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."