Aurora teased, “You'll never know until you ask, right? Isn't it usual for a wife to ask such favors from her husband?”

Claudia clutched the phone against her chest and looked up at Bennett. He was observing her with an insightful gaze.

The font was tiny. She wished he hadn't seen anything.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Bennett posed the question, "So, do you want that hundred million dollars?"

“Can't really complain about extra cash."

After all, it was a considerable amount.

“Indeed,”

Bennett replied nonchalantly and proceeded to descend the stairs, carrying her.

Claudia exhaled in relief. She was grateful that Bennett didn't probe further, else she would have been mortified.

Their relationship was a pretense. How could she demand Bennett to just give her that much money?

Aurora was spouting gibberish. The predicament was entirely her fault! Claudia felt awkward all the way to the dining table. Upon being seated, she spotted Marcia's mischievous grin, causing her cheeks to burn.

She wished to clarify to Marcia that things weren't as they appeared. But unfortunately, it was too Late. With a knowing smile, Marcia said, "Mrs. Dreskin, you and Mr. Dreskin are head over heels for each other!" At a loss for words, Claudia merely returned an awkward smile.

Once the dishes were laid out, Marcia retreated to the kitchen. Her main responsibilities entailed cooking two meals a day. After accomplishing her task, she was done for the day.

As soon as Marcia departed, Claudia's discomfort intensified.

She chewed a piece of sparerib, debating whether to disclose to Bennett that their discussion about reimbursement was merely a friendly jest.

But Bennett seemed unfazed. She feared that if she brought it up now, Bennett might get the wrong idea and assume she was a gold digger.

While pondering, the sparerib in her mouth slipped from her grasp.

"Oblivious, she bit into it.

"Ouch!"

Claudia cried out in pain after biting her tongue accidentally. Her body shuddered and a few tears escaped her shut eyelids. Before she knew what was happening, a big hand touched her cheek. She opened her eyes, only to find that Bennett, who was supposed to be sitting opposite her, was now bending toward her with a worried look on his face.

“Spit it out first."

It wasn't until his command that Claudia finally came to her senses and spat out the food in her mouth in a hurry.

After giving her cheek a final rub, he handed her a glass of water and asked tenderly, “Where does it hurt?"

“My tongue. I bit it."