Eternal Knot

CHAPTER TWO

They were inside a fine dining restaurant. Clare was feeling very uncomfortable in her clothes. She wanted to go home and change, but she couldn't because if she did, her father might embarrass her.

"Remember what I told you earlier, dear," her mother reminded her. Clare gave her a slight nod. There were only three of them inside, it seemed like her father had reserved the place just for this dinner. Five minutes had passed since they arrived at the restaurant. "What's taking them so long?" Clare asked irritably. Her mother nudged her and she mouthed 'what' to her.

"Learn to wait, Clare," her father said authoritatively. Clare immediately fell silent. She sipped on the water the waiter had served them earlier and then stood up. She was getting deafened by the silence, so she decided to get some fresh air. "Where are you going?" her mother asked her. Clare immediately pointed to the restroom. "Toilet, I've been needing to go for a while," she replied. Her mother nodded, so Clare walked towards the restroom. She glanced back at her mother to see if she was looking at her, but her mother was busy giving orders to the waiter, giving Clare the chance to pass through the exit door.

She quickly retrieved the cigarette hidden in her bra, but the problem was she didn't have a lighter with her. "f**k," Clare muttered under her breath. She walked around looking for a lighter, not straying too far from the restaurant. Clare sat down on the side, still holding the cigarette in her mouth. She massaged her feet and then looked up at the sky.

"I think it's going to rain." Clare was startled when she heard a voice behind her, causing the cigarette in her mouth to fall.

"Damn it!" Clare shouted. She quickly stood up to see who it was. Clare frowned when she saw that the only cigarette she had dropped. She immediately looked at the man behind her.

"That's kind of rude you know," said a tall and handsome man in front of her. Clare almost gaped at him, but she managed to control herself. Well, he was way taller than her after all.

"I--I didn't mean to say that. I'm really sorry," she stammered. He immediately bent down and picked up the cigarette that fell from her mouth earlier. "It's alright, I always get the same reaction from every girl," he said, then winked at her. Clare furrowed her brows. What arrogance. "Quit staring at me, I know I'm handsome," he arrogantly remarked, then handed her a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Clare absentmindedly accepted them while still staring at the man in front of her. "I am not staring at you, don't assume," Clare retorted sharply to regain her composure. But instead of getting annoyed, the man chuckled, making Clare frown even more. "What's funny?" she asked sharply. He just shook his head and looked up.

"You almost drooled," he said, making Clare's frown deepen. "I did not!" Clare retorted irritably. "Do you like me?" he asked her directly, which surprised Clare. "Are you kidding me? I don't even know you, so obviously not," Clare replied. "Oh, you will, soon," he said meaningfully to her.

"See you around," he said before winking at her. Clare stared in bewilderment at the man walking away from her while still holding the cigarette and lighter he gave her.

Clare snapped out of her reverie when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate. She cursed loudly because she knew who was calling her. Her Dad! I am so f*****g dead!

Clare quickly ran back inside the restaurant. When she reached the door, she quickly composed herself and entered. She became nervous when she saw three men at their table. She was sure they weren't waiters because even her father stood up to greet them. Clare couldn't see who they were because they had their backs turned to her.

When her mother saw her, she gestured for her to hurry up, so Clare immediately followed. She quickly stood by her mother's side and extended her hand without looking at the men in front of her.

"Oh."

"Clare."

Clare immediately lifted her gaze when she heard her father's serious voice. "What?" Clare asked him. Her father then nodded towards her hand, so Clare looked at it immediately. And when she saw what was in her hand, Clare turned pale with anxiety. The cigarette and lighter the man gave her earlier were not thrown away, and now she was handing them to the men in front of her as if she were giving them cigarettes.

Her mother slapped her forehead while Clare winced. She was sure that later, her father would scold her severely.

"I-I'm sorry—" Clare didn't finish her sentence because when she raised her eyes, she immediately saw the face of the tall man. "You!" Clare shouted loudly, surprising her mother who stood beside her. Clare furrowed her brows as she looked at the man in front of her. "What are you doing here?" Clare asked the man before taking his hand and then returning the cigarette and lighter he gave her earlier.

"Clare," her father's voice threatened, so Clare looked at him. "Dad, he's the one who gave this to me," Clare explained, but her father just frowned.

"I did not," Clare heard the man say suddenly. Clare turned to the man when he spoke. "Not only are you arrogant, but you're also a liar," Clare said sharply, causing her mother to kick her hard under the table. The man in front of her laughed. "I'm sorry, but have you two already met?" her mother asked the two of them.

"Nope," said he.

"Yes," she replied.

Clare raised her eyebrows and glared at her mother, but Clare didn't look at her because she knew her mother was angry. "I am really sorry about her behavior, Mr. Hackett. She's not usually like this," her dad apologized. Clare was surprised to see her dad apologizing. She had never heard him apologize to anyone before, especially since the man seemed a few years younger than her dad.

Clare looked at the men with Mr. Hackett. They were looking at her, so Clare raised her eyebrows at them. After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Hackett, as her father called him, broke it, so Clare also sat down.

After they finished eating, Mr. Hackett spoke up. "Mr. Sanes, I will be here for only a month, so I hope to finish what I need to do in the area quickly," he said. Clare secretly inserted the earpods she had with her since earlier. She didn't plan on listening to their conversation because she wouldn't understand anything anyway. Why did dad even bring me here when I have no use? She whispered to herself. She deliberately let her hair down so they wouldn't see that she had earpods in her ears.

To avoid getting caught, Clare just looked at each one of them, nodding when she saw her mother nodding. When they looked at her, she just gave them a sweet smile.

Clare felt someone kick her under the table, so she looked at her mother. She immediately lowered the volume

of the music from her watch and leaned over to whisper to her mother. "What?" she whispered. Her mother shook her head, looking puzzled.

"Are you listening to the conversation?" her mother asked her. Clare nodded immediately. Her mother giggled, which made Clare even more puzzled. Were they talking about me? "Yeah, why?" she asked curiously. Her mother whispered to her. "Well, you're getting married soon," she said excitedly. Clare's jaw dropped at what she heard. "What?!" she exclaimed.