"Alice?"
Owen Sterling called her na.
When Alice York ca to her senses, she realized the back of her hand was wet with tears, and more were still falling one by one.
"Alice, are you still there?" Owen was clearly worried on the other end of the line. He hadn’t heard her voice in a while and was afraid sothing had happened.
Alice took a sharp breath, trying her best to make her voice sound normal. "Owen, I’m here. I..."
A tide of emotions washed over her, suffocating her. Her voice instantly grew hoarse and cracked, fragile and broken.
"Alice, are you at the Sawyer family’s ho right now?" Owen asked softly.
Alice humd in affirmation, her voice thick with nasality.
On the other end of the line, Owen instructed his assistant, "Book a flight to Arden imdiately. The fastest one available."
"President Sterling, should I pack a bag?"
"No need to pack..."
Before Owen could finish, Alice quickly stopped him. "Owen, I need to tell you sothing."
Owen replied at once, "Go ahead, Alice."
"Wait a second, just one second. Don’t hang up." After speaking, Alice quickly got up and checked the door.
"Don’t worry, I won’t hang up. I’ll wait for you." Owen’s voice was gentle, a constant comfort to Alice’s frayed nerves.
Alice opened her bedroom door and looked around. Seeing no one standing guard, she locked it from the inside and hurried to the bathroom.
She clutched the phone to her ear. "Owen, are you still there?"
Owen replied, "I’m here."
What Alice was about to say would be her first official act of defiance against Old Master Sterling. She had originally thought Wyatt Sterling would have everything arranged for her in Arden. But now, it seed she could only rely on herself to plot a way out. Otherwise, she would be reduced to a re social butterfly.
"Owen, the truth is... I’m in a bad situation. Old Master Sterling is using my grandparents in Rhovan to threaten into submission. That’s why I ca to Arden."
As she said this, Alice couldn’t stop her sobs.
Owen was silent for a mont. He didn’t ask what Old Master Sterling was using to threaten her. Instead, he asked, "What do you need to do?"
Hearing those words, Alice nearly burst into tears.
She slowly sank to the floor, clutching her chest, and pleaded word by word, "I need you to help . Move my grandparents sowhere they won’t be found for a while."
"Okay, I’ll arrange it right now."
On the other end of the line, Owen agreed imdiately, without a hint of hesitation.
Alice was overco with a gratitude she couldn’t put into words. "Moving my grandparents ans going against Old Master Sterling. Owen, this is risky. You..."
He cut her off before she could finish. "Since I’ve agreed, I’m not afraid of the risks. Even if there are any, I’ll handle them. You don’t have to worry."
"Thank you. Thank you, Owen. Thank you," Alice said, wiping away her tears.
"If you thank one more ti, I might just take back what I said." Owen’s tone was unbelievably gentle. "As long as it’s sothing I can do for you, I’ll do everything in my power."
At this, Alice was sobbing uncontrollably.
Afraid of being overheard, she could only bite down on her knuckles, swallowing every sound.
"What about you, Alice? What are your plans? Are you coming back, or... No, you’re completely under duress there. I’ll co get you tonight..."
"Owen."
Alice called out softly.
Owen humd in response and fell silent, waiting for her to speak.
"I’ll find a good excuse to co back tomorrow. If you co tonight, neither of us might be able to leave."
She was telling the truth.
This was the Sawyer family’s estate in Arden. If they caused a scene, no one would be getting out.
Owen: "Alright, I’ll listen to you. Let know when you’ve booked your flight, and I’ll pick you up from the airport."
"Okay."
It was getting late, so they couldn’t talk for too long. Worried Alice wouldn’t sleep well, Owen kept urging her to rest and regain her strength.
Alice agreed to it all, but after hanging up, she remained sitting on the bathroom floor for a very long ti.
Finally, she turned on the showerhead above her, set it to the coldest temperature, and let the icy water drench her, soaking her clothes completely...
’I can’t back down this ti.’
’I will absolutely not beco a social butterfly.’
「The next day.」
Alice successfully caught a cold. Her symptoms were not mild—her throat, in particular, was so swollen and painful she couldn’t speak.
The Sawyer family called their family doctor for her.
The first ti Nathan Sterling ca in, he saw the doctor taking Alice’s temperature. The second ti, he saw the doctor giving her an IV. The third ti, he saw the doctor injecting another dication into the IV bag.
"She can’t talk. Is it really serious?" a worried Nathan finally couldn’t help but ask.
The family doctor turned to the young boy beside him. "Her throat is severely inflad, so she can’t speak right now. This IV bag is an anti-inflammatory."
Nathan asked again, "Will she be able to talk after the inflammation goes down?"
"That depends," the doctor said.
Nathan’s face was etched with worry.
The doctor called over his assistant to monitor the IV drip and then went out to report the young lady’s condition to the heads of the house.
Nathan kept watch by the bed, looking at Alice with a worried expression. Knowing she couldn’t speak, he didn’t say anything either, simply keeping her company in silence.
After a mont, Alice opened her mouth and managed to call out with great difficulty, "...Nathan."
Her voice was raspy, but she wasn’t entirely speechless.
Nathan moved closer to the bed. "You shouldn’t talk. The doctor said your throat is inflad."
A gentle smile touched the corners of Alice’s lips. Despite the sharp pain in her throat, she spoke, one word at a ti, "You... don’t run off anywhere. Stay put at the Sawyer family’s ho, okay?"
Nathan frowned. "I already told you not to talk! You’re a doctor yourself, don’t you know that? I won’t run off."
Alice nodded. "Good boy. Rember what you promised ."
"I know, I know! Just stop talking. What if the inflammation gets worse? Why are you so naggy when you’re sick?" Nathan was worried sick. "You were perfectly fine yesterday."
Soon, Old Master Sterling also heard about Alice’s condition.
Rosalind Sawyer was by his side. "The family doctor says it’s quite serious. It might be because she’s not accustod to the new environnt."
Simon Sterling’s face darkened. "But she was fine yesterday."
"That’s how minor colds are. They co on suddenly, and they go away just as quickly. She’ll be fine after a couple of days of rest."
After speaking, Rosalind Sawyer lifted her hand to examine her fingers. "I need to get these nails redone. The Hawthorne family’s banquet is coming up, so I should get a more vibrant color."
Simon Sterling suddenly asked, "Where did Wyatt sleep last night?"
"How should I know?" Rosalind’s tone soured. "Wyatt has his own business. You should stop ddling in his affairs."
Simon’s face fell. "I was just asking. How is that ddling?"
Rosalind didn’t give him a pleasant look either. "Who knows what you’re really thinking."
With that, Rosalind walked down the steps.
Simon was silent for a mont before following her. "I’ll go with you."
A bodyguard followed and asked, "Sir, should we keep an eye on Alice York?"
Simon Sterling sneered. "You think I can’t see through this little trick? She’s just trying to hide. Fine, let her hide for a day. She can run, but she can’t hide forever."
anwhile, Alice "casually" asked and learned that Simon and his wife had just left. She quickly sent the assistant away.
Then she said to Nathan, "I’m craving so pear soup. Could you go ask the kitchen for ?"
Nathan was always eager to please Alice. "Then you just lie down and rest. I’ll go tell them right now."
Alice gave him a small smile.
Once Nathan was gone too, Alice swiftly pulled out the IV needle. Without even taking a mont to press down on the bleeding puncture wound, she grabbed her phone and bolted out the door.
’I have to leave today.’
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