Part 36

Claire's department was buzzing with excitement due to the announcement that one of their coworkers would be getting married this weekend. "Does that mean there will be a bachelor party?" asked a man from their division.

"Not at all; the timing is too tight," replied Chand, the main character of the group. "I'm sorry. But as a substitute for the bachelor party, I'll treat all of you tomorrow before I head back to my city." His promise earned cheers from his colleagues.

"What's going on here?" Shelly, who had just returned from a meeting outside the office with their big boss, looked at her team members in turn.

"For our beloved Ms. Spencer, I would like to present an invitation." Chand approached his superior dramatically.

"An invitation? An invitation to what?" Shelly exclaimed, taking the silver invitation in surprise, her smile quickly spreading across her face. "Oh my God, did someone finally take the bait?" she teased, eliciting laughter from her coworkers.

"This is for you, Sir. Although I know you might be busy." Chand also handed an invitation to Antony.

Antony accepted it with a smile on his face. He glanced at Claire, but she turned away.

"Well then, the break is over. Back to work, and no more making noise, especially you, Chand," Shelly instructed. The person in question could only grin sheepishly while scratching his head.

"Are we going to join the initial ceremony?" Bella asked once the commotion died down.

"If you want to," Claire replied.

"I'll just go with you. I'm only tagging along," Bella said with a sweet smile, which made Claire roll her eyes.

Claire ended up being the last one to finish her work that day due to an extra request from Shelly.

If Claire usually took her unfinished work home, this time was different. Her boss had clearly stated that the big boss needed the report completed by that night. As a result, it was already a quarter past seven when Claire walked into the office of the company owner.

How diligent that man was, Claire thought, while his secretary had mysteriously disappeared long ago.

Claire knocked on Antony's office door and didn't have to wait long before hearing a voice from inside saying, "Come in."

"Here's the financial report you requested, Sir." Claire immediately handed over a folder containing her printed work to Antony.

"Thank you," he said.

"If there's nothing else you need, I'll take my leave." Claire began to exit, but before she could open the door, Antony asked again.

"Are you going to Chand's wedding?" he inquired, curious.

Claire turned to look at Antony before answering. "Of course, Sir. A wedding is the perfect occasion for single women like me."

"What do you mean?" Antony asked, confused.

"I mean attending a wedding is basically an opportunity to find a partner—someone young and, of course, still single," she replied, a sweet smile on her face. "It's late, Sir; I'll be on my way now." With that, she left before Antony could say anything else.

What was this? Was Claire giving him a hint that she was looking for a partner? Antony pondered to himself.

Time passed, and the weekend finally arrived. Since the last incident, Claire hadn't seen her niece at her house, and she eventually learned that Flavia's grandmother had returned, meaning the girl wouldn't be staying with her anymore.

Sad? Not at all. In fact, Claire was grateful for that situation. Meeting Flavia and dealing with the girl's wishes had been quite challenging for her. Claire herself was puzzled as to why she had baited her boss by saying that weddings were a chance for her to find a partner.

Was she trying to make the man jealous? Claire shook her head.

No, it wasn't about making Antony jealous. She wanted to emphasize to him that she was looking for a young, single man—not a widower with children like himself. Claire hoped that by stating this, Antony would understand that she wasn't giving any opportunity to whatever plans he, his daughter, and her niece might have.

Claire glanced at her phone, which was vibrating beside her. She picked it up and swiped the green button on the screen.

"Aunty, where are you?" Abigail's high-pitched voice rang in her ears.

"I'm at a spa. What's up?" Claire replied curtly.

"What kind of spa? Where?"

"A spa. Why, do you want to join me?"

"Where?"

"In Thailand," Claire answered offhandedly.

"Thailand?" Abigail's tone was clearly incredulous. "Why did you go all the way to Thailand?"

Claire clicked her tongue. "It's my money, so I can spend it however I want." She replied tersely.

"Ugh, Aunty. I'm asking seriously," Abigail said, starting to lose her patience.

"Fine, you're serious, and I'm mysterious. Why do you even want to know where I am? This is my time to relax, so don't bother me. My life is peaceful enough without you around."

"Aunty, why are you like this with your own niece? You don't love me anymore?" Abigail whined, causing Claire to laugh.

"Me? Love you? Since when?"

"Ugh, Aunty! Just wait! I don't want to be your niece anymore."

