Editor: Henyee Translations
A strange panic gripped Alice York.
Especially now, with Old Master Sterling’s sharp gaze sizing her up, as if he could see right through her secret relationship with Wyatt Sterling at any mont.
"Are you talking about the girl outside?" Wyatt glanced toward the door, as his eyes landed on Alice.
Their eyes t and for two seconds, Alice’s heart stopped.
In a tone that was both surprised and not, the Old Master asked, "You don’t rember who she is?"
Wyatt just frowned and asked, "What is her na again?"
The Old Master said flatly, "Alice York. Your second brother’s daughter."
"Oh, so she’s my little niece." Wyatt leaned back, and relaxed his posture as he propped his forehead up with his knuckles. "How co I’ve never seen her around here? She looks rather unfamiliar at first glance."
His words drew a clear line between them, and Alice should have been happy to hear it. But sohow her heart felt heavy.
The old master let out a strange laugh. "But you still stood up for her.
Alice’s heart clenched.
Wyatt turned his head and said,. "You’re beating around the bush. You just want to find an excuse for this kid. I know clearly whether he was aiming at just now. "
The Old Master understood every word, but he couldn’t quite grasp the aning. "Nathan was trying to hit you just now?"
Wyatt glanced at Nathan, and his tone sounded chillingly calm as he said, "Why don’t you ask him yourself."
But before Old Master Sterling could speak, Nathan Sterling had already burst into tears. He sobbed and hiccuped, wiping his eyes. "Uncle, I’m so sorry. I didn’t an to, I didn’t see anything... I’ll never run around like that again... "
The Old Master understood what was going on. His expression turned grave. "That business you were handling in the backyard last ti... Nathan saw it?"
Wyatt raised an eyebrow.
A flash of irritation crossed the Old Master’s eyes. He waved over the butler. "Get this little brat out of here."
The butler hurried in and led Nathan Sterling out.
As he passed Alice, Nathan suddenly turned back and shot her a fierce glare. Then he made a face at her.
Alice was long used to her brother’s attitude towards her and showed no expression.
After Nathan was taken away, the Old Master spoke, "Don’t just stand there in the doorway. Co in."
Alice averted her gaze, composed herself, and walked in. She addressed him with respect, "Greetings, Grandpa, and Uncle."
Old Master Sterling nodded with a hum of acknowledgnt.
Wyatt, however, didn’t respond. He didn’t even lift his eyelids.
The Old Master picked up his teacup and asked casually, "How many years has it been since you and your mother joined the Sterlings?"
Alice’s expression was quite stern as she said, "Sixteen years."
The Old Master’s face was unreadable, as he said. "Have the Sterlings ever mistreated you?"
Alice imdiately shook her head. "No. The Sterlings have treated well. I’m very grateful for everything you have done for ."
"Since the Sterlings have done so much for you, how do you think you are repaying us?" Old Master Sterling’s tone grew sharper.
Alice’s palms began to sweat. With the Old Master phrasing the question like that, she knew exactly what he was accusing her of.
She took a soft breath, and tried her best to explain in a level voice, "My ntor suggested that, with my abilities, Rhovan Hospital would be the best fit. So I submitted my resu to them."
"I recall your biological father’s ho is in Rhovan, isn’t it?" The Old Master set down his teacup and picked up a resu from the table.
Alice nodded. "Yes."
Old Master Sterling’s gaze swept over every section of the resu. "It wasn’t easy for the Sterlings to raise you."
The words were spoken lightly, but they were heavy with pressure. Alice’s heart was practically leaping out of her throat.
Wyatt Sterling was right there.
She couldn’t hope, or dare to expect him to say a word in her defense, but deep down, a tiny, impossible thought still flickered.
But his expression was one of complete indifference, and he didn’t even spare her a glance. This sent Alice’s heart sinking to the depths.
RUSTLE—
The Old Master threw the resu at Alice. "You ungrateful traitor."
The thin sheets of paper struck Alice’s face before fluttering to the floor.
Alice stood frozen, and her face even paler than the paper.
Wyatt lowered his gaze, and glanced at the resu on the floor. He suddenly spoke. "Pick it up."
Mason, who was standing in the back, stepped forward, but Wyatt raised a hand. "Let her get it herself."
Old Master Sterling said nothing, but watched with a contemptuous squint.
Alice’s fingers that were hanging by her side curled into fists. After Mason stepped back, she swallowed her humiliation and bent down to pick up the resu.
This was the resu she had sent to Rhovan Hospital. She hadn’t even heard back from them, and yet, in the blink of an eye, it was in Old Master Sterling’s hands.
She should have expected this. It was just her own damn unwillingness to give up, and the desire to fight for it one more ti.
She did not want to be the Sterlings’ puppet anymore.
"Let take a look at it." Wyatt held out his hand.
Alice looked at the man, and only after a long mont did she hand the resu to him.
His eyes fell on the passport-sized photo in the top right corner, set against a blue background. The young woman’s dark hair and bright eyes were dazzling. It was a face that could capture anyone’s gaze.
"Well, well. Turns out my little niece is quite the scholar." Wyatt’s gaze moved away from the photo, with his tone hovering sowhere between mockery and seriousness.
Alice remained expressionless. "I’m sure it’s nothing to you, Uncle."
Wyatt looked up at her. "You said a mont ago that it was your ntor who suggested that you should work at Rhovan Hospital?"
"Yes," Alice nodded.
Wyatt continued, "And are you aware that this ntor of yours has offended the Sterlings?"
Hearing this, Alice’s expression grew frantic. She imdiately changed her story. "It was my own decision. It has nothing to do with my ntor."
Wyatt’s eyes turned cold. "So you admit to being an ungrateful traitor?"
That question was like holding her feet to the fire.
In just a few seconds, she lost all of her self-respect.
Before this, she was naive enough to think she could reason with them. She really was too naive. She almost dragged her ntor into this.
Faced with the reality, Alice squeezed her eyes shut and replied, "I acted without thinking. I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. From now on, I will think before I act. I hope that Grandpa and Uncle don’t need to worry about this."
"Your roots aren’t stable, you aren’t settled. How can I not worry?" Old Master Sterling’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest as he spoke, "The way I see it is that the only way I can be at ease is to settle the matter of your marriage and have you put down roots here in Silvanus."
A bad feeling suddenly welled up inside Alice.
Even if she admitted her mistakes, it seed the Old Master wouldn’t let it go so easily.
"Wyatt, what do you think?" the Old Master asked, turning his head.
Wyatt didn’t seem to be paying close attention. "What?"
The Old Master said, "Settle Alice’s marriage, so she’ll stop thinking about running off all the ti."
Wyatt stretched his legs, appearing unconcerned. "It’s your decision to make."
The Old Master’s thinking was always traditional. "A woman follows her husband. Only by marrying early can she settle down."
The smile on Wyatt’s face didn’t reach his eyes. "Don’t tell you already have a candidate in mind?"
The Old Master smiled as well. "There is one suitable candidate at the mont. I’m planning to have..."
"Grandpa!"
Alice’s sudden interruption displeased the Old Master, but it successfully stopped him from continuing.
’I can’t believe it. They’re discussing my marriage like it’s a simple transaction at a market. They’re the vendors, deciding who to sell off to on the cheap, without giving any say in the matter.’ She thought.
But Alice refused to accept this fate.
She t the Old Master’s furious gaze and said, word by word, "I’m already in love with soone."
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