Hiding Another White Moonlight

The corners of his mouth quietly lifted into a smile. Now that Ruby Sterling had broken up with that gold-digger husband type, she ought to look at other trees, right? Like the handsome, imposing big tree right next to her.

Claire Bennett was grilling and didn't think too much about it. She said directly, "Yeah, the forest is so big, and there are better ones waiting for me. Even if I ended up with someone else I like, I still wouldn't go back to an ex."

Someone else I like...

That seemed to contain a lot of information.

Ruby Sterling immediately looked alert and straightened up to pry for more. "Claire, don't tell me you already like someone? Who is it?"

Claire Bennett opened her mouth, just about to speak, when she immediately realized something.

She had almost let it slip. The person involved was sitting right next to her. If she really said it out loud, she'd probably be laughed to death.

Besides, Julian Sterling already had Miss Hayes. If she said it, it would probably only cause him trouble. Luckily, she thought fast.

Claire Bennett gave an awkward smile. "Not yet..."

Hearing that, Julian Sterling's expression darkened a little.

Claire Bennett really was only using him to slap Ethan Sterling in the face. She didn't have the slightest feeling for him.

Hearing Claire Bennett stammer like that, Ruby Sterling came to the same conclusion Julian Sterling had. She felt that Claire Bennett's guilty, evasive manner definitely meant there was someone she liked in her heart.

Maybe it was her brother!

Ruby Sterling grinned and kept pressing, "Come on, Claire, there are no outsiders here, so stop hiding it. I've known you for so long—if you so much as stick your butt out, how could I not know what kind of crap you're about to take?"

Claire Bennett hadn't expected Ruby Sterling to see right through her. She gave an uncomfortable little laugh.

"Come on, confess! Who's the man in your heart?"

At Ruby Sterling's words, Claire Bennett glanced at Julian Sterling beside her out of the corner of her eye, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help lifting. "He... he's a very good man. He's very handsome, and very considerate too. He's a thousand times better than Ethan Sterling..."

Hearing Claire Bennett describe him that way, Ruby Sterling was so delighted she covered her mouth.

She hadn't expected her brother's image in Claire Bennett's eyes to be so tall and impressive. It seemed her brother really knew how to carry himself. Claire Bennett had a pretty good impression of him.

But before Ruby Sterling could be happy for long, Claire Bennett's tone changed, and she said softly, "It's a pity he already has a girlfriend. We weren't meant to be."

After saying that, she forced a stiff smile, her expression downcast.

She had clearly already convinced herself to let go, but now that she thought about it again, that heavy sense of reluctance in her heart started rising up once more.

It didn't matter. For the next few days, she would just relax and have a good time with Julian Sterling, and treat it as her final farewell to him.

Ruby Sterling's jaw dropped. Wait, wait, wait... why did the more she listened, the more wrong this sounded?

Wasn't the person Claire Bennett had just been talking about her brother?

But her brother didn't have a girlfriend!

Could it be that, without any of them knowing, Claire Bennett had another white moonlight hidden in her heart?

Holy crap!

What a miscalculation. She hadn't noticed this at all.

Ruby Sterling's expression changed on the spot. She still wanted to keep pressing, but Claire Bennett seemed afraid she'd ask more, so she quickly handed the freshly grilled barbecue to Ruby Sterling, using food to shut her up.

After they finished eating, Ruby Sterling found an excuse to pull Julian Sterling aside.

She said excitedly, "Bro, this is bad, really bad! I didn't think that after getting rid of Ethan Sterling as an obstacle, there'd be another white moonlight from who knows where!"

Julian Sterling's eyes darkened as he thought of the information Marcus Reed had investigated. It had detailed records of all of Claire Bennett's information.

Some parts of the file were blank—at the very least, there was nothing about her childhood. Marcus Reed had said it was too long ago and hard to investigate.

Could it be that in that missing part of the record, there had been someone Claire Bennett liked?

Was that why she was so indifferent toward Ethan Sterling?

The more Julian Sterling thought about it, the unhappier he became. It felt like he was sulking with himself. But even if Claire Bennett really did have a man she liked, he had no way to question her about it.

That night, after Claire Bennett and Ruby Sterling showered in the bathrooms provided by the business, they each went into their own tents.

The space inside the tent wasn't very big. It could fit two sleeping bags, and the distance between two people was very close, almost the same as sharing a bed and pillow.

Claire Bennett climbed into her sleeping bag. Julian Sterling had gone to shower just now and still hadn't come back.

Her feelings were complicated, and she couldn't fall asleep.

While she was still spacing out, she heard the tent zipper being pulled open. Julian Sterling was back.

He carried a trace of coolness with him, and a few strands of his hair were still not completely dry, giving him an aloof, chilly air.

Julian Sterling casually lay down beside Claire Bennett. The two of them lay side by side, shoulder against shoulder.