Now Claire was mute. Did she actually hate Antony? She didn't know. Did she hate the man, or did she simply not respect him? There was a difference between the two words, wasn't there?
"Have you forgotten the saying, 'You don't love what you don't know'?" Antony's question disrupted Claire's thoughts. She looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Whatever you've heard about me, I don't know how much of it is true."
"But if you want to know about me from my perspective, don't hesitate to ask. I'll answer everything honestly," Antony replied firmly.
Claire could only remain silent. She felt uneasy, embarrassed, and there was some other feeling she couldn't quite articulate.
"But in return, if I ask you something, you have to tell me the truth as well. Not something made up. Especially not something that will make me even more jealous," Antony added, his expression now annoyed.
"What do you mean?" Claire asked, confused.
"I don't mean anything by it," Antony answered ambiguously. "So, do you want to turn on the TV?" he offered again. Claire shook her head.
"My head hurts. Hearing the TV just makes my eardrums uncomfortable," she replied honestly. Antony could only nod in agreement.
"Then lie back down. Or do you want me to massage your head?" he offered, shifting closer.
"You're not going to ask for payment for your offer, are you?" Claire asked hesitantly.
Antony shrugged. He knew Claire was considering his offer, and he felt quite flattered by that. At least Claire wasn't pushing him away like she did earlier. Antony took that as progress. "I'm a self-serving person, Claire. Of course, I will expect payment for everything I do right now," he replied candidly.
Claire frowned again. "Nothing is done without expecting something in return. Even the most devout person will ask God to repay all the good they do, let alone someone like me," he said plainly.
"What kind of reward do you want?"
Antony thought for a moment. "I just hope you'll start to like me back. That's all," he replied. Claire was momentarily taken aback. "Come on, Claire. You know that what I'm doing right now is a way to win your heart and make you like me too."
"Are you usually this open?" Claire asked, not believing him.
Antony shrugged again. "If people make me comfortable, I have no hesitation in being myself. So you should feel proud that a handsome and successful CEO is trying to get closer to you."
"You have no idea what other charms I possess beyond this," Antony said confidently. Claire chuckled at that.
"Don't forget your daughter as a bonus," she teased.
"Yes. That too," Antony replied, slightly embarrassed. "So, do you want me to massage you?" he offered again. Claire looked at him for a moment, weighing the positives and negatives of accepting his offer. "Don't think too much. It'll only make your head hurt more," he said. "Come here, lay your head here." Antony patted his thigh. Claire fell silent for a moment, but then she inched closer and rested her head there.
Antony helped Claire adjust her hair. The long black strands were slightly damp from sweat. Claire felt embarrassed, but it seemed Antony was perfectly fine with it.
They exchanged glances for a moment, with Antony slightly lowering his head and smiling before lifting both hands to start massaging Claire's head with his thumbs.
"I have something I want to ask," Antony said. Claire looked up. "You can ask me back if you want," he offered.
"Okay," Claire replied softly. The massage on her head made her close her eyes in comfort.
"What's your relationship with Harry?" he asked.
"Harry?" Claire opened her eyes and saw a sharp glint in Antony's gaze. She closed her eyes again to avoid his golden eyes and then smiled.
"Why are you smiling?" Antony huffed.
"Just because."
"Do you like him?"
"If I say I do, will you stop all this 'winning me over' stuff?" Claire countered.
"I'll think about it," she replied. "I'm a businesswoman, so I need to consider everything from several angles," she continued.
Claire opened her eyes again and saw the man's gaze. It wasn't as sharp as before, but it still made her uncomfortable.
"I have to assess the opportunities, Claire. I can't force anything that's impossible," he admitted honestly. Claire smiled again. "So?" she asked, returning to the original topic.
"I like him," Claire said. She felt Antony's hands on her head pause for a moment before he resumed the massage. "Once," she added. "You must know because you were a teenager too."
"Just like the young guys who have crushes on the cheerleading captain or the popular kids in middle school. That's how I felt about Harry back then."
"He was a student council member and also good at basketball. He was handsome and friendly to everyone. He was polite and smart too. He was popular, so of course, many girls idolized him, including me," she continued.
"So, this is just a crush from a fan on their idol?" Antony asked, a smile on his face.
Claire shook her head. "Not exactly," she replied. Antony fell silent again.
"What do you mean?"
"I confessed my love to Harry."
"You? What?" Antony asked, incredulous.
