"MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: HAILEY STEINFELD, WRONG DIRECTION.
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"I'm sorry, maybe some other time..."
The words echoed in Claudia's mind like a relentless drumbeat, drowning out all reason. She couldn't bear the sting of his rejection. The man standing before her looked like a complete stranger, he's not the Alanis she had met last week, he was not the same man she had met just yesterday during Harlow's wedding.
Alanis Hamilton stared at her now with distant, almost apathetic eyes. Once, those eyes had brimmed with love, a love so fierce and consuming that it had made her feel invincible. He had chased her relentlessly, adored her like she was his entire world. She remembered his words, his promises, and the way he begged to be with her.
He was always the one that chased her, now it's the other way around...
Her chest tightened as she watched his indifferent demeanor. How did things change?
A ripple of quiet laughter from the servants broke through her thoughts, and she stiffened. Their suppressed giggles were like knives, cutting at the fragile threads of her dignity. She shot them a glare, but the damage was done. She knew why they laughed.
For weeks she had mocked Harlow openly, stating her marriage to Alanis was a mere business arrangement and nothing more. She's the one Alanis loved. But the man standing before them didn't seem like he wanted her either. His eyes were rather on Harlow, the one who hadn't acknowledged his presence since he got here.
"Come on son-in-law, you can't just come in here and leave like that. At least have even a cup of water or a glass of wine. Besides, your grandmother is still eating." Elisa saw how embarrassed her daughter was and decided to intervene.
She eyed the red-haired girl on the table with an indifferent expression. Everyone had seen the way Alanis stared at her as if charmed by her beauty.
She didn't understand Alanis's cold attitude towards Claudia, they used to be so much in love. Alanis even cried the day Claudia had broken up with him, but tonight, he had his eyes on Harlow and Harlow alone.
What is going on?
Something must have happened between these two to make them act this way. And she would find out about it.
She stared at her stepdaughter disdainfully. She has managed to steal everything away from Claudia and now Alanis's heart too?
What trick was she using?
Elisa glared at Frank and he added, "Join us Mr Hamilton, besides, your grandmother is yet to be done with her dinner." Frank said.
Alanis hesitated, his expression unreadable. He glanced briefly at Harlow, who remained silent, then nodded. He didn't want to stay, that much was obvious, but he couldn't refuse without causing a scene.
Claudia seized the opportunity. She reached for his arm, her touch possessive, and smiled. "Sit with me," she said sweetly, guiding him toward the chair beside hers.
Elisa smiled tightly, masking her irritation. Her gaze flicked to Harlow, who seemed utterly unaffected by the unfolding drama. The girl's calm demeanor only fueled her anger.
"Let's eat before the food gets cold," Frank announced, gesturing for everyone to sit.
Claudia forced a triumphant smile as she slid into her seat beside Alanis, but it didn't reach her eyes. He hadn't even looked at her since sitting down. Instead, his attention drifted, subtly but unmistakably, toward Harlow.
Finally, Harlow broke her silence.
"Mr. Hamilton," she greeted, her voice calm and measured. She lifted her gaze to meet his, her emerald eyes cool and bright.
Alanis froze for a moment, he had never known Harlow to be this beautiful in his entire life. For a moment he froze, as if time stilled. Harlow mistook his quietness as hate and broke contact first as she shifted her gaze to her plate.
There's no need trying to be mutual with someone who never loved her and never will.
"Mrs Blackwood." He replied, his voice low and steady.
The brief exchange seemed to electrify the room. Claudia's grip on her wine glass tightened, her knuckles whitening as she fought to maintain her composure.
"Our soups are getting cold, let's eat." Frank words broke through the air and everyone turned to their food.
Harlow was the first to take a silent sip of her soup, and the rest joined, but the loud shrill at the table made them all stop eating immediately.
"Ahh, who cooked this?" Claudia asked immediately. Both she and her mother had both jumped from the table.
"A... Alfonzo ma'am." One of the servants said.
"Alfonzo? How long has he been cooking here to not know both I and my daughter don't like pepper? Maybe someone wants to be fired tonight." Elisa yelled at them.
"Fetch me that fool, I'll personally deal with him myself." She said and the servant went ahead to fetch the head butler. Claudia on the other hand rushed to drink cold water. She was so sure she would have a running stomach tonight.
That stupid Alfonzo has humiliated her before Alanis today. She'll teach him a lesson, she'll teach him a good lesson.
In no time, the servant who left had returned with Alfonzo. His eyes went to Harlow and she gave him a silent thumbs up for a job well done which didn't go unnoticed by a certain someone seated across from her. She met his gaze and lowered her eyes to her food.
Rather than feeling happy, the head chef swallowed hard. It was because while he pleased his little miss, he had displeased his other miss's.
"Alfonzo, how long have you been working for the Blackwood as a Chef?" Elisa asked staring at the man as nothing but a mere animal she could crush with her bare hands.
Her lips still burned from the soup she had.
Alonzo stared at Harlow, who looked like she was enjoying the scene before. She was too carried away in Claudia and Elisa's suffering that she had forgotten her part of the script.