The had finally come where Sharmaine would "meet" Alexandra yet again. Frankly, she did not want this day to come, most probably because she felt sick for days; she had to do work whether she liked it or not. Like the first meeting, Sharmaine opted for another suit as it seemed very formal and important.
Unfortunately for her, the sun was scorching hot because of the summer season. It felt like stepping in living h*ll, thankfully, the driver offered her a free ride to the Prism Hotel. Arriving there was not very fun either as the hotel was jam-packed with people because it's the weekend.
The place was still pretty with a few new decorations here and there; mutters filled the air as she paced the once quiet hallways to the same restaurant and "coincidentally" the same table. Still, no sign of Alexandra-the-great but only Claire, who wore a lovely flowy dress accompanied with a shoulder bag and a few youthful accessories.
"Ms. Claire?" Sharmaine chuckled, "I thought Ms. Park will show up now."
Claire giggled. "Me too. I suppose she was busy with something?"
Sharmaine scooted over and sat in front of her. Greetings were not very much important now because once everything had been settled, awkward formal conversations might occur. Sharmaine wanted to let Claire enjoy the moment, but she did not also want to beat around the bush because one thing was for sure: the more she waited, the harder it was for her to tell it directly.
Claire had this very cheery smile on her face which made Sharmaine feel a bit guilty. The food had been served as Sharmaine devoured everything, for she hadn't had breakfast yet. After the lovely meal, she prepared herself, and put on a straight and serious face.
"Carrie Lim." The atmosphere suddenly changed as Claire heard Sharmaine's words.
"It sounds familiar doesn't it?" Claire smiled nervously and denied Sharmaine, making up an excuse, but it was clearly no use.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you, Ms. Claire, rather, Ms. Carrie." The tension thickened around them as Claire's heart pounded wild along with the intense eye contacts.
Claire slowly sighed. "What do you need? What do you want? Why are you doing this, Mr. Shawn?"
"Don't worry, Ms. Claire, I won't harm you nor expose your true identity. I just need a lot of information about the Suarez clothing bankruptcy issue. I heard you were the one who embezzled the money, right?" Claire's eyes shifted into different directions, for she could not handle the extreme pressure and anxiety.
She swallowed. "I was not."
"There is no point in lying—"
She jerked up. "I am not!" But when she suddenly looked upon the sea of people who noticed her, she embarrassingly sat back down and spoke quietly.
"I was just delivering it to Harsley's account because of Shaine's orders," she said with serious eyes. As Sharmaine examined her body language thoroughly, it became clear to her that she was not lying.
She arched her brow upward. "Harsley? Who's that?"
"She was . . . the accountant." Sharmaine was fairly satisfied and surprised with her response. It looked like nothing was a complete lie, so she prepared to leave, bidding farewell to Claire.
Until . . .
"Mr. Shawn? Mr. Shawn?!"