CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - A Day in the City

Before Claire could respond, there was a knock at the office door. Sarah poked her head in. "Claire? The Peterson meeting is starting in five." Claire nodded, mouthing a silent 'thank you' to Sarah. "Mason, I'm sorry, I have to go. Another meeting." "Of course," Mason replied, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. "We'll talk soon, okay?" "Definitely," Claire promised, ending the call with a heavy heart. As the days passed, Claire found herself increasingly torn between her life in New York and the memories of Paris. The Lumina offer loomed large in her mind, a potential escape from the familiar routines of Dayton Enterprises. One evening, as she was working late in her office, her phone buzzed with a text from Mason. "Just saw this and thought of you," it read, accompanied by a photo of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. Claire smiled, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. She typed out a response: "Beautiful. Remember that night we walked along the Seine?" Mason's