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Lucas is at his wit's end with worry, not because of his business for it was only a slight glitch that can be handled without much problem, but due to what Alvin said when he asked if Claire already arrived safely. His grandmother is at his place together with his mother and are planning to stay with Claire until he arrives.

'What are they planning?' He thought for he doesn't know anymore what Helena is brewing now. His brows furrowed when something, an idea struck his mind.

'Are they going to push that idea into my wife's mind? Or are they staying to see if there is anything amiss? I just hope that they will be true to their words that they will leave once I get back.' His musings was halted by his employee.

"Sir, the car is ready."

"Okay, thank you."

He sighed and left his thoughts at the very back of his mind. 'I will face this problem first before the one that is happening at home.'

He just hopes that Claire will be able to tolerate his family especially the indirect manipulative streaks of his grandmother and he just prayed that whatever Helena will say, she will not fell into it.

---

While Lucas is pensive at the other side of the country, Claire is clearly astonished at what is happening at that very moment.

Since she arrived a while ago, Helena has been stating what she had planned while living here at the penthouse with her. She just hopes that she will not lay a trap somewhere and she prays that she can counter it while still early - if she can able to point what it is.

"So Claire, we will go for shopping tomorrow, alright?" Helena asked her snapping her train of thoughts. Though it was said as if asking her approval, Helena's face shows otherwise.

"Sure, but I will not buy anything. I am not here for a shopping spree." Claire said politely.

"Claire, it is okay for us to shop. We will ask Lucas if it is okay." Anne said while typing on her cellphone.

---

Lucas took his ringing phone out of his pocket. His brow raised when he saw his mother's name on the screen.

"Hello mother, is there a problem? Is Claire okay?" Lucas cannot help the worry to come over his voice.

"Lucas, do not fret, Claire is alright. I called to ask if it is okay if she can come with us tomorrow for a shopping. I am asking you because she refuses to come with us and to buy something for herself." Anne explained lenghtly.

Lucas pondered for a while before speaking. "Is my wife there with you mother?"

"Yes, she is here. Do you want to talk to her?" Anne asked.

"Yes, mother, please." He heard a slight pause and some hushed whisper before he heard Claire's voice.

"Hello."

"Hi sweetheart. Are you okay? My family is not monopolizing and manipulating you, or are they?" Lucas cannot helped to fret.

"Yes, I am fine." Her curt reply.

"Sweetheart, you can excuse yourself and go to my office if you are uncomfortable with them in front of you while talking to me. It is the door on your right just below the stairs." He said when he caught the slight uneasiness on her voice. He heard her excused herself. He waited for several seconds before he heard a closing of the door and her voice came once again from the other line.

"Lucas?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm still here."

"I don't want to come with them tomorrow. I am not here for a shopping spree and I don't want to spend my money on things that I may not use." Her frantic voice made her words jumble with each other but he still caught what she said.

"Slow down sweetheart. Why?"

"Why what?" Claire asked as if irritated.

"Why won't you come with them tomorrow? Isn't all women wants to shop?" Lucas said with a slight tease.

"Well, every now and then, yes, I want to shop but only if I need something. I am not buying anything out of whim. I want to save my money as well. You know, my shop is still undergoing expansion." She explained and it made him smile.

How many women he knows around her age think the same way as her? No one. Only Claire will think of her business first than go waste her money from a shopping spree. He cleared his throat first before speaking for he knows that if he did not, his smile might be hinted in his words.

"Come with them tomorrow Claire. Don't worry about the expenses, I gave Alvin a card for you to use."

"But-" she was about to refuse but he beat her to it.

"Please do not decline my offer sweetheart. Besides if you will not come with them, they might be able to hint that something is not right between us." Lucas urged her.

"But that isn't right, me using your money for my needs." Claire still insistent on refusing.

He thought of something for her to agree. "Claire, sweetheart, in their eyes, we are married and you are my wife, so it is not wrong for you to use your husband's money that he willingly gave. Right?"

