A Night of Desire

Chapter 277 - 274: Huh, Why is She Hiding?

"Oh no, I think my ring is gone!" Poppy Vance exclaimed, secretly slipping the ring from her finger. She held up her bare hand for Clara to see. "Brother Quinn gave that to me. I can’t lose it!"

As she spoke, they reached the corner leading to the restrooms. Poppy Vance glanced over her shoulder and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

But then, another idea struck her. She pretended to stumble. "Ouch!" she cried out, her body lurching to the side.

Clara Grant quickly reached out and steadied her, asking with concern, "Poppy, what’s wrong?"

Poppy crouched down, rubbing her ankle. She looked up with a pitiful expression. "Clara, I twisted my ankle. Could you go inside and check the counter for my ring? I might have taken it off to wash my hands and left it there."

Clara Grant agreed immediately. "Okay, I’ll go look for it." She then crouched down to check Poppy’s ankle. "But is it a bad sprain?"

Poppy quickly waved her hand. "It’s not serious, not at all. I just twisted it, so it’s a little sore. I’ll be fine after I rub it for a bit. You should go find my ring before someone else walks off with it."

Clara Grant stood up. "Okay, I’ll go look. Wait here for me."

Poppy nodded eagerly. As soon as Clara was inside the restroom, she immediately shot back to her feet, pressing herself against the wall to peek out into the corridor.

That person was still in the corridor, speaking to a staff member from The Tuberose and apparently asking for something.

She saw him perfectly clearly—it was the person who had been gone for so long!

’Oh no. Don’t tell me he’s looking for our private room?’

’Thankfully, Brother Quinn and the others are regulars here—top-tier VIPs. The staff wouldn’t just give out their room number to anyone.’

She watched without blinking as the man outside exchanged a few more words with the staff member before continuing straight ahead, disappearing around the corner at the far end of the hall.

Poppy Vance breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall, patting her chest. Her gaze drifted toward the restroom, and she froze. ’Wait, why am I hiding? Clara has even less reason to hide.’

...

Clara Grant searched the counters by the sinks thoroughly, even checking the floor, but she couldn’t find the ring Poppy had mentioned.

She thought for a moment before walking out of the restroom. She found Poppy leaning against the wall, patting her chest as if she’d just had a scare. Her ankle, meanwhile, didn’t look injured at all.

Recalling Poppy’s earlier comment—"they got along so well"—Clara started to understand why she had suddenly changed the subject to a lost ring.

’Poppy was probably worried that talking about how well Seth Quinn and his ex got along would make me, his current girlfriend, feel embarrassed or awkward.’

’That’s why she used the lost ring as an excuse to end the conversation and change the subject.’

Clara Grant smiled wryly to herself, but her expression was perfectly calm as she walked over to Poppy.

When Poppy saw her, she immediately stood up straight and said, "Clara."

Noticing her slight tension, Clara said casually, "Poppy, I didn’t find the ring in the restroom. Maybe you put it somewhere else and forgot?"

Poppy pretended to think for a moment, then rummaged in her pocket and pulled out the very ring she had stashed there earlier. "Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot! I took it off to wash my hands and put it in my pocket. My mistake, Clara."

"It’s fine." Clara’s gaze flicked to Poppy’s ankle. "Is your ankle okay?"

"It’s fine. I just twisted it a little, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Let’s go back."

"Okay."

As they reached the door to their private room and pushed it open, the slightly teasing voice of River Sterling drifted into their ears.