Part 41

The next morning, Claire was already prepared to attend Chand's wedding ceremony. Since they were scheduled to leave for the venue at eight, she made sure to be ready and waiting in the lobby by seven-thirty sharp.

Claire wore a sleeveless, knee-length A-line dress in red, with a round neckline that highlighted her smooth, well-maintained fair skin. She let her hair down and opted for a natural makeup look. For accessories, she wore simple diamond earrings, which added to her elegant appearance. A pair of ten-centimeter red stilettos was ready to complete her look.

Meanwhile, Bella was wearing a mocha-colored dress that reached just below her knees. Her hair was also let down, but she added a cute clip to the right side of her head. Dangling silver earrings complemented her bold makeup look. To add height, Bella had beige wedges with a twelve-centimeter heel. Claire whistled when she saw her.

"Ready to find a handsome guy?" Bella teased when Claire complimented her look.

"You might as well pin a nametag that says 'single' on your chest so everyone knows you're looking for a boyfriend," Claire joked, laughing. She grabbed her black clutch that had been sitting on the table. Bella took one last look at herself before finally following Claire.

"How many handsome men do you think will be there?" Bella asked as they stepped out of the room.

"You'll see," Claire answered briefly.

A few people had already gathered in the parking lot. They whistled as Claire and Bella made their appearance, showing off their rare glammed-up looks.

"If I had known you two were this stunning when dressed up, I'd have asked you out long ago," Thomas, one of their colleagues from the same division, called out.

Bella quickly dropped her elegant demeanor and playfully smacked Thomas with her dark brown clutch. The group was used to their banter, so no one would step in to break things up even if they started pulling each other's hair.

A short while later, Shelly arrived, wearing an outfit that matched her daughter's. Claire's niece and her entourage followed closely behind.

"Aunty!" Abigail called out, waving her hand.

Claire observed her niece, who, somehow, had ended up wearing a matching outfit with Flavia, her "twin" cousin despite not being related by blood. Behind Abigail and Flavia were their striking older cousins: none other than Antony, Altezza, and Gian.

Antony and Altezza looked more casual compared to the formal suits they typically wore to the office. Though Claire had never seen Gian's work attire, he still managed to look just as impressive as his older cousins.

Antony sported a dark gray blazer over a white V-neck shirt, while Altezza wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath, casually skipping the tie. As for Gian, the youngest of the three, he opted for a denim shirt paired with a cream-colored outer jacket, looking no less dashing than his older cousins.

The presence of the three cousins alone was enough to attract attention. In fact, it could be said that the groom himself was overshadowed by the trio.

"Are you sure he's a widower with a teenage daughter?" Bella tapped Claire's arm repeatedly with excitement as she stared at Antony, much to Claire's annoyance.

"Your eyes still work, don't they? Look at his daughter—she's right there," Claire pointed at Flavia, who was standing not far from them.

By now, all of Claire's division had arrived, and the groom and his family were getting ready to enter the flower-adorned car. Claire and Bella had already positioned themselves, ready to hop into their own vehicle. Just as they were about to get in, Abigail's shout grabbed Claire's attention once more.

"Can we ride with you?" the teenager pleaded, her eyes wide with hope. Claire squinted in frustration, but seeing both Abigail and Flavia's pitiful expressions, she merely nodded, gesturing for them to get in.

The distance between the inn and the wedding venue was less than five minutes. The groom's car pulled up in front of the building, while the other vehicles were directed by the coordinator to the parking area below.

Once they parked, Claire and her group made their way back up to the entrance. The bride's family was already there, welcoming the groom and his entourage, all dressed in matching soft pink gowns.

The wedding ceremony began, and as always, Claire was mesmerized by the proceedings. She loved watching each step of the event. After the vows were exchanged and the formalities completed, the couple was officially pronounced husband and wife. The room erupted into cheers as everyone celebrated the newlyweds.

While the bride and groom were busy with their photo session, the guests were invited to enjoy the food until it was their turn to be called for pictures with the couple. Bella and Claire were at the snack stand when a group of men approached them. It was clear they weren't part of the Coskun company group.

One of the men, wearing a black shirt, greeted them warmly. "Are you friends of the groom?" he asked. Bella and Claire nodded in unison.

"I'm Rendy, the bride's cousin," he introduced himself, extending a hand.

Bella shook his hand with a sweet smile. Rendy, Chand's cousin-in-law, was exactly Bella's type—handsome, tall, with a friendly smile and warm eyes.

"Bella. This is my friend Claire," Bella said, introducing her. As Claire was about to extend her hand for a handshake, a loud, all-too-familiar voice interrupted.

