Claudia clutched her phone tightly, feeling as if it might burn a hole in her palm.

Bennett clearly expected her to assess the situation. How could she have been so bold?

She turned away, gazing out of the window. After pondering for a moment, she decided to pretend to be asleep.

Bennett stole a glance at the woman beside him. Seeing her leaning against the windowpane, seemingly lost in sleep, the sparkle in his eyes intensified with each passing moment.

The silence between them during the drive became deafening.

Claudia maintained her facade of feigned slumber until they arrived at the villa.

“Are we home yet?" she asked.

"Just about," Bennett replied, shooting her a knowing glance, opting not to call out her charade.

Soon, the car smoothly pulled up to the villa's gate. After neatly parking it in the garage, Bennett unbuckled his seat belt, grabbed his phone, and stepped out of the vehicle.

As Claudia prepared to exit the car, she suddenly remembered her phone, which had been resting on her thigh the whole time. In her haste to get out, the phone slipped from her lap.

Reacting instinctively, she reached out to catch it, oblivious to the danger she was in.

Bennett had intended to retrieve the phone for her, but he hadn't anticipated her attempt to grab it herself. In a split second, he lunged forward and caught her as she nearly toppled from the car.

With a firm grip on her shoulder, Bennett prevented Claudia from falling to the ground. She could only watch helplessly as her phone collided with the pavement.

The phone plummeted to the ground with a sharp click, its screen shattering into a mosaic of fragments upon impact.

Looking up at Bennett, Claudia grasped his arm tightly and said, "My phone is broken!"

Without missing a beat, Bennett scooped her up into his arms and said, “I'll buy you a new one first thing tomorrow."

Claudia's arms instinctively wound around his neck, though she couldn't shake off the mortification creeping over her. “But...”

Bennett glanced her way and crouched down with her in his embrace, signaling for her to pick it up.

Expecting to be put down, Claudia was caught off guard when Bennett continued to hold her close.

The embrace began to feel somewhat awkward. After a brief moment of hesitation, Claudia reached out to pick up her shattered phone.

The phone lay in ruins. While the screen emitted a bright glow, a large portion remained shrouded in darkness, rendering the device utterly useless.

Looking at the phone, which she had only used for half a year, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Her phone had become obsolete far too quickly.

With Claudia nestled against him, Bennett carried her out of the garage, the cool night air providing a refreshing contrast. Snuggled against his chest, she found comfort in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.