?” asked Claire, looking at Mike's face.“That's right, dear. This dress is already yours.”Instantly, Claire's eyes widened. “No, Grandpa. I can't accept this dress. 3 mill
Seeing the old man defending Claire, Noah grinned and said, “Hey, old man? You must be Claire's affair partner, right?” Noah accused, then his eyes scanned Mike's body from top to bottom. “Judging by your appearance, you look like a rich man. No wonder Claire had a lot of money all this time. Apparently, she sold her body to you.”A wicked smile spread across Alice's face.'Claire is really desperate. She wants to live a luxurious life so badly that she's willing to become the mistress of a wrinkled old man,' Alice muttered to herself, as her eyes scanned Mike and her lips sneered at how disgusting it was to be the mistress of an old man, even if he was wealthy.Hearing these accusations, Mike suddenly widened his eyes. His hands were clenched into fists.“How dare you say that about Claire? Who the hell are you?” Mike's voice conveyed an unstoppable rage.“I am Noah Sanders, the owner of Sanders Company. And I don't need to ask you about yourself, old man. I'm sure you're just anothe