His words were brutally blunt. In the past, no matter how sickeningly sweet Linden Jennings and Poppy Vance got, Seth Quinn would only show a hint of disdain. This was the first time he had ever been so direct in telling them to get lost.

Luckily, Poppy Vance knew them all well. Plus, she had an outgoing, sometimes shameless personality, so she paid him no mind, merely toning it down a little with a casual air.

Chase Childs remained silent, as was his custom. His face was stern, and it was hard to tell if he was contemplating the meaning of life, or simply contemplating life itself.

River Sterling, however, thought this was fantastic. Normally, he was the only one protesting Linden Jennings and Poppy Vance’s constant, shameless public displays of affection. Today, he finally had someone on his side, united against a common enemy!

He couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "Well, well, well. Finally, someone else who can’t stand watching certain people’s public displays of affection. I’ve been waiting for this day. Ah, it feels so good to have an ally."

After he finished, he seemed to remember something. He looked over at Seth Quinn, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "But, Seth, speaking of which... did things go okay when you and Clara got home that day? She didn’t give you a hard time, did she?"

Hearing this question, Chase Childs finally showed a reaction. ’Thank God. I was just wondering how to ask the president about this myself. It’s great that President Sterling asked for me.’

He immediately turned his head to watch Seth Quinn’s reaction.

Linden Jennings and Poppy Vance also quieted down and turned to look at Seth Quinn.

Linden Jennings spoke up as well. "That’s right, Seth. Are you and Clara all right?"

The past week had been incredibly busy. They had wanted to check in on their friend’s relationship status, but things got so hectic that they had barely seen Seth Quinn at all.

The only times they saw him were in meetings, and there was always a mountain of work to do afterward. Seth Quinn also seemed swamped this past week, out every day for business dinners and social events.

Besides, Autumn Shelby hadn’t shown up again since that day. Perhaps because they all felt she was too insignificant to cause any real trouble, everyone had nearly forgotten about the incident.

Still, they figured it couldn’t be a major problem. All Seth Quinn had to do was explain things clearly. After all, what man in his late twenties didn’t have some romantic history? Having had a fiancée before was perfectly normal.

Besides, Clara didn’t seem like the type of woman to make a scene over nothing.

Poppy Vance hadn’t had time to contact Clara Grant all week either. Now, she was staring intently at Seth, her ears pricked to catch every word.

Seth Quinn wasn’t normally one to discuss his romantic life in front of others. Even with his closest friends, he believed in keeping certain things private.

This time, however, he frowned and spoke up. "We’re still fighting. It’s been a week, and she’s still angry."

He was truly at his wit’s end. ’She won’t contact me, which must mean she hasn’t cooled down. I think about reaching out first, but I just can’t swallow my pride.’

And so, they’d been in this stubborn standoff for a week, stuck at an impasse, with neither one contacting the other.

"What?" The moment Seth Quinn spoke, Poppy Vance was the first to cry out in exaggerated surprise. "I didn’t realize Clara was so feisty! She’s still mad?"

’Then again,’ she thought, ’sometimes you have to keep a man guessing. It’s the only way they learn to appreciate you.’

Linden Jennings gave her waist an affectionate squeeze. "Don’t talk nonsense."

’Can’t she see Seth is genuinely troubled?’ he thought. ’And here Poppy is, making flippant remarks. Isn’t she afraid he’s going to kill her with a look?’

"Exactly," River Sterling chimed in. "This doesn’t make any sense. It was just some woman, and you’ve had nothing to do with her for ages. Clara is your wife now. Is it really worth her staying mad this long over someone you never even loved in the first place?"