He heard her sigh from the other end. "Okay, but I will pay you the money that I will use tomorrow. I will treat it as a loan." Claire said with resolve.

He doesn't know how to convince her anymore. He will just let her think it that way but he will not accept her payment when the time comes.

"We will talk about this as well as soon as I came back, okay?" He heard her hummed her agreement. "Besides, I will be busy in the next several hours. I'll try to call you later in the evening before your bedtime sweetheart."

"How did you know about my bedtime?" Claire asked astonished.

"I lived in your house for a week. It's not difficult to notice your routine and that you must at least have an eight-hour sleep in order for you to work efficiently. Otherwise, you will be grumpy, much worse than during your monthly period."

---

"What?!" She exclaimed her disbelief at his explanation and how much he already knows about her. "That is unfair!" She pursed her lips though he may not see it and heard him chuckle from the other side.

"Seriously sweetheart, I need to go. We will talk about everything when I get back." His voice became serious.

"Okay. Goodluck with your business." She agreed.

"Bye sweetheart, see you after several days. Don't let my grandmother push you around, okay?" He said before ending their conversation.

Now, Claire doesn't know how to face her in-laws, if she can call them that. She blew a bated breath when she noticed that she spent a good ten minutes including her pondering how to act in front of the visitors. She took another deep breath to calm herself before finally opening the door and went back to the living room.

"So, what did my son said?" Anne asked right away.

"He said that I should come with you tomorrow." Her simple answer that made Anne clap, she reminded her of her mother with how the way she behaves right now. Helena just smiled at her answer.

"Good, so we will have an outing tomorrow, okay?" Anne confirmed and she nodded for affirmation.

"We will have our lunch now dear and you rest afterwards. I am sure the drive is tiresome." Helena offered and she instantly agreed. They all went to the dining room and have a magnificent luncheon.

"I brought my chef with us while we are staying here. Do you cook Claire?" Helena said.

"Yes, I can cook but only simple dishes, I can bake too."

"Oh, maybe we can try your cooked meals sometimes, isn't it wonderful mother?" Anne said enthusiastically that Helena only answered with a nod full of excitement.

'Oh, what did I get myself into?' She thought and mentally slap herself.

---

The shopping outing was a blast. They went to several shops that even in her dream, she will never have the guts to enter. Alvin gave her the black card prior to leaving the penthouse and said that as per Lucas' instruction, she can use it as long as she wants and she can buy anything using the card.

'As long as I want and to buy anything I want as well? That is too much.' She doesn't want to use it out of caprice.

So during their time coming and going to several shops, she made sure not to buy anything that she doesn't need until Helena noticed that she is only carrying a small bag containing a blouse that she cannot refuse to buy for herself.

"Claire, darling, you are only carrying one shopping bag? Aren't you going to buy anything else?" Helena asked that she answered in a simple and honest way. She is still quick on her feet even with her age that at times she cannot keep up with them.

"This is enough. I don't need much for myself."

"Oh, darling. Let's wait until Lucas arrived and we will see if you will only have a small shopping bag." Helena said lightly but it looks like a threat that she cringed inwardly.

They went back to the penthouse after they ate at a chinese restaurant and talked for awhile before they all decided to retire. They took all day for that shopping and she came back with five more bags that both Anne and Helena bought for her for she refused to buy it for herself.

***

Three days have passed after the eventful trip to the shopping mall and Lucas is not back yet. Though at first she thought that both Helena and Anne will show slight resentment and hostility towards her, the past several days that she has their company proved otherwise. They were both enthusiastic and love Lucas in their own way, for he is mostly the topic of their conversation, and she feels that the love they had for Lucas has been extended to her as his wife. Every story that they told, shows how proud they are of him, and both verbalizes how much relief they felt when Lucas told them about her - his wife, that it made her guilty of the fact that everything is a sham and their fake marriage will be terminated as soon as the documents were drawn.

"Good morning Ms. Claire." Alvin greeted her when she entered the kitchen.

