Chapter 93: Slapped Her Across the Face
lissa muttered, "I just want Daddy and Aunt Evelynn to be together!"
She couldn’t quite explain why herself.
It was just that seeing Mr. Jennings and Aunt Evelynn get along so well made her wish her daddy could be more like Mr. Jennings.
Tristan Sterling reached out and stroked his daughter’s little head. "Alright, don’t let your imagination run wild."
"So can you and Aunt Evelynn be together?" lissa asked again, desperate for an answer.
Tristan Sterling said, "It’s not a matter of whether I can or not. I don’t know Aunt Evelynn very well."
lissa said, "Then would it be okay if you were as nice to Aunt Evelynn as you are to Miss Claire?"
Tristan Sterling didn’t answer lissa’s question and changed the subject.
*
Julian Jennings didn’t stay in the hospital room for long. When it was about ti, he said goodbye to Rachel Royce and left the hospital.
「The next day.」
After the doctor checked on Rachel Royce’s condition, she was cleared for a temporary discharge.
Rachel Royce thought for a mont, then dialed Tristan Sterling’s number. She hadn’t saved it in her phone; lissa had called her with his phone before.
BEEP... BEEP...
And then it connected.
Claire Ainsworth’s voice ca through. "Miss Evelynn, what do you need Tristan for?"
Rachel Royce froze for a second. Claire Ainsworth had co to Athera, too.
Tristan Sterling’s phone had her listed as a contact. ’No doubt, it was lissa’s doing.’
Her voice was cold, her tone clearly unpleasant. "I need to speak with Tristan Sterling. Please give him the phone."
She no longer saw any reason to play nice with Claire Ainsworth.
"You can just tell . I’ll pass on the ssage."
"Who knows if Miss Ainsworth will relay the ssage with her own embellishnts, or just pretend she’s deaf and didn’t hear a thing."
One could only imagine how ugly Claire Ainsworth’s expression beca. ’When has anyone ever dared to speak to like that?’
Just then, Tristan Sterling ca out of the bathroom with lissa, who had just finished washing up.
Seeing Claire Ainsworth holding his phone, he asked, "Whose call is it?"
Claire Ainsworth wanted to throw a tantrum and hang up, but lissa was there, so she could only swallow her anger and hand the phone to Tristan Sterling.
Tristan Sterling took the phone, saw the contact na, and said, "Hello!"
Rachel Royce’s tone was flat. "I have sothing to do this morning and won’t be at the hospital. Please let lissa know."
"Got it."
Without another word, Rachel Royce hung up.
She put down her phone.
An indescribable frustration welled up inside Rachel Royce.
Julian Jennings ca in from outside the room, carrying breakfast. "What’s wrong?"
Rachel Royce sighed. "Claire Ainsworth is in Athera, too."
Julian Jennings set the breakfast down on the coffee table. "You’re worried about lissa being with her."
Before, when she hadn’t seen lissa, the thought always made her uncomfortable. But they were far apart, and she hadn’t seen her daughter yet, so the feeling wasn’t as intense as it was now.
Rachel Royce said, "lissa is with Tristan Sterling now. It’s unavoidable."
Even if she wanted to fight for custody, given how much the Sterling Family and Tristan Sterling valued lissa, it was simply impossible.
Julian Jennings didn’t know how to comfort her either. "Try not to think about it for now. Let’s have breakfast."
「At the sa ti.」
「Inside the hotel.」
"Daddy, was that Aunt Evelynn on the phone?"
lissa had faintly heard Aunt Evelynn’s voice over the phone.
Tristan Sterling looked at his daughter, squatting down to her level. "Aunt Evelynn has sothing to do this morning, so she won’t be at the hospital. Miss Claire will take you out to play."
Claire Ainsworth had originally wanted to co over yesterday, but Tristan Sterling had told her to co today instead.
Hearing her father’s words, lissa’s expectant little face fell instantly. She had woken up extra early today just so she could hurry to the hospital.
"Then where did Aunt Evelynn go? She’s not even better from being sick yet."
Claire Ainsworth took a step forward, bent down to look at lissa, and put on a gentle smile. "How about I take you to Ocean Park today, lissa? We can see the dolphins you love so much."
lissa lowered her head, her little face crestfallen. "I don’t want to go to Ocean Park."
The smile on Claire Ainsworth’s lips stiffened slightly.
In a coaxing tone, Tristan Sterling asked, "Then where do you want to go, lissa?"
lissa walked over to the sofa, sat down, and swung her little legs, looking utterly dejected. "I don’t want to go anywhere."
Tristan Sterling stood up and sat down beside his daughter. "Then you can stay with Daddy today."
lissa kept her head down and didn’t say a word.
