Won't Get What She Wants

Hearing that, Auntie Ann stepped forward and said, "Miss Bennett, let's go."

Claire Bennett was indeed dressed rather casually today, and she didn't refuse. She simply nodded and followed along.

At that moment, the old Mrs. Sterling looked at Ruby Sterling and ordered, "Ruby, you're familiar with Miss Bennett, so go with her."

"Ah... oh!" Ruby Sterling was flustered. She had originally wanted to go find Julian Sterling and warn him, but now that the old Mrs. Sterling had told her to accompany Claire Bennett, she had no way to refuse.

Looks like she'll just have to deal with whatever comes!

Watching the backs of Claire Bennett and Ruby Sterling as they left, the old Mrs. Sterling felt that Claire Bennett was far more composed than she had imagined.

An ordinary girl would be timid and extremely restrained in this kind of setting, but Claire Bennett carried herself openly and gracefully, making people see her in a new light.

It seemed she wasn't as bad as the old man had said, after all.

...

A little while later, after Claire Bennett and Ruby Sterling had finished getting ready, the two of them were heading together toward the estate's main hall when they suddenly saw a familiar figure in the corridor.

After recognizing the person in front of her, Claire Bennett widened her eyes, feeling a little incredulous.

She said in surprise, "Zhouzhou, what are you doing here?"

All of a sudden, Claire Bennett remembered what Zane Cole had warned her about. Could it be that Zane Cole was also worried about her situation, so he had specially come to take a look?

Ruby Sterling was still craning her neck and looking around for Julian Sterling. Hearing Claire Bennett use such an intimate form of address, she immediately snapped back to attention.

Then she noticed the man in front of them, and the wariness in her eyes instantly deepened.

The man before them was wearing an expensive white Zhongshan suit with a refined texture. He had an almost ethereal air about him that made him exceptionally eye-catching, carrying a kind of extraordinary presence. Who was this man? Why did Claire Bennett seem so familiar with him?

Ruby Sterling asked in surprise, "Claire, do you know him?"

Claire Bennett nodded. "He's a close friend I grew up with."

Ruby Sterling's expression instantly stiffened, alarm bells blaring in her heart as she sized Zane Cole up all over again.

Crap! Claire Bennett's real childhood sweetheart had shown up!

Zane Cole could tell that the girl beside Claire Bennett was hostile toward him. Although he didn't know the exact reason, he still maintained his usual poise.

His gaze traveled over Claire Bennett, revealing admiration and affection.

This was the Claire Bennett he had in mind—the proud and beautiful Claire Bennett who made people's hearts flutter. She was a pearl covered in dust; now that she had seen daylight again, she was bound to shine with the brilliance that should have been hers all along.

After suspecting that the man beside Claire Bennett might be Julian Sterling, he had vaguely felt that something was off, so he had decided to come see the situation for himself.

When Ruby Sterling saw the look in Zane Cole's eyes, her heart gave another lurch.

What kind of look was that? That was definitely not the look of a good friend. It looked like the way a man looks at a woman.

She asked warily, "Who are you?"

"Hello, I'm Claire's..." He let out a light laugh, then slowly said, "good friend."

He believed that before long, he could turn those words "good friend" into "boyfriend."

Ruby Sterling smiled in response.

She was a million percent sure that this man's feelings toward Claire Bennett were anything but simple!

Her brother's romantic rival had appeared!

At that moment, a man who looked like an assistant walked over and whispered a few words into Zane Cole's ear. Zane Cole nodded, then said to Claire Bennett, "Claire, I have something to take care of, so I'm leaving for a bit. I'll come find you later."

Zane Cole turned and left with that man.

After he was gone, Ruby Sterling hurriedly grabbed Claire Bennett and fired off three questions in a row. "Claire, who is he? How come I've never heard you mention him? Are you two really close?"

Just now, Zane Cole hadn't said his name, and the name Claire Bennett had used was only his nickname. How could Ruby Sterling have known that the person her parents had always wanted to find had just appeared right in front of her eyes, and that she had mistaken him for Julian Sterling's romantic rival?

Claire Bennett shook her head somewhat helplessly and said, "He's the older brother next door. We grew up together. Back then, after I left New York, I cut off contact with everyone here."

Thinking about it now, it did seem a little foolish. It would have been enough for her to cut ties with the Bennett family, so why had she also stopped contacting a good friend like Zane Cole?

This time, when there was a turn for the better with her mother, it was Zane Cole who helped her. Otherwise, she still wouldn't have known what to do.

But fortunately, they had made up and become as close as before.