Chapter 6
Leave Sterling International Immediately
Tanya Sterling wasn't very satisfied with her family background. Back when she was dating Ethan Sterling, Ethan had taken her to meet Tanya Sterling once.
During the meal, Tanya Sterling kept a dark expression on her face the entire time, and it was not a pleasant meal.
Later, when she went to the restroom, she accidentally overheard Tanya Sterling telling Ethan Sterling to break up with her, saying she wasn't good enough for Ethan Sterling.
It was Ethan Sterling who firmly told her that he would definitely smooth things over with his mother and get her to agree to their relationship. At the time, she had been deeply moved and thought Ethan Sterling was a very responsible man.
Thinking about it now, it was really a little laughable.
When Tanya Sterling saw Claire Bennett, her expression quickly darkened.
She arrogantly lifted her chin and snorted. "Claire Bennett, Ethan is about to get engaged to Naomi Pierce, so why are you still chasing him all the way here?"
Hearing Tanya Sterling say that, Claire Bennett immediately realized that she must have known long ago that Ethan Sterling and Naomi Pierce were together, and had simply been waiting for Ethan Sterling to dump her.
She said coldly, "I'm not chasing Ethan Sterling."
Since that scumbag was going to get engaged to another woman, she had nothing to hold on to, and there was no way she would shamelessly keep chasing after him.
"And you're still saying you're not!" Tanya Sterling snapped coldly.
They had only just come from New York to Chicago not long ago, and Claire Bennett had followed them here right after. Wasn't that clinging to Ethan Sterling and refusing to let go?
Tanya Sterling swept a contemptuous glance over Claire Bennett and said in a sharp, mean voice, "A poor thing like you with no family background and a sickly mother to drag around is nowhere near good enough for Ethan. Naomi is the daughter-in-law I actually want!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and snorted. "I'd advise you to give up your little schemes. You're nothing more than a woman my son played with for fun!"
Claire Bennett's eyes were icy as she let out a mocking little laugh. "Then I wish your son and Naomi Pierce stay tied to each other forever—infertile and childless, with generations of descendants."
Naomi Pierce had been her college roommate, and her family had only been moderately well-off at most.
She had no idea exactly how Naomi Pierce had won Tanya Sterling over and made Tanya Sterling so especially satisfied with her as a daughter-in-law. If she had told Tanya Sterling that her father was Victor Bennett, maybe everything would have been different.
But she had been on bad terms with Victor Bennett for so long, and after leaving the Bennett family all those years ago, she had never once thought of relying on him. She wouldn't rely on him now either.
Claire Bennett had always thought that as long as she worked a little harder, Tanya Sterling would agree to let her be with Ethan Sterling. Now, though, she saw clearly that Tanya Sterling would never agree.
Thankfully, she had never told Ethan Sterling about Victor Bennett.
"Claire Bennett, what nonsense are you spouting!" Hearing her words, Tanya Sterling was so furious that her face twisted and her whole body shook.
A pair of fair hands pressed onto Tanya Sterling's hand, and Naomi Pierce said softly, "Mother-in-law, that's just how Claire is. Don't stoop to her level."
Tanya Sterling's order had also been placed by Naomi Pierce. She knew Tanya Sterling looked down on Claire Bennett, so she had called Claire Bennett over specifically in order to humiliate her.
Things had turned out exactly as she expected, and Naomi Pierce slowly curled her lips into a smile.
"Exactly. Who am I? How could I lower myself to the level of a woman like this?" Tanya Sterling gave a light snort.
Then Tanya Sterling put on a cold face and ordered bluntly, "Claire Bennett, leave Sterling International right now, or I'll call security!"
Claire Bennett couldn't be bothered with her.
She took her phone out of her pocket and said in a businesslike tone, "Ms. Sterling, you placed a mural order with me a week ago. We signed an online contract, and if you breach it, the deposit you've already paid is nonrefundable."
Claire Bennett looked at Tanya Sterling and said unhurriedly, "Will you be paying cash or by WhatsApp?"
"You!" Tanya Sterling was full of rage.
A mural covering an entire wall was not cheap. It wasn't that she couldn't afford the money, but being cornered and threatened by Claire Bennett made someone as arrogant as her extremely displeased.
"Mother-in-law, since the order's already been placed, it'll take time to find someone else. Let's not cancel it." Naomi Pierce advised from the side.
Back in college, she had long been jealous of Claire Bennett. They had both clearly come from the same poor background, but Claire Bennett knew more than she did, had better poise than she did, and even the boys who liked Claire Bennett outnumbered the ones who liked her.
Now that she had stolen Ethan Sterling away, she had finally come out on top of Claire Bennett for once.
If Claire Bennett stayed to paint, wouldn't that just give them another chance to keep putting her down and humiliating her?
Tanya Sterling glared fiercely and ordered rudely, "You'd better paint properly for me. If any part of it turns out bad, I'll make you pay for it!"
"Don't worry. My skills are very good. I won't disappoint you."
After saying that, Claire Bennett turned and left directly.
At that moment, inside a Rolls-Royce parked by the roadside, the man behind the dark-tinted window frowned slightly, his expression somewhat dark and ugly.
The argument between Claire Bennett and Tanya Sterling just now had all reached his ears.