Claire Harper understood Ethan Sterling's implied message.
But she didn't stop walking.
Everyone must take responsibility for their own choices. Claire couldn't throw away her pride and rely on the Sterling family for a comfortable life, so it was up to her to handle her debts.
Nathan Cross escorted her into his car.
"Thank you," Claire said.
Noticing her shivering, Nathan awkwardly explained, "No need to thank me. I could've been here sooner, but there was traffic on the way."
Claire smiled. "Whether you were early or late, you came—that's what matters. You really helped me out of a tough spot today."
Nathan hadn't wanted to come at all.
He didn't want to play along with the script Claire and Ethan seemed to have written.
But after some thought, he decided that as her legal husband, he couldn't stand by while another man publicly harassed her.
When he arrived and saw Claire standing in the rain outside her office, an inexplicable anger surged within him.
*Was this some kind of sympathy ploy?*
Even if it was, Ethan's behavior was appalling—what kind of man stays dry in his car while a woman gets drenched outside?
Claire's wet clothes had soaked into the car seat.
Nathan handed her a towel. "Dry yourself off."
Turning on the car's heater wasn't an option; Claire's soaked state made it risky for her to sit in a warm environment.
As Claire dried her hair, Nathan drove them back to Seaside Gardens. The moment they arrived, he urged her to take a hot shower.
After showering, Claire emerged with her complexion glowing from the warmth.
"Nathan, I have a favor to ask."
Fresh out of the shower, her damp hair clinging to her flushed cheeks added a touch of charm to her appearance.
Nathan immediately grew wary. "What is it?"
Claire didn't notice his tension. She pointed to the room housing his gym equipment. "Can I use that room as a workspace? You know, for my side job. Filming in the living room is inconvenient, so I'd like to move your equipment to the balcony and set up my gear there."
*That's all?*
Nathan had expected her request to be something far more significant.
"If it's a problem, I can use the bedroom—"
"It's fine," Nathan interrupted. "You're the lady of this house. You don't need my permission for such small things."
*The lady of the house?*
Claire thought of the marriage certificate in her bag, and his words gave her a sense of security. "Of course I need to ask you. Whether it's big or small, decisions in a household should be made together."
With Ethan seemingly out of the picture and her workspace secured, Claire finally felt relaxed. That's when she realized just how hungry she was. Glancing at the fridge, she asked, "Which breakfast did you have this morning?"
"I took both," Nathan replied nonchalantly. "There's nothing here for dinner. Let's eat out."
Claire didn't argue. "To be honest, I'm not great at cooking either."
Growing up, Claire had relied on family cooks. After the Harpers' bankruptcy, her focus had been on work and earning money, leaving her no time to learn how to cook. Nathan, though capable in the kitchen, didn't see the point of spending time on it.
The two newlyweds had dinner together like casual roommates. When Claire asked if they should split the bill, Nathan frowned. "I'm not that stingy."
"Then I'll treat you next time!" Claire promised cheerfully.
Back home, Claire dove into setting up her new workspace.
When Nathan offered to help, she declined. "I've got so much stuff. Let me handle it—I'll know where everything is."
Claire unpacked racks of clothes, piles of cosmetics, professional lighting, and cameras. Gradually, the room began to take shape.
Curious, Nathan asked how much her side business earned her each month. Claire didn't hide the truth. "It fluctuates. At its peak, I made 70,000 to 80,000 yuan in a month. At its lowest, it's about 10,000 yuan."
On average, that meant an annual income nearing six figures—a high income by South City standards. But Claire's demeanor remained tense.
"And your debts?" Nathan pressed.
"I'm paying them off bit by bit," Claire replied confidently. "I think the future of content creation is bright. As long as I keep building my audience and expanding my revenue streams, I'm confident I'll reach an annual income of over a million soon."
Ethan's mother had always scorned Claire's work, dismissing it as attention-seeking.
But Claire had no other options. With an art degree, her job prospects in South City were limited. Over the past three years, she had poured her heart into growing her online presence—not for the sake of passion, but to make money.
Claire believed she had inherited her father's entrepreneurial spirit. Without signing with any agency, she had learned to navigate the world of social media on her own. Ethan, despite being tech-savvy, had dismissed her ambitions, and their discussions about her career plans often ended in arguments.
"I knew back then he didn't support or understand me. Breaking up was inevitable," Claire said.
Their differences had always existed, but when compounded by external pressures, they ultimately led to their split.
Claire shared this with Nathan, partly to close the chapter on her past and partly to set realistic expectations for their relationship.
Nathan, having come from humble beginnings and worked in a tech company like Huahu, seemed like someone who might understand her choices.
When their eyes met, Nathan found himself reevaluating his earlier assumptions about Claire.
The Harper family's bankruptcy hadn't broken her. She was still, in many ways, the same confident and ambitious "Miss Harper" from ten years ago. In fact, she had grown stronger, her resilience shining through.
Nathan couldn't help but think Ethan had underestimated her. Ethan's outdated beliefs about gender roles—expecting a wife to submit and sacrifice her own ambitions—had cost him someone exceptional.
"Claire?"
Nathan's prolonged silence made her nervous.
He finally responded with a candid observation: "Your career plan is clear, but your execution has some flaws. At the pace you're working, you might burn out by the time you hit a million a year."