lody Lancaster was not one to make grand, overt moves. Her specialty was slowly, piece by piece, dismantling a person’s psychological defenses.
Gazing at Alice York’s pale face, she smiled triumphantly. "When it cos down to it, it’s because you’re not a real mber of the Sterlings that you can be thrown out and sacrificed at a mont’s notice."
The words were a direct blow, leaving Alice gasping in pain.
"You look terrible. You must be feeling awful, aren’t you?" Every word from lody Lancaster was laced with barbs.
A pain seized Alice’s chest, making it hard to breathe, and her complexion was indeed poor. "Are you gloating, Miss Lancaster?"
"Of course not." lody Lancaster’s tone softened slightly. "You know as well as I do that I haven’t married into the Sterling family yet. My words carry little weight, so I have no standing to interfere with any of Wyatt’s decisions. I can’t plead your case for you."
Alice raised a hand to her cheek, her fingertip silently brushing away a hot tear before it could fall.
"That’s very thoughtful of you, Miss Lancaster." Alice t lody Lancaster’s gaze. "But as you said, you’re not a mber of the Sterlings yet. You really don’t have any standing."
lody Lancaster narrowed her slender eyes. "I may not have any standing, but I’m still concerned for you at heart."
The air grew chilly. lody Lancaster’s hostility was impossible to miss.
But Alice was tired, utterly exhausted, and had no desire to continue this charade with lody Lancaster. "It’s getting late. You should go get so rest, Miss Lancaster. Don’t you have to return to Silvanus first thing in the morning?"
lody Lancaster showed no intention of leaving.
She sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed the hem of her nightgown. "Alice, can you tell how old you were when you and your mother joined the Sterlings?"
Alice replied tonelessly, "Eight."
lody Lancaster leaned on one arm, as relaxed and comfortable as if she were in her own bedroom. "Eight. That’s not so little."
When Alice didn’t respond, lody Lancaster pressed on, "Have you ever regretted joining the Sterlings with your mother all those years ago?"
Alice still didn’t answer.
"I don’t an anything by it. I just feel for you. Losing your father so young, then following your mother into a completely unfamiliar family... having to walk on eggshells all the ti must have been quite an ordeal."
Alice forced a smile. "I don’t let things like that bother . I don’t dwell on it."
lody Lancaster looked skeptical. "Really?"
Seeing lody Lancaster beating around the bush, Alice decided to be direct. "If you have sothing to ask, Miss Lancaster, why don’t you just ask it?"
lody Lancaster stood up and walked over to Alice, lowering her voice to warn her, "Know your place. Don’t get any ideas you shouldn’t. It’s better for you, for , and for everyone."
Their eyes t. They were about the sa height, but Alice’s fra was more delicate, her back appearing slender. In terms of presence, however, lody Lancaster clearly had the upper hand.
"I can see you’re tired, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Get so rest."
With that, lody Lancaster stepped past Alice. "I should head downstairs. Wyatt will get angry if I keep him waiting."
Alice turned and watched until lody Lancaster’s figure disappeared from the doorway, then she went over and shut the door.
Leaning her back against the door, Alice’s lips twisted into a scornful smile.
’And here she thought lody Lancaster was certain about her and Wyatt Sterling’s relationship. Turns out, lody just thought she had ulterior motives, that she was trying to seduce Wyatt as a way to fight her way back into the Sterling family.’
「The next morning.」
Alice learned so very unexpected news—Kyle Churchill had broken his arm.
Just a few minutes earlier, Silas Sterling had co upstairs to say goodbye. He told her to take care of herself, offered a string of aningless platitudes, and finally expressed a degree of helplessness and guilt.
Alice remained unmoved, watching coldly as he dabbed at his eyes. Just as he finished his emotional display and was about to leave, he seed to rember sothing and said in a grave tone, "Alice, sothing’s happened to Kyle Churchill."
Alice was unconcerned. "What could possibly happen to him?"
Silas Sterling said, "Kyle Churchill broke his arm."
’What?’
Alice was stunned for a long mont, unable to process it. She didn’t hear a single other thing Silas Sterling said. Her mind was filled with just five words: *Kyle Churchill broke his arm.*
A few minutes later, she walked Silas Sterling to the main gate. Mason Cheney was already waiting with the car, but Wyatt Sterling and lody Lancaster hadn’t erged yet.
The morning wind was chilly, giving Alice a headache. Her face was deathly pale, and she looked unwell.
Mason Cheney walked over to her, concerned. "Miss York, you don’t look well. You should go back inside and rest. I’ll handle things here."
"I’m fine."
Alice pulled her cardigan tighter and asked hesitantly, "Do you know... about what happened to Kyle Churchill?"
Mason Cheney nodded. "I heard this morning."
Alice asked again, "How did Kyle Churchill break his arm?"
Mason Cheney didn’t try to hide anything, telling her what he knew. "I heard he was out drinking with friends last night. Halfway through, a fight broke out for so reason. Young Mr. Churchill has a fiery temper and smashed a bottle over soone’s head. The other guy then pushed him off the second floor, and Young Mr. Churchill broke his arm."
Alice listened, her heart in her throat.
’Smashed over the head with a bottle, pushed from the second floor, a broken arm...’
’It certainly sounded like an accident resulting from a brawl.’
"So Kyle Churchill is in the hospital now?" she asked.
Mason Cheney nodded. "He was rushed to the ergency room imdiately. The surgery’s done. They put in steel pins and a cast. It’s pretty serious."
Alice murmured, "That is serious."
’The old saying "a hundred days to heal bones and sinews" was no joke. With steel pins, it could easily be half a year or more. A cast and pins... that was a long recovery.’
"Third Master."
Mason Cheney turned to the side, looking at the man who had just erged.
Alice turned around as well. Wyatt Sterling had co out, with lody Lancaster by his side. They walked in step, lody holding his arm, talking and laughing. Wyatt’s expression was gentle.
"Alice, you’re up early," lody Lancaster greeted her.
Alice said, "I was seeing Uncle Sterling off."
lody Lancaster withdrew her hand from Wyatt Sterling’s arm and walked toward Alice. "I thought you were up so early waiting for news, worried about Young Mr. Churchill’s condition."
’It seed everyone knew what had happened to Kyle Churchill. She was the last to find out.’
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice lody Lancaster reach out and take her hand intimately. "I hear Young Mr. Churchill is going to be all right. Wyatt and I plan to visit him at the hospital before heading to the airport. Why don’t you co with us?"
Alice didn’t refuse. "Alright."
’She knew what lody Lancaster was up to, so she simply agreed.’
lody Lancaster smiled and turned back to Wyatt Sterling. "Wyatt, let’s take Alice to the hospital with us. I can tell she’s very worried about Young Mr. Churchill, she’s just too shy to say so."
Alice frowned but said nothing.
Wyatt Sterling didn’t spare Alice a single glance. His tone was cold and distant. "Do as you wish."
With that, he got straight into the car.
There were two cars. Alice and Silas Sterling took the one in the back, while lody Lancaster and Wyatt Sterling were in the front car.
When they arrived at the hospital, Silas Sterling refused to go inside; he’d always had an aversion to hospitals. But with Mason Cheney staying with him, Alice felt at ease and followed Wyatt Sterling and lody Lancaster inside.
They took the elevator up. The hospital room was the first one in the corridor.
Before the three of them even reached the door, they heard a hysterical roar from inside the room—
"It’s all that jinx, Alice York! She cursed ! She must have! Otherwise, how the hell could my arm be broken!"
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