Jackson had intended to remind Bennett of a three o'clock meeting, but upon seeing his boss’ expression, he wisely kept his head down.

The priority now was not to upset him further.

Meanwhile, Claudia had been in touch with Mathews, and they were preparing to clarify what had happened the other night. Mathews' agent suggested that Aurora should also make a statement.

Claudia hesitated to involve Aurora; she felt she could face the scorn alone. There was no need to drag her friend into it.

Upon hearing this, Aurora chided her friend for being foolish, insisting that Claudia's words might be dismissed by the public, but her own statement would be different. That night, after exiting the car, she had mustered the courage to ask for Mathews' autograph and had taken a photo with him.

Posting the time-stamped photo would lend credibility to their story. Only then did Claudia recall the photo and suggest, “Then I'll set up a chat group, and Let's discuss how to clarify it."

She sighed inwardly at the fickleness of public opinion, relieved that she was not part of the entertainment industry.

After issuing a statement clarifying her relationship with Mathews, Claudia stared at the harsh comments online, feeling a pang of unjustified grief.

Despite everything, she and Mathews had no illicit connection.

Thoughts of Bennett and Kayla crept into her mind, but she covered her eyes and shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking about it.

At that moment, a sudden knock came at the door.

Claudia was startled, thinking the knock had come from Marcia. Without giving it much thought, she slid into her slippers and went to open the door.

“What's wrong, Marcia?" she asked, concern in her voice.

But the moment the words left her mouth, she looked up to see the familiar face of a man. Her eyes instantly turned red. "Mr. Dreskin?"

Realizing that she had lost control, she quickly averted her gaze, blinking rapidly to hold back her tears.

“Why did you suddenly come back?"

Despite her efforts, she couldn't contain her tears, and they streamed down her cheeks.

“It's just... There's something in my eyes!"

Seeing that she could still try to make Light of the situation, Bennett felt a wave of relief.

“Really?”

His words, though well-intentioned, only made Claudia feel more upset. . I have nothing to do with Mathews. How could they say that about me?"

She did her utmost to contain her anger, but ultimately, she failed.

She had never felt so uncertain about the relationship between herself and Bennett. Even now, she couldn't admit that her unhappiness stemmed from his absence at her performance Last night and his failure to pick her up.

These were things meant for the real Mrs. Dreskin, not her, the stand-in for the title.