Goodbye Saintess (by Edelweiss W.S.) novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I glanced at Claire’s closed door and let out a dry chuckle. ‘So now I suddenly have a gorgeous roommate and landlady?‘

It was funny, actually. Ever since I walked away from Hera, my luck with women had taken a sharp turn.

Back when I was still trying to win Hera over, I shut out every other woman who tried to get close. I wanted her to feel completely secure and to prove my devotion. From the start, I kept everyone else at arm’s length.

And honestly? I wasn’t exactly short on admirers. Even in college, plenty of classmates had crushed on me. But none of that ever meant anything to Hera. She never cared about how much I gave.

Well then, if she didn’t care, I wouldn’t either. With Hera out of the picture, whatever happened next, I’d let it.

I shook my head and went to bed.

Unbeknownst to me, just beyond the wall, Claire had her phone pressed to her ear.

“Hey, Mom. I just met Sebastian,” she said, barely containing her excitement. “You weren’t kidding. He’s gorgeous. And that body–my god. He was shirtless when he opened the door. All solid muscles.”

Her cheeks flushed at the memory.

“Of course I was right. I’m your mother. When have I ever steered you wrong?” Patricia sounded smug. “This Grimwald fellow sounds like a catch. He tried to throw me off today. Said he was married and even had a kid.”

Claire giggled.

“Like I’d fall for that. I saw through it in two seconds.” Patricia laughed. “So? You satisfied this time?”

“Totally. He didn’t even hesitate when he jumped out to protect me. That hit all the right buttons. This time really feels different. I’ve already talked to him and moved in. He’s so shy about it, too.”

Claire was glowing. In her mind, Sebastian was already as good as hers.

“Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy. And don’t forget that I promised no more blind dates if you manage to land this guy. Deal’s a deal.” Patricia added with a laugh, “He’d make a great son–in–law.”

Claire’s cheeks turned scarlet at the word. She bit her lip. “Okay. I’ll do what you say, Mom.”

“Oh please.” Patricia scoffed. “You? Listen to me? That’ll be the day. When I tried to set you up before, you gave me the whole ‘ free will‘ lecture. Said you’d never let anyone arrange your love life. And now you’re playing the obedient daughter? Don’t kid yourself, sweetheart. We both know what’s really going on.”

“Mom, stop teasing me!” Claire groaned. “I’m hanging up. Staying up too late is bad for my skin.”

She ended the call before Patricia could get another word in. (1

Just then, a message popped up from her cousin, Chris.

Chris: [So, Claire. How’d it go?]

Claire: [All according to plan.]

Chris: [Good! But seriously, I thought I was gonna get punched when he burst out the door like that! I nearly peed myself. You owe me those sneakers, by the way!]

He even added a sticker of a cartoon character cowering in fear.

Claire rolled her eyes and transferred the money without a word. She followed it up with a firm warning not to let anything slip the next time they met.

1/2

With everything settled, she locked her phone, curled up under the covers, and closed her eyes with a satisfied smile.

The role–play, the fake stalker–it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she’d finally met someone who checked every box, inside and out. There was no way that she would let Sebastian Grimwald slip away.

Meanwhile, Sebastian lay in bed, completely unaware that the drama he had witnessed tonight had been nothing more than a test Claire had staged to see what kind of man he was.