Chapter 13

Claire's POV A few minutes later, the conference room door opened, and men in expensive suits filed out. My stomach tightened with anxiety as I watched for my boss. Lucius was the last to emerge, his expression stone-cold and his lips pressed into a hard line. The severity in his features made my heart sink. "Great, we probably lost the bid," I thought, mentally preparing myself to tread carefully. "Better keep gentle and not provoke him right now, or I'll be the first casualty of his bad mood." "Mr. Watson?" I approached him with the gentlest voice I could muster. "Let's go." He barely glanced at me before turning away, his strides long and purposeful. I hurried after him in my high heels, trying not to breathe too loudly as if even that might irritate him. At the elevator bank, a crowd had already gathered. Lucius positioned himself at the front, and I stood awkwardly behind him, frantically searching for something appropriate to say but coming up empty. Suddenly, he turned toward me