Claire opened her eyes and saw the shock on Antony's face. She smiled instead.
"That's how it was. I once sent him a love letter. But he rejected me."
"He rejected you!" It wasn't a question, but rather a loud exclamation of disapproval from Antony. "That jerk, how could he reject you?" he asked again.
"That's his right," Claire said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Do you still like him?" Antony asked again. Claire nodded. "How can you still like a guy who rejected you?" Antony asked, not believing it. Claire opened her eyes again.
"Just like you. Why are you still pursuing me when I've already been rude to you?" she challenged.
"That's a different story, Claire," Antony retorted.
"What's different about it?"
"I'm continuing this 'modus' because I know I can make you like me."
"But now you know that I still like Harry."
"But that doesn't convince me to give up. Besides, before you marry, we guys can still make a move," Antony replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
Claire chuckled. "You really can't be trusted, Sir."
Antony shrugged again. "So, you still like him even though you know he doesn't like you back?"
"Who says Harry doesn't like me? You can ask Bella about that. In front of Bella, Harry said he likes me too," Claire answered honestly.
"After this, don't expect to see Harry again," Antony scoffed. Claire furrowed her brow in confusion. "I'll request he be transferred to a faraway island or even abroad," he continued.
"You can't do that, Sir," Claire said, sitting up in bed and staring at Antony sharply.
"Why not? I'm his boss. I can do whatever I want," Antony replied arrogantly.
"But that's not fair to Harry. What has he done to deserve such a distant transfer?" she asked, annoyed.
"The problem is he likes you, and he admitted it. I really don't like that. As a man, I have to eliminate all competitors who make it hard for me to win you over." Claire looked at Antony with her mouth agape. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. "All is fair in love and war, Claire. Haven't you ever heard that? I'm sure you've read about power plays like this in those novels you read," Antony added.
"Are you really going to be that cruel?" Claire asked, still in disbelief.
Antony shrugged. "Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends," he replied casually.
"Depends on what?"
"Depends on how much you like him and how much you like me," Antony said, a smirk on his face. "If your feelings for him are smaller, then he'll be safe. But if not, then he's in an unsafe position."
"Is everything in your head just numbers?" Claire challenged. Antony nodded. Claire shook her head, realizing her head was throbbing even harder.
"Come here." Antony patted his thigh again. "Don't let that arrogant pretty boy make your head hurt more. I'll come up with another strategy to win you over once you're healthy again. So for now, don't think too much," he said.
Claire laughed hysterically at the man's statement. But what Antony said wasn't wrong. If she thought about Haikal's situation right now, it would only make her headache worse. Claire complied and laid her head back on Antony's lap.
"Now, may I ask you a question in return?" she asked politely.
Antony looked at her sharply, then nodded. "Go ahead, ask anything. I'll answer as honestly as I can," he replied.
"Even if my question concerns a past you might not want to bring up?" Claire asked uncertainly.
Antony was silent for a moment. "Since I decided to come to this city, I've considered many things, Claire. Including the possibility of reopening old memories," Antony answered logically. "What do you want to know?"
"What happened between you and Flavia's mother?"
That question was indeed simple. However, Claire knew it carried a long story behind it. She waited to see if Antony would answer everything or if he would steer the conversation to another topic to avoid it.
