Alice York felt deeply uncertain.
She’d brought it up now because Wyatt Sterling had been unusually accommodating today. It ant he was in a good mood, and tis like these were often her only chance to negotiate.
"Do you know why I ca to Washington this ti?"
Wyatt Sterling neither agreed nor refused. Instead, he asked if she knew the purpose of his trip to Washington.
Alice York couldn’t possibly guess. She shook her head. "I don’t know."
Wyatt Sterling told her three words: "I ca for you."
Those three simple words, forming a single sentence, instantly left Alice York dazed.
A nurse hurried by, and patients with their families ambled past. But all those people and sounds seed to be sealed off outside an invisible bubble. Inside it were only Alice York and Wyatt Sterling, and she could see nothing but him.
In that mont, he was all she could see.
’My heart is racing.’
Wyatt Sterling noticed Alice York staring at him, dazed. He raised a hand, his fingertip gently grazing her chin. "You believe ?"
Alice York snapped back to reality.
At the sa ti, the passersby and the ambient sounds ca rushing back into focus.
Her spirits plunged from the heavens to the depths of the sea. She tried her best to hide the stark disappointnt in her voice. "Third Uncle, you must have very important business in Washington this ti, right?"
As she spoke, his words kept echoing in her mind—’I ca for you.’
’If only he had really co for .’
"Of course it’s important." The corners of Wyatt Sterling’s mouth lifted in a confident smirk. "And it will be taken care of very soon."
Alice York lowered her gaze. ’So it really has nothing to do with after all.’
’Standing up for , coming for ... it was all just to toy with for his own amusent. Everything he does is tied to his own interests and objectives. I was the one who almost believed him, getting worked up over nothing again and again.’
She fell silent the mont she got into the car.
Wyatt Sterling answered a call from lody Lancaster. He didn’t use the speakerphone, but the car was so quiet that if Alice York listened closely, she could make out lody’s voice on the other end—
"Wyatt, when are you coming back?"
Unlike her usual reserved deanor, lody Lancaster’s voice over the phone was far more flirtatious—the kind of voice that would make any man’s pulse quicken.
Wyatt Sterling chuckled. "Been gone for just one day and you already miss ?"
lody Lancaster huffed playfully. "Well, it’s your fault for spoiling . You usually take everywhere with you, but not this ti. How can I not worry?"
Wyatt Sterling asked, "Worry about what?"
lody Lancaster was a master at this ga—stoking a man’s ego without actually making him angry. "There’s no one there to take care of you."
Wyatt Sterling chuckled. "Is Mason Cheney not a person?"
Mason Cheney, who was driving: "..."
"How can that be the sa? As your assistant, Mason Cheney can only do what’s in his job description. Can he take care of you as ticulously as I do?" lody Lancaster’s words ca in a rush, yet they didn’t sound grating.
Wyatt Sterling pinched the bridge of his nose. "I’ll bring you back a gift. What do you want?"
lody Lancaster laughed delightedly. "It’s no fun if I pick it out myself! Wyatt, I’ll be happy with whatever you get . It’s all about the mystery and surprise."
Wyatt Sterling said, "Then you’ll have to wait."
After hanging up, Wyatt Sterling tossed his phone aside. Alice York, beside him, hadn’t stirred since he’d taken the call. He glanced over at her.
"Is your sore throat feeling any better?" he asked.
Alice York pulled her gaze from the window. "No. It’ll probably heal faster if I don’t talk much."
Wyatt Sterling slid closer. "You don’t want to talk to ?"
Alice York recoiled from his proximity. Whenever he got close, her whole body tensed up, her limbs stiff and awkward.
’If I say yes, I’ll just be displeasing him and making trouble for myself.’
She collected herself before speaking again. "You and Miss Lancaster seed to be having such a pleasant chat, Third Uncle. Why didn’t you talk longer?"
Wyatt Sterling’s hand found hers. It was cold, so he cupped it in his palm to warm it. "Are you jealous?"
Alice York gave a tight-lipped smile. "I’m not your girlfriend, Third Uncle. I have no right to be jealous."
Alice York regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. No matter how you spun it, they reeked of jealousy.
But it was too late to take them back. Wyatt Sterling asked, "Are you asking for a title?"
Alice York snatched her hand back. "No," she denied.
Wyatt Sterling glanced down at his empty palm, then back at her. He let out a soft laugh. "Right. I forgot."
Alice York didn’t understand what he ant.
’What did he forget?’
Just then, she noticed the car wasn’t on the route back to the Churchill family’s house. When she asked, she learned they were heading to the Daltons’.
"Third Uncle, do I have to go?" She really didn’t want to get pulled into Wyatt Sterling’s social circle.
Wyatt Sterling replied nonchalantly, "Would you rather I dump you on the side of the road?"
Alice York froze for a second, then nodded. "Fine. I’ll get a cab back myself."
Wyatt Sterling’s expression visibly darkened.
Alice York had no idea why he was suddenly so angry. ’Oh, well,’ she thought. ’It’s not like I can ever figure him out. I might as well just go.’ Ever since learning that Julian Dalton had a daughter during their last trip to Mount Serenity Peak, she had been quite curious.
The Daltons’ villa was even larger than the Churchills’, with a more modern design that was less traditional than the Churchill family’s estate.
Soone was there to lead the way, and Alice York followed Wyatt Sterling inside.
She asked casually, "Third Uncle, are you here at the Daltons’ to discuss business with Mr. Dalton?"
Wyatt Sterling said, "I’m taking you to their dicated hot spring."
Alice York stopped in her tracks and refused to go any further. When Wyatt Sterling turned to look at her, she shook her head. "I don’t want to go to a hot spring."
Wyatt Sterling held out his hand. "Co here."
She just shook her head.
Wyatt Sterling didn’t co back to force her. Instead, he said, "The Daltons’ dicated hot spring is better than any of the top spas in Washington. Julian Dalton spent hundreds of millions on it. People would kill for a single opportunity to use it."
Alice York was puzzled. "Why would Mr. Dalton spend so much money building a dicated hot spring at his ho?"
"I’ll tell you once we’re inside." Wyatt Sterling turned and headed in.
After a mont’s hesitation, Alice York followed him.
Before she even set foot in the living room, a wave of cheerful laughter washed over them. A little girl’s voice stood out from the rest—bright and clear, like the chiming of silver bells.
"Wyatt, you’re here! Oh, and Miss York is here today, too. I thought you were coming tomorrow. Wyatt, why didn’t you give a heads-up? I would have prepared."
Julian Dalton got up from the floor and brushed the creases from his trousers.
He was tall and lanky, dressed in a formal suit, yet the floor around his feet was littered with children’s toys. It made for a peculiar scene, especially with the little girl in overalls sitting on the carpet.
Wyatt Sterling approached, a smile on his face. "We’re all friends here. No need for formalities."
Julian Dalton glanced at Alice York. "True enough."
Right then, Alice York’s attention was fixed on the little girl near Julian Dalton’s feet, and she barely registered their conversation. The carpet was thick and plush. The little girl sat on it, a tiny, soft-looking thing with fair skin and curly hair. She looked to be about four or five.
Alice York was captivated.
The little girl was holding a pink-and-blue barrette. She reached out, poked Julian Dalton’s pant leg, and called out in a sweet, childish voice, "Dada~"
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