Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 155: Matchmaking for Claire?

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Matchmaking for Claire?
The hallway on the second floor of the bar was narrow, and Sean Lockwood, with his broad and tall figure, was squeezed together with Claire Hale, inevitably causing their bodies to press against each other.
They had been drinking, and under the bizarre and colorful lights of the bar, looking at each other’s expressions, there was even a hint of titillation.
Tristan Lockwood instinctively stepped forward, wanting to pull Claire Hale away from Sean Lockwood’s side.
However, upon seeing Claire Hale’s face turn cold the moment she looked at him, the step he had just taken came to an abrupt halt.
"Tristan?" Sean Lockwood saw him and asked, "You’re here for a drink too?"
Tristan Lockwood glanced at the two of them and asked, "Have you both been drinking?"
Sean Lockwood nodded, noticing the slight change in Tristan Lockwood’s expression, smiled, and asked, "Seems like you enjoy drinking too. Want to join us next time?"
Without waiting for Tristan Lockwood to respond, Claire Hale spoke first, "Since President Lockwood wants a chat, I’ll take my leave."
She wasn’t in the mood to listen to the uncle-nephew duo’s dull conversation.
Saying this, she turned on her heels.
However, Sean Lockwood suddenly grabbed her wrist, his gaze clear as he said, "Wait for my driver to come. I’ll take you back first."
Claire Hale wanted to refuse.
Sean Lockwood added, "I told you before, I left you once and won’t ever do it again."
These words, reaching Tristan Lockwood’s ears, sounded incredibly ambiguous.
Thinking back, this wasn’t the first time the two of them had met up alone for a drink.
Tristan Lockwood immediately stepped forward and courteously said to Sean Lockwood, "I haven’t been drinking, Uncle. I’ll take you both home."
With a free ride, especially from his own nephew, Sean Lockwood certainly wouldn’t refuse.
Yet, he still considered Claire Hale’s feelings and thoughtfully asked her, "What do you think?"
Claire Hale was about to decline.
Tristan Lockwood, however, spoke first, softly saying, "After I drop you off at home, I’ll leave right away."
"Alright then, let’s go."
Sean Lockwood took a step to stand beside Claire Hale, seeing her unwilling expression, softly said, "You can’t avoid him forever. Since you’ve already moved on, such a small issue shouldn’t affect you."
"Of course not."
Claire Hale said without any expression.
Tristan Lockwood drove his own car, taking the two of them home.
He then notified Nathan Quinn to arrange for someone to drive their cars back.
Sean Lockwood’s home was closer. When they arrived, as he got off the car, he casually glanced at Claire Hale in the back seat and seemingly offhandedly said, "If anything happens, you can reach out to me anytime."
Claire Hale looked up, meeting his concerned gaze, and gratefully nodded.
Tristan Lockwood tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, his expression unchanged as he said, "Rest assured, Uncle, I will get Claire home safely."
The car door closed.
Tristan Lockwood pressed the accelerator.
The car returned to silence in an instant.
Earlier, when Sean Lockwood was in the car, he would occasionally chat with Tristan Lockwood about Lockwood Family’s business matters.
At that time, Claire Hale didn’t feel like talking much.
Now that it was just her and Tristan Lockwood, she didn’t even want to open her eyes, so she simply kept them closed, pretending to sleep.
Having drunk wine, she found that the more she pretended, genuine sleepiness rolled over her, and she unconsciously curled up in the seat, her breathing became deep and steady.
Through the rearview mirror, Tristan Lockwood saw her curled body lying in the back seat.
Whenever she slept, she never seemed to feel safe. Even back home, whenever he would walk into the room, he always saw her in this posture.
Tristan Lockwood gently stepped on the brakes, stopped the car, and after covering her with his coat, continued driving.
Claire Hale slept soundly.
When she woke, she found herself alone in the car, covered with a trench coat.
Judging by the style, it was Tristan Lockwood’s coat.
She glanced at her phone’s time. It was already 2 AM, and she had slept for almost two hours.
Claire Hale quickly got up, letting the coat slide off her, not bothering to pick it up, and got out of the car.
Raising her head, she saw Tristan Lockwood, dressed in just a shirt, leaning against the car. The night air was chilly, and the fingertips of the hand holding his phone were slightly red from the cold.
Tristan Lockwood avoided sitting in the car to prevent any sudden calls from waking her, so he stood outside playing with his phone.
Hearing a sound, he slightly turned his head and saw her get off the car, her hair a bit tousled.
Recently, the weather had warmed, and during the day, temperatures rose. Claire Hale wore only a thin silk shirt, and as the night breeze passed by, the fabric fluttered, making her look exceedingly thin.
Tristan Lockwood bent down to retrieve the coat from the car.
"It’s cold at night, put your coat on."
He was just about to put the coat on her shoulders when she took a step forward, letting it slide off onto the ground.
Tristan Lockwood leaned down to pick up the coat.
Without saying another word, her gaze never wavered as she walked straight into her apartment building.
Tristan Lockwood stood outside the car until he saw the lights in her apartment come on, only then did he leave.
...
At the hospital.
Tristan Lockwood, donning a white coat, holding a pile of test results, walked into the ward.
The Lockwood Matriarch was sitting on the hospital bed, holding a large stack of photographs.
He approached, glanced at the pile of photos—it was a montage of different types of men, from suited businessmen to sunny casual types, and strong rugged types; the variety was bewildering.
"If you like good-looking guys, I can take you to Nathan’s bar for a stroll," he said while changing The Lockwood Matriarch’s bandage. "You can hug as you wish."
The Lockwood Matriarch glared at him, "I’m an old lady now, what do I care for good-looking guys, this is for picking a match for Claire."
Tristan Lockwood paused in his actions, "You’re choosing for Claire Hale?"
The Lockwood Matriarch replied, "Last week, at the family dinner, I talked to Claire about it. She agreed to let me find her a suitable family. You’re her ex-husband; come and help me judge which type suits Claire better."
"You said it yourself, I’m her ex-husband. Why would I be interested in helping her pick a future husband?"
A smile that didn’t reach his eyes played across Tristan Lockwood’s face as he stared at the pile of photographs.
If looks could kill, that stack of photos would have crumbled into pieces.
The Lockwood Matriarch added, "Well, you don’t like Claire anymore. Now that you’re divorced, as her elder brother, can’t you think about your younger sister?"
"Who said I don’t like her?"
Tristan Lockwood casually tossed out this line, giving The Lockwood Matriarch quite the scare.
She looked up, directly at him, "You’re already engaged to Miss Zhao, what nonsense are you talking now?"
"Like you said, she’s my younger sister. Naturally, a brother likes his sister,"
Tristan Lockwood said offhandedly.
It seemed the previous "like" was really just a passing comment.
He lowered his eyes, glanced at the photographs in The Lockwood Matriarch’s hand, and pulled one out, "The second young master of the Sawyer Family, I’ve had dealings with him, he’s a decent person, no scandals."
The man in the photo, dressed in a suit, expressionless, with a rather cold aura.
A complete professional image.
The Lockwood Matriarch frowned at the photo, casting another glance at Tristan Lockwood, and disdainfully said, "This one is too much like you; Claire definitely wouldn’t like it."
"..."
Tristan Lockwood remained stoic, "He might seem cold, but he’s actually quite warmhearted. I’ll have him reach out to Claire actively, you just need to give her a heads-up."