But he was powerless to act, no longer having any claim on Claudia.

A wave of frustration and despair washed over him, his face blanched. He yearned to leave, but as he turned to go, he was intercepted by Kristy.

“Mr. Nixon," she addressed him. Anthony responded with a curt nod, “Miss Murray."

Kristy sipped her red wine, her gaze following Claudia. "Miss Marshall truly stands out tonight.”

Anthony responded only by emptying his wine glass.

Kristy continued, "Miss Marshall's necklace is worth over fifty million dollars. She is quite accomplished."

“What's your point?"

Kristy huffed. "Nothing much. Just an observation. Miss Marshall and Mr. Dreskin have only been married for two months, yet he has already gifted her such an extravagant necklace. Doesn't that signify her remarkable talent?"

Anthony's eyes flickered towards Kristy, then back to Claudia, who was nestled comfortably in Bennett's arms.

Yes, Claudia was talented, more so than he'd realized. How could he have been so blind to her talent at charming men?

ALL the while, Claudia remained oblivious. She accepted a glass of wine from Bennett and was about to take a sip when she paused. She then quickly moved the glass away from her Lips.

She had almost forgotten her poor tolerance for alcohol.

Observing Claudia's actions, Bennett's brows knitted into a slight frown.

“Isn't it to your liking?"

Claudia's hesitation wasn't born of dislike but rather an apprehension of becoming embarrassingly drunk.

Claudia enjoyed a good drink, but her tolerance was laughably Low.

The memory of herself getting drunk and mentioning "Sex in a Car" in front of Bennett was still vivid in her mind.

The memory of it caused her cheeks to flame up.

“It's not good to drink," she murmured.

The wine was tempting, yes, but the prospect of her ensuing humiliation was not.

So she quitted drinking!

Smiling gently, Bennett took the red wine from Claudia and exchanged it with a glass of orange juice, plucked from a passing waiter's tray.

“Try this instead."

Claudia glanced around the room, noting how everyone else was swirling their wine glasses, while she, dressed to impress, clutched an incongruous glass of orange juice. It made her feel a little out of sync.