Taming the Arrogant CEO

Lucas leaned casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he observed Claire. His sharp eyes scanned her with a mix of curiosity and detachment. "Is this your first time coming to the place you're looking for?" he asked, gesturing to the bed beside him. His tone was calm, almost disinterested, but his posture suggested he was paying closer attention than he let on.

Claire, still sitting awkwardly on the floor, quickly nodded. She understood his unspoken suggestion and scrambled to her feet, brushing invisible dust from her skirt. 

"Yes," she said, her voice low as she kept her gaze fixed downward. "It's my first time. I recently graduated from a university nearby, but I don't know my way around Lyra Street." She kept her head down deliberately, finding it easier to speak without meeting his intense gaze. She didn't trust herself to stop staring if she did.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued by her apparent unease. "Tell me the address," he offered, his tone straightforward. "I can drive you there."

Claire hesitated before answering, her voice tinged with embarrassment. "I… I don't know the exact address," she admitted. "I only know that the family name is Zeller."

"Zeller?" Lucas repeated sharply, his voice laced with an edge of incredulity.

Before Claire could react, three voices echoed in unison. "Zeller?!"

Claire turned to find Lucas's parents standing in the doorway, their expressions a mixture of surprise and delight.

"Did you just say you're looking for the Zeller family?" Helen Zeller asked, her voice rising with barely-contained excitement.

Claire nodded hesitantly, unsure why Mrs. Zeller looked so thrilled.

"Well, we're the only Zeller family on Lyra Street!" Helen exclaimed, clasping her hands together as if the universe had handed her a long-awaited gift.

The revelation hit Claire like a thunderbolt. Her head snapped up to look at Lucas, only to be met with a cold smirk curling at the edges of his mouth. His previously neutral expression darkened, his eyes gleaming with a mockery that made her feel suddenly small.

"Are you… Are you Claire Grace, Richard Grace's daughter?" Thomas Zeller, Lucas's father, asked, his voice calm but his eyes keen with curiosity.

Claire paused, her chest tightening as she processed the question. Then she nodded, feeling a pang at the memory of her father's face. But that fleeting sadness was quickly overshadowed by the sting of Lucas's smirk, still etched in her mind.

What was he trying to imply?

Helen's eyes brimmed with tears of joy. "Oh, my!" she exclaimed, taking a step closer. "It's been so many years, and now you've grown into such a beautiful young lady. It's true what they say—how much girls change as they grow up."

Claire flushed under the unexpected compliment. "Thank you," she said softly, still unsure how to respond to the sudden warmth emanating from the Zeller matriarch.

"So… are you Uncle Zeller and Aunt Zeller?" she asked hesitantly, her words tinged with uncertainty.

Helen nodded enthusiastically. "That's right, my dear," she said warmly. Then, turning toward her son, she added, "And this is our son, Lucas."

Lucas? *Lucas Zeller?* Claire repeated the name silently, her mind racing as she tried to reconcile the magnetic, confident man standing before her with the image her father had described—a boy plagued by "physical flaws." She stole another glance at him, her gaze lingering despite herself. Everything about him, from his sharp features to his commanding presence, exuded an undeniable allure. *Could this really be the same person?*

As if sensing her scrutiny, Lucas turned back toward her. His dark eyes flashed with a fierce, icy light that sent a shiver through her. The expression on his face was so distant and contemptuous that it was almost unrecognizable from the man who had offered to drive her moments ago.

Claire blinked, startled by the change, and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Lucas pivoted on his heel and strode out of the room without a word.

"Oh, don't mind Lucas," Helen said quickly, shaking her head in exasperation. "But Claire, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you. This reunion is such a wonderful surprise." Her joy softened as she glanced toward the door, a hint of resolve in her expression. To Helen, Lucas's reaction only confirmed one thing: the arrangement she'd dreamed of might finally come to fruition.

"Claire, how come your father didn't come with you?" Thomas asked gently, his tone filled with genuine concern.

The warmth in Claire's chest faltered, her gaze dropping as a shadow crossed her face. "My father passed away last month," she said quietly, her voice trembling slightly.

"What?!" Helen and Thomas gasped simultaneously, their expressions shifting from joy to shock. Helen immediately stepped forward and wrapped Claire in a comforting embrace, patting her back gently. "Oh, you poor child," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. "You've been through so much. Please, think of this place as your home now. You're family here, Claire."

Claire nodded, her throat tight as a wave of unexpected emotion swept through her. Helen's motherly affection filled a void she hadn't realized was so empty, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt truly cared for.