"Alvin, I told you so many times already to simply call me Claire." She said with a huff but the man only smiled - a pleasant one. She was just thankful that the man did not have an ill feeling towards her because of their encounter during her first day here.

"Did you have them all?" She asked.

"Yes Ms. Claire as you have instructed."

She looked around and true enough, every ingredient that she listed last night were available at the countertop. Helena and Anne have been adamant for her to try and feed them with her cooking skills which she told them were only at the primary level, but still they insisted.

"We already sliced the meat as you prefer them." Alvin explained.

"Thank you very much Alvin." She thanked him and he replied with a slight bow.

"If you need anything Ms. Claire, I am available."

"It's okay Alvin, I don't like it when someone is watching me while I cook. Thank you though for your offer." She refused in a modest way.

Alvin bowed again and left the kitchen. Now she is all alone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she started chopping and slicing all the needed ingredients for her simple menu.

After several hours of cooking, mixing, tasting and even baking. She felt accomplished after she saw that everything is already cooked as what her mother taught her. She only need to chill the tarts that she baked that is still cooling down on the rack.

She heard the ping of the elevator door opening and she asked herself if they will be having another visitor that she doesn't know of.

She cautiously went out of the kitchen and met whoever it is. She suddenly stopped on her track when she saw Lucas standing by the entrance to the living room.

"Hello sweetheart."

---

Lucas came back as soon as he can, he's been worried about Claire's welfare, although Alvin reports to him daily without fail on what had been his grandmother and mother doing especially if it concerns his wife. His butler who have been with him since the very beginning is quite fetched by Claire based on the happiness in his voice everytime they talk.

When the elevator door opened, the very first thing that caught his attention is the smell, for it is appetizing - the smell of a homecook meal. He wonders what happens to the chef that his grandmother brought with her. 'Did he changed his way of cooking or did they request for someone to cook for them?'

He was by the entrance to the living room when he saw Claire went out of the kitchen.

"Hello sweetheart." He went to meet her and kissed her forehead.

He felt that familiar warmth again and he realized that he missed her.

"How have you been sweetheart?"

"I am fine Lucas, and welcome home." Claire said and it really feels like coming home.

They were interrupted by his grandmother. "Lucas, my boy. Welcome back, why you didn't inform us that you will be coming today?"

"I told Alvin grandma." He answered while giving a peck on his grandmother and mother.

"Good thing Claire cooked. By the way, it smells awesome dear." Anne complimented her that made Lucas whipped his head towards her amazed.

"You cooked?" He asked which she only replied with a nod and a not so confident smile.

"Claire, go and fix yourself. I will tell Alvin to prepare the table so that we can now have our lunch." Helena instructed that she immediately obeyed.

Lucas followed her with his eyes and was quite shocked that she rounded the corner where his bedroom is, making his brows furrowed and forehead creased. He cannot be mistaken for this is his own house and the only room in that area is his own room. He expected her to went up the stairs into the second floor where most of the rooms are located. He was about to call her to be corrected when he suddenly remembered that his family is here and have stayed with her for several days. So it is understandable that she will occupy his room since they are married. He should have discussed the rules before he left, even on the phone.

Now he has another set of problems that added on the pile of problems that he is facing with regards to this marriage. Where will he sleep later? Will Claire allow him to sleep in the same room with her? For his family will not tolerate them having separate rooms especially now that they have hinted for them to have a child. Another thing to be concern is, if they will share the room, even not sleeping on the same bed, he sleeps with nothing on himself, how will Claire reacts if she saw him naked?!

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Yup! How will Claire reacts with her virgin eyes if she saw Lucas sleeping naked? Will they even be sleeping on the same room? or will Lucas found a way for them to sleep separately without his family coming to know, especially his grandmother?

Please type in your comment(s) and/or insight(s) about this chapter. Vote for it as well if you happen to like the story. You all know how grateful I will be if you do so.

Thank you for reading!

-blue