Chapter 198: Expecting

Claire Grace glanced cautiously at Lucas Zeller sitting beside her. His handsome face was taut, his expression unreadable—but it seemed clear he was upset.

Was he mad at her? It had to be. Because of her impulsiveness, the company's contract with Lina had been terminated, delaying the launch of their new perfume and synchronized advertising campaign.

"Lucas, I'm sorry. I didn't know she was Lina, or else—"

"Or else what?" Lucas shifted his gaze from the road to her, then back again. Yet, one hand remained steady on the steering wheel while the other reached over, gently grasping her hands, which were nervously twisting together. "You're not about to tell me that if you'd known she was Lina, you'd have let me make a 'small sacrifice' to keep her happy, are you?"

"...I—" Claire hesitated, the thought having crossed her mind earlier but now feeling impossible to voice aloud.

"Claire, you're ridiculous," Lucas said with a playful smirk, turning his head briefly to wink at her. "You got mad just seeing her put her arms around my waist. If she had gone any further, I doubt you'd have allowed me to 'sacrifice' anything."

"But because of my overreaction, the entire deal fell apart," Claire replied, guilt evident in her voice.

"Overreaction? Come on!" Lucas chuckled. "If you had arrived a minute later, I might've been eaten alive by that woman. Honestly, I should be thanking you for showing up when you did."

"You're really not mad at me?" Claire asked hesitantly.

"Mad? Of course, I'm mad."

"Ah…" Claire's face fell—she had known it.

"I'm mad at you for not trusting me and for caring too much about this whole thing. For the record, I was the one who terminated the contract. We can always find a new face for the campaign. So stop feeling guilty about it, or else your little shell might crack under the pressure," Lucas teased, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Lucas, how come you never noticed me before?" Claire asked suddenly, her voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and vulnerability.

"...Never noticed you?" Lucas's brows furrowed, genuinely confused. "I notice you every single day."

"No, that's not what I mean," Claire clarified. "Didn't you ever remember me telling you about my work in France?"

"Of course I remember," Lucas replied, his expression brightening with realization. "You said you worked at the Charmé CN headquarters in France—wait…" His dark eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Are you saying you were the company's perfume ambassador?"

"Why not?" Claire replied with a playful wink.

"Why not? That's absolutely perfect!" Lucas's lips curved into a dazzling smile as he abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Turning toward Claire, he gazed at her with an intensity that made her heart flutter.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Claire asked shyly, biting her lower lip.

"I know you don't like doing promotional shoots, yet you'd consider becoming an ambassador again—for me. That really moves me," Lucas said, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"Well, you didn't blame me when I messed up the company's deal. I should at least do something for you in return," Claire murmured.

"But what about your job as Blaine Jackson's assistant? Wouldn't that be an issue?" Lucas asked, his voice tinged with concern.

"It's fine. Blaine originally planned to compete in the annual Asian Design Contest, but since he won last year and none of this year's entrants have caught his eye, he's decided to pass. That's lightened his workload considerably. Besides, he told me today that he might return to France soon."

"In that case, I'm relieved," Lucas said, releasing her from his embrace but not before his gaze lingered on her rosy lips. Unable to resist, he leaned in for a kiss. What began as a fleeting touch deepened unexpectedly, their lips locked as if enchanted.

"Lucas, it's still broad daylight…" Claire whispered breathlessly, pulling away just enough to speak. "And we're supposed to be visiting Lauren Wells at the hospital."

"Should we just head home instead?" Lucas teased, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Claire's cheeks turned a deep shade of pink as she stared at him in disbelief. Laughing, Lucas tousled her hair affectionately before restarting the engine.

---

**At the Hospital**

"Lauren, are you serious? You're pregnant?" Claire's voice brimmed with astonishment as she stared at Lauren Wells, who nodded with a serene smile.

"Silly girl. I've been married for over a year now. Isn't this perfectly normal?" Lauren replied. Though her words were lighthearted, a sigh escaped her lips—pregnancy had been an unplanned surprise. She had hoped to travel abroad with her husband, but now those plans seemed out of reach.

"True…" Claire chuckled, then turned to Roy Lin. "Congratulations, big brother Roy! You must be thrilled to become a dad."

"Thrilled? Absolutely," Roy said, shaking his head with an amused smile. "But she scared me half to death, complaining about stomach pains and crying her eyes out at the hospital. Then she suddenly announced it was because she's pregnant!"

Seeing Lauren's sheepish grin, Claire laughed along with them. The atmosphere was light and joyous until Lucas suddenly spoke up.

"Well, since everyone's in such a good mood, I'd like to share some good news too."

"Good news?" Lauren's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she glanced at Claire's stomach with a teasing smirk. "Lucas, don't tell me Claire's pregnant too?"

"Lauren, stop!" Claire exclaimed, her face turning crimson.

"No, no," Lucas interjected, grinning. "The good news is that Claire will be the new face of our perfume campaign."

"What?" Roy asked, startled. "What happened to Lina?"

"You have the nerve to ask?" Lucas shot him a glare before adding calmly, "She wasn't the right fit—her temper was problematic. So, we decided to terminate her contract." He subtly signaled Roy, who immediately understood and didn't press further.

"Well, you two get to stick together now, working side by side every day," Lauren said enviously.

"Sweetheart, don't I treat you well too?" Roy countered. "I rushed here the moment you said you didn't feel well. And have I ever refused to take you anywhere you wanted?"

"In that case, can we go to Japan next month to see the cherry blossoms?" Lauren asked with hopeful eyes.

"After the baby's born, Mrs. Lin," Roy replied with a teasing smile.

Lauren pouted, clearly unsatisfied.

"Alright, we'll leave you to rest," Lucas said, taking Claire's hand. "We have some big plans to discuss."

With that, they left the room hand in hand.