Chapter 66: A Plan to Bring Clara Back

* * *

The living room still carried the faint scent of tobacco from Grant Holloway's visit yesterday.

Clara Whitmore spent the entire afternoon cleaning, even removing the sofa covers for washing. By the time she finished, evening had fallen. She decided to stay in and review her studies, completing two practice exams before setting her pen down.

For dinner, she made kimbap but miscalculated the portions, leaving over half uneaten.

After tidying the kitchen past eight, she planned to tackle one more exam before bed. Just as she set her alarm, her phone vibrated abruptly.

A friend request notification popped up.

The contact field clearly displayed: Connor Hayes.

Clara stared at the screen for several seconds. Though they often crossed paths at social gatherings, she and Connor had virtually no private interactions.

After a brief hesitation, she accepted the request.

Thirty minutes passed with no message in the chat window.

Must have been a mistake. She set the phone aside and returned to her studies.

* * *

The bar's lights swirled hypnotically.

Connor pocketed his phone as Mason Reed returned from dropping someone off. "She's home safe?"

Mason took a swig of beer. "Almost ran into Mrs. Holloway. Good thing I moved fast."

Catherine Holloway had been frequenting Grant's villa lately. Getting caught would mean endless questioning.

"By the way," Mason continued, "you've been turning me down for weeks. What changed tonight?"

Connor swirled his glass. "Finished some business."

"Wait!" Mason slammed his drink down. "Didn't Clara finish her grad school exams?"

"Two days ago."

Mason grinned. "You're keeping close tabs."

The corner of Connor's mouth lifted. "I have an excellent memory."

"Typical finance guy—detail-obsessed."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"You're not even pretending to be modest." Mason clicked his tongue. "Six months and Grant still hasn't patched things up with Clara? Ridiculous."

Connor's tone remained even. "It's inevitable."

"True, they'll reconcile eventually." Mason nodded sagely.

Connor: "..."

"Speaking of which, you and Clara get along?"

Mason immediately straightened. "Of course! She's made me her special nourishing porridge before. We're tight."

Connor's eyes darkened slightly. "Finishing exams deserves celebration."

"How?" Mason blinked.

"Take her to dinner? Might help create reconciliation opportunities."

Thinking of Grant drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Mason's eyes lit up. "Brilliant! Even if Clara's giving Grant the cold shoulder, she wouldn't refuse me. I'll organize it—say it's to celebrate her exams, then..."

"Clever as ever." Connor took a sip, hiding his smirk behind the glass.