Sensing Mrs. Baxter's calculating gaze, Professor Lewis smoothly intervened with a proud smile. "This girl is incredibly brilliant. She's a student at Cabinda Medical School."
Mrs. Baxter's eyes lit up. That was a top-tier institution!
No wonder she was connected to the Lewis family; she shared their signature intellect.
Who wouldn't want a genius mother for their future grandchildren?
If the kids took after their mother, they'd be brilliant!
"Let's walk together! I absolutely adore smart kids."
"My son, well, he wasn't exactly cut out for academics, so he... wait, no, he just wanted to serve his country, so he joined the military."
He definitely wasn't cut out for academics.
Claire might not have caught the aggressive subtext, but Professor Lewis read her loud and clear.
Mrs. Baxter was relentlessly pitching her son.
Having already mentally claimed Claire as her future daughter-in-law, Professor Lewis had zero intention of letting Mrs. Baxter swoop in.
She immediately began running interference, constantly derailing the conversation.
Eventually, the walk devolved into the two older women aggressively bragging about their respective sons.
Walking beside them, Claire felt so painfully awkward she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
The two women remained entirely oblivious to her discomfort. Along the way, they were stopped by several other neighbors.
Plenty of people were curious about Claire's identity, but thankfully, no one else was bold enough to forcefully invite themselves along like Mrs. Baxter.
Even though the walk only lasted thirty minutes, to Claire, it felt like a grueling eternity.
Noticing the time, Claire quickly nudged Professor Lewis.
Professor Lewis breathed a massive sigh of relief.
If they had stayed out any longer, she wasn't sure she could have stopped Mrs. Baxter from demanding a formal introduction between Claire and her son.
The main issue was that Professor Lewis still hadn't figured out where Caleb stood with Claire, so she couldn't make any definitive claims.
She didn't want to overplay her hand and ruin everything.
"Alright, we really must be getting back."
Professor Lewis offered a hasty goodbye to Mrs. Baxter and practically dragged Claire back toward the house, walking as if they were being chased by a pack of wild dogs.
"Professor Lewis, there's really no need to rush," Claire offered hesitantly.
Professor Lewis offered a sheepish smile and forcibly slowed her pace. "You're right, Claire. Let's just enjoy the stroll."
Claire maintained her polite smile, completely understanding the unspoken dynamic.
Professor Lewis was obviously rushing because she wanted Clarence to get to sleep as soon as possible.
How could Claire purposely drag her feet?
Wouldn't that just make her more anxious?
So, instead of slowing down, Claire subtly increased her pace.
When they returned to the house, the housekeeper brought out a fresh plate of fruit.
Claire nibbled on it politely while they waited for Clarence to finally emerge from his study.
His promised "half-hour" had stretched into nearly an hour.
The moment he stepped out, Professor Lewis shot him a withering glare.
"Oh, finally decided to clock out, have we?"
Faced with her biting sarcasm, Clarence immediately offered an apologetic smile.
"Don't be mad, dear. I saw how much you adored Claire, so I thought I'd give you two some extra time to bond."
He was exceptionally quick on his feet with an excuse.
And frustratingly enough, Professor Lewis bought it completely.
She genuinely had wanted more one-on-one time with the young woman.
She had raised a son, and no matter how well-behaved he was, a son
simply couldn't compare to the line
sweet companionship of a daughter.
Claire wasted no time and immediately began the acupuncture session.
While Clarence was terrified of bitter medicine, he was completely
unfazed by pain. He watched the
long needles pierce his skin without
a flinch.
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Acupuncture wasn't actively painful, but it did produce a deep, heavy aching sensation that wasn't exactly pleasant.
However, the aftereffects were incredibly soothing.
Claire also applied soothing heat therapy, and Clarence was deeply asleep within minutes.
He slept flawlessly through the entire night.
Thirty minutes later, Claire removed the needles and prepared to leave.
Caleb drove her home.
When he returned to the house, he
took one look at his mother's
gleaming overly eagereyes and
knew she had wildly misread the situation.