Feeling guilty, Claudia's hand shook slightly, causing the coffee in her hand to nearly spill.

“What do you mean ‘off’? You're probably still half asleep!"

Aurora scoffed, “Drop the act. Just be honest. Did you struggle to get any sleep last night?"

While saying this, she examined Claudia and noticed she appeared well.

“Hey, no dark circles under your eyes. Looks like you didn't have a bout of insomnia last night! Then why did you get up so early this morning?"

Taking a gulp of her own coffee, she continued, “Waking up early is one thing. But showing up at my door at dawn? What's going on? Just be honest."

Claudia shot her a glance, replying, “Seems like you aren't thrilled with my early visit."

“Don't change the subject. Is this about Bennett? Did you two have a spat?"

Claudia sighed, realizing she couldn't keep the truth from Aurora. "Do you honestly think Bennett and I would fight?"

“So, why did you decide to get up so early this morning?"

“I went to bed early last night. After setting up our meeting, I showered and went to sleep. I woke up at six in the morning. I didn't want to spend the whole morning in the villa facing Bennett, so I decided to come see you."

She took an aggressive bite of her bagel, channeling her frustrations as if imagining it was Bennett. "He's always on edge around me, right? Might as well keep my distance and avoid him. We just have to play the lovey-dovey couple for the public and nothing more."

"Wow, you do look like a girl in Love who's just pissed off by her stupid boyfriend!"

After a brief pause, Aurora inquired, "If Bennett calls you up later, are you going to ditch me and dash back? Isn't that the case for those who vent about their boyfriends to their female friends?"

A shiver ran through Aurora as she Looked at Claudia with suspicion.

Caught off-guard, Claudia reassured, “Relax. I'm not that kind of person."

Truthfully, Bennett wasn't the type to reach out first. And even if he did call, he wouldn't be offering any apologies.

He likely didn't even grasp his own mistake. Welt.

Aurora gave a dismissive huff. Clearly, she wasn’t believing any of her friend's promise.

After wrapping up their meal, it was only a little past seven. Yawning, Aurora shot Claudia a hopeful glance.

“Mind if I catch another couple hours of sleep?"

Noticing the fatigue etched under Aurora's eyes, Claudia sympathized and said, "Of course."

After thanking Claudia, Aurora headed back to her room. Upon lying down on her bed, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Holding her nearly dead phone, Claudia considered asking about the charger's location, but upon seeing Aurora deep in sleep, she decided not to disturb her.