CHAPTER 151. CLAIRE

CHAPTER 151. CLAIRE
“Seriously, Claire? You still invited him to your apartment even though it was obvious we were fighting over him last night.”
“Didn't we already talk about it? We're co-parenting Aiden. He deserves to be here to see Aiden.”
“You should hate him after what he did to you.”
“I'm not that bad.”
“Then why did you shoot your best friend if you weren't that bad?”
I shot him a glare.
I couldn't believe he would use that against me.
Instead of retaliating with something that would worsen our relationship, I simply ignored him.
I grabbed a plate from the kitchen cabinet and plated all the food I'd cooked.
“Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up and hurt you.”
“But you did.”
Anthonio tried to grab my arm, but I jerked it away.
“Go to the dining table. I’m busy.”
“No. We need to talk.”
“I won’t talk to you if you’re just going to attack me with the past. Without you needing to remind me, I’ve been living with regret since that incident happened. And it still continues to this day.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I acted like such an asshole tonight. Please, Claire. I’m sorry.”
I glanced at him after I’d plated our dinner on three separate plates. Luckily, I’d cooked enough tonight, otherwise, it would have been a disaster for all of us.
“I’ve forgiven you. You better come to the dining table because we’re about to start dinner.”
“I want to talk to you about our marriage.”
“We’ll talk about it after dinner.”
“I don’t want him here when we talk about our marriage.”
I’d never seen him so childish before. And it was incredibly annoying.
“Raviel won’t be lingering here after dinner because he has no reason to. You don’t have to worry.”
I ignored his grumbling and hurried to the dining table. I called out to Raviel as soon as everything was ready. He had just come out of Aiden's room after putting him to bed.
"Is he asleep?"
"Very soundly."
"He's been less fussy since you showed up. Thank you for making my work easier."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. You gave me a son as perfect as Aiden. I have an heir. It makes me more motivated to work because Aiden gives me a new purpose."
"You're already so rich without having to work hard. You should spend more time enjoying life."
"This is how I enjoy life. Seeing you and Aiden living well brings me joy."
"I mean going out to have fun. Vacationing somewhere nice, dating, getting laid, maybe."
Raviel smirked.
“You’re telling me to spend time with girls?”
“If you want to, why not?” I shrugged quietly.
“I think I’m too old for that. It’s time to settle down.”
“You decided to be a saint for the rest of your life?”
“I never said I would be one.”
“So, what are you going to do if you’re not dating and having sex?”
A loud noise from the dining table interrupted our conversation. I rushed over to Anthonio, who had just dropped my spoons on the floor.
“Oh my gosh, what happened?”
I picked up the spoons and carried them to the kitchen. I dumped them in the sink before grabbing new ones from the kitchen cabinet.
“I accidentally bumped them. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Let’s get started on dinner.”
It was the most awkward dinner I’ve ever had. I sat between two men who were giving each other hostile looks. It was incredibly tense. I couldn't talk to either of them without making the other feel neglected. But neither of them was willing to lower their egos for a moment to please me at the dining table.
The dinner was a fucking disaster!
“Like I said, your cooking never fails. The shrimp and lobster are delicious.”
“Thank you. I tried my best, even though I was skeptical at first that it would meet your taste.”
“It’s delicious. I’m not going to lie and pretend to praise you.”
“You’re the best cook, Claire. I won’t have to worry about food after we’re married because you’ll cook me delicious meals every day.”
“Of course,” I smiled at Anthonio.
“So, you two have decided to get married?”
“Yes, next week. We’ll get married at the registry office before we hold Claire’s dream wedding, right, honey?”
I nodded slowly at Anthonio, unsure of what to say to him. He’d been very aggressive since Raviel showed up.
“Congratulations to you both.”
"We will invite you to our wedding. Maybe a month after we get married at the registry office, because the preparations take time."
“I don’t think I’ll be able to attend your wedding. I have a lot of new projects in Miami. Seth told me to come back as soon as possible.”
“Too bad, you’ll miss your chance to see Claire in her wedding dress.”
I pretended not to hear their snide conversation and focused on my dinner. But it was hard to ignore the hurt expression on Raviel’s face. It was only a faint, fleeting look.
“That means you won’t be walking Claire down the aisle either? Aren’t you her stepfather?”
Raviel growled.
I was on high alert, expecting Raviel to throw his plate at Anthonio’s head. I wouldn’t blame him if he did, because Anthonio was being incredibly annoying tonight.
“I’m not her stepfather anymore. Claire doesn’t need me to walk her down the aisle.”
“Okay. It’s not a rule that Claire has to have someone by her side. She can walk alone. Isn’t the most important thing that she gets to the altar and I hold her hand to say my vows, right, Claire?”
“Hmm... I’ll take these dirty plates to the sink. Would you like some coffee or tea?”
“No, I'm going home now. I need to make a call with Seth. Thank you for dinner.”
I wanted to hug Raviel before he left my apartment. I had a feeling I wouldn't see him again tomorrow. This time, maybe he really would leave my life because he knew he'd never have another chance.
“Take care of yourself. And congratulations again on your wedding to Anthonio.”
He didn't stop hugging me, leaving me frozen alone in the doorway.
It was fucking painful.
Something stung in my eyeballs before tears welled up in my eyes.
“He finally left your apartment. I thought he was going to stay to mess things up.”
Walking past him, I discreetly wiped away the tears that were rolling down my cheeks.
“Your jealousy is completely useless and utterly childish.”
“I have every right to be jealous of him,” Anthonio insisted.
“No, you're not. You're wasting your time being jealous of a man who's clearly lost to you,” I shot him a scornful look before heading to the kitchen and washing all the dirty dishes that had piled up in the sink.