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What Mitchell had sent her was an invitation to an antique appreciation and restoration forum to be held in Reedport the next day.
Claudine had known about this conference for a long time and had always hoped for a chance to attend.
But the event was of such a high caliber that unless someone like Mitchell wrote a recommendation, others had no chance of attending.
She had not yet officially become Mitchell’s student, so Claudine was truly grateful from the bottom of her heart that he was giving her this opportunity.
She also secretly vowed that she would not let Mitchell down.
Claudine packed a few clothes, but her suitcase was filled mostly with books and research papers.
After landing in Reedport and just stepping out of the airport, Claudine saw Karina at the arrivals gate.
Karina saw her as well.
“Ms. Hogan!”
Karina stepped forward to take Claudine’s luggage.
“Mr. Hogan had a last-minute meeting and asked me to pick you up.”
Claudine hadn’t been back to Reedport in three years, and seeing Karina gave her a long-missed sense of warmth.
“Karina, just call me Claudy like you used to.”
Karina glanced at Claudine and agreed with a smile.
Only Benjamin knew about Claudine’s return to Reedport.
After what had happened, Claudine didn’t want to see her father.
Benjamin had offered to let her stay at his place, but Claudine didn’t want to disturb her brother and Karina, so she booked a hotel for herself.
Claudine told the driver the name of the hotel, and he quickly started the car.
Karina looked a little uneasy.
She thought that no one knew about what was going on between her and Karina.
Claudine saw through Karina’s thoughts and smiled.
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“My brother already told me, Karina. It’s really great that you can be with him.”
Karina was a little surprised.
Benjamin had actually told his sister about them. Did this mean he wasn’t just playing around with her…
Claudine didn’t know that the casual words she said that day would later bring so much trouble to Karina.
Karina dropped Claudine off at the hotel, and after making sure she didn’t need anything else, she left.
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Claudine tidied up a bit in her hotel room, and to be in better shape for the conference the next day, she washed up and went to bed early.
What she didn’t know was that Audrey and Damian had also arrived at this hotel.
And they were staying on the same floor.
Early the next morning, Claudine freshened up and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.
This hotel had a great reputation in Reedport, and its restaurant was one of its highlights.
It had been a long time since Claudine had eaten authentic local cuisine, and seeing the dishes made her appetite
grow.
She just hadn’t expected to run into Roberto here.
“What a coincidence, running into you here!”
Roberto stood in front of Claudine, still as elegant as ever.
Claudine was surprised as well.
She greeted Roberto with a smile, and the two of them found a window seat to sit down.
Roberto spoke first.
“Are you back for the class reunion too?”
Claudine had no idea about this.
In fact, she hadn’t been in touch with her classmates from Reedport for a long time.
The reason, after all, was her ridiculous pride.
Roberto continued.
“I was only invited this year after coming back. Before that, I was always abroad.”
Claudine said, “I probably won’t have time, and besides, I haven’t been in touch with them for so long that we might not even recognize each other.”
By this time, Roberto had already added Claudine to the high school classmates’ group chat.
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Her phone vibrated, and many classmates were saying how long it had been and warmly greeting Claudine.
Roberto had long noticed that Claudine was no longer as spirited as she used to be.
He hoped Claudine could not only start her life anew, but also regain her confidence and find the person she once
was.
Roberto didn’t say any of this to Claudine.
He knew how sensitive and proud Claudine was, and he was willing to protect that pride.
“The reunion is tomorrow night. Shall we go together?”
Roberto looked at Claudine with eager eyes.
At this point, it would seem a bit unfriendly for Claudine to refuse.
“Alright, see you tomorrow then.”
Roberto found some old photos of their classmates, and the two of them reminisced about funny stories from the past, laughing out loud from time to time.
As soon as Damian entered the restaurant, he saw this scene.
He saw Claudine smiling so radiantly at Roberto.
He saw them talking endlessly, barely touching the breakfast on the table.
He noticed that Roberto was aware of his presence, even giving him a provocative look.
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