Chapter 467
She Didn't Believe Claire Bennett Wasn't Curious
Very quickly, Hannah Bennett said, "Don't worry. Your father is extremely meticulous in how he handles things. If he doesn't want Claire Bennett to know about this, there's no way Claire Bennett can find it out on her own. When the time comes, won't she still have to come obediently and beg us?"
When Ava Bennett heard Hannah Bennett say that, the tension in her heart finally eased a little.
She refused to believe Claire Bennett wouldn't be curious!
At the same time, Claire Bennett sat blankly in the living room, lost in thought. What Ava Bennett had said was probably true; she must have been absolutely certain before coming to tell her about it. When Julian Sterling left earlier today, his expression had looked a little off, and Claire had already felt uneasy then.
On top of that, Julian Sterling had gone back to the Sterling family home and still hadn't returned. That made her even more uneasy. After Ava Bennett's provocation, she felt more and more that something serious was about to happen.
Claire Bennett was afraid Julian Sterling might be busy right now, so she didn't dare send him a message.
After hesitating for a moment, she still chose to call Ruby Sterling.
Today, she had seen on social media that Ruby Sterling had posted that she was in New York too. If Ruby was in New York, then if something had happened with the Sterling family, would she have gone back too?
It had to be said that Claire Bennett had already guessed Ruby Sterling's whereabouts.
...
At this moment, Julian Sterling was driving Ruby Sterling back.
Unexpectedly, Ruby Sterling got a call from Claire Bennett. Looking at the caller ID, she was so scared her hair practically stood on end.
Oh my God!
"Bro! Claire's calling me. Do you think she found out something and is calling to ask me about it? If she asks, what am I supposed to say? I'm so scared, boo-hoo-hoo..."
Ruby Sterling had been well-behaved and sensible since childhood, and she had never done anything bad.
The only bad thing she had ever done was scheming to make Claire Bennett her sister-in-law. Now, before she'd even heard anything, she already felt terribly guilty, so guilty that she didn't even dare answer Claire Bennett's call.
Julian Sterling's eyes darkened, and his face was tense as he said nothing.
Just as Ruby Sterling was panicking, the phone stopped ringing.
She let out a long breath, feeling like her poor little heart really couldn't take it; she had almost been scared to death.
At that moment, the phone started ringing again. Ruby Sterling looked at Julian Sterling as if asking for help: Bro, save me!
Julian Sterling came back to himself, lowered his eyes to glance at it, and said flatly, "Answer it."
Hearing that, Ruby Sterling shakily swiped to answer.
"Claire." Ruby Sterling tried her best to keep her voice normal and not let her guilt show.
Claire Bennett asked, "Ruby, why did it take you so long to answer? I thought you'd already fallen asleep. Are you busy right now? Am I disturbing your rest?"
"Ah... oh, I'm not busy. If you're looking for me, I'm free anytime. How could you be disturbing me?" Ruby Sterling laughed, then asked probing questions in a row, "By the way, Claire, is something up?"
At Julian Sterling's signal, Ruby Sterling quickly turned on speakerphone.
It seemed her brother also wanted to know whether Claire Bennett had already found out about this. But Ruby Sterling felt it probably wasn't that bad. Maybe Claire Bennett didn't know after all.
"No, it's just that Julian Sterling went back to the Sterling family home earlier, and he still hasn't come back. I wanted to ask if you're at the Sterling family home too, and whether something happened."
The moment Ruby Sterling heard that, she froze.
She looked up at Julian Sterling and mouthed: What do I do? What should I say?
Julian Sterling's eyes darkened. There was no room to turn this around. The path left for him and Claire Bennett now was only one: they could only separate. The thought of that possibility made his heart suddenly ache.
So, without realizing it, Claire Bennett had already become this important to him.
How would Ruby Sterling dare say anything? She answered vaguely, "No, I don't think anything happened. If something had happened, I definitely would have told you. What's wrong?"
After that pause, she knowingly asked a needless question, and her tone sounded especially real.
The worry in Claire Bennett's heart gradually faded. She sighed softly and said, "Oh, okay. Then I won't disturb your rest. Good night."
After hanging up, Ruby Sterling finally let out a complete sigh of relief. She had really been afraid she'd give something away.
Luckily, Claire Bennett hadn't suspected anything.
Although she was worried about Julian Sterling and Claire Bennett, Ruby Sterling knew she was an outsider and couldn't change anything. She opened the car door and said, "Bro, I'm going."
After Ruby Sterling left, Julian Sterling sat quietly in the car and picked up his phone for a look.
There was a message from Claire Bennett on it, asking whether things with the Sterling family were over yet and when he would be coming back.
Julian Sterling's eyes suddenly darkened. Then he started the car and drove away.
The detached house was pitch-black inside; only the bedroom light was still on. Clearly, Claire Bennett had waited until she grew sleepy and fallen asleep.
Julian Sterling opened the bedroom door and walked in. Only one lamp was on in the room. Claire Bennett lay quietly on the bed, her face buried in the pillow, her delicate features covered in a layer of warm yellow light.
Julian Sterling stood by the bed and looked at her for a moment. In the end, he still didn't wake Claire Bennett.
He went into the bathroom and took a shower. When he came out again, he lay down beside Claire Bennett. She seemed to sense the familiar presence, turned over, and burrowed into Julian Sterling's arms. After finding a secure spot, she once again fell into a deep sleep.
Julian Sterling reached out and held her tightly in his arms.
If they really did have to separate, then he hoped Claire Bennett would live a little better in the future.
...
The next day.