Part 70

In the afternoon, the commotion Gladwin had predicted really happened. Claire's mother came along with Claire's second brother and also her sister-in-law. Luckily, Antony wasn't there because Claire had sent him off to work shortly after Richard's resignation.

Claire tried to act natural, as if she had no idea what her mother was planning when she walked in without knocking.

"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" Asked her mother who immediately came over and took a look at Claire's condition.

"I'm fine, the doctor said that I can go home tomorrow." Claire replied flatly. Her second brother also came closer and touched her forehead.

"Are you really okay now?" He asked with concern.

Claire nodded her head in response. "I know I'm the prettiest and most adorable child so when I got sick you guys were really worried about me. But there's really no need for you to fly for hours to see my condition." She said deliberately joking. Her sister-in-law just gave her typical soft smile.

"Your sister-in-law and I have been planning to come here for a long time. That's why I applied for a leave of absence when you came back because we also wanted to take a vacation here. But I didn't expect to find you in such a sick state." Said Harry, Claire's second brother.

"I deliberately forced your brother to come with me so that our family could get together." Her mother corrected. "If I had known you were sick, I would have canceled my plan." The middle-aged woman continued in annoyance.

"Mom..." Harry said softly.

"What plan?" Asked Claire pretending not to know.

Mrs. Hampton gave her youngest daughter a puzzled look. But instead of answering Claire's question, the woman asked another. "Where is Gladwin?"

"He just went to buy some food." Claire replied still in her flat tone. "Today he has another night watch schedule." She continued.

"Didn't he say anything to you?" Her mother asked again.

"About?" Claire raised one eyebrow.

But before Mrs. Hampton could answer, Gladwin reappeared. Claire herself did not understand, did her twin brother have a radar of trouble or was he always in the right place at the right time?

With a flat face, his twin brother greeted him. "You guys just arrived?" He asked his brother and sister-in-law.

Gladwin hugged them warmly before placing the food he had bought on the nightstand. As soon as the package was set down, Gladwin was hit hard on the upper arm and the man groaned loudly. It was a deliberately exaggerated reaction.

"You! Didn't I tell you to tell Claire?!" Their mother snapped loudly which made Gladwin gasp in surprise but then returned to his flat face. The man instead looked at Claire and their mother in turn.

"What?" he asked with a furrowed brow. "What did you tell me to tell her?" He continued with a feigned confusion that made their mother growl and was about to speak, but Gladwin interrupted her again. "Did you tell her that you have a boyfriend?" That question Gladwin posed to Claire.

Suddenly the four people in the room looked at Gladwin with various expressions. Their mother, Harry and his wife looked at Claire with shocked and disbelieving gazes because they didn't expect her to have a partner since all three of them had come on a mission. Meanwhile, Claire looked at Gladwin with an annoyed and angry look because her twin brother had preceded Claire to tell her mother.

"boyfriend?" Julie looked at Claire in disbelief. "What does this mean? You already have a boyfriend?"

"Isn't that why you brought them home? Because you want Claire's boyfriend to propose and marry her soon?" He asked again without a hint of guilt for teasing his mother.

"You know that's not what your brother came here for." Julie replied to Gladwin to which Gladwin responded with a shrug. "So." Julie returned her attention to Claire. "Who is the man Gladwin mentioned earlier? Where does he work?"

"Are you just curious or really curious?" Again, Gladwin answered his mother's question with a joke.

"Gladwin! I'm serious!" Julie said irritably.

"And I'm mysterious." Gladwin replied which made Claire's sister-in-law seem to stifle her laughter by covering her mouth with her palm. So did Harry. But not so with Julie.

"So who is that man? Do I know him? What family is he from?" Again Julie Hampton looked at Claire seriously. But again, it was Gladwin who answered her mother's questions.

"You don't know the man but you know his family." Gladwin replied matter-of-factly. "To be honest, I don't like him either. He's a man who doesn't know himself." He continued.

Harry's shoulders seemed to stiffen. His brother looked at Gladwin with a displeased look.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked coldly.

"I mean, he wants to get Claire who is still beautiful and young while he himself is a widower with children." She replied.

Claire glanced at her twin brother. She couldn't figure out Gladwin's thoughts and what he was up to. All she knew was that Gladwin had no malice towards Antony, his twin brother was just provoking his mother."

"Widower?" Her mother asked in a high tone. And seeing the expression on Gladwin's face, Claire knew that her twin brother's goal had already been achieved.

With an annoyed frown on his face, Gladwin nodded his head like a child who didn't get a toy.

"You mean, your sister is dating a widower? And he has a child?" His mother continued. Again Gladwin nodded.

"But you can rest easy. He's a handsome and wealthy billionaire widower. He's a businessman who I believe can make Claire live securely for a lifetime. Isn't that impressive? Since he's a billionaire widower looking for love, I can live with him and become the sultan." Gladwin said again.

"Tell me, who is he? Where is he from?" Julie Hampton repeated the question.

"He's from the same area as us." Gladwin replied which made Julie frown.

"Don't beat around the bush, Gladwin!" His mother said irritably.

"That man is Flavia's father." Gladwin joked.

Suddenly Julie fell silent. "Flavia's father?" She repeated softly. Gladwin nodded. Julie's gaze shifted to Claire. "Does that mean you're related to Flavia's father?" Julie asked. Claire nodded her head. "How did you get in touch with him?" she asked again, still curious.

"Yes because they like each other, Mom. For what other reason?" Gladwin replied again.

"Shut up!" Julie said irritably. Her eyes were clearly glaring angrily at Gladwin. Gladwin just shrugged his shoulders in an indifferent gesture. Then Madame Julie's attention turned to Claire. "How did you get in touch with Flavia's father?" she repeated.

"Because I like it." Claire replied flatly.

"Like it? How can you like him. He's a widower and has a daughter who's already a teenager. Not to mention her age...?"

"He is the same age as Richard." Gladwin replied again.

Julie frowned again. "You, dating a man fifteen years older?" Julie asked incredulously.

"What's the problem? He's Richard's schoolmate after all." Gladwin added.

"Richard? Does he know about this too?" Julie asked Gladwin. Gladwin nodded again. "When did he know?" she asked again.

"This morning." Gladwin replied indifferently. "In fact, Richard has no problem with their relationship at all."

"What?" Julie winced in disbelief. "How can that be?"