"Mrs. Sterling," Brenda ventured cautiously, pulling the car up to a well-known, venerable institution, its stone facade imposing against the city skyline. "We've arrived at City Central University. If you don't mind my asking... why are we here?" Brenda had just no idea what Claire was thinking. This was entirely outside the usual parameters of a Sterling wife's day.
Claire turned, her faint, almost mischievous smile widening. "I need to go for admission, Brenda."
Brenda blinked, once, twice. "Admission?" she echoed, confusion etching her features, her voice rising slightly in disbelief. "For... what, precisely, Mrs. Sterling?"
"For the Master's program in Economics," Claire stated plainly, her eyes sparkling with a quiet determination, a hint of genuine excitement she rarely allowed herself to show.
Brenda's jaw dropped, momentarily forgetting her professional composure. "But... Mrs. Sterling," she stammered, recovering quickly, her voice a mix of awe and incredulity, "you would need to take an entrance exam for that. A highly competitive one, I might add. It's not something you can simply 'do admission' for by walking in. Even Mr. Sterling, with all his influence, couldn't simply arrange admission here without the rigorous testing involved." Her voice held a note of genuine surprise, laced with bewilderment.
"Oh, I know," Claire said, her smile widening into a knowing one, a flash of shared secret in her gaze.
Brenda gave her a baffled, questioning look, utterly at a loss. The entire situation was baffling, contradicting every expectation she had for her demanding role.
Before Brenda could press further, Claire pulled out her phone. A quick call, a few murmured words, a brief burst of laughter. Moments later, a familiar figure appeared, striding purposefully across the university quad, her gait confident and brisk. It was Sasha Cooper, her dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail, a stack of books under her arm. Sasha spotted them, her face lighting up with a warm smile. She waved and hurried over to the car.
"Hey, Claire!" Sasha greeted cheerfully, peering into the open window. "Ready for this?"
"Ready," Claire replied, a genuine smile replacing her forced public one, her eyes sparkling with genuine camaraderie. She then turned to Brenda, her voice softening slightly. "Brenda, could you just wait for me in the car? I won't be long."
Brenda, utterly bewildered, nodded stiffly. As Claire stepped out and walked towards Sasha, a brief, whispered exchange passing between the two friends, Claire subtly pulled out her own phone. Her fingers flew across the screen, composing a quick, terse message, her lips curved into a faint, enigmatic smile as she sent it to Alexander.
In his office, Alexander's phone buzzed with the incoming message. He glanced at it, a faint frown touching his lips as he read the simple text from Claire: "University." He looked at the screen without any expression, his thoughts unreadable.
Brenda, in the car, kept her phone in her pocket, having received no reply from Alexander. She waited, her curiosity simmering. Finally, almost an hour later, Claire emerged from the university building, but alone this time. Sasha was nowhere in sight, evidently having departed earlier. Claire walked back to the car, her stride light, a triumphant, almost mischievous glint in her eyes.
Brenda, unable to contain her curiosity and the sheer volume of unspoken questions, leaned over as Claire opened the door. "Mrs. Sterling, what's wrong?" she blurted out, her voice a mix of exasperation and disbelief, "What's with that expression? Did... did you even manage to apply?"
Claire gave her a calm, dismissive wave of her hand, a faint, secret smile playing on her lips. "Oh, that?" she said lightly, as if discussing the most mundane of matters. "Don't worry, Brenda. It was all handled." She paused, her smile widening with quiet triumph. "I already cleared their entrance. I got the admission here."
Brenda stared and nodded slowly, an impressed expression settling on her face, realizing the quiet formidable will of the woman beside her. "That's... incredible, Mrs. Sterling! I've heard the entrance exams are notoriously difficult."
"They were challenging," Claire admitted, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "But I enjoy a good challenge." She then leaned slightly towards Brenda, her expression more serious. "Mr. Sterling has no idea about you taking admission here," Brenda continued, stating the obvious, still reeling from the shock.
"How would he?" Claire retorted, a faint, amused smile playing on her lips, a subtle challenge in her eyes. "I never told him." She paused, then, her eyes sparkling with a hint of genuine amusement and satisfaction, she added, "What did he say?"
