Part 88

Claire turned her phone back on after Antony left, and, of course, she wasn't surprised to see numerous missed calls and messages from her mother's number.

Antony had reminded her that until their engagement day arrived, they had to act as if Claire was still on good terms with the man her mother had chosen, even though Claire didn't actually have any contact with him. Both Gladwin and Antony even requested that Claire act enthusiastically about her engagement with Joshua Grint. Crafty as ever, Antony had even asked Claire to change his name to Joshua, so it wouldn't seem suspicious.

After replying to her mother's messages, Claire immediately turned her phone back off. She'd promised her mother she would come over tomorrow afternoon to help prepare the dress they'd be wearing for the engagement next Saturday.

And now, here she was. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself to lie to her mother—the woman who had given birth to her and raised her.

"Well, you finally showed up. Where have you been all this time?" her mother asked skeptically, just as Claire greeted her and walked into the house.

"On vacation," Claire replied flatly. "So, what are we doing now?" she asked, imagining Antony and their plan, which suddenly made her feel a bit excited.

"Answer my question first," her mother said, staring sharply at Claire. "You've resigned from that widower's company, right?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

Claire rolled her eyes. "If I hadn't quit, I wouldn't be here today, Mom," she answered irritably.

Yes, it was her mother who had asked—or more accurately, forced—Claire to leave Antony's company on the very same night her engagement was arranged. Her mother's reason was so that Claire could keep her distance from Antony, wanting her to stay away, forget about him, and focus on her engagement and upcoming marriage.

At first, Claire didn't want to and refused the idea of resigning. She felt that her work and personal life weren't things her mother should control anymore. Besides, she'd been hopeful that Antony would cancel the engagement one way or another. But when she saw Antony's indifferent attitude toward her, she impulsively made the decision out of frustration, not because she wanted to be an obedient daughter.

"For all I know, you might have just taken a leave of absence so that I'd think you were following my wishes," her mother sneered again.

"Did you know that by resigning, I had to pay a pretty hefty penalty?" Claire said irritably.

"You just need to pay it. Didn't you tell me you had plenty of money? Besides, if that widower really liked you, he would have looked the other way and not made you pay such a trivial penalty, since he owns the company," Julie continued, making Claire roll her eyes.

Oh, God, when would her mother ever change? She claimed she didn't like Antony, yet in desperate situations, she still hoped for help from the very person she disliked.

"Are we going to get the dress now?" Claire asked impatiently.

Her mother nodded. "Of course," she said, standing up. She then walked into her room and returned with a purse in her hand.

"Choose something beautiful," her mother instructed as they arrived at Julie's favorite boutique. Claire only nodded in response.

Antony had already mentioned that Claire would be in charge of choosing the engagement theme, including her outfit. Once Claire decided on the color and pattern for her dress and those her family would wear, Antony would follow suit and order clothing in the same theme so that, on the engagement day, Claire and Antony would look coordinated in matching attire.

Antony's family had already ordered their matching outfits last weekend, but Antony wasn't concerned; the outfits they had ordered could still be worn at the upcoming wedding or the engagement of Antony's two other male cousins.

It took Claire quite a while to decide on the fabric and dress style she wanted. Although time was limited, Antony assured her that no matter how complex her desired dress might be, he would make it happen. Since this would be a historic moment for both of them, Claire chose her dress with extra care. She wanted to look stunning on her engagement day, even though she knew that might bring its own challenges later.

Claire glanced at her mother, silently offering an apology from the depths of her heart. She knew she was crossing a line by involving her mother in a plan that might make her furious, humiliated, or even cause her to lose face with her sister-in-law's family.

But Claire had no other choice. She had tried to persuade her mother in more gentle ways before. After all, this was about her future, and she wanted to choose her own partner, as it would be she who would live with him, not her mother. Claire held firmly to her principle of marrying only once in her life, regardless of whether it would succeed or fail. She would leave the rest up to fate. For now, she could only hope that the surprise she, Antony, and her siblings had planned wouldn't give her mother a heart attack.

Three hours later, Claire finally left the boutique after she, her mother, and her sisters-in-law had finalized the dress design and taken measurements for what Claire would wear. The boutique owner promised that the dresses would be ready the day before the engagement ceremony. Given the hefty price tag, they'd better not break their promise.

After finishing at the boutique, they continued their day by meeting with the catering service. Once again, Claire looked enthusiastic about the various dishes they would serve at her engagement. This time, she wanted to show her future in-laws that she had excellent taste. Her mother seemed unsuspecting and even kept smiling approvingly every time Claire requested a menu change. To her mother, Claire seemed genuinely invested in this engagement—and she was, though not with the man her mother had in mind.

After a tiring day of arranging all the details for the engagement, including decorations and more, they finally headed home. Claire asked her mother's driver to drop her off at her restaurant, as she hadn't yet told Yudhis that she was no longer employed at Coskun, which meant she could now focus fully on their restaurant.

Yudhis was thrilled with Claire's decision, and he immediately started sharing his brilliant plans for opening another branch of their restaurant, which had already attracted a loyal clientele. Claire listened enthusiastically until her phone rang, and her former fiancé's name appeared on the screen. A wide smile broke across her face, which made Yudhis raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes, I'll be waiting," Claire said as she ended the call.

"You've really changed," Yudhis commented, his eyes smiling. "Are you in love?" he asked, curious.

Claire smirked and gave him a challenging look. "If I told you that I'm getting engaged this weekend, would you believe me?" she countered.

Yudhis's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open in shock. "You're not joking, are you?" he asked in disbelief.

Claire chuckled and nodded. "What do you think?"

"Claire, I'm serious," Yudhis pressed.

Claire nodded. "So am I," she replied flatly. "Make sure you don't miss it," she said, still smiling. "I have to go now—my future husband is waiting for me." She grabbed her bag and left, leaving Yudhis staring after her in disbelief.

Inwardly, he wondered what kind of man had managed to win over the heart of the queen bee herself, also known as Mrs. Julie Hampton.