Not 5

Chapter 5 

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She pouted and sighed, deciding to apply ointment to Claudine’s forearm personally tonight. 

After having dinner, Damian and Darlene came home. 

As he pushed open the door, she immediately wriggled out of his arms and dashed to the second–floor bedroom. 

She remembered seeing Claudine place the ointment on the dresser. 

She was too short to see the dresser top, so she reached up and felt around instead. 

“Got it!” 

Her hand brushed against the tube, and she grabbed it with a grin. With a tug, she accidentally yanked something else down, too. 

Looking around, she saw nothing on the carpet. No longer dwelling on it, she skipped out of the bedroom. 

The ring rolled across the carpet before disappearing under the bed. 

She searched every corner downstairs, but Claudine was nowhere to be seen. 

“Angie, where’s Claudine?” she asked. 

While wiping a table, Angie replied, “She left with a suitcase right after you did. 

“She didn’t say where she was going, though.” 

“She went out?” 

Darlene was a bit surprised. 

She thought, “Claudine’s never been away while Daddy and I are home. 

“So… Claudine really is mad? 

“She’s so petty! 

“To think she even ran away from home! 

“Does she think Daddy will go looking for her? She’s wrong!” 

In a huff, she tossed the ointment onto the sofa. 

She was upset with Claudine again. Claudine didn’t deserve her kindness! 

After dealing with business in the study, Damian returned to the bedroom but didn’t see Claudine. 

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Only then did he notice something wrong–something was missing from the dresser. Also, the card he had given to her last night was gone. 

Between last night’s argument and Darlene’s burn, he figured Claudine had left to steer clear of his anger. 

He didn’t dwell on it. After all, he never wasted time on trifles. 

He was confident–Claudine would come back within two days, tops. 

*** 

Claudine went back to the riverside penthouse she had bought before her marriage. A thick layer of dust covered ev- erything, which was hardly surprising, since she hadn’t set foot in the place for years. 

But she had reached out to the property management beforehand, so the penthouse was spotless when she arrived, complete with all the essentials. 

After organizing her things, she took a satisfied look around. Every decorative piece in the room delighted her, and all her trophies and certificates were perfectly arranged in the living room display cabinet. 

For a moment, she felt like going back to those days before her marriage. 

She slept soundly that night. When she finally awoke, golden sunlight already filled the room. 

It had been ages since she’d slept so well. Gone were the frantic mornings of rushing Darlene to school and the last- minute ironing of Damian’s suits. For once, she could take her time to enjoy her breakfast. Then she began reviewing the auction materials. 

She had to admit–she was thrilled about becoming an auctioneer again. 

While others struggled with lot descriptions and technical specifications, she knew them like the back of her hand. 

As her gaze swept over those familiar terms, she seemed to see her former self again, glowing under the dazzling light, standing center stage. 

She was very much looking forward to the auction tomorrow night. 

*** 

On the contrary, Damian had been in a foul mood these days. Early in the morning, he stormed around when the cuff- links didn’t go with his tie. To make things worse, even his suit was still unironed. 

The servants all shook their heads, saying they didn’t know where his cufflinks were. They told him Claudine had per- sonally taken charge of things like this. 

He wanted to call Claudine, but then decided not to. 

Why would he? She’d come back soon anyway. 

Meanwhile, Darlene kept giving him a headache. 

Claudine had always taken care of her, and she stubbornly refused to let any servant near her. Even the breakfast was- 

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n’t to her liking–she pouted, saying the food was awful. 

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