Part 12

Sunday morning, Claire and Abigail drove Julie to the airport. In accordance with Julie's request, after taking the suitcases out of the car, they left the airport immediately.

"So, what about Flavia?" She asked when they were on a quiet street.

Abigail shrugged without turning to her aunt. "Flavia went to Manhattan last Saturday to drop off her grandparents. She said she was going back to Kansas with her father."

"So, she'll be staying with her dad while her grandparents are gone?" Asked Claire again curiously. Abigail replied with a shake of her head. "And then?"

"Then what?"

"Then what's the problem with her living with her father? Why do you seem to dislike that idea?"

"There is no problem. It's just that I have doubts about their relationship. Flavia says that she likes living with her father, but she also says that she feels awkward." Abigail replied with a chuckle. "Besides, even if her father lived with her, it wouldn't be a guarantee that he would always be with her. Flavia says that her father is a workaholic."

Claire chuckled at her niece's outburst. "You're just kids, what do you know about the term 'workaholic'?"

"Honestly, I don't understand it myself. It was Flavia who said that about her father. She said every time she visits Manhattan she rarely sees her father. Even on weekends." Abigail continued. Claire could only 'O' to her niece's explanation.

The rest, as usual. They spent the weekend visiting cafes and walking around the mall.

Monday Morning

"Textbooks, a change of clothes, a sports uniform for tomorrow, a change of clothes and also a nightgown." Abigail mumbled as she wrote down what she had just said in her notebook. "Do I need to bring a suitcase here? Why do I have so much stuff?" Abigail looked up at her aunt who had just placed a grilled sausage in front of her.

"You might as well bring your wardrobe here." Claire quipped with a flat expression.

Claire stepped back into the fridge and took out a carton of milk from inside. She poured it into a glass before putting it into the microwave.

"Why don't you just move into my house? That way, you won't have to take care of me because there's a housekeeper to take care of everything for us." Abigail replied casually.

Claire looked at her niece with one eyebrow raised. "Why don't you suggest staying with the housekeeper and I can stay here alone without listening to your ramblings or bothering to prepare breakfast for you?"

Hearing Claire's sarcasm, Abigail scowled. "It's like you don't like taking care of me." She said as she took a bite of her sausage."

"It's good that you realize that." Claire replied with a sneer that made Abigail give her an annoyed look. "If you're leaving, don't forget to bring the spare key to the house. I'm going to take a shower." She ordered as she entered her room and locked the door from the inside.

Fifteen minutes later, Claire was already looking presentable in her work suit. Black material trousers were paired with a long-sleeved peach-colored shirt that she folded to halfway up her elbows. The bottom of the shirt was tucked into her pants, showing off her slim stomach. Her long black hair is neatly curled and adorned with a simple, unobtrusive clip.

Claire saw that the kitchen was deserted and there weren't even any dirty dishes from Abigail's meal. She smiled proudly at her niece's responsible actions.

Claire walked to the exit, grabbed the car keys that she usually hung on the key ring cabinet on the wall next to the door and started to warm up the car. While waiting for the car to heat up, she walked back to the kitchen and prepared her own breakfast.

Toast with a half-boiled sunny-side up egg. It didn't take long for her to finish her breakfast. After that Claire went back to her room to brush her teeth and then prepare to start her Monday which was definitely not relaxing.

The information about Antony's arrival was not new to Claire. Still, when she stepped into the building and saw the excitement of her friends, she was once again taken aback.

The aura she saw when she entered his room made her raise one eyebrow.

Seeing the women dressed like models about to walk the catwalk was normal. What made him want to laugh was when he saw the sour faces of the male employees.

Claire walked towards her chair. As usual, she put her bag under the table and grabbed her mug. She walked to the pantry and prepared to brew her favorite coffee.

Just as he returned to his desk and put down his mug, an unusual silence fell. And a few seconds after that, she saw the owner of the company passing by her room along with the branch head and several other company officials. Including Shelly, Claire's direct supervisor.

"You don't look as enthusiastic as your other colleagues." Shelly commented as Claire walked into her room shortly after the woman returned to her room.

"What am I supposed to be so enthusiastic about?" Claire asked back with a flat expression.

Shelly who was previously focused on the document in front of her now looked up at Claire who was sitting across her desk.

