Her smile, stuck midway, looked even worse than when she had been crying.

"I need to go.”

He gave Claudia a fleeting look before exiting the villa.

Shortly after, she heard the familiar hum of a car engine outside.

Had he been upset?

Claudia was puzzled.

Just as Allan revved up the engine, he was abruptly interrupted by Bennett asking, “Is there any water?"

In his haste, Allan retrieved a water bottle from the storage compartment and passed it to Bennett.

Intrigued by Bennett's unusual request, Allan sneaked a glance at Bennett through the rearview mirror while restarting the car.

Bennett unscrewed the cap, wet his finger and applied it to his neck. Allan wondered about Bennett's actions.

He wanted to express his worry, but considering it wasn't his place to question, Allan resumed driving in silence.

Bennett scrubbed at his neck twice with his fingertips, but he only managed to get rid of a tiny fraction of the foundation, leaving the scratch mark still hidden.

What were the cosmetics Claudia used made of? They were even waterproof!

He eventually conceded defeat and ceased his efforts to clean his neck. Shortly, the car pulled up at the office. Jackson was at the conference room entrance, waiting. Spotting Bennett, he exhaled in relief. "Mr. Dreskin."

He had doubted whether Bennett would show up that day.

Bennett nodded in acknowledgement. “Fetch me a bottle of makeup remover."

Jackson, having served Bennett for a considerable period, was somewhat bewildered by this request.

Why did Bennett suddenly require a make-up remover?

However, as a dedicated secretary, Jackson had to always comply with the directive.

“Certainly, sir. I'LL retrieve it promptly."

Once Bennett left for work, Claudia had intended to play the piano Yet, her thoughts kept trailing back to the foolishness she had committed, making it impossible to concentrate.

Eventually, she picked up her phone, contemplating a while before typing out a message to Aurora.