Chapter 94
A Girlfriend Would Misunderstand
Recently, Claire Bennett had probably taken a pretty heavy blow. As Ruby Sterling put it, he needed to comfort her properly and become that person in her heart; he couldn't let her get hurt again.
After thinking about it, Julian Sterling said, "He didn't say much. He said he was going back to marry his fiancée, and he even wished us happiness."
"Marry?" Claire Bennett said in surprise.
She knew the Shaw family and the Hart family were preparing for a marriage alliance. Didn't they say the engagement ceremony was set for next year? How had it suddenly been moved up so much? Why hadn't Sean Shaw told her?
Seeing the surprise on Claire Bennett's face, Julian Sterling said, "Forget about other men. They're not worth missing."
After saying that, he said nothing more.
Claire Bennett was still a little slow to process it. No... who was she missing?
After they got back to the apartment, Julian Sterling took his clothes and went to shower early. Claire Bennett didn't think much of it.
When Claire Bennett came back after washing up and discovered that he was actually in the room and had even occupied half the bed, she finally understood why Julian Sterling had rushed to shower first.
She remembered how, before the camping trip, she had shut Julian Sterling out of the room.
Was he taking precautions just in case, preparing for the worst?
Thinking about how their contract still had a year left, and how they couldn't avoid dealing with each other in the future, they couldn't go on like this forever. They had to have a proper talk.
Claire Bennett walked over, yanked the blanket off Julian Sterling with force, and said, "Julian Sterling, get up. We need to talk."
Julian Sterling opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
"Talk about what?"
Seeing the clarity in his eyes, Claire Bennett was absolutely certain he hadn't been asleep just now at all!
She cleared her throat lightly and said, "I think... since we're going to keep carrying out the contract, we shouldn't keep sleeping together anymore. Otherwise your girlfriend will misunderstand."
When Julian Sterling heard Claire Bennett say that what they had between them was a contract and that they shouldn't sleep together, his brows knit tightly, and he looked displeased.
But when Claire Bennett finally said that his girlfriend would misunderstand, his displeasure turned into astonishment.
His girlfriend would misunderstand?
Where was he supposed to have gotten a girlfriend from?
Julian Sterling raised his eyes to look at Claire Bennett and asked, "Which girlfriend?"
Claire Bennett's expression stiffened.
Could it be that he had quite a few girlfriends? Surely there weren't other women besides Miss Hayes, right?
Since it was already out in the open, Claire Bennett stopped beating around the bush and simply said directly, "You and Miss Hayes—I saw everything!"
At the mention of Miss Hayes, Julian Sterling frowned slightly.
Claire Bennett continued, "That day you went to Crown Taste House and had a couple's set meal, and then on Ethan Sterling's engagement banquet, you said you had to have dinner with her, so you didn't come..."
After saying it, she felt a sudden sense of clarity.
It was as if all the pent-up emotions of the past few days had suddenly been released, and her whole body felt lighter.
She didn't understand how Julian Sterling could already have a girlfriend and still treat her with this kind of ambiguous attitude.
If Julian Sterling kept this up, she might sink deeper and deeper into him.
So she had to stop all of this and strangle the budding feelings in her heart.
Claire Bennett hadn't expected that after going through Ethan Sterling's cheating and betrayal, she would fall for someone else so quickly. Although she wasn't sure whether those feelings came from being moved, or whether they might suddenly disappear.
After hearing Claire Bennett's words, Julian Sterling remembered what had happened before he left on his business trip.
His grandfather had dropped a woman on him out of nowhere and made him go on a blind date with her. He had taken her to a restaurant, and the woman had ordered a couple's set meal on her own. Later, he had left before even eating.
That woman wasn't surnamed Hayes. What was her name again?
Claire Bennett had seen them that day?
And as for Miss Hayes, he hadn't even met her at all.
Julian Sterling's eyelids flickered, and he explained, "You misunderstood. Let me explain seriously: I don't have a girlfriend, and I have no relationship with Miss Hayes whatsoever."
"How is that possible? That day it was obvious..."
"She was someone my family arranged for me to meet. I didn't go see her. The reason I was late that day was because this whole thing held me up."
Someone arranged by his family?
Had she misunderstood?
Wait! Claire Bennett's brows suddenly furrowed tightly, and she asked, "Someone arranged by your family? Didn't you say you were an orphan?"
Julian Sterling: "...Because they were always setting me up on blind dates, I cut ties with them, so to the outside world I say I'm an orphan."
He started lying without hesitation.
It wasn't that he meant to deceive Claire Bennett on purpose, but he didn't want to add another offense to his list.
Before, because he'd mistakenly thought Claire Bennett was trying to make him happily become a father, he hadn't told her his real identity.
And now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
What Ruby Sterling had said just now was right.
Although he had solved the problem of Claire Bennett's white moonlight, if Claire Bennett found out he had used his identity and influence to drive that man away, would she turn on him?
Julian Sterling couldn't afford to gamble, so he could only choose to keep compounding the mistake.
After hearing that, Claire Bennett rubbed her forehead. You could do that? Julian Sterling was way too willful!
A moment later, she asked carefully, "You really don't have any feelings for them at all? I think they're pretty good-looking, and they seemed like they came from very good families too."
That day, with just one hurried glance, she had noticed the woman was wearing a designer dress. It was obvious she came from an extraordinary family background.
With a background like Julian Sterling's, wasn't he even a little tempted to marry up and save himself ten years of struggle?
"No." He didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Looking at Julian Sterling's serious expression, Claire Bennett believed him.
So it really had been her misunderstanding. Julian Sterling didn't have a girlfriend.
"Then... do you have someone you like?" After hesitating for a moment, Claire Bennett still asked the question.
She looked at Julian Sterling, waiting for his answer.
Claire Bennett's hand gripped the hem of her clothes nervously, and even her breathing slowed by a fraction.