Almost Mistook Him

Ruby Sterling took out her phone and sent a message in the small Sterling family group chat that had only the four of them: "Emergency! Emergency! My sister-in-law was suddenly assigned to a seat up front, right next to us. Everyone be careful. We absolutely cannot blow our cover."

Mr. Sterling: "Got it."

Mrs. Sterling: "What? My daughter-in-law got moved up here? Okay, okay, your father and I will definitely hide well and not let her see us."

After Claire Bennett sat down, she looked around, taking in the surroundings nearby.

It wasn't like she had never flown business class before, but that had been back when she was still the Bennett family's daughter. Now she lived frugally, and she'd long since gotten used to it.

Suddenly, she noticed the Middle Eastern man beside her and thought his build looked very familiar.

So this must be the one who, when she boarded earlier, had looked a lot like Julian Sterling?

Claire Bennett shook her head and smiled at herself, feeling like she was really obsessed. She was seeing Julian Sterling in everyone. She hadn't even been away from his side that long before she had already started missing him.

Ding—her phone suddenly chimed.

Claire Bennett took out her phone and glanced at it, discovering it was a message from Ruby Sterling.

She was asking where Claire was now and saying she wanted to come find her and hang out.

Only then did Claire Bennett realize that because she'd been busy with other things, she had actually forgotten to tell Ruby Sterling that she was going to New York. She quickly replied, "I'm going to New York to see my mom."

She didn't mention that she was also going to see Julian Sterling's grandmother, afraid Ruby Sterling might accidentally let it slip.

Anyway, seeing her mother was true. As for Julian Sterling's grandmother, that was just incidental.

After seeing the message, the worry in Ruby Sterling's heart gradually eased. She had always known that Claire Bennett's mother had been in a vegetative state for many years and was staying at a private medical facility.

She had thought Claire Bennett was coming for Grandma's birthday banquet. If they ran into each other there, that would be really bad.

But on second thought, Claire Bennett's relationship with the Bennett family wasn't very good, and the Bennett family also wasn't on the invitation list for this Sterling family birthday banquet. She probably wouldn't show up at the banquet, so she was likely really just going to see her mother.

Ruby Sterling: "Alright then. Are you on the plane now?"

"Mm, that's right. Ruby, you'd never guess this—I saw a Middle Eastern man who looked a lot like Julian Sterling. If I didn't know Julian Sterling went on a business trip with Mr. Sterling, I almost mistook him just now."

Ruby Sterling: "..."

Was it possible that Middle Eastern man was actually her brother!!

Ruby Sterling quickly sent Claire Bennett a laughing emoji sticker and didn't reveal anything unusual.

At that moment, the plane announced it was preparing for takeoff, and Claire Bennett put her phone away.

New York wasn't all that far from Chicago. No meal service was provided on the flight; otherwise Julian Sterling would have had to remove what was covering him, and that probably would have meant a whole new round of trouble.

The Sterling family suffered through it for a long while. They didn't even dare go to the bathroom, afraid Claire Bennett would see them. Fortunately, the plane finally landed safely at O'Hare International Airport.

When Claire Bennett was getting her luggage, the several people beside her all stayed completely still. Even when the flight attendants came over to remind them they could disembark, they turned them down vaguely. She felt puzzled and wondered why these passengers still weren't leaving. It all felt a little strange.

But she didn't think much of it and wheeled her suitcase straight off the plane.

Only after Claire Bennett left did Ruby Sterling feel as if she'd been granted a pardon, nearly bursting into tears.

Oh my God!

She had almost died of nerves. The whole way, she hadn't even dared speak. Thank goodness Claire Bennett hadn't discovered them.

They had to hurry and leave the airport, or who knew where they might run into Claire Bennett again.