Bennett's face was illuminated only by the streetlights because the light inside the car was not bright enough.

Still, she dared not meet his gaze head-on. She ducked her head in embarrassment and muttered, “Well... I haven't. I left my phone in my room."

Bennett must have anticipated her response because he did not Look surprised. He simply nodded and said, “It's fine if you haven't read them."

He did not say anything else after that. He just grabbed her hand, which she had been clenching so tightly that her nails dug into her skin, and began massaging her palm.

Claudia glanced at him, relieved that he was not asking any more questions.

It was true that she had left her phone in her room, but when she went to retrieve it, she read the messages Bennett had sent to her earlier.

The reminder of it quickly made her cheeks color in embarrassment.

Bennett had asked her if she was upset about what had happened the night before and if that was why she suddenly decided to visit her father.

There was no way she could answer those questions.

Claudia's blush deepened.

There was total silence in the car because neither of them spoke.

As Claudia stared out the window, she began to recognize landmarks and buildings outside.

Five minutes later, the black Bentley finally pulled into the villa's driveway.

The driver then returned the car keys to Bennett. Claudia hastily announced she would go upstairs to take a shower before bolting out of the car and running away.

Bennett smiled, amused by the way her light-colored dress fluttered as she ran. He took the car keys from the driver and strolled leisurely out of the garage to the front door.

There was no one in the house, so Claudia had to unlock the door with her fingerprint.

Darkness greeted her as soon as she opened the door.

She immediately turned the lights on. She was stepping out of her shoes when Bennett walked into the house.

Claudia looked at him before repeating in a calm voice, "I'm going to take a shower."

With that, she headed for the stairs while the man watched her closely.

Upon entering the master bedroom, she chose a set of pajamas at random and headed for the bathroom, where she began taking a shower.

What she did was more akin to a bath than a shower, though. She even stepped into the tub and stayed there for a long time.

Bennett was not in the bedroom when she finally emerged from the bathroom.

Thinking that he was probably in the study, Claudia heaved a sigh of relief.