At six - foot - three , he filled her tiny balcony completely . Even without the light on , the cold aura rolling off him was palpable . Claudia spared him a glance and headed for the kitchen . On the other end , Clint was reporting that Sterling's injury and disappearance had leaked . Henry was stirring , trying to rally company shareholders to his side . Sterling's eyes followed Claudia as she moved about . His voice was lazy . " Ignore his little tricks . The higher he climbs , the harder he'll fall ." " Mr. Romero , you really shouldn't show yourself for a while . Are you sure you don't want to rest at Wisteria Pavilion ? " Wisteria Pavilion was secluded , with medical staff on standby . Compared to that , Claudia's tiny apartment wasn't fit for recovery . Clint couldn't fathom how his boss planned to hole up here for a month . " Don't worry about me . Watch Henry . " Sterling suddenly cut the call short when he saw Claudia's drowsy figure nearly lean her elbow against the boiling pot . He crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her before she burned herself . The cramped kitchen seemed to shrink with his broad frame crowding in . Claudia , startled , elbowed him in the stomach . " What are you doing ? " He grunted , but calmly reached past her to turn off the stove . " Didn't want your plain buns picking up a roasted flavor . " Claudia thought back and realized that without his intervention , she would have scalded herself . Not ungrateful , she gave a sheepish laugh and held up the half - open dumpling package . " Fine . Since Mr. Romero has such a generous heart , I'll treat you to dinner . " She mimicked Clint deliberately . Sterling arched a brow at her movements . " This is how you treat your savior ? With instant dumplings ? " Hadn't she just cooked enough for herself alone ? " Guests ought to remember their place . You should be glad you're even getting fed . What , you want me to serve you too ? Where's your shame ? " 2/3 9:40 Tue , Oct 7 Then she realized he was still half - holding her in his arms . She jabbed him again with her elbow . Sterling slowly drew back , leaning against the fridge with composure . " Ten million ." Claudia froze , whipping her head toward him , eyes shining as though lit with gold . The Lancaster family might be wealthy , but she was broke . Buying this place outright had drained nearly all her savings . Sterling studied her round - cheeked face , tilted up like a kitten's , her eyes bright . He held back a laugh and confirmed , " The rent and board , for my stay here ." Claudia snapped off the burner at once and bent low in mock servitude . " Honored benefactor , please have a seat ." She escorted him back to the sofa with exaggerated care , then picked up her phone from the table to order takeout . " As your great benefactor , don't I deserve a meal cooked by your own hands ? " Sterling's voice held dissatisfaction at the downgrade . " You sure ? I only know three dishes . " " What dishes ? " Claudia's eyes went wide with fake innocence . " Dumplings . Dumplings . And ... dumplings. " When she had first moved out , she'd lived off takeout . Later she tried cooking to save money . But after nearly setting her kitchen on fire several times , she finally accepted that she had no talent for it . These days it was either instant meals or scrounging food from Whitney and Jasper . Send Gifts 。 10 1 3/3 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!