Clara Grant and Poppy Vance emerged from the restroom, chatting as they headed back.

"Clara, are you afraid of Brother Quinn, or do you hate him?"

Clara was at a loss. ’Poppy, how am I supposed to answer a question like that?’

She simply tilted her head, looked at Poppy, and asked instead of answering, "What makes you ask that?"

"I mean, you and Brother Quinn are a couple. But he had to resort to trickery just to get you to meet him. Doesn’t that point to a problem? You’re either afraid of him or you hate him. Otherwise, why wouldn’t you want to see him?"

Poppy said this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, even using herself and Linden Jennings as an example. "Look at me and Linden—we’re nothing like you guys. If he wants to see me, or I want to see him, we just do, as long as we’re both free."

Clara thought to herself, ’Just as I suspected. They all assume Seth Quinn and I are a real couple.’

But then she sighed internally. ’How could Poppy possibly know? She and Linden Jennings are in love with each other. But with Seth Quinn and me... one of us has ulterior motives, and the other has no choice in the matter. You can’t even compare our situations!’

Seeing Clara remain silent, Poppy couldn’t help but press, "Clara, say something."

’Yep, I should help Brother Quinn get some intel. That way, he can win his girl’s heart sooner!’

"I... why would I be afraid of him?" Though her feelings toward him were complicated, she was sure of one thing: she wasn’t afraid of him, and she definitely didn’t hate him.

’So that was the only way I could answer. Was I supposed to say, "Why would I hate him?" That would just make Poppy assume I *liked* him, wouldn’t it?’

But her answer led to a misunderstanding anyway. "Oh, so you *do* hate Brother Quinn, then?" Poppy asked. "But he’s a great guy! He’s handsome, rich, powerful, and he really likes you. Why don’t you like him?"

"I..." Clara hesitated before finally replying, "...I don’t dislike him."

"So that means you like him!" Poppy said with a mischievous grin.

Poppy’s way of thinking was too black and white; Clara couldn’t explain it to her. She sighed softly and said, "Poppy, things between a man and a woman aren’t always as simple as ’like’ or ’dislike.’ Not all couples are like you and President Jennings, so deeply in love."

"Why not? Can people who hate each other still be a couple?" Poppy pouted, looking confused.

Clara didn’t answer, but she gave a bitter, internal smile. ’Maybe that kind of situation is rare, but she and Seth Quinn are one of those rare cases.’

’Besides, does Seth Quinn *really* like me? People only see the surface. He treats me well and seems to adore me, but who really knows? He’s probably just using me as a substitute for his former fiancée.’

At that thought, something stirred in Clara’s heart. She looked at Poppy and asked, feigning casualness, "Poppy, you and President Jennings seem to have such a great relationship. You two... have you been together for a long time?"

"Oh, come on. We’re practically sisters, and Linden and Brother Quinn are as close as brothers. Why are you so formal, calling him ’President Jennings’ all the time? You can just call him Brother Jennings." Hearing Clara use "President Jennings" always made Poppy feel there was a distance between them, as if Clara hadn’t truly become part of Seth Quinn’s circle of friends.

After saying that, she finally answered Clara’s question. The moment she started talking about herself and Linden Jennings, a shy blush instantly colored her cheeks.

"Linden and I have been together for three years now. I remember how we met... It was three years ago, on my eighteenth birthday. I went to a bar with some classmates to celebrate becoming an adult, but we ran into some bad guys."