Chapter 7
The Nephew's Ex-Girlfriend
Julian Sterling hadn't expected that after only just parting from his whirlwind-marriage wife that morning, he would run into her again at Sterling International in the blink of an eye.
What he definitely hadn't expected was that she had once been Ethan Sterling's ex-girlfriend!
In the driver's seat up front, Marcus Reed sensed the heavy tension inside the car and didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
Still, he forced himself to speak up and remind him, "Mr. Sterling? That's Tanya Sterling, your cousin William Sterling's wife. How could Miss Bennett be with her?"
Julian Sterling's eyes darkened, a sharp chill silently spilling out of them.
He said in a low voice, "Look into Claire Bennett and Ethan Sterling."
Because he had trusted Ruby Sterling, he hadn't investigated Claire Bennett's identity. He had subconsciously assumed Claire Bennett was a wealthy heiress, more or less like Ruby Sterling. He never expected such a huge surprise to be waiting for him.
His nephew's ex-girlfriend!
Although he had no contact whatsoever with Ethan Sterling, when he joined Sterling International, he had still heard a little about him.
Ethan Sterling had a lot of scandalous gossip around him. His private life was extremely dirty, and he had kept and toyed with quite a few actresses and models.
He remembered that before his business trip, Marcus Reed had mentioned that a woman had shown up at their door with a huge belly, and later Ethan Sterling had paid her off and sent her away.
Now that he thought about it...
Ruby Sterling had said that Claire Bennett had just broken up with her boyfriend, and the timing matched perfectly.
Had she taken him for a sucker?
Julian Sterling's expression turned even colder, and the aura around him chilled further.
At that moment, the information Marcus Reed had investigated also came in. He immediately sent it to his phone, and Julian Sterling expressionlessly opened it.
The very first line he saw was that Claire Bennett and Ethan Sterling had dated for three years...
Her ex-boyfriend really was Ethan Sterling!
Julian Sterling took a deep breath and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
With Claire Bennett's kind of background and that disgraceful past, she definitely didn't have the confidence to shake off Grandpa's forcefulness. It looked like this absurd marriage was about to end.
"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling has asked many times to see you. Should I invite her over?" Marcus Reed's voice sounded beside him.
Julian Sterling lifted a hand. "No need. Let's go."
The low-key yet luxurious Rolls-Royce slowly drove into Sterling International's underground parking garage without attracting anyone's notice. Tanya Sterling and Naomi Pierce didn't notice it either.
"Mother-in-law, the people handling the wedding banquet decorations are coming this afternoon. Do you want to come take a look too?" Naomi Pierce asked with a smile.
"Mm, sure. I'll give you girls some pointers." As if thinking of something, Tanya Sterling asked, "You and Ethan are getting engaged already, so when are we going to formally meet your father over a meal?"
Naomi Pierce's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly returned to normal.
Tanya Sterling looked down on Claire Bennett's family background, and she looked down on hers too.
But her mother worked as a servant for the New York Bennett family, and she knew quite a bit about the Bennett family's affairs. She had heard from her mother that Victor Bennett, the head of the family, had an eldest daughter.
Unfortunately, by the time her mother went in to work there as a servant, that eldest daughter was already gone. She had heard that she had fallen out with the Bennett family and left, and her mother had never seen her either.
Now there was no information about her to be found in wealthy social circles, so Naomi Pierce came up with a plan and falsely claimed that she herself was Miss Bennett.
After that, things really did go very smoothly. Tanya Sterling completely changed her usual attitude and became pleased with her in every possible way, and she successfully made it all the way to the engagement stage with Ethan Sterling.
Naomi Pierce's gaze fell on her lower abdomen.
Next, it would all depend on whether her belly came through for her.
She quickly came back to herself and said with a soft smile, "Mother-in-law, my dad has been busy with charity work lately and doesn't have time for now. Once this period is over, I'll arrange for you to meet him."
Tanya Sterling's brows knitted slightly.
Naomi Pierce had sent her photos taken at the Bennett residence, along with quite a few photos of herself with Victor Bennett, so Tanya Sterling had never had any suspicions. There had indeed been recent news reports saying that Victor Bennett was taking part in charity work.
She let out a breath of relief and nodded considerately. "All right then. Once your dad is done being busy, we'll meet him. No rush."