Semua Bab Mr. Sterling, Your Wife Wants the Baby, Not You: Bab 11 - Bab 20

“A brilliant woman and a brilliant man. They’re perfect together.”“A man like Mr. Sterling actually came in person to pick up his wife. That’s the kind of marriage people envy.”The voices were not quiet.They drifted into Claire’s ears whether she wanted them to or not, and despite herself, her mind went back over the past seven years.Had Adrian ever picked her up from work?Had he ever once appeared beside her in public?Had he ever openly acknowledged her to the world?No.Not once.And now she was standing here, watching him hand every one of those exceptions to another woman.From the corner of her eye, Sienna glanced toward Claire, who could do nothing but stand off to the side and watch.When people called her Mrs. Sterling, Sienna did not deny it.She only turned to Adrian with a soft smile.Adrian met that smile and let the corner of his mouth lift, just slightly, in return.At once, a young woman nearby clutched her face and squealed, “Oh my God. They’re real. They’re actua

By then, Sienna had already made her way to Adrian’s side.She moved with such effortless ease, so completely at home there, that for a moment she looked more entitled to stand beside him than Claire ever had.“I’m hungry,” she said, her voice smooth and unhurried. “Let’s get something to eat first.”Adrian withdrew his gaze.He did not seem especially affected by what the young mother had said.After all, as far as he knew, Claire had never given birth.In his mind, the closest she had ever come to children was treating pediatric cases in the ER.“Sure.”His cold eyes passed over Claire without the slightest ripple.Then he stepped forward and, with polished ease, opened the car door for Sienna.Every movement between them drew attention. People watched with open envy, marveling at how carefully the head of Sterling Group treated her.Then the whole group swept away in a noisy procession.Only after they were gone did Claire let out a long, strained breath.At that point, she barely c

By the time Claire reached the Sterling estate, thick snow was already falling through the late-winter dusk.She carried the sting of the wind in with her as she stepped into Madam Sterling’s courtyard residence.The moment she entered, she saw Vivian and Brenda already seated in the main hall.Vivian shot Claire a cold look, clearly still remembering the disrespect Claire had shown her the other day.Telling them all to go die, no less.“Claire, I’d love to hear how you plan to explain yourself.” Brenda’s face was thick with contempt. “You were so petty and jealous that you deliberately smeared Adrian and Sienna, and now Madam Sterling has seen the exposé. You upset her so badly she fell ill.”She dumped the entire blame on Claire in a single breath.Claire could not help frowning.She looked at Brenda, who seemed eager to convict her before hearing a single word. “Instead of blaming the people who actually did something disgraceful, you came after me, the person who was hurt by it. A

“Yes,” Adrian said in the same indifferent tone. “Were you hoping for a divorce?”Madam Sterling reacted at once and chose not to mention that Claire had already made up her mind.She gave a cold snort. “Of course not. I’m warning you. If you dare start talking divorce with Claire, I will never agree to you marrying Sienna. Whatever problems exist between you, you handle them behind closed doors.”“Fine.” Adrian handed her a section of orange, the corner of his mouth curving with casual unconcern.The old woman could tell perfectly well he was only humoring her.But she had no energy to argue.She was nearly eighty.Claire’s determination to divorce him was real.And Claire had been equally clear that Adrian already knew and had agreed.Yet Adrian’s attitude suggested he had no idea what she was talking about.Madam Sterling’s instincts told her there had to be some misunderstanding buried somewhere in the middle of all this.But she had no intention of exposing it.If Adrian still did

After stepping into the office, Adrian loosened the buttons of his suit jacket as he walked, his gaze dropping briefly to Claire.“What could possibly be so urgent?”She knew exactly what he meant.In his eyes, she never should have shown up here uninvited.The last thing he wanted was even the faintest hint of her identity getting out and damaging Sienna’s reputation.Claire let out a soft, humorless laugh.She walked over, set the papers on his desk, kept her eyes off his face, and pointed to the document.Adrian’s gaze dropped to the title page.Clarification of Marital Property Rights“I want to buy a house for my grandpa,” Claire said. “I’m paying for it with my own savings, but I’ll need a mortgage. I need your signature confirming the purchase is being funded entirely by me.”Her voice was as steady as she could make it, betraying nothing.If she said outright that she was adding another clause to the divorce agreement, Adrian would read every page carefully.That was too danger