"Not sure yet."

"Why?"

He ran his hand through his hair, mussing up his short locks, and in an instant, his face took on the appearance of a teenager.

A flutter raced through Claudia's chest.

Yet, she swiftly set aside those feelings, lifting her gaze to his, awaiting his response.

His lips curved into a smile and he said, “It depends on you."

"Me?" A bewildered Claudia gestured to herself, querying, “What do you mean?"

She was clueless!

"If you're attending, I will. If you are not, neither will I."

Flustered, Claudia voiced her reservations.

"Well... I'm not sure your father would appreciate my presence.”

Clearly, Benico wasn't fond of her. Making an appearance might infuriate him to the point where he'd skip the birthday cake.

However, she was Bennett's legitimate wife, and it was inappropriate for her to miss Benico's birthday celebration.

This dilemma was truly difficult to solve.

Bennett turned around, heading to stash his towel in the bathroom.

Upon returning, he inquired, "Cece, are you going?"

Claudia raised her eyes to meet his, questioning, "I think I have to attend it, right?"

If she didn't go, people would gossip about the two of them.

Though she wasn't overly concerned about rumors, she cared about her standing with Benico. Missing his birthday could further tarnish her image in his eyes, couldn't it?

It seemed the situation couldn't get any worse if she attended the event.

With that thought, a frown appeared on her face.

Noticing her discomfort, Bennett leaned in and kissed her brow.

"Don't stress about it. Just let me know if you want to attend or not."

Of course, Claudia didn't want to go, but she was not a child who only knew to be tactless.