Alice misunderstood him, and his words only made her feel more suffocated. "Afraid or not, I still have to go."
After two seconds of silence, Wyatt Sterling reached out and toyed with a strand of her hair. He curled his fingers and tugged, just enough to make her scalp sting. Alice’s body instinctively leaned toward him.
"Answer properly," he said, his gaze lowered to her stubborn little face.
"I am telling the truth. How is that not a proper answer to you, Third Uncle? Don’t be so harsh." The pain on her scalp sparked a rebellious streak in Alice. Without a second thought, she shot up and pulled away.
She just wanted to see if he would actually rip a chunk of her scalp off!
"You’re insane." Wyatt Sterling’s fingertips loosened.
The pain she expected never ca. The mont she stood up, Wyatt Sterling had let go.
Alice raised a hand, sweeping her hair over one shoulder, and her red lips curled. "Then you’d better stay away from , Third Uncle. If I go crazy and hurt you, I won’t be able to bear the consequences."
Every word she spoke was barbed, as if her hackles were raised.
Wyatt Sterling took it all in. "Are you testing my limits?"
"How would I dare?" Alice retorted.
A smile spread across his lips. "You’re getting quite a temper."
His words sounded like a scolding, but his tone didn’t match.
Alice reined herself in a little. It might have been because of the dream she’d had, which made her speak to Wyatt Sterling with a devil-may-care attitude.
He wasn’t angry. She should count her blessings.
「An hour later.」
The plane landed at Washington International Airport.
All the way from the airport, Alice deliberately kept her distance from Wyatt Sterling, staying dutifully by Silas Sterling’s side.
After arriving at the hotel and checking in, lody Lancaster took the initiative to ask Alice, "You can’t co to Washington and not go shopping. Want to co with ?"
Alice couldn’t shake the feeling that after the incident on the plane, the way lody Lancaster looked at her had changed. There was hostility in her gaze.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Alice politely declined. "My grandfather gave a heavy responsibility on this trip to Washington. I really can’t afford to get distracted by other things."
"It’s fine, I understand." lody Lancaster was very considerate. "It was thoughtless of . Let’s have dinner together tonight."
Alice agreed, "Okay."
Afterward, Alice escorted Silas Sterling back to his suite.
Silas Sterling had been raised in the lap of luxury, and today’s long journey had taken its toll. His body couldn’t handle the strain, and he looked exhausted. He told Alice not to call him for lunch. She agreed, but still brought a al to his room around noon.
After spending the afternoon at the hotel, Mason Cheney knocked on her door around five in the evening. "Miss Alice, the Third Master has booked a restaurant. Please get ready. We leave at six."
Alice asked, "Is Uncle Sterling going too?"
Mason Cheney nodded. "Everyone’s going."
Knowing everyone would be there put Alice at ease. "I’ll be ready right away," she replied.
Down in the lobby, Wyatt Sterling was nowhere to be seen. Alice learned from Mason Cheney that Wyatt’s friends, hearing he was in Washington, had invited him to play cards, and lody Lancaster was with him the whole ti.
"Wyatt and Miss Lancaster seem to be very close. He takes her everywhere."
Silas Sterling comnted from the perspective of an older brother, and it wasn’t hard to hear the satisfaction in his voice regarding his potential future ’sister-in-law’.
Alice stared at the buildings receding outside the car window, her eyes aching from the strain, but she didn’t look away. She didn’t want to respond.
But Silas Sterling insisted on her opinion. "Alice, what do you think of Miss Lancaster?"
Alice had no choice but to turn her head, her expression neutral as she replied, "Miss Lancaster is sophisticated and poised. She and Third Uncle are a good match."
Silas Sterling smiled and asked, "Then in your opinion, Alice, will Wyatt marry Miss Lancaster?"
"I don’t know." The light in Alice’s eyes dimd.
Silas Sterling patted Alice’s shoulder gently. "Is it that you don’t want Wyatt to marry Miss Lancaster?"
The question sent a cold sweat down Alice’s back.
Before she could explain, she heard Silas Sterling say, "Actually, your grandfather doesn’t approve of Miss Lancaster. The reason Wyatt hasn’t settled down with her is probably because he can’t get past your grandfather’s disapproval."
Alice agreed noncommittally, "Perhaps."
At the restaurant, Wyatt Sterling and lody Lancaster had already arrived. Alice noticed that lody had changed into a different outfit, and the thought of why she might have changed made Alice’s heart feel heavy.
"Alice, over here." lody Lancaster waved at her.
She was so enthusiastic, it was as if she’d completely forgotten the unpleasantness from the morning.
Wyatt Sterling was chatting with his friend and didn’t look in their direction.
As Silas Sterling took a seat, Wyatt Sterling’s friend greeted him, and Silas quickly joined their conversation, chatting warmly.
In truth, they were only making small talk; Silas couldn’t have joined in if it were serious business.
lody Lancaster stood up, handed Alice the nu, and at the sa ti showed off the new ring on her hand. "Alice, look."
Alice saw it and curved her lips into a smile of praise. "It’s beautiful."
"Right? Wyatt won it today, and he put it on my finger the mont he got it." The happiness on lody Lancaster’s face was real, and so was her showing off.
How could Alice not see it? "A ring isn’t just about being beautiful; it has to be a good fit. But this ring on Miss Lancaster’s hand is both a perfect fit and beautiful."
lody Lancaster bead. "Alice, you really have a way with words."
Alice smiled faintly, then stood up. "I’m going to the restroom."
"I’ll go with you," lody Lancaster said, getting up.
Alice was a smart woman and guessed that lody Lancaster wanted to talk to her alone. She didn’t refuse, replying with a smile, "Alright, let’s go together then."
After lody Lancaster left to accompany Alice to the restroom, Wyatt Sterling’s expression darkened. He inclined his head, signaling to Mason Cheney who stood nearby.
Mason Cheney understood and imdiately followed them.
「In the restroom.」
"Miss Lancaster," Alice called out, her expression calm and composed.
lody Lancaster finished washing her hands and turned her head to look at her. This ti, however, the look she gave Alice was no longer friendly.
Alice t her gaze frankly. "About what happened on the plane today, Miss Lancaster, please don’t overthink it."
lody Lancaster’s lips twisted into a semblance of a smile. "You were sitting next to your Third Uncle. You’re family. What is there for to overthink?"
Alice really didn’t want to be confrontational with lody Lancaster. "I’m glad you’re not overthinking it, Miss Lancaster. I only just found out myself that Assistant Cheney made that arrangent because Third Uncle had sothing to discuss with regarding my Uncle Sterling."
This was the ss Wyatt Sterling had left her with. She had no other choice but to lie to clean it up for now.
lody Lancaster pulled out a paper towel, dried her hands, and tossed it into the trash. "Alice, you’re so thoughtful to make a special effort to explain this to . But actually, I already know all about it."
A suspicious look crossed Alice’s face.
lody Lancaster smiled at her. "Your Third Uncle saw I was unhappy and told everything."
Alice pressed her lips together. What she had just said was a lie she’d made up on the spot. Had Wyatt Sterling coincidentally told lody Lancaster the exact sa thing?
Just as she was pondering this, lody Lancaster opened her handbag and took out a lipstick. "I’d already forgotten about what happened on the plane. The real reason I was in a bad mood has to do with this lipstick. Wyatt has another woman."
Alice was completely bewildered.
But when she got a clear look at the lipstick in lody Lancaster’s hand, her expression froze.
’Isn’t that the lipstick I lost?’
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