Part 38

"What are you doing here?" Claire asked, her tone lacking warmth.

"Vacation," Abigail replied casually, with Flavia nodding enthusiastically beside her.

"With who?" Claire inquired again.

"With Uncle," Flavia answered.

For some reason, hearing the word "Uncle" made Claire feel a momentary sense of relief. She knew Flavia meant Altezza, her boss, whom she and Chand had known for quite some time. So, he was here too? It made sense; Altezza was well-known among his employees, so it wasn't surprising to see him at such an important event.

"Where is your uncle?" Claire began scanning the area for the tall, handsome man of Italian-American descent.

"He's putting the bags in the room," Flavia replied.

Claire nodded just as the groom approached. "Do you know them?" he asked, glancing at the two teenage girls who were not twins but were always together.

"Yeah. She's my niece," Claire answered briefly, making Chand furrow his brow.

"You're cousins with Sir Altezza and Sir Antony too?" he asked, surprised.

Claire shook her head. "My niece is her." She pointed at Abigail. "Her name is Abigail." Upon hearing her name, Abigail smiled sweetly and waved at Chand. "And the girl standing next to her is Sir Antony's daughter."

"Hello," Flavia greeted with more grace.

Chand looked back and forth between Abigail and Claire, his brow still furrowed. "No wonder you both share similar features," he remarked, which Claire nodded in agreement to. "Let's go in; the others are already inside."

They walked together into the restaurant, but when Claire glanced to her side, she realized Bella was no longer there. She was sure Bella had been walking next to her just moments ago.

Several of their colleagues from the same division had already arrived and were seated at two rectangular tables facing each other. They waved as a greeting when they saw Claire and Chand approaching.

Shelly Spencer, their boss, waved cheerfully at Claire. Next to her sat a teenage girl playing with her phone, whom Claire guessed was her daughter.

"You're here too," Claire said, genuinely surprised by her boss's presence.

"Of course, I had to come. Think of it as a vacation with my daughter," Shelly replied casually. "Kei, meet Claire Hampton, my coworker." She drew her daughter's attention.

The teenager looked up, smiled warmly at Claire, and said, "Hi!"

"How old are you?" Claire asked, curious.

"Fifteen," Kei answered politely.

"In that case, you're not too far apart in age," Claire noted, turning her gaze toward Abigail and Flavia. "This is Abigail, and this is Flavia. They're both thirteen, which makes them your younger classmates."

"Oh, where do Abigail and Flavia go to school?" Kei asked, suddenly excited. Perhaps she was bored and confused surrounded by adults, and meeting Abigail and Flavia gave her a chance to chat with peers.

Before they could continue the conversation, a commotion broke out—not from a fight, but rather a hushed cheer as the company executives arrived.

Another surprise was that it wasn't just Altezza who arrived, but also Antony and a younger man walking behind them.

Claire couldn't help but furrow her brow. "He's very handsome." The whisper came from Bella, who had suddenly reappeared.

"Where have you been?" Claire asked.

"Restroom. I suddenly had a stomachache, and when I came out, I saw that handsome guy. I was going to introduce myself, but it turns out he's the cousin of the Big Boss," she replied softly, disappointment creeping into her voice.

The three men approached the table, their good looks eclipsing even that of the groom. Antony and Altezza moved closer to the table occupied by Claire, Bella, Shelly, and the three teenagers, introducing the new arrival.

"Since everyone is here, let me introduce you all. This is Gian Quirino, our cousin who will be helping us at the headquarters and the Kansas branch for a while," Altezza announced.

Cheers erupted in response to the introduction. Shelly was the first to extend her hand and introduce herself.

After the informal introductions, Antony, Altezza, Gian, and the groom joined Claire, Bella, and the three teenagers at the same table.

Since Chand was part of the finance division, it was no surprise that the gathering was dominated by finance-related personnel. It made sense that their direct boss, Shelly Spencer, was there. It also made sense for Altezza to be present, considering his good relationship with his subordinates.

However, what puzzled everyone there, including Claire herself, was the presence of Antony, the CEO, along with their cousin, Gian. It wasn't that their attendance was unwelcome, but their arrival was certainly unexpected.

They ate while occasionally chatting, and the two long tables buzzed with laughter. Some people shared funny stories, creating a lively atmosphere.

Claire tried her best to avoid eye contact with Antony. However, every time she looked away, she found Gian watching her, flashing a sweet smile whenever their eyes met. Claire felt uncomfortable being treated like that.

As evening approached, the group began to disperse. Claire and Bella returned to their room, and Claire didn't ask where Abigail and Flavia would be sleeping. One thing was for sure: the two teenagers were in safe hands.

At seven o'clock, Claire heard a loud knocking—more like banging—on her door. Claire and Bella exchanged confused glances, wondering about the impolite guest. However, deep down, Claire had a hunch about who was behind the door.

Sure enough, when she opened it, she found Abigail beaming at her.

"Aunty C, dear," she said in a teasing tone. Claire raised an eyebrow at her niece.

"Who are you looking for?" Claire asked sarcastically.

"Aunty... why are you acting like this? Are you still mad at me?" Abigail pouted.

"Why are you here? I'm tired and want to rest." Claire tried to close the door, but Abigail was too quick and slipped inside.

"Aunty, how about we go for a walk?" she suggested, waving at Bella, who was lounging on the bed.

"It's already night. Where exactly do you want to go?" Claire finally closed the door behind her and stepped into the room.

The room they rented wasn't exclusive. It was a one-room space with a bathroom inside. It had a king-size bed, where Bella lay watching TV.

"Just around," Abigail replied nonchalantly.

"This isn't a big city. The shops here probably aren't open until midnight. Where do you want to go?" Claire asked.

"Anywhere. Maybe the souvenir center?" Abigail persisted.

"Souvenirs?" Bella perked up from her bed. "I'll go with you." She said with a cheerful expression.

Bella clapped her hands, quickly getting up to rummage through her bag. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, then searched Claire's bag, opened it, and handed her a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt.

"Come on, hurry! When else will we come to this city?" she exclaimed.