“No, I didn't mean that. I mean, I mean..."

Seeing her flustered, Mathews ceased his teasing and handed her the gift. "Thank you, Miss Marshall."

Claudia almost sprinted down the stage, disheveled and fearful of offending Mathews’ fans.

Instead of receiving criticism, Claudia found herself being adored by Mathews’ fans.

By the time she discovered that she and Mathews had become the subject of hot gossip, it was already the next day.

The previous day had been filled with rehearsals for the concert. When she arrived home, she noticed Bennett's absence and decided to take a shower first.

Her plan had been to wait for Bennett's return after showering and question him about his absence that night. Yet exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep within minutes, unable to stay up and wait for Bennett.

She was so weary that she didn't stir until ten o'clock the following morning.

As she awoke, her phone came to life with messages from Aurora and Zaria.

Claudia's first thought was that they were inquiring about the concert. Famished, she opted to wash her face and brush her teeth before checking her phone. With her skin care routine complete, Claudia descended the stairs, phone in hand, to breakfast.

Marcia greeted her with warm smile and her breakfast.

“Mrs. Dreskin, Mr. Dreskin said he'll be back for Lunch."

Claudia responded, momentarily puzzled, “Oh, okay. Please prepare his meal at noon."

She accepted the situation without question, and, after a few spoonfuls of porridge, switched on her phone to review the messages from Aurora and Zaria.

Messages from Bennett had also come in the previous night.

He had sent them after Claudia had drifted to sleep, asking if she'd made it home and if she needed him to pick her up.

Her lack of response was due to her being sound asleep.

After some contemplation, Claudia texted Bennett, “I'm sorry, Mr. Dreskin. I was too exhausted yesterday and fell asleep early. I didn't see your message."

Bennett's mornings were typically busy, so after sending the message, Claudia began to peruse the texts from Aurora.

At midnight, Aurora had bombarded her with seven or eight messages, all concerning her unexpected rise to fame at Mathews’ concert the previous night. She'd even included various screenshots.

Aurora's text caught Claudia's eye. "Cece, I can't believe that the fans of Mathews are pairing you and him together. It's fascinating

“Wow, the more I look at you two, the more I feel that you look like a couple! Shit! I think I've kinda accepted this!" Following this revelation, she sent Claudia a video.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Aurora's inquiries continued with another message.

“You haven't woken up yet? Who is Kayla Bryant? Did Bennett skip the concert last night just because of her?" Alongside the text, she sent Claudia a screenshot.