"Mama!" The cry made Claire roll her eyes. Abigail quickly walked over, glancing suspiciously at the three men in front of Claire one by one. "Where have you been? Papa and I have been looking for you," she whined in her characteristic playful tone.

Bella's eyes widened, as did the three men standing before them, clearly taken aback. Claire, on the other hand, could only sigh in resignation, fully aware of the dramatic scene Abigail was creating.

"Ma-Mama?" Rendy stuttered, glancing between Claire and Abigail. The striking resemblance between them only reinforced Abigail's claim that they were mother and daughter.

"Yes, she's my mom. What's the problem? Do we not look alike?" Abigail asked with a sarcastic expression. "Just because my mom is beautiful and youthful doesn't mean she's single. She's thirty-five," Abigail continued, staring daggers at Rendy.

Rendy continued to look between Abigail and Claire, clearly flustered. Bella could only manage a nervous smile, trying to nudge Abigail to stop talking as she noticed Claire's growing irritation. However, Abigail ignored Bella's warning and pressed on. "If you're planning to find a partner, just get to know Aunty Bella. She's still single. Plus, she's a really nice person, and just look at her—she's so beautiful!" Abigail was promoting Bella, causing her to smile awkwardly.

Claire took a deep breath, slowly exhaling to calm her rising annoyance. Her greatest desire at that moment was to strangle Abigail. How could her cousin embarrass her like that by calling her "Mama" and mentioning her age? Was she really that old?

Frustrated with her niece's antics, Claire decided to distance herself from both Abigail and Bella. She knew they would follow her, but she didn't care. Once outside the building, Claire suddenly turned around, causing Abigail, who wasn't ready for the abrupt movement, to bump into her.

"Aunty, watch where you're stepping," Abigail grumbled while rubbing her nose, but Claire ignored her niece's protest and shot her an angry glare.

"What was that act in there all about?" Claire asked, irritated. Instead of feeling guilty, Abigail just grinned mischievously.

"There's no ulterior motive. I was just helping you avoid him. Don't you usually dislike being introduced like that?" Abigail replied innocently.

"But did it have to be in that way? Calling me your mother and saying I'm thirty-five? Do I really look that old?" Claire was genuinely upset now, while Bella was trying hard to suppress her laughter.

Abigail lowered her head, sensing that Claire was in a no-nonsense mood.

"I'm sorry," Abigail murmured, genuinely feeling guilty.

"I'm going back to the hotel, and you," she pointed at Abigail, "are not following me. You came to this city with Flavia, so you'll return to Kansas with her." Claire then exited the building and walked toward the parking lot, with Bella trailing behind, struggling a bit in her dress and wedges.

Once inside the car, Bella kicked off her wedges and rubbed her ankles. "Do you really have to be that mad at Abigail? She looked like she was about to cry," she chided gently.

Claire pulled the car out of the parking space and headed back toward the inn. "She crossed the line, and I don't like her behavior. There's a limit to joking around," Claire replied coldly.

"Why? What's making you emotional? Is it because you didn't get to meet that guy earlier?" Bella tried to joke, which made Claire glare at her. "Okay, I'm sorry. Honestly, I'm just surprised to see you so upset since last night."

"I'm just annoyed, period. So there's no need for a lot of questions," Claire snapped, parking the car in the inn's parking area. Without waiting for Bella, she quickly walked to her room. Their room rental was still valid for a few more hours, so Claire planned to spend the rest of that time sleeping.

Meanwhile, in the building, Flavia was rubbing Abigail's back as she cried nonstop since Claire left.

"Aunty... She's mad... at me... Hiks..." Abigail sobbed between her hiccups.

"This is your fault for not listening to me. I told you not to mess around, but you wouldn't listen," Flavia reminded her.

Since getting out of the car, Flavia and Abigail had kept a close watch on Claire. To be honest, Flavia felt uneasy about any other man approaching Claire due to her stunning beauty. She was worried that her father's chances of getting close to Claire would vanish, causing Claire to hate him even more. When Abigail shared her plan to drive away the men trying to approach Claire, Flavia had already tried to stop her and warn her because she heard what her uncle said last night, but Abigail didn't pay any attention.

"Then do you want my aunt to be taken by another man?" Abigail asked, her voice shaky. Flavia grimaced and shook her head.

"Look, you don't want that, while I'm just trying to help you reach your dream," Abigail sniffled. "No matter what it takes, I need to make Aunty C forgive me."

"But how are you going to do that?" Flavia was confused. The two girls fell silent.