I Married the President-Chapter 86: Far From Being a Strong Woman

’Any twenty-eight-year-old man who found a woman in pajamas in his bed first thing in the morning would surely lean in for a kiss...’

She was lost in thought. Adrian Quincy couldn’t decipher the complex, shifting emotions in her eyes. All he could see was that she was unhappy.

"What’s wrong?"

"Did you and my sister used to kiss like this often?"

Adrian Quincy frowned slightly. ’Women are so prone to overthinking,’ he thought. ’If I don’t explain this clearly, she’ll just keep misunderstanding.’

"Our relationship was purely professional. We were never intimate, we never dated, and I never even considered the idea of being in a relationship with her."

"Huh?" Claire Sinclair could hardly believe it.

"I didn’t marry you because you and Quinn look alike."

"Then why did your grandfather say you and my sister were dating?"

"My grandfather has dementia. I explained it to him many times, but he’d forget soon after. Later, as his condition worsened, I stopped trying to explain. Quinn understood the situation, and she was happy to play along."

Claire Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "Why didn’t my sister ever tell me about any of this?"

Adrian Quincy answered candidly, "I’m not sure what was on her mind."

’Hearing him say that, it seemed the bond between him and her sister wasn’t nearly as deep as she had imagined.’

’If that’s the case...’

"Then why, exactly, did you marry me?"

’A man of his status could have any woman he wanted. She refused to believe he’d marry a complete stranger just because of some absurd will.’

Adrian Quincy gently pulled her back into his arms, settling back into her soft embrace. He slowly lowered his head and whispered two words in her ear—

"A debt."

At his words, the thick, high walls Claire Sinclair had built deep inside her heart suddenly crumbled to dust.

’I’m not a substitute! He doesn’t see me as a replacement!’

For some reason, she felt the urge to cry. Her voice trembled as she stammered, "I thought... I thought you only kept me by your side because you’d lost my sister..."

"I told you before, I had my own selfish reasons for marrying you. It wasn’t entirely for your sister’s sake."

"What selfish reasons?"

Adrian Quincy didn’t answer. His long fingers cupped her delicate chin, and he captured her soft lips for a light peck. Then, he parted his own lips and said, "To fulfill my grandfather’s wish, of course."

"..."

’When it came down to it, she’d still been duped by him.’

"Claire, tell me, what kind of person do you want to become?"

"I want to be like my sister—a strong woman who is brave, righteous, persistent, responsible, and full of positive energy!" That aspiration was precisely why she, feeling so weak and powerless, had resolutely chosen a literary path.

’A journalist was the best choice. I have to become an outstanding journalist.’

’Wow, I’m suddenly filled with fighting spirit. I feel like I could take on anything!’

Adrian Quincy gave a devilish smile. Her expression at that moment was the spitting image of her sister’s, but her eyes were a few shades softer, making her look captivatingly alluring.

"You’re still a long way from being a strong woman." As he said this, he suddenly reached out, cupped her bottom, and shot to his feet, lifting her off the bed with him.

Claire Sinclair’s heart skipped a beat. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his powerful waist and her hands gripped his arms tightly. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

Adrian Quincy turned and took a few steps before setting her down on the cool wooden floor.

Claire Sinclair didn’t understand what he was about to do and tried to sit up, but the man suddenly knelt on one knee, straddling one of his legs over her body.

Just as she was wondering what on earth he was planning to do, she saw him make two fists and place them knuckles-down on the floor. He kicked his feet back, adjusted his position, arched his body, and began to do push-ups.