Part 39

Claire glanced between Abigail and Bella. She had just put on her knee-length short-sleeved pajamas, and with a frustrated click of her tongue, she headed into the bathroom with her clothes.

In less than five minutes, Claire had changed into the jeans she planned to wear home the next day and a short-sleeved shirt. She hadn't brought a jacket, so if she ended up cold later—since it turned out the city they were visiting had low temperatures—she would blame Abigail.

Grabbing her wallet and phone, Claire followed Abigail and Bella, who seemed even more excited.

Abigail led them to the parking lot, where three bodyguards were already standing beside a white luxury SUV. Who else but her father and two uncles?

Altezza waved, and Claire smiled back at him.

"Chand gave me some locations worth visiting. Since we might not have time tomorrow, how about we go out tonight?" Altezza suggested casually.

Claire simply nodded in response. She intended to get into her own car, but Altezza politely asked her to join them in one vehicle. Even more courteously, he opened the front door for her, but Claire declined. She shook her head and chose to enter through the back door, intentionally sitting in the very back seat. Bella and Abigail followed her, and then Gian and Flavia got in, leaving Antony and Altezza in the front.

As the car drove off, a message popped up on her phone.

Bella: What's wrong with you? Why do you look upset?

Claire: How am I supposed to express myself? Laugh like a crazy person?

Bella: Not like that. But this is a rare opportunity. Don't you see the three handsome guys sitting in front of us?

Claire: Even if you say there are a hundred handsome guys, I don't care. My brother is way more handsome than them.

Bella: I know your brother is handsome, so you don't need to brag. But they're our bosses; don't you want to impress them?

Claire: If I act friendly, will I get a promotion tomorrow?

Bella: Don't be ridiculous, Claire.

And so the texting exchange ended.

They arrived at a night market that Chand had mentioned. Since it was Saturday night, the atmosphere was lively and crowded. Or maybe it was like this on ordinary days too? Claire didn't know. What was clear, as Bella commented, was that Claire was genuinely unimpressed by the outing that night, unlike Bella and the teenagers, who were eager to explore the stalls and try the various snacks on offer.

Altezza, who had been observing Claire's gloomy demeanor, stood beside her. "Why do I feel an aura of anger around here?" he teased, amusement lacing his voice.

"Thank goodness, at least someone can see my aura," Claire replied flatly.

"What's wrong with you? Do you have a problem?"

"I don't know, I'm just wondering since when a CEO attends a commoner's wedding? I've worked at Coskun for three years, and out of all the employee wedding parties I've attended, this is the first time I've seen him appear in public," Claire commented, her expression unchanging.

Altezza laughed. "Maybe he wants to change?" he replied simply.

"Change? That drastically? Usually, people who undergo drastic changes are the ones about to die," Claire retorted curtly.

"Hush, watch your words," Altezza scolded.

"I just feel it's odd. He's never shown up for any family gatherings held with all the branches," she continued, still speaking sharply, which made Altezza laugh again.

"What's going on, C?" Altezza looked at Claire with a scrutinizing gaze. "This is the first time I've seen you openly dislike someone, and that person is none other than the CEO himself."

"It's nothing, just a bit weird. And I really don't like getting to know my superiors personally, let alone spending time with them outside of work. So I hope this is the first and last time we hang out together. I don't want to hear people whispering behind my back, accusing me of seeking my boss's attention. And if possible, when we're outside the company, let's pretend we don't know each other."

"Why? Our nieces know each other and are good friends," Altezza replied, confused.

"Yes, that's true. But it should stop with them; there's no need for us as the adults to get involved. This isn't a school where parents need to know each other."

"Besides, if you really want to get close to your employees, you should invite Mrs. Spencer instead of me since she's your superior who has a direct working relationship with you and coincidentally has a daughter the same age as Flavia. If you went out with her, I'm sure there wouldn't be any negative comments from other employees if they saw you together. Meanwhile, if you go out with me, the opposite will happen."

Altezza laughed again. "You're overthinking it," he replied with his sweet smile.

Claire shot Altezza a look. "Don't pretend to be naive and clueless about the situation, Sir," she said without hesitation. "I'm saying this after assessing the situation. About Flavia, about Abigail, and about your cousin.

"At first, I thought everything was normal when your cousin suddenly came to me and asked for my help to get closer to his daughter. I suggested that he ask Abigail, his mother, or even you for help. But he always had an excuse to decline.

"I accepted it. I was willing to help him out of humanitarian concern and because I care for Flavia. But after hearing my niece's comments the other day, and your niece's comments, I became more aware that my suspicions were right. Mr. Antony is using his child as a bridge to get closer to me, not the other way around."

"So, you're aware of Antony's plan?"

"What do you think?"

"Do you dislike him that much?"

"What do you think?"

"Claire?" Altezza tried to reason with the girl, but Claire ignored him.

She didn't look back at her boss. She didn't care whether Altezza was offended by her behavior. What mattered was that she felt uncomfortable, and he needed to know that.

She stood next to Bella, who was in line at a souvenir shop, still glancing left and right to find other items she wanted to buy.

The whispers of praise from the salespeople directed at the Quorino brothers only made Claire's head heat up even more. Even without realizing how shamelessly they were speaking, their compliments took on a sensual tone that made Claire snort in annoyance.

Before long, they were back in the car, sitting in the same positions as they had on the way there.

"Where are we headed now?" Gian asked the passengers.

"Let's go back to the hotel," Altezza answered on behalf of everyone.

"Why?" Gian seemed dissatisfied with the outing.

"Our relative has made someone unhappy with his behavior," Altezza replied in Italian, causing Claire, Bella, and Abigail to fall silent. Flavia, who understood her grandfather's language, glanced at her uncle with concern.

"Unhappy? Why?" Gian asked in the same language.

"I'll explain later," Altezza said flatly.

Gian merely nodded and turned on the GPS, steering the car back toward the hotel.