Chapter 10
The Marriage with Claire Bennett Continues
Julian Sterling gave a cold snort inwardly. This woman was actually quite a good actress. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably would have been fooled by her little push-and-pull game.
The bit of pity he'd felt just now, seeing her struggling all by herself, vanished without a trace.
Heh, she was nothing more than a highly manipulative woman.
Earlier she'd said she didn't want to have that kind of relationship with him, yet she'd even prepared all those things used to seduce men. Deep down, she was probably already impatient, wasn't she?
Now he felt more and more that maybe Ruby Sterling hadn't tricked her at all. Maybe she'd deliberately let Ruby trick her so she could make him the sucker who'd raise the child in her belly!
In truth, Claire Bennett wasn't all that eager to live with Julian Sterling either.
It was only because he'd signed an agreement with her before and promised he wouldn't do anything against her will that she'd let him move in with complete peace of mind. Besides, as a driver, it wasn't all that convenient for him to keep living with the Sterling family, was it?
But why was the look in Julian Sterling's eyes growing harsher and harsher?
Was he blaming her for finding a place without notifying him?
But she hadn't been able to get through to his phone at all. It was like he'd blocked her.
Feeling a little uneasy, she hurriedly searched for a topic to ease the awkwardness.
"By the way, I haven't asked you yet—did you tell your family that you got married?" Claire Bennett had never really learned anything about Julian Sterling's family situation.
Only now that they were going to live together did she remember this.
She had no idea whether he'd told his family about it, or how they had reacted after finding out he was married.
"You work as a driver for the Sterling family. Do your parents work for the Sterling family too?"
Claire Bennett thought of the servants in the Bennett family in the past—whole families often worked together. Maybe Julian Sterling was in the same situation.
Julian Sterling fell silent for a moment.
Only then did he remember that Ruby Sterling hadn't told Claire Bennett his real identity.
A few thoughts vaguely formed in his mind.
This morning, Ruby Sterling had told him some information she'd gotten from her close friend in New York: his grandfather had already started reaching out to several major wealthy families in New York, apparently looking for a match for him.
If he started over with someone else, marrying and divorcing over and over, it would definitely arouse his grandfather's suspicion.
If he handled the mess between Claire Bennett and Ethan Sterling properly, then suppressing Claire Bennett's matter wouldn't be impossible either.
In that instant, he made up his mind. His marriage with Claire Bennett would continue!
But he would beat her at her own game. He couldn't let this scheming woman, Claire Bennett, know his true identity, in case she clung to him endlessly later.
Seeing the puzzled look in Claire Bennett's eyes,
Julian Sterling parted his thin lips and said expressionlessly, "I'm an orphan."
Claire Bennett looked embarrassed and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
Trying to ease the awkwardness, Claire Bennett hurriedly said, "Go ahead and sit down. I'll see what else we need to buy."
With that, she walked into the room to check.
Very soon, Claire Bennett made a note of everything they needed. Other than the bedroom, most of it was kitchen supplies. Cooking for themselves would be much cheaper than ordering takeout, and healthier too.
She walked over to Julian Sterling and said, "Let's go buy some household necessities."
The two of them left the apartment and walked a bit farther before reaching the roadside.
During that time, Julian Sterling secretly sent Marcus Reed a message, telling him to drive away the luxury car worth ten million and not show up in front of him either, so as not to arouse suspicion.
He also told Marcus Reed to prepare an ordinary, unremarkable car for him, along with a few cheap, low-quality suits, and deliver them to the apartment before tomorrow morning.
Only after erasing everything that could prove his identity did Julian Sterling finally feel at ease.
Fortunately, not many people had seen him, and no public photos of him had ever been released, so it was very easy to keep his identity hidden.
Although the apartment Claire Bennett rented was rather out of the way, there was a market, shopping center, and supermarket nearby. Claire Bennett had already checked everything out when she came to look around, and that was why she'd rented the place.
It was the season when peonies bloomed in May.
Chicago was filled with peonies. They were blooming in a riot of color, gorgeous as far as the eye could see. This city was truly beautiful.
Peonies represented sincerity that never changed; their meaning was a love devoted to one person alone.
Claire Bennett stared at the flowers by the roadside and began to drift off in thought.
Not long ago, when Ethan Sterling had coaxed her into marrying him, he'd told her how beautiful the peonies in Chicago were. He'd said that later, when they got engaged, they could hold it at Peony Garden in Chicago, and that she would become the most beautiful bride.
She had begun to long for Chicago in her heart. She'd never expected that all her reckless devotion would be exchanged for an ending built on deception.
Now the man by her side was not Ethan Sterling, but a stranger she'd only met once.
Claire Bennett sighed inwardly. Life really was unpredictable.
The two of them went to the supermarket together and did a major shopping run. Claire Bennett bought a lot of daily necessities—slippers, towels, cups...
Everything came in matching pairs, same style but different colors. It looked a little like the setup of newlyweds living together.
The whole time, Julian Sterling remained silent, staying by her side and carrying things for her. It wasn't until they had almost finished shopping that Claire Bennett noticed Julian Sterling was already holding quite a lot of stuff.