Claire was beyond hurt by the suggestion that she should work for Diamond Corporate as a Chief Design Officer. It was like rubbing sand into the open wounds.
But more so, she was annoyed that Gabriel was attending the conference. He had no reason to be there himself. In the past, he rarely went out of the city to attend smaller conferences like this. Only the one's that were at international or world level. Those were sometimes worth the effort.
She barely slept and in the morning she was met with Christopher's gaze. She was trying to avoid him but he followed her into the office.
"Good morning, Chris." Claire said with a defeated sigh as she took her coat off.
"Morning, Elise." Chris stood behind her desk, hands in pockets. Something was different about him. He seemed happier, better.
"What do you need?"
"I don't know where to start." He let out a sigh as he took out his hands and leaned against Claire's desk. "You didn't tell me that Gabriel Moore attended the meeting himself."
"Again, I didn't think it was relevant."
"You got the shares from Gabriel Moore. I am truly impressed. A little terrified."
"I wouldn't be too terrified."
"It is Gabriel Moore."
"Indeed."
"Also, what is between you two?"
"It's history. Don't worry."
"History?"
"He might think that I'm crazy." Claire looked at her computer to avoid Christopher's piercing gaze. She was less scared of Gabriel than Christopher. At least she knew what Gabriel was capable of.
"Are you?"
"Do you think I'm crazy?" Claire asked instead as she looked up at Christopher with tilted head.
"Slightly. You rejected Gabriel Moore's offer of employment."
"I have my reasons."
"I suspected as much." Christopher straightened up and took out a letter of his suit jacket's inner pocket, sliding it across the desk.
"What's that?"
"A notice of change of your employment contract."
Claire turned pale as she quickly opened it.
"A pay rise?"
"I thought it was appropriate."
"You doubled my salary."
"Yes."
"You didn't have to."
"I can't have you leave."
"I wouldn't."
"Honestly? Gabriel Moore hinted that this was the best course of action if I am to keep you here."
"Well… thanks." Claire fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Are you going to tell me what the deal between you and Mr Moore is?"
"Probably not. But…could you not send me out to social gatherings for a while?"
"Only if you stay in my company."
"I already told you that I won't leave." Claire smiled.
"Then that's the deal." Christopher smiled as he readied to leave.
"How's Emilia?" Claire asked directly. Christopher paused and his cheeks blushed.
"She's well."
"I see." Claire let out a quiet chuckle.
"She was meant to leave yesterday."
"Oh."
"She chose to stay."
"I'm so glad."
"I am too. Also, you better keep working here so that I can take some vacation."
"Your second in line is you chief financial officer."
"And you keep him and the rest in line so I rely on you."
"Hmm… go enjoy your time with Emilia." Claire waved at him at which he waved back and rushed out of her office.
Claire looked down at the letter in her hand. A small smile crept onto her face. Even if Gabriel remembered her but pretended not to, he still took care of her through the shadows. But then, maybe it was an unintentional byproduct of his endless arrogance.
Claire was keen to get into the full swing of work as she undertook more responsibilities through her role. It was tiring but also distracting.
One evening, as she was driving back to her apartment, and the sun already set, she drove behind a cyclist. She listened to the radio, trying to drown her thoughts. Unexpectedly, the cyclist slipped and fell off the bike and onto the road. Claire did an emergency break thankfully stopping in time to not hit the person on the ground. She briefly sat and stared at the road in shock, and then she run out of the car towards the person that was on the cold asphalt. The person grunted as they've tried to pick themselves up.
"Oh God, are you alright?" Claire run up to them. "Let me help you." She offered. She just recognised in the headlight that the person was a woman but she was still in haze.
"It's alright. Nothing more than a graze." The woman said as she tried to get up.
"Should I call an ambulance?"
"No… no. No." The woman repeated as she shook her head. As she sat up, her face was now placed in the bright lights of the car. She had her cheek scratched quite badly but there didn't seem to be any major injury. Claire felt relieved.
"You should get checked up. I'll take you to the minor injuries unit." Claire said out loud.