Tristan Sterling handed her his phone. "Why don’t you call Aunt Evelynn yourself then?"
lissa looked at the proffered phone, took it, and turned on the screen. The lock screen was a photo of her in a beautiful blue princess dress, holding the strings of a balloon with both hands.
It was a picture taken for her fifth birthday this year.
lissa skillfully entered the password, unlocked the phone, opened the contacts, and dialed Rachel Royce’s number.
Rachel Royce was in the middle of breakfast. Seeing the caller ID, she guessed it was lissa calling.
She answered.
She imdiately heard lissa’s sad little voice cry out, "Aunt Evelynn."
Rachel Royce said, "I have sothing I need to take care of this morning, so I won’t be at the hospital. You can co see this afternoon, lissa."
lissa obediently agreed.
Having gotten Rachel Royce’s reply, lissa’s mood finally brightened.
She didn’t want to go anywhere now; she would just wait until the afternoon to go see Aunt Evelynn.
Claire Ainsworth stood to the side, watching and suppressing the fire in her heart.
’What on earth did this Evelynn do to make lissa like her so much? What did all my years of effort count for?’
"Then let’s have breakfast first."
lissa agreed and went with her father to eat breakfast.
Claire Ainsworth had breakfast with the father and daughter.
Since lissa Sterling wanted to go see Evelynn, at least she wouldn’t be there to bother her and Tristan Sterling. The thought made Claire feel a little better.
「After breakfast.」
Tristan Sterling had a eting scheduled for the morning.
So, Claire Ainsworth could only stay at the hotel with lissa for the morning.
Claire Ainsworth saw Tristan Sterling out, while the nanny assigned to care for lissa watched her in the room.
"Tristan, are you really just going to let lissa get close to that Evelynn? How long has lissa even known her? I don’t think this Evelynn is as simple as she seems."
Tristan Sterling said, "Let’s just see if she has the guts to try anything harmful to lissa."
Claire Ainsworth said, "Tristan, you just spoil lissa too much. She’ll be difficult to discipline when she’s older."
Tristan Sterling looked at her and chuckled softly. "And you think you’re easy to discipline?"
Claire Ainsworth froze for a second. When she realized what he ant, she said coquettishly, "Tristan, what are you talking about?"
"Don’t worry about lissa’s affairs. I know what I’m doing."
Claire Ainsworth didn’t say anything more. "Alright, then!"
*
At ten in the morning, Rachel Royce’s contract signing with Procare went exceptionally smoothly.
’It seems Tristan Sterling didn’t interfere. So why did he suddenly co to Athera? Surely he didn’t bring lissa all this way just to find .’
’Of course, that’s impossible.’
’In any case, it’s good that I secured the contract so quickly.’
After the signing, there was supposed to be a celebratory banquet, but Rachel Royce wasn’t in any condition to attend.
"It’s not too late to hold it after you’ve recovered, Evelynn," Mr. Zane said.
Rachel Royce smiled and replied, "Okay."
After saying goodbye to the people from Procare, Julian Jennings drove Rachel Royce back to the hospital.
On the way back, Rachel Royce called lissa’s smartwatch to tell her she could co see her now.
「Half an hour later.」
They arrived at the hospital.
Just as they saw a minivan pull into the parking lot.
Julian Jennings and Rachel Royce got out of the car.
lissa hopped out of the minivan and, upon seeing Rachel Royce, ran happily toward her. The nanny hurried after her, anxiously calling out, "Young Miss, please slow down!"
lissa ran right up to Rachel Royce and threw her arms around her.
Rachel Royce stroked lissa’s little head, her gaze lifting to Claire Ainsworth, who was sitting inside the minivan.
Claire Ainsworth was staring right at her, and at Julian Jennings standing behind her. In the shadows, a cold glint appeared in her eyes.
Rachel Royce said to lissa, "It’s hot out here. Why don’t you have Mr. Jennings take you upstairs to wait for ? I have sothing to discuss with your Miss Claire."
lissa glanced in Claire Ainsworth’s direction, then said, "Oh. Okay, then!"
Julian Jennings glanced at Rachel Royce, then told the nanny where to go and had her take lissa there.
Rachel Royce said nothing.
After the nanny left with lissa, Rachel Royce walked toward the minivan. The driver was just about to close the door.
"Wait."
The driver’s hand paused, and he stepped aside.
Rachel Royce stood before the open door, looking at the haughty Claire Ainsworth seated inside. "Miss Ainsworth," she said coldly, "can we talk sowhere else?"
Claire Ainsworth crossed her arms. With her sitting in the car and Rachel Royce standing outside, she looked down on her with a lofty, arrogant expression. "If you have sothing to say, Miss Evelynn, you can say it right here," she challenged.
Rachel Royce’s cold eyes fixed on her. Without another word, she reached into the car and slapped her across the face.
SLAP!
A crisp slapping sound echoed.
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