Part 34

Abigail cheered, clapped her hands, and pinched Claire's cheek. "You're so smart! That intelligence must've come from me."

Claire rolled her eyes, then flicked water from her hands onto Abigail's face. Startled, Abigail jumped back, wiping her wet face. "What are you doing?" she shrieked, running away as Claire laughed.

"Clearing your head so you stop saying weird things," Claire replied, annoyed.

"I'm not saying weird things. I'm talking after thinking it through carefully."

"Thinking about what?"

"I've been thinking about the pros and cons for you if you marry Uncle Antony. And I'm praying that I'll benefit a lot from your marriage," Abigail answered honestly.

Claire rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, staring directly at her niece. "So, after all that thinking, what are the pros and cons you've come up with?"

"The pro is that I'd get a super rich sister, and that's a guarantee for my future. I'd be able to eat good food, go shopping a lot, and especially buy the latest comic book editions."

"And the con?"

"The cons are mostly for you."

"And what are they?" Claire asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'd get a really old husband." Abigail burst into laughter while Claire's jaw dropped at her niece's blunt response. "But that's just my opinion, because earlier you said Uncle Antony is handsome, even if he's old. So, actually, you're not really at a disadvantage," Abigail added in self-defense. Claire threw a wet dish towel at her, leftover from drying the clean plates.

Abigail continued laughing as she dashed into her room to avoid Claire's wrath. Claire could only shake her head.

Claire wasn't clueless. From the moment Abigail first mentioned Antony's name, she could already predict where the conversation was headed, but she pretended not to understand, choosing instead to play the role of the interrogator.

Around 9 p.m., Abigail came back out of her room. She saw Claire sitting on the couch, hugging her knees, with headphones in her ears, her eyes glued to the laptop screen. From where she stood, Abigail assumed her aunt was watching a Korean drama. She walked to the kitchen, quickly drained a glass of water, refilled it, and was about to head back to her room.

Instead of continuing to her room, Abigail sat next to her aunt and glanced at the screen. To her surprise, Claire wasn't watching a Korean drama this time but a Hollywood show instead.

"Is that a movie?" Abigail asked curiously.

"No, it's a series," Claire replied.

"What's it about?"

"A woman who's ambitious about conquering the world."

"Wow. Is that the woman?" Abigail pointed to a beautiful, silver-haired character on the screen.

"Yes, that's her."

"Why does she want to conquer the world? Women are better off staying at home, taking care of their kids and husbands," Abigail commented, causing Claire to frown. She took off her headset and glared at her overly chatty niece.

"What are you even talking about? Can't you stop bothering me while I'm watching?"

"So, do you want to chat with me?" Abigail asked, making an exaggeratedly cute face. Claire shook her head.

"No, I don't want to listen to you. I'm trying to enjoy my own life right now," Claire answered casually.

"So, all this time you haven't been enjoying your own life?" Abigail asked innocently.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to enjoy my own life because of your presence," Claire teased, playfully knocking Abigail on the head, causing her to sulk while rubbing her forehead.

"Aunty, I'm serious. Is it true you haven't been enjoying your life? Why? Are you short on money? Are you exhausted from working too hard? If that's the case, then there's only one solution. Marry Uncle Antony, and I guarantee you'll be able to enjoy life comfortably. You could even become a socialite if you marry him."

"I don't want to be a socialite. Being a socialite means you can't enjoy life."

"Why?"

"Because the life of a socialite revolves around showing off—what they bought today, which car they're buying tomorrow, how much they're spending on their kids' school. I have no interest in dealing with people like that," Claire replied with frustration.

Abigail stifled a laugh, clearly amused by her aunt's irritation. "If you don't want to be like them, how about just becoming a housewife?" Abigail suggested. "You could be Flavia's mom, then have more kids with her dad. That way, you'd spend your time raising children and enjoy your life fully."

"You're just a little girl. Stop meddling in adult business like Flavia's dad," Claire said.

"Aren't you an adult?"

"I just graduated from being a teenager, so I'm not fully an adult yet. Besides, if you're looking for a mother for Flavia, you need someone who's ready and suited for the role, and that's definitely not me."

"But Flavia is insistent that she wants you to be her mom," Abigail pressed.

Claire narrowed her eyes at Abigail. "How much are you being paid to try and set me up with Flavia's dad?"

Abigail pretended not to hear, her eyes darting around the room, avoiding Claire's gaze.

"Tell whoever asked you to play matchmaker for me and Flavia's dad that I'm not an easy woman to win over," Claire said coldly.

Realizing that Claire was angry, Abigail grabbed her aunt's arm with both hands. "Aunty, I'm not lying. No one asked me to match you with Flavia's dad," she pleaded with a whining tone. "Flavia really loves you and wants you to be her mom. Besides, Flavia's dad also said that he likes you," she blurted out unintentionally. Claire shot her a sharp look once again.

"So, you really are being paid by Flavia's dad?" Claire asked, suspicious. Abigail quickly shook her head.

"Tell Flavia's dad that if he wants a wife, he needs to work for it himself. And if he's looking to get married, he has to make a clear choice. I'm not some backup woman meant to replace someone who just left his life," Claire responded, her tone fiery with frustration.

Abigail looked at her aunt with confusion. Claire picked up her laptop and, without turning it off, stood up and stared down at Abigail.

"You're just a little girl. Stop trying to play matchmaker," she said as her final words before leaving Abigail standing there, frozen in place.