"Like I would want a niece like you," Claire retorted casually.

"Aunty, you're really annoying," the teenager complained again.

"What do you want from me? Are you going to treat me to a nice meal? You'll just end up asking me to buy you something instead."

"That's not it..." Abigail replied, still sounding sulky. "Flavia's grandma is back, and she brought you some souvenirs, so I wanted to give them to you."

"Just keep them at your house. I'll pick them up later," Claire said.

"When?"

"Whenever. If I'm not busy," Claire replied curtly. "Now, stop bothering me. I'll be back on Monday." With that, she hung up without any further ado.

At Abigail's Place

"How was it?" Flavia, who had been listening quietly, now seemed curious.

"Aunty C doesn't seem to be here," Abigail said, putting her phone down and looking at her friend with a confused expression. "She said she's getting a treatment in Thailand."

Abigail answered innocently, which made Flavia burst into laughter.

"You, with that expression, are really convincing when you lie. There's no way Aunty C would go all the way to Thailand for a treatment."

"I'm not lying," Abigail protested, lightly hitting Flavia's arm. "She said it herself. She won't be back until Monday."

"Are you serious?" Flavia asked uncertainly. Abigail nodded her head. "Why go all the way to Thailand? Isn't there a nice spa here? And why is she leaving for such a short time? Isn't that really brief?"

Abigail shrugged. "How would I know?" she replied, confused.

Flavia pouted in return, her expression showing disappointment. "But I wanted to go out with her."

"Who are you talking about, all this Aunty this and Aunty that?" Gian appeared, holding a bottle of drink. He looked refreshed, his hair still damp from a shower, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts.

"Potential stepmother," Flavia replied casually. Gian raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"You've been going on about this 'potential mom' for days. Where is she? I haven't seen her around," Gian teased as he casually took a seat on the sofa.

"Her name is Claire, Uncle. She's Abby's aunt," Flavia said, patting Abigail's arm.

"Yeah, you've mentioned that a thousand times since yesterday. But where is she? If she's here, introduce her to me," Gian challenged. "Besides, are you really trying to set your dad up with an older woman?" he asked flatly.

"Older woman? That's ridiculous! How many times do I have to tell you that my aunt isn't old?" Abigail retorted sharply.

Her admiration for Gian, which had blossomed during their first meeting, had vanished ever since he started teasing Abigail by calling Claire an older woman. Now, every time they met, it was more like cat and dog; they never seemed to get along.

"Yes, but Flavia always says that Aunty C is your aunt," Gian said, deliberately trying to stir up trouble.

"Yes, Aunty C is my aunt. But she's not an older woman," Abby insisted.

"Uncle, an older woman is typically someone who is very old. More or less your age, while my aunt is still very young. She says she just graduated from her teenage years."

"Then how old do you think I am?" Gian shot back.

"How would I know? Am I the one who gave birth to you?" Abigail replied dismissively.

"Take a guess," Gian challenged.

"Hmmm... maybe thirty, approaching forty?" Abigail answered lightly.

"Come on! I'm only about twenty-eight!" Gian exclaimed, indignant.

"Then do you want to be called an old man?" Abigail shot back.

"Of course not! An old man is someone with wrinkled skin, a big belly, and a bald head..."

"Especially when my aunt is only twenty-five. She doesn't deserve to be called an older woman because she's younger than you," Abigail debated, making Gian chuckle.

"Fine, your aunt is a young woman, not an old one. But why would such a young woman want to be Flavia's mother?" He glanced between Flavia and Abigail. "Why would she want to be with your dad?" he asked Flavia.

"What's wrong with my dad?"

"Your dad is already very old."

"Come on! My dad isn't fat, and he still has nice hair. He's still handsome, isn't he?" Flavia sought Abigail's support, who nodded in agreement.

"Instead of your aunt being with Flavia's old, ugly, and unfriendly dad, it would be better if you set your aunt up with me. But by the way, is your aunt pretty?" Gian looked at Abigail.

"Uncle, what are you talking about?" Flavia whined, refusing to accept it.

"What's wrong with that? Isn't it better if she's with me? If she's with your dad, I'm sure she'll suffer a lot more," he said to his niece before turning back to Abigail. "Abby, do you want your aunt to suffer?" Gian asked, and Abigail immediately shook her head.