Alice York had thought she would be the only one going this ti and was genuinely surprised that Owen Sterling would be there too.
"Are you spacing out? Did you hear a word I just said?" Mindy Vaughn’s tone was full of displeasure. She couldn’t stand Alice’s perpetually indifferent attitude.
"I’ll do everything Grandpa arranged. As for anything else, it has nothing to do with ." Alice stated her position clearly, wanting only for Mindy Vaughn to give up on her idea.
Exasperated, Mindy Vaughn gave Alice a push. "Alright, Alice, we both know what’s going on. Stop playing dumb with ."
Alice stumbled.
A bodyguard suddenly walked over to remind her, "Miss Alice, it’s ti to go."
Alice looked up at the bodyguard. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him when they were handling the luggage earlier, and only now did she realize he looked sowhat familiar, though she couldn’t place him.
"Rember what I said. Now get in the car." Mindy Vaughn knew her limits; having said what she needed to, she didn’t dare delay them any longer.
After Alice got in the car, Silas Sterling held out so pan-fried buns wrapped in wax paper to her. "Alice, hurry and eat. They’re still warm."
Not wanting to dampen Silas Sterling’s spirits, Alice took them even though she had no appetite. "Thank you, Uncle Sterling."
"There’s no need to be so formal with ." Silas Sterling’s tone was very gentle. "I know you feel aggrieved for having to co to Washington with this ti."
Alice froze and looked up at Silas Sterling.
Silas Sterling reached out to pat Alice’s head, but she instinctively pulled away. His hand froze in mid-air before he awkwardly withdrew it. "It’s understandable that you’re afraid of . I did many things to hurt you when my illness acted up in the past."
Alice said lightly, "Uncle Sterling, that’s all in the past. Your condition has improved a lot, and things are moving in a good direction."
Silas Sterling sat back down. "Let’s hope so."
「At the airport.」
As Silas Sterling got out of the car, Alice quietly tucked the unfinished pan-fried bun into the side of her seat. Just as she was about to get out herself, she was startled to hear Silas Sterling call out, "Wyatt."
Alice’s body went rigid.
’Did I hear that right...’
Alice raised her head, peering out through the tinted window. A man and a woman stood outside the car ahead of them.
She recognized the woman at a glance: lody Lancaster. She wore a long, black velvet dress with an equally long shawl. A belt served as both an accessory and a way to cinch her waist, making it look so slender it could be spanned by a single hand.
lody Lancaster freed a hand to toss her hair back before smoothly linking her arm with the man’s. "Wyatt, it’s so cold today. Feel my hand."
The man’s expression held a gentleness Alice had rarely seen. He called out to Mason Cheney, "Get my gloves."
Mason Cheney imdiately turned to get the gloves from the car.
By this ti, Silas Sterling had walked over, a smile on his face. "Looks like you beat us here."
Wyatt Sterling asked casually, "What took you so long, Second Brother?"
"It was my fault..."
Just as Silas Sterling was about to explain, Mason Cheney arrived with the gloves. "Third Master, your gloves."
Wyatt Sterling took the gloves and said to Silas Sterling, "It’s windy out here. You should go on ahead, Second Brother."
"Ah, good idea." Silas Sterling hadn’t forgotten about Alice, and he turned to call for her.
lody Lancaster shifted her gaze from Silas Sterling to Wyatt Sterling. "Second Master Sterling seems a little afraid of you."
Wyatt Sterling fixed her with a chilling look.
The look sent a shiver down lody Lancaster’s spine.
"Lift your hand," he said.
Seeing that he wasn’t about to scold her, lody Lancaster breathed a sigh of relief and obediently lifted her hand.
’She had originally wanted to hold his hand, to have hers enveloped in his large palm for warmth. Her little plan had failed, but gloves weren’t a bad substitute.’
She extended her hand, her slender fingers adorned with nude-colored nail extensions.
"Nice nails," the man complinted.
lody Lancaster blushed. "This color is really in right now."
Wyatt Sterling wasn’t finished. "But it doesn’t suit you. Pick a different color next ti."
lody Lancaster’s smile froze. "Then... what color do you like, Wyatt?"
Wyatt Sterling took her hand, sliding the glove on. "Any other color is fine. Just not this one."
"Whatever you say. I’ll get them changed as soon as we’re in Washington." lody Lancaster’s smile was both fawning and docile.
’To be honest, lody Lancaster much preferred the nude color; she thought it looked soft and pretty. But if Wyatt Sterling didn’t like it, then her own preference was aningless.’
’As long as Wyatt Sterling was satisfied, she was willing to do anything.’
"Hi, Alice."
lody Lancaster glanced up and saw Alice standing in the distance, and she waved a greeting.
Wyatt Sterling, however, didn’t even glance up, continuing to slowly and deliberately fit the other glove onto lody Lancaster’s hand.
Alice had been called out of the car by Silas Sterling, but her gaze was fixed, almost masochistically, on the scene of Wyatt Sterling putting the gloves on lody Lancaster. She couldn’t look away.
She didn’t react when lody Lancaster called out to her. Finally, Silas Sterling, who was standing beside her, gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Alice, Miss Lancaster is calling you. You should go say hello. She’s a friend of Wyatt’s."
Alice snapped out of her trance, nodded, and walked over, feigning nonchalance.
The phone in her hand vibrated.
She glanced down and opened a ssage from Mindy Vaughn: [I was so focused on Owen that I forgot to remind you: your Third Uncle is also going to Washington. He’s traveling with you today. Don’t get on his bad side.]
After reading the ssage, Alice locked her phone screen.
’So that’s why.’
"Third Uncle. Miss Lancaster," Alice called out as she drew near.
Wyatt Sterling glanced at her, gave a perfunctory grunt of acknowledgnt, and then headed inside without a backward glance.
lody Lancaster ca over and warmly linked arms with Alice. The bulky glove was a bit cumberso, but lody didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, smiling blissfully. "Your Third Uncle’s hands are so big. These gloves are practically swimming on ."
Alice asked quietly, "Aren’t they uncomfortable being so loose?"
"Not at all," lody Lancaster said with a smile. "They’re very warm."
Alice smiled, too.
Mason Cheney had booked the tickets, all in first class. Alice had assud her seat would be next to Silas Sterling’s, but when she found her seat, she realized she was next to Wyatt Sterling.
"Alice, where are you sitting?" lody Lancaster’s voice ca from nearby.
’She must have realized her seat wasn’t next to Wyatt’s either.’
Alice hesitated for only a second before holding her ticket out to lody Lancaster. "Miss Lancaster, let’s switch. Assistant Cheney must have gotten our seats mixed up when he booked so many tickets at once."
lody Lancaster readily took the ticket from Alice. "I was guessing Mason Cheney mixed them up, too."
’Mason Cheney was in a full-blown panic. He had to stop Alice and lody Lancaster from switching seats, or he would be in for it today!’
"Miss Alice!" Mason Cheney shouted. He rushed over, snatched the ticket from lody Lancaster’s hand, and shoved it back into Alice’s.
The look on lody Lancaster’s face changed completely.
But Mason Cheney paid no attention to lody Lancaster’s expression. He pushed Alice down into the seat next to Wyatt Sterling. "Miss Alice, you must sit here today!"
Alice stared in astonishnt. ’She couldn’t believe Mason Cheney would actually force her to sit next to Wyatt Sterling.’
’Is he crazy!’
"Mason Cheney, explain to why exactly Alice has to sit in that seat today," lody Lancaster demanded, her voice cold.
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