Alice York didn’t notice Wyatt Sterling walking up behind her. By the ti she tried to cover her phone, it was too late.
"Wh-who... Who was that?"
On the other end of the line, lody Lancaster’s tone was no longer as aggressive as before. Now, she sounded nervous and unsettled.
How could she not recognize Wyatt Sterling’s voice? Yet she desperately hoped it wasn’t him. If it was, and he was with Alice York, who she was currently on the phone with, that ant... they were in the sa place!
She desperately wished Alice York would try to deny it, but instead, Alice asked, "Miss Lancaster, can’t you even recognize Third Uncle’s voice?"
"..."
lody Lancaster was instantly speechless.
Alice York didn’t change her grip on the phone. She turned her head, looked at the tall man beside her, and asked, "Third Uncle, it’s a call from Miss Lancaster. Do you want to say a few words to her?"
Wyatt Sterling’s expression was impassive. He said nothing.
A smile touched Alice York’s lips. Her eyes were on Wyatt Sterling, but her words were for lody Lancaster on the other end of the line. "Miss Lancaster, Third Uncle still needs to discuss things with Grandpa. If you’re worried, you should probably contact him yourself."
The person on the other end suddenly hung up.
A dial tone buzzed from the earpiece. Alice York lowered the phone to look at the screen when it was suddenly snatched away. She looked up and saw that Wyatt Sterling was now holding it.
Alice York asked deliberately, "Is Third Uncle worrying about how he’s going to explain this to Miss Lancaster later?"
Wyatt Sterling said flatly, "Explain what?"
Alice York pressed her lips together. "Explain the misunderstanding, of course. Miss Lancaster heard Third Uncle’s voice while I was on the phone with her. She might misunderstand the nature of our relationship..."
"You also know that explanations are only necessary for misunderstandings." Wyatt Sterling swiped across the screen a couple of tis and opened WeChat.
"..."
When she realized what Wyatt Sterling might be about to do, she snatched her phone back from his hand with lightning speed. "This is private."
Wyatt Sterling asked in a low voice, "Did she ask to et you?"
Alice York knew Wyatt Sterling wanted to see her WeChat conversation with lody Lancaster. Before, she wouldn’t have cared, but she couldn’t let him see it this ti.
"Maybe Miss Lancaster and I are just fated to be friends. She ’likes’ so much, you know? She’s tried to introduce to a boyfriend, asked to hang out, and constantly invites out to eat. She asked out for tonight, too."
She said this deliberately.
Wyatt Sterling’s brows furrowed. "You are not to see her."
Alice York blinked her almond-shaped eyes. "Why not? Miss Lancaster is being so kind. It would be rude of to refuse."
"When you said on the phone you were going, you ant you were going to see her?" Wyatt Sterling asked.
"Yes," Alice York admitted.
Wyatt Sterling’s expression grew colder and colder. Most of the ti, he got angry because Alice York liked to defy him, and this ti was no exception.
His voice held a clear warning. "I’ll say it one more ti. Don’t get too close to her, and do not see her privately again."
"..."
To Alice York, his words clearly ant he was protecting the other woman.
’The one he dotes on really is different. lody Lancaster keeps bothering , yet Wyatt can’t bear to say a single harsh word to her. But the mont I bring it up, he imdiately warns instead.’
Alice York felt a surge of frustration, but she didn’t say anything and just turned to leave.
Wyatt Sterling called out to her, "Where are you going?"
Alice York ignored him.
Wyatt Sterling called out to her again, "Alice York."
Alice York still pretended not to hear, quickening her pace as she hurried downstairs.
Seeing Mason Cheney, Alice York held out her hand and demanded, "Give a set of car keys. I need to go back to West River to get sothing."
Mason Cheney obviously wasn’t going to just hand over the keys, mainly because Wyatt Sterling hadn’t given the order. He could only say, "Miss York, I can get whatever you need. You don’t have to make a special trip."
Alice York asked, "Can you get my underwear for too?"
"..."
Mason Cheney choked, his expression awkward.
Wyatt Sterling ca out just then. Mason Cheney imdiately went over to explain the situation, and Wyatt, his face grim, called out her na, "Alice York."
Alice York turned her head, her defiance written all over her face. She didn’t move toward him, just stared back.
Wyatt Sterling walked over to her. "What are you being so stubborn about?"
"I’m not being stubborn," Alice York denied verbally, though she was indeed feeling resentful. "I want to go back to West River."
Wyatt Sterling asked her, "What are you getting?"
Alice York spun a lie. "Sothing of mine. It’s in a special place, so I have to get it myself."
Her words sounded half-true at best to Wyatt Sterling. He didn’t really believe her, especially since she had just admitted a few minutes ago that lody Lancaster had asked her out.
’But given her stubborn streak, this will probably never end if I don’t give in to her.’
"How long will it take?" He lifted his wrist to check his watch, its malachite dial glinting with an expensive sheen. "Should I have Mason Cheney drive you, or..."
"It won’t take long, and I don’t need Mason Cheney to drive . Uncle Sterling is suspicious now, so we need to avoid arousing more suspicion."
She said this very seriously.
Wyatt Sterling let out a soft scoff.
The mont Alice York left Shorecrest, a car started following her.
Wyatt Sterling instructed Mason Cheney, "If she goes to et lody Lancaster, let her. Just find out what they talk about."
...
Hall 9 of the Expo Center was scheduled for the recording of the sixth episode of *One in a Million* today. The venue was already bustling with activity. When Alice York arrived, the studio was a hive of activity as the crew set up.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks. The general manager was rushing around with a gaphone, urging everyone to pick up the pace, not stopping for a mont despite being drenched in sweat.
’Seems legitimate enough.’
Since it was her first ti in the Hall 9 studio, Alice York wasn’t familiar with the layout and asked a staff mber for directions to the backstage area. The staffer was busy, but after seeing Alice, his expression beca unreadable. He asked her in return, "Are you one of the female guests?"
The look made Alice York uncomfortable, but she maintained her smile and nodded. "Yes."
The staff mber asked again, "First ti here?"
This ti, Alice York hesitated for a mont before nodding.
The staffer continued to press, "Who sent you?"
Alice York decided she didn’t want to ask anymore and turned to leave.
The staff mber quickly called out to her, "The backstage area is to the right. See that door? Push it open and go in. The other female guests like you are all inside."
Alice York turned back, about to thank him, but she noticed the staff mber was watching her with a very peculiar and aningful look.
She averted her gaze and followed his directions, walking through the door. The backstage area opened up before her.
It was a large dressing room. Seven or eight vanity tables were laden with a dazzling array of costics. Female guests of all types were gathered in groups of three or five, chattering and gossiping around the vanities. There were also so loners sitting on a nearby sofa playing on their phones. By a clothes rack, two other guests with heavy makeup were taking selfies.
When Alice York walked in, soone glanced at her casually, and then suddenly, countless pairs of eyes turned in her direction. She couldn’t make out the buzz of their hushed discussions, but she could guess they were sizing up her appearance and her clothes.
She was dressed very plainly in the sa outfit she had worn to work today. Her light makeup hadn’t been touched up, and she hadn’t styled her hair in any special way.
She had guessed she would probably have to wear clothes provided by the show and get her makeup done here. It looked like she was right.
As she drew closer, she could faintly overhear what the other female guests were discussing—
"Is that the new guest Director Ellison scouted?"
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