Bennett, on the other hand, had his focus unwaveringly locked onto Claudia. Once the waiter made room for them to sit, Bennett took a seat alongside Claudia.

As they settled down, introductions were exchanged. Claudia, acquainted with most faces in the room, felt her nerves mounting.

As soon as the meal was ordered, Miguel saw his chance. "Mrs. Dreskin, the incident involving you assisting Mathews has ignited a frenzy on the Internet. I must apologize!"

Caught off guard by his formal address to her, Claudia flushed a deep red. She gave an embarrassed smile to Miguel and responded, "It's fine. It's not a big deal."

Miguel gave Mathews a stealthy kick under the table. Mathews then said lazily, “The event has unfortunately put Mr. and Mrs. Dreskin in a bad light. I sincerely apologize."

Not a habitual drinker, he made an exception this time, downing a glass of hard alcohol in one go. Witnessing this, Claudia wished he hadn't gone to such lengths.

But she decided it was not her place to intervene further. She nudged Bennett, her voice barely a whisper, "Mathews is a friend. He didn't intend any harm. Could you please let it slide this time?"

As Claudia leaned in and whispered to Bennett, the room played blind.

Bennett also leaned towards her, Listening intently. He then looked up and glanced at Mathews, who was seated across from him.

Unexpectedly, Mathews was also gazing at Bennett, and their eyes met in the air. One gave a faint smile, while the other remained somewhat cold. No words were exchanged, yet the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The others held their breath, silent, fearful of becoming collateral damage in the brewing storm.

Miguel gave Mathews a warning squeeze. “Don't mess with him!"

Fearing Bennett's wrath, Claudia tugged at his sleeve, pleading,

“Please don't be upset."

Claudia had a knack for coaxing people, but when it came to handling Bennett, she found herself at a loss.

After a moment‘s pause, she found her voice again. “If you're always angry, you'll wrinkle and age quicker."

Bennett lightly tapped his index finger on the table before finally speaking up in a measured tone. “It was an unintentional mistake. It's not a significant issue."

Mathews, with a grin, said, "Mr. Dreskin, you're quite generous."

Everyone in the room collectively exhaled, their anxiety diffused. The manager of the branding department made an effort to steer the conversation towards Lighter topics.

As the dishes were served, the tension was replaced by the buzz of lively conversation.

Throughout the entire dinner, Bennett barely uttered a word. Despite his silence, his presence was impossible to overlook.

He didn't say much and simply focused on serving food for Claudia. This was an unusual sight, Bennett being so thoughtful towards a lady was something they hadn't witnessed before.