Flash Marriage With Mr. Sheffield: Go Away, Cheap Man!-Chapter 90: Thea Tate Chats with Clara Sterling
"Clara, you look really good today." The moment Clara arrived at her desk, Lisa Holloway greeted her with a smile, "It feels like there’s something different about you."
"Really?" Clara pursed her lips and smiled.
Anabelle Spencer also arrived at her desk and, upon hearing Lisa’s words, turned to look at Clara.
Clara’s complexion was rosy, and her lips were a vibrant red as if she had been well-nourished.
"Clara, do you have a boyfriend?" Anabelle suddenly asked.
Before Clara could speak, Lisa chipped in merrily, "She’s single. Why, do you want to introduce her to someone?"
Just then, Julian Hawthorne walked over.
His office was inside, so he had to pass through the assistants’ area.
The man was dressed in a light gray suit without a wrinkle, his demeanor gentle and smiling, as refined and elegant as ever.
"Introducing a boyfriend?" Julian joked.
Julian was always kind and approachable to his subordinates.
Lisa laughed and responded, "Yes, President Hawthorne, do you have anyone in mind?"
Clara quickly covered Lisa’s mouth and gave an awkward smile, "President Hawthorne, she’s joking, please don’t take it seriously."
Julian’s lips curled into a light smile. He was already handsome, and the smile made him even more attractive.
Lisa was completely captivated.
Julian said, "I do have a suitable candidate."
Clara blushed in embarrassment, "President Hawthorne, please stop teasing me."
Julian chuckled and said nothing more, heading into his office.
After Julian left, Clara released Lisa, "Lisa, please don’t tease me anymore."
"Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore, I know you’re thin-skinned."
Anabelle asked, "Clara, are you ready for the business trip tomorrow?"
Clara Sterling nodded, "Yes, I’m prepared."
At that moment, a short-haired woman in a black suit approached.
"Who’s Clara Sterling?"
Clara raised her hand slightly, "That’s me."
The woman looked at her, "I’m President Tate’s assistant, she wants to see you."
Thea Tate wanted to see her?
Clara replied, "Oh, okay."
She got up and followed the woman out of the office area.
Thea Tate’s office was on the twenty-ninth floor.
In the elevator, Clara asked, "May I ask why President Tate wants to see me?"
The woman looked indifferent, "I don’t know either."
Clara Sterling said, "Okay, thank you."
Upon reaching the twenty-ninth floor, the assistant led Clara to Thea’s office door and knocked.
A female voice came from inside, "Come in."
The assistant opened the door, "President Tate, Clara Sterling is here."
Thea raised her head from the computer screen and looked over, meeting Clara’s gaze, "Come in."
Clara entered the office. The assistant, having brought her in, turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Thea wore a blue chiffon long-sleeved blouse paired with a cream-colored skirt, leaning back in a black office chair, her long hair draped over her shoulders, looking intellectual and elegant.
After many years, Clara saw Thea again, and the first image that popped into her head was from Sophie’s birthday party when Thea and Silas Sheffield stood together, appearing as if a match made in heaven.
Over the years, Thea had become even more beautiful, with the youthful innocence gone, replaced by the allure of a mature woman.
Clara smiled politely, "President Tate, you wanted to see me."
Thea smiled, "Why so formal with ’President Tate’? Just call me Thea. So, you’re Clara. Silas has mentioned you."
Clara was slightly taken aback.
She didn’t expect Thea to be so friendly.
She thought Thea wanted to give her a hard time.
It seemed she had wrongfully assumed the worst in people.
Clara bit her lips in embarrassment, "Thea, why did you want to see me?"
"Just to chat."
Thea stood up and walked to the lounge area, gesturing for Clara to sit, "Have a seat."
There was a coffee table in front of the sofa in the lounge area.
On it were exquisite tea sets and tea leaves.
Thea pressed the button to boil water, "Clara, don’t be a stranger with me. I just wanted to see you today. I heard you didn’t show up at Crestwood’s old house last time, and I was curious."
Clara sat down on the sofa.
Thea’s gaze toward Clara was gentle and smiling, without any malice.
"When Silas told me he got married, I was really surprised. He never mentioned dating anyone before, and suddenly he was married. It was truly unexpected."
Clara was still a bit stunned. What did Thea mean by this?
They were virtually strangers, yet Thea was immediately addressing her as Clara and telling her to call her "Thea."
Clara wasn’t used to such warmth and affection from someone she hardly knew.
She didn’t even know how to continue the conversation.
Thea asked again, "Clara, when did you and Silas start dating?"
"We..." Clara bit her lips, "We never dated."
She wasn’t good at lying, so she decided to tell the truth.
Thea was taken aback, "Never dated? Then how did you two get married?"
As far as she knew, Clara’s family background was quite ordinary, not the same class as Silas.
If it weren’t for Sophie, Clara would’ve probably never met Silas in her lifetime.
She assumed Clara was introduced to Silas by Sophie, leading to their romance and eventual marriage certificate.
To hear Clara say they never dated?
Clara pondered for a moment, then replied, "We could say we fell in love after getting married."
Thea slightly furrowed her eyebrows.
So, Clara and Silas were genuinely in love now.
Recalling Silas’s attitude at Crestwood’s old house last time, it was evident he truly cared for Clara.
A flicker of doubt crossed Thea’s eyes, "Love after marriage? With no foundation, how did you two get married?"
Silas was someone who was cold and distant to everyone.
Back then, she gathered the courage to confess her feelings and was rejected, pursued him for a long time, tried every method, yet couldn’t warm his heart.
Throughout their four years at university, Silas never dated anyone.
On the night of graduation, she drank a lot, pretended to be drunk, and gathered the courage to kiss Silas.
But Silas firmly pushed her away.
She could never forget the look in Silas’s eyes that night.
Chilling to the bone, filled with gloom and anger, and undisguised disgust.
That look became a lingering nightmare for her for a long time.
After graduation, Silas went to Valden for further study.
She went to Freedonia to continue her studies.
All these years, she tried hard to forget Silas.
She attempted to date different men.
Some were business elites, others were college students yet to graduate. They all had good looks and were willing to spend time, money, and love on her.
Yet, no matter how good they were, they couldn’t match a fraction of the weight Silas held in her heart.
All these years, the one she loved was always Silas.
She thought Silas rejected her back then because he wasn’t interested in dating and was focused on studies and career.
She was willing to wait.
She went abroad, strived to improve herself, hoping to become excellent enough to match Silas.
But after she had become outstanding, she didn’t get to see Silas looking back at her, only news of his marriage.
"I don’t think it’s necessary to explain, right?" Clara’s voice pulled Thea back from her thoughts.
Thea’s smile froze for a moment.
Clara wasn’t so easy to fool after all.
A moment later, Thea resumed her cheerful demeanor, "Clara, don’t misunderstand, I mean no harm. I’m just curious. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it."
