Ficorpio
Chapter 1
I had chased Ethan Sterling for so long, yet he still ran from our wedding.
Just when I was ready to give up, the Romance System’s Live Comment Feed suddenly appeared:
【Female lead, he likes forceful affection!】
I turned around and slapped him across the face.
“The weather’s turning cold. Is the Sterling family planning to go bankrupt? Get back in there and marry me!”
On our wedding night, he reminded me coldly, “I don’t have feelings for you.”
The system responded:
【He’s asking for another slap!】
I slapped him again.
“Feel something now?”
“Get over here and kiss me!”
Every day, he had sex with me while wearing the same cold expression, then washed his own underwear with that same cold face.
The system commented:
【Give him the cold shoulder for two days and he’ll behave.】
Later, the one who got away returned to North City, and I stopped going home.
Ethan panicked and started asking everyone:
【What do I do if my wife seems to have another man outside?】
【How do I outsmart the other man?】
Ethan Sterling had run from our wedding.
Just when I was about to give up, a new comment suddenly appeared on the Live Comment Feed.
【This idiot got lost. He hasn’t even made it out of the building. Hurry up and catch him!】
Sure enough, in the hallway outside the wedding venue, Ethan was wandering in circles like a donkey at a mill.
The comments kept coming:
【He’s been standing in the same spot for half an hour. Buddy, bring a guide dog next time you leave the house.】
【I’m dying. This is the first time I’ve seen someone flee their wedding and get caught before even making it out the front door.】
In the lounge, Ethan stood with his back to me, puffed up with anger.
“I’m never marrying an old woman like you!”
The system clicked its tongue.
【Listen to him acting tough.】
【Female lead, he likes forceful affection! Rough him up a little and he’ll behave!】
Why hadn’t it said so earlier? So he was a masochist.
I gave a quiet laugh, rolled my wrist, and slapped him across the face.
He clutched his cheek and stared at me in disbelief.
“Claire Bennett, you… You actually dare to hit me?”
“That’s exactly who I hit.”
I folded my arms and calmly wiped my hand.
“The weather’s turning cold. Is the Sterling family about to go bankrupt?”
The moment he heard that, all the fight went out of him.
I stepped closer, looped my arms around his neck, and smiled.
“Now that we’ve cleared that up, take another careful look. Do I really seem old to you?”
My eyes roamed freely over his face.
That pretty face of his was dangerously endearing.
His gaze darted away. He gave a faint snort.
“You’re not old…”
The comments erupted:
【Female lead, toy with him mercilessly. We love forceful romance!】
I tugged on his tie, slowly retied it for him, then patted his cheek with a faint smile.
“Get out there and make the rounds with the guests.”
Chapter 2
Ethan Sterling left looking deeply aggrieved, like a scolded little husband.
Honestly, that pathetic look was exactly my type.
When Ethan’s parents appeared, he seemed to spot his rescuers. His eyes went red as he hurried over to complain.
“Mom, Dad, Claire hit me!”
Richard Sterling froze, then looked furious.
“Why would she hit you instead of anyone else?”
Ethan: “…What?”
“Son,” Richard said earnestly, “you’ll understand when you’re older. Sometimes hitting is affection, and scolding is love.”
Evelyn nodded vigorously beside him.
“That’s right, sweetheart. Out of all the men in the world, Claire chose you as her husband. That means you must have some special quality.”
Ethan looked as though his entire soul had shattered.
“You… You’re both treating me like this?”
The live comment feed exploded.
【Ethan Sterling: Sob, sob, sob…】
【Who could resist a pathetic, husband-material mess like that?】
【Claire, go for it!】
The Bennett and Sterling families had been longstanding family friends. We’d grown up together in the same family compound.
Ethan had been famous for being slow on the uptake since childhood. I, on the other hand, had been famous for being brilliant.
I was three years older than him, which gave me a double advantage in both age and intelligence.
He worshiped me and loved following me around like a shadow.
When we were kids, I once used pistachio shells to trick him out of his snacks.
“Ethan, these are rare seashells I found at the beach. I don’t give them to just anyone.”
Later, he beamed as he told me, “Claire, the shells you gave me are so nice. They taste kind of salty.”
I also promised that when we grew up, he could be my husband, and that every man had to hand his money over to his wife.
He happily gave me his spending money. He even stole Evelyn’s diamond ring and slipped it onto my finger.
My mother gave me a thorough scolding and told me to stop playing with idiots.
I was three years older than Ethan. When he was in elementary school, I was in middle school. When he reached middle school, I was already in high school.
The older I got, the less interested I became in dealing with an immature little brat like him.
Then my family moved away, and we lost touch.
That lasted until recently, when he returned home after graduating from college. We happened to run into each other, and I suddenly realized that the chubby little boy who used to be shorter than me had undergone a complete transformation.
He was well over six feet tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs.
Only his eyes were unchanged. They were still as clear—and as foolish—as ever.
Chapter 3
He fit my taste so perfectly that he might as well have been dancing across it.
Unfortunately, he was incredibly difficult to win over. I sent him morning, noon, and night greetings and flirted with him from every possible angle, yet he remained just as arrogant and stubborn as before.
“Claire, I’m not interested in you. Stop wasting your time!”
It just so happened that the Sterling family’s business ran into trouble. I took advantage of the opportunity and proposed a strategic marriage alliance.
His parents didn’t hesitate for even a second before sending their useless son to me.
My parents had initially opposed me marrying someone like him. After all, aside from his face, he seemed to have nothing going for him.
But I liked him, and I had plenty of money.
I liked keeping a pretty boy around.
Since I was going to get married anyway, why not choose someone attractive and have a beautiful child?
Once I’d had my fill of him, I could keep the baby and lose the father.
Ethan Sterling had had a little too much to drink at the wedding.
After my shower, I changed into a sexy nightdress.
He glanced at me once, his ears turning red, then grabbed the quilt and made a run for the guest room.
“Claire Bennett, we’re married now. Satisfied?”
His voice was thick with alcohol, but his warning was cold and unmistakable.
“This is a strategic marriage alliance. There’s no love between us. From now on, we’ll each do our own thing, so stay out of my business.”
The Live Comment Feed exploded.
[Heroine, he’s just a little… excited.]
[Go! Strike while the iron’s hot. He’s begging to be taught a lesson!]
I smiled faintly and slapped him across the face.
“Drink a little booze and suddenly you think you’re God’s gift to women?”
I pointed at him.
“I invested ten billion dollars in the Ashford family, and you think we’re going to have an open arrangement?”
The slap left Ethan completely stunned.
“You… What do you take me for?”
I rolled my eyes.
“A legally acquired gigolo.”
He was so furious that he could barely form a sentence.
“You… You…”
[Keep going, heroine! He’s almost enjoying this!]
Ethan pursed his lips and took a step back.
“Can’t we take things slowly? We could start with holding hands.”
[He’s still an innocent young man. He’s so shy…]
What a pure little thing.
I liked him even more.
I folded my arms and ordered, “Go take a shower. Get yourself clean, then come back and serve me.”
Ethan stormed into the bathroom.
Half an hour passed, and he still hadn’t come out.
“System, what’s taking him so long?”
System: [He’s posting on Quora.]
I opened the site and found Ethan’s latest post.
[How to Conquer—Temptation?]
Helpful users had replied:
[Some sexy little nightdress pictures.]