Brenda blinked, taken aback by the direct question, her professional guard completely down. "Huh?" she managed, her voice a confused squeak. She was not a person who gave a lot of confusing looks, but Claire's unpredictability was proving to be a true test of her unflappable demeanor.
"You already told him about why we are here, didn't you? What did he say?" Claire prompted, her voice soft but firm, a knowing gleam in her eyes.
Brenda hesitated for a long moment, then sighed in resignation, realizing the futility of resistance. "He... he didn't reply, Mrs. Sterling."
Claire's smile widened, a quiet, deep satisfaction settling over her. "Good for me," she murmured, almost to herself, a triumphant glint in her eyes. She then buckled her seatbelt with a decisive click. The car started, pulling smoothly away from the university gates. Claire leaned back, a contented sigh escaping her lips.
Brenda, still reeling from the cascade of revelations, drove in a daze, her mind struggling to process the implications of Claire's quiet, formidable independence. "What should I do next, Mrs. Sterling?" she asked, her voice tinged with bewildered submission, anticipating a new, perhaps equally perplexing, set of formal appointments.
Claire turned in her seat, her expression softening into one of genuine amusement, a hint of playful manipulation in her gaze, a side of her Brenda rarely saw. "Brenda, I've 'borrowed' you for two days. Consider yourself off Sterling duty for a while." She paused, then leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, completely unlike her usual reserve. "Nothing. Just be home and relax nicely. Or better yet..." She leaned back, a genuine, joyful laugh bubbling up, a rich, unrestrained sound rarely heard within the Sterling circles. "Just go for a date or something. Stop here." She pointed to a bustling, vibrant street corner teeming with cafes and small shops, a place far removed from the world of high finance and formal galas.
Brenda, completely caught off guard by the unexpected directive, slammed on the brakes, the sudden stop jarring her. "Huh?" she exclaimed, her face a mask of utter bewilderment. "Mrs. Sterling, I... I don't understand."
Claire merely smiled, her eyes dancing with mirth, unbuckling her seatbelt with a flourish. "You don't need to. Just go have fun. Consider it a Sterling bonus. You've earned it." She opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, her light green gown shimmering in the midday sun, a stark yet beautiful contrast to the casual urban setting. "Bye!" she called, already turning away, a lighthearted wave over her shoulder.
"Mrs. Sterling, where are you going?!" Brenda called out, her voice a mix of alarm and lingering confusion, scrambling out of the driver's seat. "I should follow you!"
Claire just waved a dismissive hand over her shoulder, a figure of defiant elegance and unbridled freedom against the bustling city backdrop. "Having fun!" she shouted back, her voice light and carefree. And then, surprisingly, she broke into a light run, weaving effortlessly through the surprised pedestrians, a flash of emerald green disappearing into the crowd, a vibrant streak of rebellion against the Sterling world. Brenda stood by the limousine, utterly dumbfounded, watching Claire's retreating figure until it vanished from sight. She could only shake her head, a slow, bewildered smile slowly forming on her lips.
As evening approached, a gentle golden light bathed the city. Claire, clutching a small, elegantly boxed cake from a charming bakery she'd stumbled upon, felt a sense of contentment she hadn't realized she was capable of. The intellectual stimulation of the university, combined with the simple joy of personal freedom, had lifted a heavy weight from her shoulders.
Her gaze drifted casually down the street, taking in the unique architecture and the flow of pedestrians. Then, her breath hitched. Her blood ran cold.
A familiar figure, tall and unmistakable even from a distance, was standing a block away, engaged in a conversation.
Instinct took over. Claire quickly spun on her heel, her heart hammering against her ribs, a wave of sickening dread washing over her. "Why did Alexander have to be everywhere?" she whispered to herself.
Without a second thought, she broke into a quick, desperate jog, ducking sharply behind a large, decorative stone planter that offered a meager, temporary shield. She crouched low, pressing herself against the cool, rough wall behind the planter, the delicate cake box clutched tightly to her chest, as if it were a shield against the past.
Slowly, cautiously, she peered around the edge, her eyes darting towards where Alexander had been. Relief, sharp and profound, washed over her. He was no longer there.