Not 42

“What are you looking at? I called you and you didn’t even hear me.” 

Claudine withdrew her gaze. 

“It’s nothing. Mom, why didn’t you let me know you were coming? I could have picked you up at the airport.” 

Bridgette linked arms with her daughter, her voice soft and gentle. With decades of opera training, her speech was melodious and graceful. 

“Mom missed you. You haven’t come home to see me in so long. This time, your dad came here on a business trip, so I came along. Claudy, did you miss Mom?” 

Bridgette blinked her bright, watery eyes, looking at her daughter. 

Although she was nearly fifty, she took great care of herself and had a superb figure from years of singing opera. 

Standing next to Claudine, they looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. 

Everyone who knew Bridgette always envied her for living such a happy and fulfilling life. 

Her father was a university professor, she herself was a famous opera singer in her youth, and after marrying, her hus- band was attentive and caring. She had two capable children. 

The only thing that ever worried her was her son, who was over thirty and still refused to get married. 

Claudine used to think the same way. 

In fact, when she married Damian and gave up her studies, it was because of her mother’s influence. 

She believed that a woman’s greatest happiness was to support her husband, raise children, and have a harmonious family. 

Until that time, when she discovered her father’s secret… 

Seeing her daughter lost in thought again, Bridgette was a bit puzzled. 

“Claudy, do you have something on your mind? Why are you always distracted?” 

Claudine shook her head. 

“It’s nothing, Mom. Let’s go eat something first.” 

With that, Claudine led her mother out of the Barrette Group building. 

The two of them went to a private restaurant. After lunch, Bridgette noticed a nearby Fine Embroidery Museum and pulled Claudine inside to look around. 

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Bridgette had grown up in the south and had always loved embroidered evening dresses. As soon as she entered the museum, her eyes were drawn to an evening dress displayed in the main hall. 

Claudine followed her mother’s gaze and saw that the evening dress was indeed beautiful. 

Even though she didn’t know much about these things, just by looking at it, she could tell it was a masterpiece. 

Noticing their interest, a staff member approached to introduce the piece: “This is a work by embroidery master Conor Galvan. The branches of the crabapple flowers are stitched with ochre thread to mimic the famous brushwork of gold and stone, and the textured effect is achieved using the twisted needle technique. 

The petals use the ‘waterway blank–leaving‘ technique to create a gradient from pink to white, with fine silver thread rolled along the edges, giving off a cool glow under moonlight. 

“The real silk fabric drapes beautifully when worn, and the butterfly wings embroidered on the chest tremble slightly with each breath, appearing lifelike. The back waist is cut out in a teardrop shape to reveal the embroidered spine, with butterfly and flower patterns undulating along the curve of the spine, as if alive.” 

Claudine could tell her mother really liked the evening dress, so she spoke to the staff member. 

“Is this evening dress for sale?” 

“Of course!” 

The staff member replied. 

“All the items in our museum are available for purchase.” 

Just as Claudine was about to buy the evening dress, a voice suddenly sounded behind her. 

“Ms. Hogan, you’re here too, what a coincidence!” 

Audrey walked over, smiling as she greeted Claudine. 

Ever since Claudine learned about Audrey and her ex–husband, she had been deliberately keeping her distance, but she hadn’t expected to run into her here. 

“Ms. Lavigne!” 

She spoke with a polite but distant tone. 

Audrey pretended not to notice Claudine’s coldness and remained as enthusiastic as ever. 

“And this is?” 

She asked deliberately, even though she already knew it was Claudine’s mother before coming. 

When she reached the top floor of the Barrette Group building and passed by the secretary’s office, she overheard people chatting about someone at the front desk claiming to be Damian’s mother–in–law. 

She thought, since Damian wasn’t in the company, she might as well go and see the mother and daughter. 

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Claudine made the introduction. 

“This is my mother. Mom, this is Ms. Lavigne.” 

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Audrey said. “So you’re Auntie! I thought you were Claudine’s friend. You look so well maintained, you seem even younger than me!” 

Bridgette looked at the young woman in front of her and responded with a smile. 

Audrey realized that not only was Claudine’s mother beautiful, but she also had an outstanding presence. Standing next to her, Audrey herself seemed to fade into the background.