"Your other friends-especially the single ladies-were very excited when they found out about the CEO's arrival, but you just seemed casual."

"Then what should I do? Spend my time spreading charm? As if the CEO would notice." Claire's comment was flat.

Shelly smiled and nodded her head. "Your colleagues do that."

Claire shook her head. "Hoping to get a glance from the CEO and end up becoming his girlfriend or his wife, is that it?" Claire looked at Shelly and Shelly nodded her head again. The corners of Claire's mouth turned up and the girl shook her head. "I'm a typical Mulan," Claire shook her head. "I'm the Hua Mulan type, Mom. Not Cinderella." She said casually.

Shelly frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a typical warrior woman, not a believer in office romance. I'm not Cinderella, the poor, persecuted girl who ends up marrying the prince."

Shelly chuckled again. "You are, indeed, unique." She said.

Claire shrugged. "If I'm being honest, I'm actually not comfortable with our CEO being here." She said.

"Why?"

"His presence made the office feel different. It was like riding a roller coaster. One minute they are laughing like pubescent teenagers, the next minute they suddenly become quiet and maintain an image. If it's like this, eventually your people will have multiple personalities." He said, which made Shelly laugh.

"You are different." Shelly commented still with a smile on her face. "Then what about you? Do you also have the possibility of having multiple personalities?" She asked testing.

"For God's sake, I hope not." He said with a smirk. "My current personality already makes my mother curse a lot, let alone if I have multiple personalities. My mother might die in the near future."

Shelly laughed again. Handing the document to Claire, she waved her hand in a shooing motion.

"Go to your friends who have multiple personalities." Shelly quickly shooed her away. But just as she was about to open the door, Claire turned her body around and looked at Shelly seriously.

"About working hours." He said, causing Shelly's eyebrows to knit together. "The company owner's presence in our branch won't make us work overtime, right?" She asked curiously. Honestly, Claire was a practical person, as long as the work could be done quickly, she didn't want any overtime work even if it was paid.

Shelly shrugged with an indifferent expression. "If it's urgent." She replied flatly. "What about overtime?"

Claire shook her head. "I have some personal business." Claire replied briefly.

"You organize it. If you can do your work at home, do it at home." Shelly replied still in her casual tone. Claire nodded and excused herself to leave the room.

A few hours later.

Claire flung her body onto the chair and exhaled tiredly. Her head throbbed painfully from thinking too much.

How could he not, suddenly the CEO asked him to submit a report of all sales transactions and raw material purchases in a very short time. The problem is, that's not his job.

That is, Claire was only in charge of the reports for two projects, while her boss asked her - err, ordered her - to do the reports for eight ongoing projects that were also not her responsibility. My God, on a normal day it takes four people to do all these reports and now she has to do it alone?

The sound of her cell phone ringing in the desk drawer was loud, a stark contrast to the quiet room. Claire opened the drawer and looked at the name on the screen before pressing the button.

"Aunty!" The angry call of Abigail's voice buzzed in Claire's already dizzy ears.

"Yes, Moana?"

"Don't you realize what time it is? Why aren't you back yet?" Asked the teenage girl irritably.

Claire massaged her temples lightly before glancing at her watch. Oh my God, it was already over eight in the evening. No wonder Claire was protesting.

"Aren't you worried about this nephew of yours?"

Claire rolled her eyes. Why worry about Abigail? Claire knew how independent Abigail was so she didn't have to worry about her house catching fire because of her niece.

"Yes, I'll be home soon." Claire replied flatly. "Ask someone at your house to take you to my house. We'll have dinner outside."

"Can I bring Flavia with me. She said that she wanted to come with me to stay at your house." Abigail asked hesitantly with a pleading tone. Claire frowned.

"Why does she have to stay at my place? Her father is obviously here." Rebuked Claire.

"Didn't I tell you yesterday that Flavia's father is a workaholic. Besides, I was at Flavia's place and her father hasn't returned yet, just like you." Abigail replied irritably.

"Of course he's not home yet. I just delivered my report to her a few minutes ago. If she's home, then who did I give the report to? A demon?" Claire muttered to herself.

"Well, it's up to you." Claire replied in surrender.

Claire looked back at the screen in front of her. She did a final check and saved some files into the flashdisk on her desk. She continued to do the rest of her work while waiting for Abigail to come to her office.