I Married the President

Early the next morning, Claire Sinclair went to the hospital as arranged. After she spoke with the doctor, he agreed to let Ivy Tanner go out for a walk, but not for too long.

Claire figured buying a birthday gift wouldn’t take long, so she took Ivy Tanner to the mall closest to First Hospital.

Upon arriving at the mall, Claire Sinclair dismissed the minders Ethan Kingsley had sent, keeping only the bodyguards from Quincy Manor. She really didn’t like having her every move controlled by that man.

Ivy Tanner froze at the entrance, staring blankly at the people coming and going.

Claire asked her, "What are you thinking?"

Ivy Tanner said with a sigh, "I don’t think I’ve been to a place like this in seven or eight years. You probably can’t imagine it, but I feel so restless right now. It’s like every cell in my body is scrambling to adjust to this strange new world."

"It’s just social anxiety. I used to have it myself. Let’s go in." With that, Claire led the way into the mall.

Ivy Tanner smiled and followed her inside.

After just a few steps, Claire deliberately slowed down, turned back, and asked, "Did you bring any money?"

Ivy Tanner pulled a black card from her pocket. "He asked me to give this to you."

Claire Sinclair’s eyes widened as she looked at the black card in Ivy’s hand. "He wanted you to give *this* black card to me?" she asked, completely stunned.

To put it bluntly, a black card was an unlimited credit card. You could use it to buy not just a hundred-million-dollar villa, but an entire island. Therefore, the only people who could possess one were typically the mega-rich at the very top of the economic pyramid.

It made sense for Ethan Kingsley to have such a card, given his status as the richest man in Aridia. But for him to just hand it over to her so casually... ’Isn’t he afraid I’ll go on a spending spree?’

But on second thought, Claire relaxed.

Ethan Kingsley had a baffling amount of trust in her, just like how Ivy Tanner had suddenly sought her help despite never having met her before.

Perhaps it was because of Adrian Quincy. After all, Quincy Manor itself was a symbol of justice, which inspired a deep, heartfelt trust in its master.

Claire felt she was basking in Adrian Quincy’s reflected glory, which made her a little happy. It wasn’t pride, though. ’I’m still a long, long way from being the mistress of Quincy Manor.’

While Claire was lost in thought, Ivy asked, "He told you the PIN, didn’t he?"

Claire asked back, "You want to know?"

Ivy Tanner immediately shook her head. "I’m not interested in his money. If it’s all right, I’d like to borrow a little from you. Don’t worry, it won’t be more than a hundred dollars."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Can you pay it back?"

It wasn’t that she cared about a hundred dollars, but she needed to be clear. This wasn’t a matter of generosity; they simply weren’t close enough for her to be handing out money unconditionally.

Especially not when Ethan Kingsley’s black card was now in the picture.

Ivy Tanner didn’t answer. She took a necklace from around her neck—a jade ring strung on a red cord—and held it out to her. "Someone gave this to me. I don’t know if it’s real, but I’ve worn it for years. I’ll sell it to you second-hand for one hundred dollars."

Claire studied the jade ring in her hand. It looked brand new. The surface was lustrous and translucent, with no visible impurities, and it was obviously well-cared for. Even though Claire knew nothing about jewelry, she could tell from how well-maintained the ring was that a hundred dollars was far too cheap.

When Claire didn’t say anything, Ivy thought she was hesitating because of the price and quickly amended, "Fifty dollars is fine, too."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Who gave it to you?"

Ivy replied, "A relative gave it to me when I was little. A distant one. They probably gave it as a gift to curry favor with the Tanner Family."