Both Antony and Claire fell silent. Claire knew she had crossed a line. She shouldn't have asked such a personal question, especially since it might deeply hurt Antony's feelings, as he was forced to bring up a past he likely wanted to forget. She felt she had asked the wrong question. She was about to retract it when Antony spoke."Isn't it better to ask someone who knows me that kind of question?" he countered. Claire looked up at him, confused. "If you ask me directly, what if I turn the facts around?"Claire fell silent. "That could happen. But hearing it from someone else might not give you the real answer either. They could exaggerate or twist the facts just to make you look better. But it could also be the opposite. So it's better to ask the person directly who experienced the actual events," Claire replied logically. Antony smiled."You are indeed different," he murmured.Claire raised an eyebrow, puzzled. But Antony answered her unvoiced question with a smile."If I tell you
"It's too late for that," Claire shrugged. "But I won't push you," she finally replied. She didn't want to bring up Antony's past, especially if it would hurt him. Although she was indeed curious."Let's just say your marriage to Flavia's mother ended. And I conclude it didn't end well," Claire continued. Antony nodded. "But why did you choose to give Flavia up to your parents?"Antony smiled sadly again. "The end of our marriage shattered me completely at that time. My world, which I thought was perfect, seemed to collapse with just one divorce certificate.""Seeing Flavia felt like a reminder of the biggest mistake and failure of my life. I unjustly blamed that innocent little baby. The truth is, from the beginning, I was the one at fault. I was the one who didn't listen when my mother and aunts forbade me from marrying Flavia's mother."I was the one who forced myself to hold on to something that I never truly possessed from the start. Love made me blind, and I got swept away in it
Claire sat up and moved closer to Antony. He had closed his eyes, bracing himself for a slap from her, but just a moment after shutting his eyes, he opened them wide and looked at Claire in disbelief. The warmth spreading on his cheek wasn't from the anticipated slap but from Claire's hands cradling his face. To his utter surprise, she pressed her lips against his."Claire?" Antony gasped as she sat back in her place, acting as if nothing had happened.Claire ignored his call and chose to lie back on the bed, hiding herself under the blanket. "I'm tired. Really sleepy. I want to sleep," she said tersely."Claire?" Antony called her name again."What now!?" Claire glared at him with wide eyes. "From now on, stop using Flavia. If you really want to get close to me, be honest and gentlemanly. Don't use pity as a bait. I like Flavia and care for her just as I do Abigail, so don't hurt her feelings by using her to try to win me over," she scolded. But Antony was frozen in place, still proc
"She loves you, or she makes you believe that she loves you," Gian retorted sharply. "If she really loved you, she wouldn't have done what she did back then. I heard that when you returned, you found out she was cheating with a French businessman, right? Isn't that true?" Gian asked, his gaze probing."More than that. That woman was even in bed with that man when Antony came back.""Damn!" Gian cursed sharply. "You saw her with another man while she was carrying your child?""I even initially doubted that she was Antony's child," Altezza replied flatly. "If I hadn't seen her eyes, I would have truly suspected she belonged to another man. Flavia's face is completely her mother's," she continued. Antony chose to look away. "Now, back to the original topic, cousin. Think again about what you feel for Claire. Is this just an obsession because she's bruised your ego, or do you genuinely like her for who she is?""Why do you keep asking about Antony's feelings?" Gian challenged Altezza. "It
At the same time, in another place..."Come on..." Flavia kept shaking Abigail's arm. Abigail, who was focused on her reading, slammed her book down on the table and glared at her friend."Via, Aunty is still mad at me. Do you understand?" she said in Italian, which only made Flavia giggle. "I'm trying to learn Italian, so stop bothering me," Abigail continued, annoyed. "Besides, why do you keep insisting I call Aunty C?""I'm just curious," Flavia replied innocently. "My dad asked about Aunty C's favorite porridge this morning. I suspect they had breakfast together. If that's true, it means Aunty C isn't mad at my dad. What do you think?" Flavia asked, full of hope.Abigail squinted her eyes. "If that's the case, it means Aunty C has been unfair to me," she said, irritated."How is that unfair?" Flavia asked, furrowing her brow."It means I'm the only one she's mad at while your dad isn't. Your dad should be treated the same way I am—ignored!" Abigail grumbled in frustration. Flavia
"Well, we can just check," Haisley replied, snapping back to reality.Abigail looked at Flavia again. Her friend was nodding enthusiastically.Abigail shrugged. She had no reason to refuse her friend's request. "Alright. After school, we'll go there," she said. Flavia cheered happily and reflexively hugged Abigail. "Are you coming too?" Abigail asked Haisley.Haisley shook her head. "I have my regular study group," she replied. Abigail simply nodded.At 2:30 PM, after school was dismissed, the two of them immediately flagged down a taxi. Abigail and Flavia walked toward the gate and exchanged glances when they saw that the gate was locked."Don't you have a spare key?" Flavia asked again, her head poking around to peek through the part of the gate that was partially blocked by thick plastic. "Abby..." she tapped her friend's arm quickly. "That's my dad's car," she said in a whisper.For a moment, Abigail stopped searching her bag for the house key and joined Flavia in peeking. The car
