Chapter 123: Provoking Her
Tristan Sterling coaxed lissa, "Alright, Daddy understands."
"Then you have to apologize to Aunt Evelynn later, Daddy."
Rachel Royce ca out after her shower but didn’t see lissa there.
She waited a little while longer.
Then she went straight next door and opened the door.
The father and daughter on the sofa looked toward the doorway.
"lissa, it’s ti for bed," Rachel Royce said, standing in the doorway.
lissa climbed out of her father’s arms, ran over to Rachel Royce, and reached for her hand. "Aunt Evelynn, co here. Daddy’s going to apologize to you."
Rachel Royce froze for a mont. She looked up at the man on the sofa, whose posture was anything but apologetic.
She pulled lissa along. "There’s no need for an apology. Let’s go. It’s ti for bed."
’An insincere apology from Tristan Sterling would only disgust .’
And with that, Rachel Royce took lissa back to her room.
Lying on the bed.
lissa snuggled into Rachel Royce’s arms, nuzzling against her affectionately. "Aunt Evelynn, you sll so nice and you’re so soft. I love how you sll."
Holding her daughter, Rachel Royce felt her heart lt.
’Five years.’
’The little one who used to just kick inside my belly was now this big—so beautiful and adorable.’
’I no longer have to touch her ethereal form only in my dreams. Now, my daughter is truly, tangibly right here beside .’
Rachel Royce humd a song to her daughter, gently patting her back to lull her to sleep.
Nestled in her arms, lissa quickly drifted off to sleep.
Rachel Royce stayed awake, just watching her, feeling as if she could never get her fill.
lissa slept soundly beside Rachel Royce that night, not having any trouble with the unfamiliar bed.
「Early the next morning.」
The mountain air was exceptionally crisp and pleasant.
Tristan Sterling had just co downstairs.
He heard joyous laughter coming from the kitchen. Upon reaching it, he saw two figures, one large and one small, wrapping dumplings.
The woman wore the sa green, knee-length dress from yesterday. Her long hair was pinned up, revealing a slender, fair neck, and an apron was tied around her waist as she gently and patiently taught lissa how to make dumplings.
lissa’s little face was smudged with flour, and she held a dumpling in her small hands, learning with intense concentration.
Just then, lissa saw her father and chirped happily, "Daddy, good morning."
Rachel Royce noticed the man’s presence in her peripheral vision, but she didn’t turn to look at him.
Tristan Sterling strode forward.
lissa held up a dumpling she had made to show her father. "Daddy, look at the dumpling I made! You can eat it later."
Tristan Sterling bent down slightly and ruffled her hair. "You’re amazing, lissa. You already know how to make dumplings."
"Aunt Evelynn taught . I bet you don’t know how, Daddy. I can teach you."
Tristan Sterling said, "You can teach another ti! I have sothing I need to take care of for a little while."
lissa didn’t insist. "Oh, okay then!"
Tristan Sterling glanced up, his gaze falling coolly on the woman’s aloof profile, before turning and leaving the kitchen.
Rachel Royce didn’t make many dumplings—just enough for herself and lissa. The few that lissa had made were given to Tristan Sterling.
Tristan Sterling looked at the dumplings in his bowl, a faint, cold smile touching his lips.
Rachel Royce noticed his subtle expression and felt an inexplicable unease. ’It feels like he’s mocking .’
Tristan Sterling ate the dumplings lissa had made.
lissa asked, "Daddy, are the dumplings I made delicious?"
"They’re delicious."
"Then try one of Aunt Evelynn’s dumplings, Daddy." lissa placed a dumpling into her father’s bowl.
As it landed in his bowl, Tristan Sterling looked up at Rachel Royce. She t his gaze, and for a mont, their eyes locked.
Rachel Royce’s eyes were cold.
His expression seed to be deliberately provoking her as he accepted the dumpling from lissa.
lissa was completely oblivious to the silent contest between the two adults.
Tristan Sterling ate the dumpling.
"Daddy, is it good?" lissa asked eagerly.
Tristan Sterling said, "There’s room for improvent."
Rachel Royce tightened her grip on her chopsticks, wanting to splash the soup from her bowl right in that jerk’s face.
lissa blinked her big eyes at her father and imdiately corrected him, "Daddy, you’re supposed to say it’s very delicious!"
Tristan Sterling went along with her. "Yes, it’s very delicious."
lissa huffed. "Then you can make them next ti, Daddy."
Just then, a housekeeper ca downstairs with Rachel Royce’s phone.
Rachel Royce had left her phone in the bedroom.
"Soone just called for you."
Rachel Royce took the phone and saw a missed call from David.
Just then, the phone started vibrating again.
Rachel Royce quickly got up to answer. "David!"
lissa’s gaze followed Rachel Royce as she walked away. "lissa, finish your breakfast," Tristan Sterling said.
lissa looked away.
「A few minutes later.」
Rachel Royce returned to the dining room.
「After breakfast.」
They packed up and prepared to leave.
「On the way back.」
lissa was overjoyed because she was going to Aunt Evelynn’s house today.
The car had just reached the city.
Tristan Sterling received a call. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but he could faintly hear Claire Ainsworth’s voice on the other end.
They only heard him say, "I’ll be right over."
Seeing her father hang up, lissa asked, "Where are you going, Daddy?"
Tristan Sterling told lissa, "Daddy has so business to attend to. I’ll drop you two off first."
lissa just said, "Oh, okay then!"
Tristan Sterling dropped lissa and Rachel Royce off at the Silvermist Bay Villa. He said to Rachel, "A driver will be here for you shortly. Take good care of lissa."
Holding lissa, Rachel Royce got out of the car without a word to him.
Tristan Sterling watched her for a mont before looking away, getting into another car, and driving away from the villa.
「Back inside the house.」
When Frances Wyatt and Lisa Lawson saw them return, they greeted, "Miss lissa."
Their gazes, however, were wary when they fell on Rachel Royce.
lissa was in a good mood and responded to their greeting.
Rachel Royce took lissa to the bedroom to pack a couple of clean outfits.
"We have to bring this, too," lissa said. "It’s a gift Daddy and I picked out for Aunt Evelynn’s family."
’Of course, Tristan Sterling wouldn’t have prepared this on his own. lissa must have asked him to,’ Rachel Royce thought.
So, Rachel Royce didn’t refuse it.
「After they finished packing.」
Rachel Royce carried lissa’s small suitcase out of the room.
Seeing this, Frances Wyatt and Lisa Lawson asked, "Miss Evelynn, where are you taking Miss lissa?"
lissa answered, "Grandma Wyatt, Grandma Lawson, I’m going to Aunt Evelynn’s house."
The two won were shocked.
Just then, a driver pulled up to the front door, a clear sign that Mr. Sterling had approved this.
Rachel Royce paid them no mind and was about to leave with lissa when...
Suddenly, another car pulled up to the front door.
A mont later, Sylvia Shannon stepped out.
"Grandma."
lissa called out.
Sylvia Shannon’s face darkened the mont she saw Rachel Royce. By the ti she reached lissa, however, she had composed herself. "lissa, where are you off to?"
lissa said, "I’m going to Aunt Evelynn’s house to play today!"
Sylvia Shannon was stunned. "And where is your father?"
"Daddy had sothing to do, but he said I could go."
’What on earth is my son thinking?’ Sylvia Shannon wondered. ’How could he let lissa go to a stranger’s ho?’
She shot a cold glance at Rachel Royce before turning back to lissa. "lissa, you can’t go today. Your great-grandmother is sick. Why don’t we go visit her first, okay?"
Hearing this, Rachel Royce’s face darkened.
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