"There's no need. I live close by." The woman forced a smile on.
"At the very least, allow me to give you a lift." Claire persisted. The woman agreed., noticing that the chain fell off the bike.
Claire swiftly put the bike in the boot of the car as the woman sat down in the passenger's seat. The woman gave Claire her address, distracting Claire from all the dire thoughts she had.
Claire had a small and pleasant talk with the woman of similar age, who had light blonde hair and blue eyes.
Once they arrived, Claire further insisted that she will bring the bike over for the woman who thanked her and they've walked towards a small terraced house.
The woman opened the door and thanked Claire profusely for her help.
"It is really not a problem. Are you sure that you're okay? I am more than happy to get you to the minor injuries unit to get seen?"
"I am fine, thank you." The woman repeated as Claire handed over her bike.
"You're home, Anne?" A man's voice sounded from the inside of the house. The man's voice seemed familiar to Claire but she quickly dismissed it, smiling at the woman and readying to leave.
"Yes!" The woman shouted into the house, slowly putting the bike away. The tall man walked out of the room towards Anne, and planted the kiss on her cheek. Claire caught it with a side of her eye and turned back towards the door, freezing.
"What happened?"
"I took a tumble off the bike when the chain broke. This lady has helped me get home." Anne pointed at Claire. "Again, thank you for your kindness."
The man turned towards Claire and he also froze.
There was complete and deafening silence that fell between them. Anne looked at her partner with millions of questions but even she knew better than to interrupt.
The man let go off Anne, came out of the house and into the tiny concrete garden, striding towards Claire. There was cautiousness in his steps if he was uncertain, if he was questioning what he was seeing. And then he hugged Claire tightly, so tightly that she could barely breathe.
"Jack?" Claire uttered in disbelief. Jack let her go, studying her from top to bottom.
"Come in." He managed to say at last. "Come in, Claire."
Claire hesitated but then she nodded and followed Jack inside his home.
Jack brought her to the room adjacent to the little corridor and there he turned to Anne who still had no idea what has happened.
"Anne, this is my cousin, Claire. I told you about her." Jack quickly spoke to his partner as he pulled Anne in closer, and then he wrapped his arm across Anne's back. "Claire, this is my girlfriend, Anne."
"It's so lovely to meet you." Anne said quickly. "I can't believe that I didn't recognise you! Jack showed me so many photos of you!"
"It's nice to meet you too, Anne."
"I'll get us a cuppa and we can talk." Jack decided.
"You're alright. You're alive." Claire mumbled as she observed Jack. It was more of a statement than question. "Also, Anne needs some first aid care."
"You're alive, too." Jack said with hurt in his voice. Claire and Anne followed him into the kitchen where he quickly set the kettle going.
"I know." Claire was embarrassed and ashamed of all that happened. Jack took the first aid box out of the cupboard and started cleaning Anne's scratch.
"Where have you been? What happened?" He asked Claire.
"Do you want the good or the bad?" Claire asked with a chuckle.
"I want the truth."
"I was shot by Michael Moore." Claire said honestly. Jack froze and looked at her.
"When?"
"Months ago. When I vanished."
"What happened to you after?"
"Someone saved me. I woke up in a mental facility in Switzerland. They've tried to make me believe that I wasn't Claire."
"What?" Jack stared at her blankly.
"Look, the last year has been a mess. After the trial, Michael Moore evaded prison and he… I think he set up a trap for me and I've walked right into it. It was vile. It was very bad. He did everything to kill me. He was sure that he did. But…" Claire hesitated. "Someone saved me." She mumbled realising that it didn't make sense. Rosa didn't know where she was. Michael Moore wanted her dead. Gabriel was with her and was in equally bad state to her. She didn't know why someone saved her. "And then I was in a Sanatorium in a small province in alps. I was there for over two months, until I admitted that I am not Claire and that it was all my psychotic breakdown. When I came back, everyone was gone. Every one. I have spent months looking for a sign of my old life. For a while, I have started to believe that I truly wasn't Claire."