" Look , she really did bring a man on a date ! Dami , you're not going to do anything about this ? That woman is so shameless ! She even dares to find herself a pretty boy ! " Dami , is she using your money to support that pretty boy ? " Damian's face darkened as he glanced at Desmond , who immediately shut up . Audrey said nothing , but watched Damian out of the corner of her eye , trying to gauge his reaction . Damian said . " I know that guy ! She brought him here on purpose to get a rise out of me ! " Everyone immediately looked as if they understood . " I knew it ! How could Claudine possibly let you go ? Turns out she just found someone to act and make you jealous . " " Exactly , everyone knows Claudine is like a piece of clingy plaster . She must have realized her old tricks weren't working , so she's trying something new ! " Listening to everyone gossip about Claudine like this , Damian felt a bit displeased . " Enough , stop talking about it ! " Desmond immediately chimed in . " Right , let's not talk about those mood - killing things . We're here today to celebrate our sister - in - law's return to the country . Let's have a toast ! " With Desmond's lead , the group became lively again . After dinner , Roberto drove Claudine home . As they neared Willow Creek Villas , Claudine received a phone call . Seeing the caller ID , Claudine looked a bit unhappy . Noticing Claudine's mood , Roberto asked . " What's wrong ? " Claudine hung up and said . " It's nothing . Lately , I've been getting calls from real estate agents asking if I want to sell this house . They even say someone is willing to offer a very high price . " 0.0 % 08:55 Chapter39 288 Vouchers Roberto said , " Willow Creek Villas is one of the top locations in Bronzevale . It's normal for people to be interested . " Claudine replied , " Yes , I chose this place because of its location . Now that I'm used to living here , I have no intention of selling . I don't know who is so fixated on my house . " As the car stopped in the garage , Roberto said . " Anyone who wants to buy a house here must be rich or powerful . As a woman , it's not easy for you to deal with them directly . Why don't I handle it for you ? " Claudine thought for a moment and felt that the suggestion was quite reasonable . If the other party really was an unreasonable person , it would indeed be dangerous for her , as a woman , to negotiate alone . " Then I'll trouble you with this ! " " There's no need to be so polite between us . " When Roberto said this , his voice was extremely gentle , and there was a hint of tenderness in his eyes and expression . Claudine simply assumed Roberto was considering their friendship as classmates and didn't notice any other meaning in his words . After getting out of the car , Claudine waved goodbye to Roberto . Roberto rolled down the window and said , " I'll wait until I see you go upstairs before I leave . " Claudine found it hard to refuse , so she could only wave her hand . " Take care on your way , goodbye ! " " Goodbye ! " There was heating in the garage , so the cold air from outside couldn't get in . Claudine simply draped her coat over her arm and walked toward the elevator . Roberto sat in the car , watching as Claudine gradually walked away . He thought of what Claudine had said tonight , that there was no one left in Reedport for her to miss . That sentence was like a pebble dropped into his heart , stirring up ripples . His heart could no longer find peace . Once again , he regretted ever leaving in the first place . During this period , while he was abroad handling his business , he had also thoroughly investigated Claudine's lite back home . She had gotten married , and her husband even had a child with his ex - wife That man treated her very poorly . 35.2.96 08:55 chapter38 288 Vouchers Not long ago , she had even lost a child . When he learned all this , he wanted nothing more than to fly back immediately and give that ungrateful , heartless man a beating . But reason told him that doing so would only frighten Claudine . Besides , that man held a distinguished position , and with his current strength , he was not yet a match for him . But from the moment he decided to return home , he had already made up his mind : this time , no matter who tried to stop him , he would not leave again . He would stay by Claudine's side and protect her well . At this moment , behind his car , the owner of the silver Bentley had already been watching them for quite some time . Damian lit a cigarette , resting one hand on the edge of the car window . His slender fingers tapped lightly and absent- mindedly on the window frame , and his expression , shrouded in a haze of smoke , became elusive and unreadable . 08:55