Rebirth to take revenge
Chapter 102: Gift

Chapter 102: Gift

Upon hearing this, Claire’s eyes couldn’t help but turn red. She had lost her mother when she was young, and her father, Sebastian, remarried Maria and sent her to the countryside. When she was in school, she envied the harmonious families of her classmates. Seeing Leander growing up day by day, she didn’t want her child to experience the same feeling, she touched Leander’s head with a complex look in her eyes and said softly, "Leander, you will have a dad."

After saying this, Claire got up and prepared to leave.

Leander quickly called out, "Mom, remember to give the gift to Dad."

Sitting in the taxi, Claire looked at the small USB drive in her hand, feeling a mix of emotions. One was curiosity about what was inside, and the other was extreme indecision about how to give it to him. And since her son had given a gift, should she also prepare some gifts?

Lost in thought, Claire’s gaze paused as she saw a familiar shop.

"Driver, please stop the car." She stopped the driver and got off at a cake shop on the roadside. A moment later, she got back in the car with a gift box in her hand.

The taxi quickly stopped at the entrance of the Western Medical Clinic as they sped along. Claire paid the fare and got out of the car, checking the time on her phone. Seeing that it was still early, she took a deep breath and headed towards Alex’s office.

Claire looked at the place where she used to work, her heart pounding like thunder.

Knock, knock, knock. She tried to calm her racing heart and knocked on the office door. Soon, a familiar deep voice came from inside the door: "Come in."

Claire pushed the door open and walked in. But what she saw made her pupils shrink. Everything she had used to work with was still there, untouched. Seeing this scene, Claire’s mood was complicated.

She looked at Alex with a ripple in her eyes. Alex was sitting at his desk, buried in work. Claire walked slowly towards him, coughed lightly, and said, "Mr. Alex."

As soon as she spoke, Alex immediately raised his head. His deep, ink-like eyes showed a hint of emotion that Claire dared not look at directly.

"Sit." Alex covered up his complex expression and pointed to the chair beside her, saying, "Why didn’t you come to the banquet yesterday?"

Claire trembled as soon as she sat down. She stuttered for a while before managing to say, "Yesterday, there was something going on at home that I couldn’t get away from."

After the words were spoken, Claire looked at him and asked softly, "Did you call me here for something, Mr. Alex?"

Alex was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "The medicine you gave me works pretty well. Can you prepare some more for me?"

"Sure," Claire agreed.

"Okay, you can go now," Alex nodded slightly, indicating for her to leave.

Claire hesitated for a moment.

"What’s wrong?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Um, Mr. Alex, I heard yesterday was your birthday," Claire explained. "This is a gift I prepared for you."

As she spoke, Claire placed the pastry box in her hand on the table in front of Alex. Alex looked up and glanced at the familiar pastry box, and memories flooded his mind. His heart suddenly beat faster.

He stared at Claire and asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Hearing this, Claire was also stunned and instinctively avoided eye contact, saying, "No, Mr. Miller."

"Oh, by the way, this is a gift from my son," Claire said as she placed the USB drive on the table in front of Alex.

"You have a son?" Alex looked at the USB drive on the table with a strange expression. "So, you’re married now?"

Alex’s eyes dimmed, and he murmured softly. Claire nodded and said, "I have a son who is almost five years old."

"I see. I’m happy for you." Alex’s lips curved into a faint smile as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Claire opened her mouth to speak but then hesitated and remained silent. In the end, she chose to say nothing because she was afraid that if she mentioned what happened in the past, Alex might do something irrational.

"Thank you," Claire forced a smile and stood up to say goodbye.

"Miss Claire." Alex suddenly called out to her. Claire turned around and asked, "Is there something else?"

Alex pursed his lips and hesitated for a long time before asking, "Would you consider changing your job? I happen to need a secretary." As soon as he said this, Alex regretted it. He knew she was married, so why couldn’t he control his desire to keep her by his side? Claire was also taken aback by this unexpected offer.

After a moment of silence, she gathered her thoughts and politely declined, "Thank you, Mr. Alex, but I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer. I have other commitments at the moment."

Alex nodded slightly, though disappointment flickered across his face. "I understand," he said, his voice calm but tinged with something unspoken.

Claire offered a polite smile and turned to leave, but as she reached the door, Alex’s voice stopped her once again.

"Claire," he called softly, his tone more personal than before, catching her off guard.

She turned to face him, surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor. "Yes?"

Alex hesitated for a moment, his fingers lightly tapping the surface of his desk, before speaking again. "If... if you ever need anything, feel free to contact me."

Claire gave a slight nod, feeling a swirl of emotions she couldn’t quite place. "Thank you, Mr. Alex. I’ll keep that in mind." With that, she left his office, her heart beating faster than before.

Once outside, Claire exhaled deeply, clutching the handle of the gift box in her hand. The encounter had brought up old feelings she thought she had buried long ago. But she couldn’t afford to dwell on them now—her life had changed, and so had she.

As she made her way down the familiar hallway, memories of her time working at the clinic flooded her mind. The long hours, the laughter shared with colleagues, and, of course, Alex. Those were days filled with passion for her work, but also tension, emotions that she could never quite put into words back then.

Reaching the exit, Claire stepped out into the cool evening air, feeling the weight of the past slowly settle on her shoulders. But she couldn’t let it consume her now. She had to focus on her present—on Leander, her son, and the life she had worked so hard to build.

She hailed a taxi and, as it pulled up, got in and told the driver her destination. As the car moved through the streets, she glanced at the gift box again, wondering how Alex would react once he opened it. Would he remember the times they shared, the small gestures that once meant so much?

As these thoughts filled her mind, Claire looked out the window, watching the city lights blur past her. Her life had taken so many unexpected turns, but one thing remained clear: the past couldn’t be

Alex tightly pressed his lips together and watched her leave, feeling restless as he pressed his forehead. As he caught a glimpse of the pastry box on the table, memories flooded back into Alex’s mind. Fragments of scattered images flashed by, causing him a splitting headache. He dared not dwell on them.

But with just a few pictures, Alex knew that he and Claire had met before. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall anything about her. He pressed his head in frustration, feeling like he had forgotten something important. What was that past event exactly?

Knock, knock, knock.

The office door rang again, surprising Alex. Outside the door, Anna’s voice sounded sweetly, "Brother Alex, are you in there?"

Hearing her voice, Alex frowned and muttered under his breath, "Come in."

Anna was overjoyed and pushed the door open, walking in with a cheerful step. As soon as she entered, she caught sight of the pastry box on Alex’s desk. Anna’s eyes flickered, but her face remained expressionless.

She approached Alex and asked gently, "Brother Alex, we’ve known each other since we were young. How come I didn’t know you liked sweets?"

Alex reached out and took the pastry box, putting it in the drawer. He spoke coldly, "There are many things you don’t know."

Anna’s face stiffened, but she quickly recovered.

"If you like it, Brother Alex, I can make it for you next time. There’s nothing much to eat in these cheap pastry shops anyway."

"Who let you come find me?" Alex frowned, his eyes coldly fixed on Anna, his tone very severe.

Anna was taken aback, biting her lip and summoning up her courage. "Brother Alex, how could you treat me like this? We grew up together and did everything together! For more than twenty years, don’t you understand my feelings?"