Wyatt Sterling froze.
But he quickly realized that Alice York was mistaking him for Owen Sterling.
"What the hell is so great about him? Why do you like him so much?" He couldn’t control his grip, squeezing her so hard it hurt, but he refused to let go. "Tell , what can he give you? I’m the only one who can give you what you want! Only ! Do you understand?!"
Alice York’s lips parted as she stubbornly declared, "He’s simply the best, the absolute best—the! one! and! only!"
She spoke the last four words with such resolution, it was as if she had suddenly sobered up.
Right then, Wyatt Sterling wanted to strangle her. "The best? No matter how great he is, can he marry you?"
A dazed look filled Alice York’s eyes. She seed stunned for a mont before replying, "He can’t..."
He couldn’t marry her.
"If he can’t marry you, then what do you like about him?"
"There’s no reason for liking soone. You just... like them..."
Wyatt Sterling let go. He was afraid that in a fit of rage, he’d lose control and break her bones.
With nothing holding her up, Alice York collapsed. She didn’t stop crying, her sobs coming in fits and starts. After nearly ten minutes, she finally cried herself to sleep.
The bed was still damp. To keep her from catching a cold, Wyatt Sterling had to swallow his anger and carry her to the adjacent guest bedroom.
Looking at her peaceful, sleeping face, he decided to head to the study. ’Out of sight, out of mind.’ And yet, he couldn’t help worrying that she was still drunk and might toss and turn so much she’d roll off the bed in the middle of the night...
’This is ridiculous. I must have owed her in a past life.’
「The next day.」
Alice York woke up not long after dawn. Her head throbbed faintly—a hangover from the night before. She stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to recall what had happened. ’Who picked up? What happened after that...?’
Fortunately, she hadn’t blacked out. It was all coming back to her.
Last night, she’d seen Owen Sterling. Then she’d grabbed him and confessed that she liked him, that she’d liked him for a long, long ti...
"...I’m screwed!"
She shot up in bed, slapping her forehead. "I’m so screwed! How could I have..."
’How could I have mistaken Wyatt Sterling for Big Brother!’
’I hope Big Brother doesn’t get the wrong idea...’
’No, no, no. I have to find a chance to explain. I made such a fool of myself last night. If Big Brother gets the wrong idea and thinks I like him, things will be impossible between us from now on.’
’Wait...’
’What happened after that?’
"If you’re going to get up, then get up."
A cold, dark voice ca from beside her. Alice York flinched and turned her head to see Wyatt Sterling’s sullen face.
His eyes were closed, but his expression was foul—impossibly sullen.
’Who pissed him off so early in the morning?’
Just as she had that thought, fragnted images from the previous night flooded her mind: making out passionately with Wyatt Sterling in the car, the ssy scene in the bathroom, the chaos back in bed...
They were all fragnts, with no dialogue. But the final fra in the sequence was Wyatt Sterling, furious, looking like he wanted to strangle her.
Snapping out of the mories, Alice York shuddered. ’What on earth did I say last night to make Wyatt Sterling that angry?’
’I didn’t curse him out, did I?’
’For him to still have that foul look on his face this morning, it couldn’t have been anything minor...’
With that, Alice York stole a glance at him. After a great deal of hesitation, she scooted closer to his pillow. "Third Uncle."
Wyatt Sterling rolled over, turning his back to her.
"..."
She moved closer still and poked his back with a finger. "Third Uncle, thank you for coming to get last night."
Then, she poked him two more tis.
The man ignored her, pretending he hadn’t heard.
Alice York had to swallow her pride. If her mind wasn’t filled with images of how furious she’d made Wyatt Sterling last night, she wouldn’t be giving him the ti of day, especially not while nursing a splitting headache from her hangover.
"Third Uncle, whatever I said last night, I’m sorry. Please be the bigger person and don’t hold it against . Don’t take it to heart, it was all just drunken nonsense. None of it was real."
She pleaded earnestly, rubbing her temples as she spoke.
"Drunken words are sober thoughts."
Wyatt Sterling finally spoke, though he didn’t turn around, his back still to her.
"..."
Now Alice York was even more convinced she’d really done it this ti. She just couldn’t for the life of her rember what she’d said to make him so angry.
’Then again, it’s pretty impressive that I managed to keep him angry all night. That’s a first.’
Since it was still early and she was in no rush to get up, she scooted over and draped herself over him. "Third Uncle, look at ."
The man remained perfectly still, ignoring her completely.
"Third Uncle?"
After calling his na a few more tis, Alice York slipped her hand under the covers...
She’d always been the conservative type. In her three years with Wyatt Sterling, she rarely let herself go. The only exception was when things got particularly intense, causing her to lose control and give in completely. Otherwise, she usually let Wyatt take the lead.
He always accused her of teasing him, but she always felt it was unfair. She wouldn’t be doing anything, yet he’d get turned on so easily. This ti, however, Alice York was actually taking the initiative. But she was far too shy; her hand only dared to trace circles on his abdon. She didn’t have the courage to venture any lower.
Her touch stoked a fire in Wyatt Sterling. He grabbed her wandering hand and barked, "Get off!"
It was a rare mont of boldness for Alice York, a single act of extroversion destined to scar her into a lifeti of introversion. "I will never forget that you rejected today!"
She rolled over, about to get out of bed.
But before she could, Wyatt Sterling pinned her to the bed.
She let out an indignant huff. "Don’t touch ."
Wyatt Sterling closed his eyes for a mont. "What’s this? I’m not even over being angry, and now you’re starting?"
Alice York repeated herself, "I will never forget that you rejected today!"
"Ha! Then make sure you rember it. If you’re afraid you’ll forget, carve it on your forehead. That way, you can remind yourself every ti you look in the mirror."
With that, he got up, dressed, and left, heading downstairs.
Alice York sat up and muttered at his retreating back, "What’s his problem?"
「Downstairs.」
Yael was an early riser, which ant Julian Dalton had to be one too. It was their first night in Silvanus, and Yael had trouble sleeping in the unfamiliar bed. She hadn’t slept well, waking up several tis, and each ti Julian had to patiently coax her back to sleep.
Two years ago, a night like that would have left him exhausted and listless the next day.
But after taking care of Yael for so long, he was used to it. No matter how rough the night, he could still be full of energy the next day.
"Daddy, don’t move. I’m almost done."
Julian Dalton was sitting on the sofa while Yael, a watercolor marker in hand, was drawing on his face.
Julian was completely indulgent, letting his daughter scribble all over his face with a doting smile.
Wyatt Sterling ca downstairs to this scene, sneering as he said, "Love without principles is just called spoiling."
Julian Dalton glanced at Wyatt Sterling. He could sll the hostility coming off him from a mile away. "Don’t be so sure."
Wyatt Sterling said coolly, "If I had a daughter, she would be raised strictly. I would never spoil her the way you do."
Julian Dalton let out a dry laugh. "Wake up. You don’t have a daughter."
Wyatt Sterling was dismissive.
Julian tutted, then twisted the knife without a hint of rcy. "Oh, that’s right. Not only do you not have a daughter, you don’t even have a wife who’s willing to give you one."
"..."
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