Claire felt the room temperature suddenly drop. At the same time, her body felt extremely hot. As a result, she could only shiver and grip her blanket tighter.She heard voices outside. They sounded very distant, but the throbbing in her head made it hard for her to open her eyes. She became aware when her bedroom door opened and someone stepped inside. She could even hear her niece, Abigail, calling her in a soft voice."Aunty..?"Claire wanted to respond, but for some reason, it felt incredibly difficult to say anything. She could feel Abigail's cold hand touching her forehead, and that slight touch made her muscles feel like they had been shocked, causing her to shiver even more.Cold, hot, and achy all at once. Not to mention the pounding in her head made it even harder to open her eyes. The sound of footsteps as Abigail left felt like a drumbeat in her ears.Then another hand gently touched her forehead, then her cheek."Claire, we're going to the hospital now, okay?" A soft, fai
The nurse looked taken aback but then smiled politely and stepped back. He helped Antony lift Claire's IV and placed it on the side hook of the new bed while Antony transferred Claire from the stretcher to the bed the nurse had brought.After Claire was moved, one of the nurses left, leaving Antony with the first nurse, and they both pushed Claire's bed out of the emergency department toward the elevator that would take Claire to her room. After positioning the bed, the nurse politely said goodbye and mentioned that he would return once the lab results were in.Antony surveyed the room he had requested. The VVIP room provided by the hospital seemed quite decent to him. No matter how luxurious a hospital with hotel-like facilities might be, it could never be fully enjoyed by the patients. Still, Antony wanted Claire to feel at least somewhat comfortable. He wanted Claire to feel calm and undisturbed by the cries, whines, and screams of other patients. What disturbed him even more were
The two teenagers turned their heads simultaneously towards the aisle as they saw an ominous aura spread around them. Moreover, people were now looking in the same direction. Where the woman Flavia and Abigail had not expected to see had just appeared."Why is that woman there?" Abigail whispered to her best friend.Flavia who had been engrossed in her digital camera and taking pictures was now holding it languidly. "I don't know." She replied innocently. She looked back at the photo produced by her hand, choosing to ignore Abigail and her suspicions."Shall we go closer to them?" Abigail asked in a challenged tone.Flavia raised her head again and looked at her best friend with a furrowed brow. As Abigail started to take a step, Flavia held her back by holding Abigail's arm tightly and shaking her head."No, Abby." She said.Instead, she pulled her best friend's hand to walk away from the reception room and left the hall by walking in the hotel's garden area to take some photos as a
"Full?" asked Claire with a furrowed brow.Antony deliberately re-emphasized his lower body so that Claire was wide-eyed. "You know what I mean, right?" Antony whispered in the girl's ear that inevitably made Claire shudder in horror.The man's lips teased her, starting to caress the side of her face so that she unconsciously looked up and gave him the opportunity to explore the slender recesses of her neck."Can I ask for my rights now?" he asked in a pleading tone.Claire shook her head."Why again now?" Antony asked in a whining tone."Your body stinks," Claire said as she wrinkled her nose. "Go take a shower." She ordered as she turned Antony around and pushed him into her room until he reached her bathroom.Antony wanted to resist, but seeing his wife's glare, he finally went in.What's wrong with his wife. Why is it so hard to conquer her? Instead of spending time kissing hot and wet, Claire pushed him into the shower. Antony had hoped they would move on to the next stage that h
"Those two women were the answer to my mother's prayers," she said, anger flaring in her voice.Antony was taken aback. "No, darling. Your mother's prayers will never be answered like that.""Alright, they did come with certain intentions. But can't you see me? To me, they are nobody. In my eyes, in my heart, in my mind, there is only Claire, Claire, and Claire. There's no other woman." Antony coaxed her in a soothing tone.Claire couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Don't sweet-talk me," she replied with a hint of amusement.Antony shook his head. He stepped closer to his wife. Claire still had her arms crossed over her chest, and to maintain some distance from him, she leaned her body back."I'm not sweet-talking you, darling. I'm speaking the truth. If only there were experts who could read my mind and heart, you could ask them. I'm sure they would tell you the truth. And if they lied, I would bribe them to say what I want them to say," Antony said again.Claire rolled her eyes. Ant
