Goodbye, Saintess. Novel

Chapter 443 " Who said I was joking ? Let's start the interview , Mr. Grimwald . " Astrid shot me a resentful glare , then straightened up , her tone snapping into professional form as she began . I played along without complaint . Half an hour later , the interview about the company came to an end . I figured she'd pack up and leave , but her expression suddenly shifted . " Alright , that's enough work talk , " she said , narrowing her eyes , " Now ... I want to ask a few questions about your personal life . " " Personal life ? " I blinked , puzzled . Astrid sighed , clearly exasperated .

" Sebastian , you're unbelievable ! Last time , you promised to have me over for dinner , remember ? I showed up , and you vanished ! " She went on , her voice rising , " And to make it worse , we even ran into each other downstairs , and I still didn't know you were her live - in boyfriend ! " Her words hit out of nowhere , leaving me completely thrown . Before I could ask what she meant , the office door opened . Claire stepped in , her eyes filled with quiet reproach . " Sebastian , how long has it been since you came home ? Astrid and I were both worried sick about you .

When we saw the news about the crisis , we were terrified . You couldn't even call once ? " I stared at the two women before me - one elegant and composed , the other lively and radiant . For a moment , I was too stunned to speak . Then , as their words clicked into place , realization struck . I slapped my forehead . " Wait , you two are best friends ? " " Of course we are ! What else did you think ? " they replied in perfect sync . " Heh . Well , that's ... quite a coincidence , " I said , forcing an awkward smile as I glanced between them .

Claire reached into her bag and pulled out a heart - shaped lunchbox , setting it gently on my desk . " Have you eaten yet ? " " Not yet . " " I knew it ! " she said , pouting . " You've probably been eating junk and barely sleeping while camping out at work . 11 She opened the box , revealing a homemade meal . " I made all your favorites . I've been practicing these past few weeks . " The sight stopped me for a second . The last time someone had packed me a meal like this was back when my mom dropped me off for school . Chapter 443 +25 Bonus " Thank you , Claire , " I said quietly .

" Don't thank me , " she murmured , her delicate face somewhere between a pout and a sulk . " As long as you like it . " She handed me a fork and turned her head slightly , pretending to be annoyed . I didn't bother with politeness . I sat down and dug in . " Mmm ! This is amazing ! " I said between bites . " I can't believe how much you've improved , Claire . Seriously , this is incredible ! " She laughed . " Look at you , stuffing your face like that . You look like a little pig ! " Claire's mood lightened as she watched Sebastian eat with total abandon .

Her laughter chased away her earlier gloom . The teasing came so naturally , like something a couple would say without thinking . Sebastian was too focused on the food to notice , too content to catch the shift in her tone . But Astrid noticed . She watched Claire's face glow with quiet joy and bit her lip , the words dying on her tongue . The loneliness in her eyes deepened . Because the moment she and Claire had seen Sebastian on the news , she realized that the man she liked was the same one Claire couldn't stop talking about .

"Sebastian , I didn't expect you to be the man Claire's been longing for all this time , " she whispered . " Hmph . You could've told me sooner . I almost thought ... " The rest of her sentence stayed tangled in her heart , left unsaid . P ADMINJ