Claire worked herself to the bone in the lab every single day.
Ever since Julian Fisher, the head of the R&D team, found out she was stationed there, he practically camped outside her door to pick her brain.
Claire was a walking medical encyclopedia; no matter what he asked, she had the perfect answer.
For Julian, having Claire on-site in the company's lab was an absolute godsend.
At first, some team members were worried that Claire dropping into the company out of nowhere might threaten Julian's position, but when they saw their boss staking out the young woman's door every day, their expressions grew suspicious.
"Boss, do you have a crush on Mr. Sheng's cousin?"
"Yeah, Boss, it's not a good look to do this every day. I've noticed Owen getting pretty annoyed whenever he sees you going after Claire."
"Boss, Owen definitely suspects you're trying to hit on his little cousin. He looks at you like you're a thief."
If his subordinates hadn't pointed it out, Julian honestly wouldn't have noticed.
"How could I possibly have designs on Claire!"
"My feelings for her are purely out of admiration!" Julian felt like it would be impossible to clear his name now.
He truly didn't have a single inappropriate thought about Claire.
When someone was that vastly superior to you, pure worship was the only natural response. How could he possibly entertain any other ideas?
Wouldn't that just be disrespectful?
Julian knew his own heart, but Owen obviously didn't.
These past few days, Owen had indeed been keeping a close eye on Julian,
terrified the older man was trying to rob the cradle.
Julian had been completely oblivious to this simply because his intentions were genuinely innocent.
As for Claire, she was even more unbothered.
Julian clearly didn't want her.
He just wanted her brain.
So, Owen's worrying was completely in vain.
Claire's hectic schedule carried her all the way to the eve of the winter holidays.
She finally managed to avoid working overtime, heading straight home to wash her hair, take a shower, and collapse into bed.
After all, tomorrow was the holiday eve, and she absolutely had to attend Zara Zeller's engagement party.
Claire had no intention of stealing the spotlight.
She chose a simple knit top as a base layer and threw a heavy puffer jacket over it, making her look lik she was wrapped in th a thick
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If it weren't for her stunning face, she would have resembled a bear.
But even bundled up like that, with just a swipe of lipstick, Claire stood there looking
as vibrant as a blooming flower.
Claire timed her departure perfectly and drove to the hotel.
She had originally planned to pick up Lex Grant.
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But Lex had already texted to say she wasn't coming; she couldn't get time-off from her part-time job and was simply too busy.
Zara had even offered to cover her lost wages, but Lex stubbornly refused.
It was just an engagement party, and since Lex didn't want to go, Zara didn't want to push it.
Claire and Skylar Sommers had already broken down the real reason behind Lex's reluctance.
Lex just didn't feel comfortable in the Zeller family's environment.
Zara's birthday party had been fine because it was just a bunch of young people.
But an engagement gala was an entirely different beast.
Setting aside the fact that Lex didn't even own an appropriate dress...
Even if she did, she would still feel terribly out of place.
It wasn't a big deal if Lex didn't show up, so why force her into it?
By the time Claire arrived at the hotel, it was already eleven in the morning.
Zara and Reid Dalton were already there.
Seeing Claire, the two of them quickly waved her over.
Since it was just an engagement
party, neither family had invited met
massive crowd of quests
mostly just close
A small banquet hall was more than enough.
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As soon as Mrs. Zeller spotted Claire, she hurried over. "Claire, you made it!"
Ever since she found out Claire was Melissa's daughter, Mrs. Zeller had been intensely curious about her.
Seeing her in person only amplified her enthusiasm.
"Mrs. Zeller."
Claire greeted Zara's mother and then handed over the engagement gift she had prepared for Zara.