Chapter 16

Kenneth was speaking on the side. Julian lowered his eyes, watching the woman on the screen—black suit, polished and sharp, with an air of bold independence. She looked confident, composed, and proud. His mind unavoidably drifted back to the last few times he'd seen her. Disheveled. Defeated. Falling apart. And today… trying so hard to please, yet crumbling from the humiliation before fleeing the scene… A faint irritation crept into his chest. Yeah… maybe he was a little too harsh with his words today. … Claire woke up around nine, still groggy. She wandered into the kitchen and threw together a grilled cheese sandwich. Her phone buzzed a few times. Texts. They were from Kenneth. Ever since she asked about his boss’s height, weight, and measurements, she hadn't heard back from him. But now, bam—there was a string of numbers. Plus a short message: “Boss said you owe him a suit. Figured you might get confused while picking it out, so he asked me to send you the exact sizes.” Claire looke