"I met your cousin, the Lemon," Apollo suddenly raised a new topic.
Claire rose and reached for his potato chips. "How did that go?" She shoved three chips into her mouth, crunching them loudly.
Apollo did not rush to share his personal opinion on Claire’s cousin. Finding two annoying ones in the bunch was probably a pain in the ass for her. Ritah was the first, and Lemon, the second. He had not exchanged any words with the young woman, but he had frowned and given her a Wilder approved look of disgust after she was caught trying to sneak into Claire’s bedroom.
"I will just say keep your bag closed around her," he said, shaking his head.
Claire said with certainty, "You should take your own advice. Some people don’t know their limits. Today it’s my room, and tomorrow it could be yours. I suppose she is just like her mother Aunt Delia who likes to take other people’s nice things to impress outsiders."
Apollo slid to the carpeted floor, sitting with his legs crossed, as if he were about to meditate. "What do you think she was after?"
Most thieves went after jewelry, but Claire had already sold all of her nice jewelry. Her fancy clothes had been sold too. The only thing she had on her that was worth anything was the pearl necklace around her neck.
When she thought about it, she touched the pearl, as if she needed assurance that it was still there. An idea flashed into her mind, making her eyes widen. "Apollo, do you think that she was hoping to find a business plan in my room. She does have that boyfriend who plans to go into business, and grandma has been bragging about my success. I am not new to corporate espionage. Alden Dane introduced me to it at a young age by stealing my business proposals and ideas."
Apollo couldn’t judge quickly but he nodded anyway. "It could be that, or she is just one of those people who like to snoop. Either way, keep an eye on your things whenever she comes around. Have you eaten dinner?"
Claire touched her belly, shaking her head.
Apollo rose immediately, and he gestured at her to follow him. "Your mother came by and made dinner for us. Your father took her out on a date, after. Apparently, Friday night is their long-standing date night. No matter what is going on in their lives, they keep it.
Unless someone is sick or dead. The Bens have a basketball match. Archer can’t make it back this weekend and Ansel has to cook for two weddings this weekend. Oh...your grandfather went to bed early because he is no spring chicken. Those were his words."
Claire couldn’t believe that he was keeping tabs on all her family members. It was not necessary. In fact, it made her worry. "What are you planning to do?"
He stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, looked back at her and laughed. "Is everything I do just another scheme to you?"
She nodded firmly. "Even your offer to escort me into the kitchen has me wondering if you plan to poison my food."
He rolled his eyes and continued on into the kitchen. Then, to Claire’s surprise, he made a plate for her. If she had not seen him preparing it, Claire would not have eaten it.
"You didn’t secretly spit on it while I was not looking, did you?" She asked, as she settled at the table, eyeing him suspiciously.
Apollo found himself rolling his eyes for the second time that night. "Claire, you watched me like a dog keeping an eye on a bone. You were breathing down my neck in the kitchen like a prison guard. How could I have had the chance to spit on your food?"
She leaned forward, whispering in confidence, "But you thought about it, didn’t you?"
"Why do you always think the worst of me?" he asked her.
Claire leaned back, answering with certainty, "Because you always give me a reason to."
Apollo started to roll his eyes, and then he stopped and sighed. "What’s going on with your cousin Theresa? Your mother asked me if I might know some good lawyers. She didn’t explain much but she said Theresa got the short end of the deal."
Claire nodded, chewing a small bite of rice. "Mmm. I met Theresa and Prim today. Theresa was married to Jon Jenkins, Cia Twilight’s new man...or old man, depending on who you ask. From the story grandma told me, ever since Jon married Theresa, he rarely came home. He was always on the road with Cia. He is not her only bodyguard, but he is the closest. So close to the point of sleeping in the same room and on the same bed as her in the name of protection!"
"Oooh..." Apollo gasped.
Laughing lightly, Claire continued, "I had the same reaction when I found out. A straight man and a beautiful woman, half naked, sharing a bed every day! they were bound to cross the line sooner or later. If you ask me, Cia did it deliberately. Grand aunt Rochelle said that Cia became extra clingy after Jon married Theresa. Even on their wedding night, Cia summoned Jon because she thought she was being stalked."
"Where were the rest of her bodyguards?" He asked, with genuine interest.
Claire shook her head. "Grandma said a special lady part of Cia’s body was burning. There was no such thing as a stalker."
Apollo gasped, looking scandalized. The look on his face sent Claire into peals of laughter. She wondered if this was how she had reacted when Wilder said it right in front of Theresa.
"If he chose his job over his wife on his wedding night, then there is definitely something suspicious about their relationship." Apollo sighed and said this, reaching for a glass of water. "Did your cousin sign any NDAs?"
"About a dozen of them," Claire sneered. "Some before she got married and others after. On the night she gave birth to Prim, Cia summoned Jon because she was bleeding badly and in danger. It so happened that she was admitted to the same hospital as Theresa. Jon abandoned his wife and rushed to her side. As it turned out, Cia had cut her finger while peeling an apple.
Still, Jon remained by her side faithfully, on the VIP floor. He didn’t make it back to Theresa’s side until the following morning, long after Prim had been born. He looked at his daughter once, then rushed back to Cia’s side. I used to think that I had dated the worst man in the world but boy...Cupid screwed Theresa over in ways worse than mine."