Clara's POVWhen the waiter came back with our meal, I was taken aback to see that three other gentlemen had followed him and had started laying out the various foods on the table: salads, spaghetti, ramen, kebab, paella, and more that I couldn't even begin to name because most of them seemed so foreign to me."What made you order so much food?"I inquired."Well, I wasn't entirely sure what you wanted to eat, so I thought I'd order a little of everything." He said."Well, if I eat all of this, there is hardly any room left for a baby," I said.He began to eat our dinner while we both served ourselves.Would you mind briefly introducing yourself to me?"He enquired."What information do you seek? I questioned, brushing the flyaways off my face in a way that almost seemed playful. Great, now he'll think I'm flirting with him."Do you have any relatives on your mom's side?" he said, clearing his mouth."He enquired."No, none of them are in contact with us. I said, "It's always just my mom

Clara's POVMy hand instinctively grabbed for his cheek, turning his head away. The only issue was that he was suddenly focusing only on me. His gaze was fixed on mine. Our touch sent a shockwave through my arm.A chilly shudder ran down my spine. I was unable to attribute it to the wind this time.Our gaze met, and for an instant, I lost consciousness of my breathing.My rational part advised me to back off and that I should flee and get a cab home since these emotions would only make me lose my mind, but I disregarded it. We met eyes, and I stood there, knees weak, dreaming what it would be like to kiss him. I knew full well how close we were. I hope my heartbeat was too rapid for him to sense. A crowd yelled, "Mr. Montenegro," and I heard them.Derek and I both looked in the direction of the sounds.Suddenly, many photographers appeared, all pointing their cameras directly at us.I put my hand over my face. I had to keep them from seeing me.Derek must have gotten the idea, too, f

Clara's POV"There will be no need for that," I answered, hoping Mom would get the idea out of her head.I didn't want my mom to meet Derek. It would be awkward if I invited Marcus, and he claims to have no idea why I was even promoted. As for Derek taking the cake, I've never seen him eat a meal that isn't higher than my paycheck, so I'm not sure he would accept it."Of course, we should." Mom insisted. "You know what, I'll stop by tomorrow where you work and make sure I invite your boss myself." She continued. She didn't seem to be getting the idea out of her head."No, Mom," I looked at her with pleading eyes. "Besides, my boss is a very busy man. I doubt he would want to come to this neighbourhood." I tried to reason."Well, you'll never know unless we try." She insisted. "I think I'll go and invite him today. I'll make my delicious lasagna tonight." She continued.It seemed like all my lies were about to blow up in my face. I was already pretending to be sick today. For Marcus or

Clara's POV'Who is the business tycoon's new flame?''Trouble in paradise between hotelier Derek Montenegro and Madison Riley?'I ignored the headlines in the rest of the tabloids and skipped through them.I sighed in relief. At least none of them captured my face."This calls for a moment to celebrate," Layla clapped her hands together. "Lucy!" she yelled.Her expression changed as she was hit with a realisation."Oh wait, she is not here today," she whispered. "Margaret!" she yelled again.A woman came running toward us. "Yes, ma'am," she answered."Please bring us two mimosas," Layla ordered.Margaret nodded before returning to the house."I want to know everything that happened," Layla said. She shifted her body to face me, her eyes filled with excitement.I told her every detail of the story, starting when I bumped into Derek. She seemed more excited as the story progressed.Margaret returned with our drinks while we lay under the umbrellas.I took a moment to think. "Have you e

Clara's POVI started with way too many lies. Sooner or later, he was bound to catch on.He sighed. "Okay, why don't I just pick you up?" He offered."No, there is no need for that. As I said, I'm perfectly fine. You can go home. Besides, I'm just about to catch a cab now." I answered."Are you sure?" He asked."Yes, I'll see you tomorrow at work," I said.He sighed. After that, we both said our goodbyes.I got out of this a lot easier than I thought.*****NEXT DAY*I rubbed my forehead, hoping it would make my hangover a little bit better. I ended up having many more drinks with Layla than I should have. To make things more difficult, Mother Nature decided that today was my day. Not only did I have a hangover, but I was also having cramps. My back and feet hurt. If not for yesterday, today would have been the best day to stay home.I slammed my locker shut."Morning!" Ivy yelled. I nearly jumped out of my skin at her surprise."Could you be any louder?" I snapped, rubbing my forehea