"Those two women were the answer to my mother's prayers," she said, anger flaring in her voice.Antony was taken aback. "No, darling. Your mother's prayers will never be answered like that.""Alright, they did come with certain intentions. But can't you see me? To me, they are nobody. In my eyes, in my heart, in my mind, there is only Claire, Claire, and Claire. There's no other woman." Antony coaxed her in a soothing tone.Claire couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Don't sweet-talk me," she replied with a hint of amusement.Antony shook his head. He stepped closer to his wife. Claire still had her arms crossed over her chest, and to maintain some distance from him, she leaned her body back."I'm not sweet-talking you, darling. I'm speaking the truth. If only there were experts who could read my mind and heart, you could ask them. I'm sure they would tell you the truth. And if they lied, I would bribe them to say what I want them to say," Antony said again.Claire rolled her eyes. Ant
Antony stopped his car outside Claire's house and unlocked the gate with the spare key he had kept for a long time.Claire's car hadn't moved from its spot. It was still there since the last time Antony visited his fiancée's home, before Claire's family took her back.Who knows? Maybe Claire could hear the gate opening or maybe not. But one thing was clear: his wife did not welcome him at all because Claire's house felt eerily silent.Was Gladwin playing a trick on him? Who knows if Claire was really back at her house.He opened the front door and stepped inside, greeting her. Once again, there was no response. When Antony noticed Claire's bedroom door slightly ajar, he walked in.Claire wasn't there. All that was left was the small suitcase she had brought from the hotel room."Claire, sweetheart," Antony called out again, but still, there was no answer.Could it be that Claire left again after dropping off her suitcase and saw Gladwin leave? he wondered to himself.Antony continued
Quickly, Anastasia ran after Antony. She called his name repeatedly, but Antony chose to ignore her until her stiletto heels finally brought her close to him. She immediately reached out and grabbed Antony's arm, but he harshly brushed her off."Antony, listen to me. Please. I'm really sorry. I apologize," she said in a whiny tone.The woman tried to grab Antony's hand again, but he pushed her away once more, causing her to fall and kneel on the cold marble floor.Not wanting to give up, Anastasia wrapped her arms around Antony's legs, forcing him to stop."I'm truly sorry," she pleaded again, her voice desperate. She begged for the man's compassion, finally realizing that everything Antony had said in the room earlier was no joke. "I... I..." She couldn't find the words. "I'm sorry, please forgive me," she begged, tears starting to wet her face.Antony looked down at her with a sharp gaze. "Do you realize that what you're doing has crossed the line?" he asked in his cold tone.Anasta
Antony arrived at a luxurious five-star hotel located not too far from his family's hotel. As soon as he parked his car, he headed straight to the room Letizia had mentioned when he contacted his cousin earlier.Inside the lavish room rented by his ex-wife sat Antony's mother, Brianna Quirino, alongside her husband, Mr. Arthur. Meanwhile, Letizia stood with her hip leaning against the bar chair, her arms crossed over her chest.Don't ask where her children and husband were. Antony guessed that his sister-in-law was waiting for them somewhere.The three family members displayed different expressions, surely with different thoughts filled with questions that might mirror what was in Antony's own mind.On the other side of the room, right above the sofa facing away from the window, two women sat side by side. One was Anastasia, a woman he had pretended to date for work purposes. The other was his ex-wife, the woman he once loved deeply, who had given him a beautiful and devoted daughter.
But then Claire tried to clear her mind. She refused to believe that her mother could be so cruel to her; if that were the case, Claire might end up resenting her mother for the rest of her life.Disloyal? She didn't care about that word.Her face was already free of makeup, and her hair had been released from the beautiful tiara she had worn earlier. Now, the makeup artists helped Claire start to unbutton the lovely gown she had worn, which had so many buttons down the back.Once everything was removed, Claire opened her suitcase, searching for clothes. She decided to clean herself up in the bathroom that was in the dressing room.Feeling refreshed after showering and washing her hair, Claire put on the clothes she had chosen: a pair of jeans and a loose shirt instead of the dress Antony had picked out for her to wear on their honeymoon, which they were supposed to take right after the reception she was now reluctant to attend.No, she wouldn't just surrender herself to her husband a
The events proceeded according to the instructions from the host.Happy? Of course, Claire was happy. Especially seeing Bella's silly antics, who didn't hesitate to liven up the event alongside Gladwin and some of his office friends invited to the wedding, which surprised them as well.After all, Claire's absence from the office had already been quite shocking, and now they were suddenly presented with news of a wedding they had never seen any signs of."I had my suspicions when our big boss showed up at my wedding, and it turns out he was after the cheese in the sandwich," Chand whispered when his friend arrived with his wife. Claire could only smile in response to that accusatory remark.A snippet of the song that Adaline was singing on stage made Claire and Antony hold hands tightly, hoping that no obstacles would disturb them in the future.Guests began to dwindle. Amidst welcoming guests, they also took several photo sessions—not just with colleagues but also to capture moments w