"Dinner is ready," he said.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Claudia feigned a sense of calm.

She nodded and went to take his hand.

Hand in hand, they made their way downstairs.

Marcia had already set the table, blissfully unaware of the intimate moment she had interrupted.

She was simply looking forward to going home after this.

Claudia noticed that, compared with Marcia's cheerful expression, Bennett's barely concealed dissatisfaction was evident.

Claudia chose to focus on her meal, eating in thoughtful silence.

After all, in a way, Marcia had come to her rescue.

In the afternoon, Claudia had swum for an hour and later had spent some tiring moments flirting with Bennett.

Claudia felt hungrier than usual. She wasn't gobbling down her food but kept on nibbling.

Once Bennett had eaten enough, he cleaned his lips and observed Claudia, who ate like a curious squirrel. A smile gradually appeared on his slender lips.

He passed a glass of water to her upon noticing she'd stopped eating.

Spotting the water Bennett offered, Claudia eagerly drank it down.

After clearing her throat, she met his gaze, stating, "I'm done."

She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling relief after swallowing.

“Did the food get stuck?"

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Claudia recognized she had gobbled her food down too quickly and admitted, "I couldn't help eating faster."

“Did it go down okay?"

She affirmed with a nod.

"It did."

Hesitating a bit, she questioned, “Are we still going out tonight?"

After saying that, Claudia blushed slightly.

What had occurred before dinner was still fresh in her memory, and on top of that, she had already told him they were not going out tonight.