Aurora countered, "A pact can be broken for love's sake. If you truly like him, just tell him! Don't be afraid! No matter what, you could at least have sex with him! Bennett's an outstanding man in every way. You're hardly losing out, are you?"

Claudia was left speechless.

She knew Aurora would have such an opinion!

In Aurora's mind, romance seemed to have one track!

Aurora flooded her with numerous messages, all containing similar content.

Claudia felt too shy to reply. How could a single lady speak Like that? How audacious!

She escaped to the piano room, phone in tow, to lose herself in practice. After playing the two pieces for Mathews’ concert twice over, Marcia came upstairs to tell her that a visitor was asking for her downstairs.

Claudia's brow furrowed. It was a working day on Monday for most people.

Could it be Bennett's father, coming to see her at this hour?

This time, Claudia's guess was right. Since she had turned down a meeting with Benico previously, he had been stewing in anger for days.

Aware that Bennett was surely at the company, Benico went directly to seek out Claudia.

Upon Claudia's descent to the living room, she found that Marcia had already served coffee for Benico.

Yet, the cup remained untouched.

Handling Bennett's father proved more challenging than dealing with his stepmother. Benico had honed his tactics in the business world over three decades.

Though he had been forced to retire due to health problems, his imposing presence had not diminished one bit.

Claudia actually found him intimidating, but knowing she wasn't Bennett's true wife emboldened her slightly.

She approached the sofa and took a seat. "Mr. Dreskin." She had wanted to address him as "dad," but feared that might enrage him, so she altered her salutation.

Benico's gaze was icy as he retorted, "Miss Marshall, quite a feat! Right after Anthony called off the engagement with you, you have Bennett married you."

"You've got it wrong. I was the one who broke off the engagement, not Anthony."

She blurted out the key point, and Benico got angry at once. "Don't play innocent with me! Bennett may see you as pure, but I'm not fooled!"

‘m not playing anything. I was simply speaking the truth," Claudia insisted, feeling unjustly accused.

In his many years, Benico had never encountered someone Like Claudia He demanded, “What's your price? Name it, and then you can divorce Bennett."

“No wonder you and Mrs. Dreskin are a couple. She once said those exact same words to me!”

Couldn't they at Least vary their approach?