Sweet Flash Marriage with the Restrained Tycoon (Isabelle and Damien) novel Chapter 827

Chapter 827 Banquet Encounters

Claudia had always been a softie at heart. Even with Darrell last time, she’d let things slide without a fuss.

Harold stepped into the ship’s banquet hall just a few minutes after the evening’s festivities had begun,

It was Lynix Tech’s IPO celebration party–a sizable crowd of partners and major clients had been invited.

Scanning the room, Claudia spotted quite a few familiar faces.

Randall, Darrell, and Sebastian were among them.

Sebastian served as general counsel for Lynix Tech.

Seeing him briefly brought Chelsea to mind.

After that night when Chelsea had too much to drink, she’d crashed at home for a full day. Their text thread still hadn’t moved past that last conversation.

Harold guided Claudia over to where Howard was standing. Howard was deep in discussion with an assistant, but when he noticed Harold approaching, he smoothly made room.

“Stay here for a bit, okay?” Harold told her softly.

Claudia nodded.

Harold got up, and Howard fell in step beside him, speaking in a low, steady tone.

Claudia assumed Harold was about to dive into the usual mingling and schmoozing with Howard, but instead he circled back a moment later holding a small plate of food for her.

“Is this enough?” he asked, his voice gentle.

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“More than enough. Go do what you need to–don’t worry about me,” Claudia replied, taking the glass of orange juice he offered.

Harold glanced over at Howard, who was now chatting animatedly with the CEO of Lynix Tech, and shrugged lightly. “Nothing over there can’t wait.”

He draped his suit jacket over Claudia’s shoulders. “If you start feeling bored, you can step out on the deck for some air. There’s actually a live band playing outside too. Just don’t wander too far, and let me know before you head out.”

Claudia nodded again.

Harold couldn’t resist–he leaned in and brushed a light kiss against her hair.

She caught her breath, feeling a flush rise to her cheeks.

Nearly everyone in the room tonight was somebody important, and Harold’s open affection was more than a little embarrassing.

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He straightened up and made his way toward Howard.

Claudia’s gaze lingered on him the whole time.

Harold carried himself with the same unflappable calm as Harvey, yet mixed with his own grounded steadiness and a touch of untamed edge.

Getting close to him meant facing an intensity that could easily put people on edge.

Just as Harold reached Howard’s side, he glanced back and caught Claudia watching him.

Feeling suddenly self–conscious, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t, Claudia lifted her orange juice and took a quick sip.

A faint, amused smile tugged at Harold’s lips before he turned his attention back to the conversation.

Not too far from where Claudia sat, Darrell was observing her too.

Once, she had looked at him with that same kind of attention in her eyes, but that felt like a lifetime ago now–and it was far too late to revisit any of that.

While Claudia was quietly picking at her dessert, Randall approached with a wine glass in hand.

“Ms. Bowman.”

Claudia looked up and gave him a polite nod.

He settled onto the sofa across from her.

“I really owe you an apology for the other day. Robin still hasn’t quite learned where to draw the line socially. I’m sure he made you uncomfortable.”

Randall’s eyes flickered toward Harold, who happened to be looking their way just then.

“It’s fine, really,” Claudia said, meaning it. She hadn’t taken it to heart.

At Robin’s age, feelings like crushes were still fuzzy and undefined–hardly something she could blame him for.

“Still, I wanted to apologize properly. And… thank you. The way you’ve been guiding him these last few days has made a real difference. He’s already improving.”

Truth was, Robin had been hitting the books harder than/ever lately, all in hopes of keeping up a conversation with Claudia someday.

Randall wasn’t so worried about his grades anymore. What troubled him now was how Robin’s feelings toward Claudia seemed to be growing.

“At his age, you can’t really stop someone from developing a crush,” Claudia offered gently. “Once his grades pick up, plenty of girls will notice him. He’ll figure out on his own what liking someone really

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Randall nodded slowly. He understood that well enough.

Even knowing Claudia wouldn’t hold a grudge, he still felt he should say something–especially with Harold standing so clearly in her corner.

Claudia ran out of words then and took another awkward sip of her juice.

Randall added after a pause, “Since Mr. Cross isn’t here at the moment… I heard one of his group’s project has hit a snag. I happen to know the lead on that initiative. Maybe I could help smooth things over.”

Claudia glanced at him, then over at Harold again.

Harold was standing near the Lynix Tech CEO, listening to the man talk with an air of relaxed patience, though Claudia could already spot a hint of restlessness in his posture.

She pressed her lips together lightly. She wasn’t sure how to respond.

Business dealings–especially the way men often navigated them–weren’t really her area, and she didn’t know the full extent of the challenges the Cross family was facing right now.

She certainly wasn’t in any position to make decisions for Harold.

“I can mention it to Mr. Cross later. But thank you for telling me first. Consider it… a way of returning a favor.” Randall gently clinked his glass against hers before excusing himself.

Once Randall had walked away, Claudia pulled out her phone and texted Darren to see if he was onboard too. He replied saying he was up on the next deck.

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