Chapter 570
The Feeling of Someone Being Worried About You
Claire Bennett had Julian Sterling sit on the couch and wait while she went into the kitchen and started busying herself.
As she was chopping vegetables, she suddenly had the feeling that they were still back in Chicago, that they had never separated.
Back then, she and Julian Sterling had been very close.
He had seemed to like the dishes she cooked, too.
But when she thought about it now—Old Mr. Sterling's dislike of her, and the grudge between their parents—Claire Bennett gave a bitter smile again.
Stop overthinking. The way things were now was already pretty good.
All of a sudden, a solid body pressed close against her from behind, and Julian Sterling's voice sounded by her ear. "Need help?"
Claire Bennett had just been thinking about something else. She hadn't expected Julian Sterling to suddenly appear, much less stand so close. She jumped in fright, and the knife in her hand slipped for a moment.
"Ah..." She cut her hand, and bright red blood immediately began to well from her finger.
Julian Sterling's brows knitted tightly. He grabbed her hand nervously and asked anxiously, "Claire, are you okay?"
His nervous attitude and concerned expression made Claire Bennett feel as if she were wrapped in warm seawater, a current of warmth slowly flowing through her heart.
She had never been favored in the Bennett family. Although things had eased somewhat with Simon Bennett now, there was still some distance between them, and she had already moved out of the Bennett family home.
Most of the time, she was alone. Even if she got hurt, she could only endure it quietly by herself.
But now Julian Sterling was holding her hand, asking with a tense expression whether she was alright. This feeling of someone being worried about her...
Claire Bennett said blankly, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry."
Julian Sterling held Claire Bennett's hand and led her into the living room. "Where do you keep your first-aid kit?"
"In the bottom compartment of the cabinet."
Julian Sterling pressed a hand to Claire Bennett's shoulder and had her sit on the couch. Then he went to get the first-aid kit. After opening it, he began treating Claire Bennett's wound with serious care.
Claire Bennett looked at the handsome face before her and felt him gently handling her hand.
She pressed her lips together lightly, her emotions extremely complicated.
She just watched Julian Sterling in silence. It was only a tiny cut; it didn't really hurt at all, and the bleeding stopped quickly.
"Alright. Sit here and don't move. I'll go cook."
What?
Claire Bennett looked at Julian Sterling in surprise. He could cook?
Julian Sterling didn't say anything more. After saying that, he put the kit away, stood up, and walked toward the kitchen.
Claire Bennett was still a little uneasy, so she got up and followed him.
She watched Julian Sterling take over what she had been doing. His distinct-knuckled hand gripped the kitchen knife as he started chopping vegetables, and she couldn't help asking, "Can you really do this?"
Julian Sterling curled his lips into a smile. "It probably won't be that bad."
Claire Bennett looked at the bandage on her hand and felt that this tiny little cut really wasn't worth making such a fuss over.
She took the initiative to step forward. "I'd better do it."
"Then I'll help you chop the vegetables."
Claire Bennett couldn't win against his insistence, so in the end she let him help with the chopping.
Julian Sterling chopped the vegetables, and Claire Bennett handled the stir-frying. Working together, the two of them quickly finished making a whole table of dishes.
"Let's eat."
The two of them sat down at the dining table and began to eat.
The light fell over them, and the atmosphere was warm and beautiful.
Julian Sterling lifted his eyes and looked at Claire Bennett across from him, head lowered as she ate. Curling his lips, he said, "Want to have a little champagne to celebrate getting the investment?"
"Huh?" Claire Bennett looked up at Julian Sterling, then quickly shook her head and refused. "No need."
"Champagne isn't very strong. I have a few bottles at my place. I'll go get one now. Wait here."
After saying that, Julian Sterling didn't wait for Claire Bennett to refuse again. He got up and went back to his own apartment to get the champagne.
Watching his departing back, a trace of helplessness flashed through Claire Bennett's eyes.
Five minutes later, Julian Sterling came back with a bottle of champagne.
He sat down casually, opened the champagne, poured a glass, and handed it to Claire Bennett. In a soft voice, he said, "Congratulations."
Claire Bennett had originally still been somewhat worried, but looking at Julian Sterling's sincere congratulations, a faint joy spread through her heart.
It was only champagne. Drinking a little should be fine, right?
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile, and she said gratefully, "Actually, I still have to thank you."
Julian Sterling had helped her so much, and now he had only asked her for one meal, without any greed at all.
That proved he truly wanted to help her.
She really should thank him properly.
With that, Claire Bennett took the champagne from Julian Sterling's hand and brought it to her lips for a light sip.
"Eat more." Julian Sterling picked up a bite of food for her.
"Thank you." Claire Bennett nodded politely and lowered her head to eat.
It just felt like there was a strange atmosphere between them. Claire Bennett could only use eating to cover up the awkwardness, and without realizing it, she drank quite a bit more as well.
Although champagne wasn't very strong, for someone with a low alcohol tolerance, drinking too much would still make them drunk.
Half an hour later, Claire Bennett had already entered a tipsy state.
She was still conscious, but her thoughts had already begun to turn muddled. Her cheeks looked flushed, as enticing as a ripe red apple waiting to be picked.
The food on the table was almost gone by then. Claire Bennett stood up and said, "I'll go wash the dishes."
The moment she stood up, she didn't expect a wave of dizziness to hit her vision, and her whole body started to topple toward the floor.
Before she could hit the ground, a pair of strong hands directly caught her, and she fell into a firm, warm chest.
A moment later, Claire Bennett finally reacted and looked up.
Above her was Julian Sterling's sharp jawline, and she was currently in his arms.
Only after quite a while did Claire Bennett's alcohol-numbed nerves finally connect. Blushing, she pushed at Julian Sterling and said in flustered panic, "I'm fine now. Let me go!"
Julian Sterling's gaze fell on her slightly reddened face, and his deep voice sounded out. "You're drunk?"