The Car Belongs to Marcus Reed

"They totally deserved it. Who told them to be so high-profile? They crashed and burned, didn't they!"

"They did."

"Let's see if they dare show off in my face again."

With someone sharing her mood, the smile on Claire Bennett's lips never left.

Soft music flowed through the car, and the setting sun blazed red and dazzling ahead of them.

Claire Bennett felt that this was the most relaxed she'd been since coming to Chicago.

Luckily, she had met Julian Sterling.

Just then, Claire Bennett noticed several documents in the center console of the car, and casually picked them up and opened them for a look.

To her surprise, the name on the car registration was Marcus Reed?

When Julian Sterling saw her pick up those documents, it was already too late to stop her.

Claire Bennett's brows knit slightly.

Seeing this, Julian Sterling gave a light cough and explained, "I borrowed money from Marcus Reed to buy the car. Until I've paid it all back, the car is temporarily under his name."

Claire Bennett's expression darkened at once, and she said with some disapproval, "Marcus Reed is already having such a hard time, and he has so many people at home depending on him. How could you borrow money from him!"

"I've already paid it back. I just haven't had time to transfer the title yet."

Hearing that, Claire Bennett's expression eased quite a bit. She said, "Then hurry up and transfer it. Otherwise, if something happens, it won't be easy to sort out responsibility."

"Mm."

Julian Sterling felt that he was probably about to own the cheapest car of his life.

When the two of them got back to the apartment, Julian Sterling took the initiative to help carry her things into the kitchen.

He even took over chopping the vegetables, so Claire Bennett's work suddenly became very easy. She only had to control the heat, and the two of them worked together to make a whole table of dishes.

After dinner, by the time she watched Julian Sterling finish cleaning up, it was already almost ten o'clock.

They should be going to sleep.

But...

Claire Bennett looked at the bed in front of her and fell into distress. Before, she'd always thought Julian Sterling was male and into men, so she'd been completely at ease, but that day she'd unexpectedly discovered that things didn't seem to be the way she'd imagined.

At the thought of lying in the same bed with him, she felt conflicted.

It obviously wasn't their first day sleeping together, so what exactly was she so bothered about? It was a very strange mindset.

At that moment, Julian Sterling was similarly hiding in the bathroom, conflicted.

He had realized that lying together with Claire Bennett gave him improper thoughts, and the feeling was getting stronger and stronger. That was not a good sign.

Claire Bennett was his nephew's ex-girlfriend...

But she wasn't anymore, and she was also now his proper Mrs. Sterling. Whatever he wanted to do would also be perfectly proper.

Julian Sterling took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door, and walked out.

The lights outside had already been turned off, leaving only a small bedside lamp. Julian Sterling walked to the bed. Claire Bennett was sitting there scrolling on her phone, looking extremely focused, and Julian Sterling couldn't help feeling a little curious.

He sat on the bed and leaned over for a look.

Sensing someone coming close, Claire Bennett turned her head and found Julian Sterling's handsome face right in front of her. Startled, she instinctively leaned back, but unexpectedly sat off the edge by accident.

She fell backward, and before she even had time to cry out, a strong, solid hand scooped her back up.

"Th-thank you..."

Claire Bennett was still shaken. By the time she came back to herself, she realized that her whole body was in his arms. She could even smell the fresh scent of body wash on him.

This position was really intimate.

Her heartbeat sped up sharply. She felt blood rushing to her face, and her body stiffened.

But his embrace felt so safe, so warm...

Julian Sterling was tall, and curled up in his arms, she looked very small. She could even feel his lips at the top of her head.

She couldn't help lifting her head for a look, only to meet a pair of deep eyes. His gaze rested on her, and neither of them spoke. Claire Bennett felt like a little white rabbit that had fallen into a big bad wolf's trap.

His handsome face was right in front of her, as if all she had to do was sit up a little straighter and she could kiss him.

It seemed Julian Sterling was thinking the same thing. He lowered his head and slowly moved closer to her, but just when he was a finger's width away from her, Claire Bennett's phone suddenly started ringing.

The cheerful ringtone rang throughout the room.

The two of them, somewhat intoxicated, froze at the same time and quickly returned to reality.