After pondering for a moment, Claudia replied, “My flight's at seven in the evening, day after tomorrow, I should have a whole day free for shopping."

Aurora responded with a flurry of heart emojis and pictures of the bags she had in mind.

“OK," Claudia texted back.

Dealing with jet lag was never pleasant. To pass the time, Claudia decided to practice yoga.

After a solid two-hour session, daylight finally began to filter through the windows,

Claudia sent a message to Joann, who, it turned out, hadn't been sleeping either. They decided to go for breakfast right away.

Later in the morning, Claudia had a meeting with the production team. Just as she and Joann finished breakfast, Charles called to say he'd arrived at the hotel.

Charles was there to escort them to the venue.

Before leaving, Claudia returned to her room to grab a coat. The weather seemed far from inviting-gloomy and chilly, to be precise.

At nine in the morning, Claudia encountered Claude. Following greetings exchanged with other musical virtuosos, they initiated their practice session,

The performance was slated for eight in the evening and would run for two hours; Claudia had a forty-minute slot on stage.

It had been some time since Claudia's last formal performance, owing to the car accident she'd been involved in.

Truth be told, she felt quite anxious.

However, things went more smoothly than she had anticipated. Once her segments were complete, she slipped into her coat.

Joann handed her a water bottle and leaned in to whisper, "The guy we ran into yesterday is in the audience."

Claudia took a sip of water and inquired, “Who are you talking about?"

“He's one of the two men we shared a flight with, the one you said you were not familiar with."

Claudia looked at her with curiosity.

"Are you interested in him? Should I get his number for you?"

“Absolutely not! I just find the coincidence rather intriguing!"

Joann hadn't taken special note of the man; she had simply seen him enter the auditorium while she was stepping out to take a phone call.

What an unexpected coincidence.

Even so, Joann was fully committed to supporting Claudia's relationship with Bennett.

In her mind, there was no room for any romantic possibility between Claudia and that man, Xavier.