Alice York had so many questions she wanted to ask, but once she answered the phone, she couldn’t get a single word out. It was as if she’d lost her voice.
"Speak."
The man’s voice was as cold and detached as ever, as emotionless as a machine.
Alice swallowed. "I... I accidentally misdialed."
The other end of the line went quiet.
Just as Alice thought he would hang up, she heard him ask, "Who were you trying to call?"
"Like I said, I misdialed. I wasn’t trying to call anyone."
’He’s probably just making small talk. Besides, lody Lancaster is probably still with him, isn’t she? Or maybe even in his arms.’
Alice leaned limply against the edge of the bed, her other hand resting on her stomach. When she spoke again, her voice was a little hoarse. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t an to interrupt your evening, Third Uncle."
She wasn’t sure if it was because she hadn’t eaten dinner or if her emotions were getting the best of her, but a dull ache was starting up in her stomach again.
He heard the lack of energy in her voice and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern, Third Uncle."
Alice deliberately raised her voice a few decibels, not wanting him to hear how pathetic she felt at that mont.
"I have to go, Third Uncle. I have an early shift tomorrow, so I should get to sleep. You two should get so rest as well."
After saying her piece, she proactively hung up the phone.
The phone slipped from her grasp and fell to her side, but Alice had no energy to pick it up. The pain in her stomach flared up without any warning or preamble. Within minutes, a film of sweat had broken out on her forehead.
There was dicine in the nightstand drawer, but she didn’t have the strength to get up. All she could do was slowly inch her way toward it.
...
Mason Cheney had the car ready and was waiting quietly at the bottom of the steps.
No sooner had Wyatt Sterling stepped out of the foyer than lody Lancaster rushed out after him. She threw her arms around his waist from behind, her voice full of longing. "Wyatt, don’t go tonight, okay?"
Wyatt Sterling pried lody Lancaster’s hands off him. "It’s cold out. Go back inside."
It was early sumr, and the night breeze carried a distinct chill, unlike the pleasant cool of a midsumr evening. And yet, lody Lancaster was wearing only a flimsy silk nightdress—a very sexy slip dress, at that.
She’d deliberately chosen not to wear a bra. The nightdress’s built-in padding had a push-up effect, and the neckline was cut just low enough to lift the soft curves of her breasts, making them tantalizingly visible.
Wyatt Sterling pried her hands off, but she imdiately latched on again, pressing the full softness of her chest against his back and rubbing lightly, as if by accident... or perhaps not.
"Wyatt, everyone envies for winning your heart. They all talk about how much you love , but I’m the only one who knows... you don’t really care about that much at all."
The more lody Lancaster spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded, but her arms only tightened, her fingers growing restless. She was desperately trying to light a fire between them, hoping he might lose his composure and stay the night.
But that was nothing more than lody Lancaster’s wishful thinking. He ruthlessly pulled her hands away. "That’s enough. Go inside."
"But I don’t want to," she whined, looking up at him. "Wyatt, I want you to stay with tonight."
Wyatt Sterling said coolly, "I’ve been with you for an hour. Isn’t that enough?"
lody Lancaster pouted. "An hour? You were physically present, but your mind wasn’t here at all."
"My presence alone should be enough for you. Don’t be greedy." After speaking, Wyatt Sterling motioned for Mason Cheney to bring over a jacket.
"How is it greedy of to want you to stay...?"
Before lody Lancaster could finish, she caught Mason Cheney out of the corner of her eye, walking up the steps with a jacket.
She thought Wyatt Sterling would take the jacket and personally drape it over her shoulders, but instead, it was Mason Cheney who placed it on her.
Annoyed, lody Lancaster shrugged her shoulder just as the jacket was settling, causing it to fall.
Mason Cheney’s reflexes were sharp. He caught the jacket and, before lody Lancaster could react, draped it firmly over her shoulders. "Miss Lancaster, it’s cold outside. You’ll catch a chill."
"Who gave you permission to touch ?"
lody Lancaster directed her anger at Mason Cheney.
Unfortunately for her, Mason Cheney was like a wall of cotton—he absorbed her outburst without a word. He simply retreated to the bottom of the steps at a calm, unhurried pace and continued to wait.
"Wyatt, look at Assistant Cheney, he..."
"Are you going to keep throwing this tantrum all night?"
"..."
lody Lancaster imdiately fell silent.
She was bold enough to cause a scene, but she also knew when to back down, especially in front of Wyatt Sterling. A little drama was fine now and then, but if she went too far, he would not be pleased. And Wyatt was notoriously impatient.
lody Lancaster tentatively reached out to take Wyatt Sterling’s arm, but he lifted his wrist to check his watch, smoothly evading her touch.
Her hand fell on empty air. lody Lancaster’s voice was low and plaintive. "I wanted to have a real heart-to-heart with you inside, but you talked business the entire ti and even scolded ."
It was almost nine o’clock.
Wyatt Sterling lowered his arm, his brow creasing with impatience.
Suppressing her hurt feelings, lody Lancaster continued, "I was just trying to be a good senior figure for her. And I gave it a lot of thought before recomnding Alice York for that dating show. I just had no idea it was so corrupt on the inside."
When she finished, lody Lancaster pulled the jacket tighter around herself and lowered her head, still playing the part of the victim.
Wyatt Sterling narrowed his eyes. "Do you really still think I don’t know what’s going on?"
lody Lancaster’s heart lurched.
She snapped her head up. Wyatt Sterling’s gaze was so piercing it shook her, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
She stamred, "I really didn’t know things were so ssy behind the scenes at that show. If I’d known, I would never have recomnded Alice York for it."
As her words faded, a heavy silence fell.
lody Lancaster anxiously watched Wyatt Sterling’s expression. He wasn’t angry, nor did he press the issue. Instead, he simply asked, "Did you hear what I said earlier?"
"I did," lody Lancaster said quickly. "I heard everything."
Wyatt Sterling: "You heard . But did you rember it?"
lody Lancaster bit her lip, looking wronged and put-upon. "I rembered... But are you sure the Old Master won’t get involved?"
"And if he does, you’ll have brought it on yourself." Wyatt Sterling’s tone was rciless. "How many tis have I told you to behave? Have you listened to a single word?"
"I was just worried!" lody Lancaster said indignantly.
Wyatt Sterling’s gaze sharpened. "Worried about what?"
"Worried that, of course..." The words were on the tip of her tongue, but when she t Wyatt Sterling’s frigid gaze, lody Lancaster forced them back down.
Afraid of annoying him further, lody Lancaster wisely held her tongue.
’Either way, she wasn’t going to let this go. She had been too obvious this ti; next ti, she would be more discreet. She refused to tolerate Alice York remaining a potential threat to her.’
"Go inside."
Wyatt Sterling said, looking away.
Though reluctant to see him go, lody Lancaster knew she couldn’t make him stay. She pulled the jacket tight and went inside.
The night air was as cool as water. Wind gusted through the shrubs, making the leaves rustle.
Wyatt Sterling ducked and got into the car.
As the do light flickered on, Wyatt Sterling’s reflection appeared in the window. He casually rested an arm on the door. "What’s the latest on the infighting in the Lancaster Family?"
Mason Cheney reported the latest intelligence he had gathered in real-ti.
After listening, Wyatt Sterling’s expression was cold. "She’s been too restless lately. Muddle the situation for them. Give her sothing to do."
"Understood," Mason Cheney replied with a nod.
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