After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 101: Alice York Is No Longer Weak and Fights Back Directly
"When did she become so capable that she could even lay a hand on one of your people?"
To be honest, Old Master Sterling didn’t believe it.
The Mindy Vaughn he remembered had never caused any major trouble, but she wasn’t some deeply calculating person, either. She wasn’t particularly bright; all she cared about was enjoying her life of luxury with the Sterlings. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
The cigarette burned down to the filter. Wyatt Sterling took it from his lips and stubbed it out. "If she weren’t capable, how is it that you’re only finding out about her affair now? If I hadn’t let a little something slip, who knows when you would have found out."
Old Master Sterling’s face darkened. "Save your second brother some face."
Wyatt Sterling laughed. "I’m the one trying to save *your* face. You have eyes and ears everywhere, yet she still managed to hide this from you for so long. You haven’t just lost face—you’ve practically lost all standing."
Old Master Sterling’s face grew even darker.
He didn’t want to admit that he was surrounded by a pack of treacherous bastards, but it was the truth.
But what Old Master Sterling really wanted to know now was, "Who exactly did she touch that has you in such a hurry to make her suffer?"
Wyatt Sterling tossed the cigarette butt, his voice indifferent. "You don’t need to know that."
Old Master Sterling was at a loss for words. "You..."
"I have things to do. I’ll be taking my leave."
Wyatt Sterling turned and strode away, his pace sharp and hurried.
Leaning on his cane with both hands, Old Master Sterling stood and gazed into the distance. After a moment, a thought seemed to strike him. He turned his head and ordered the person beside him, "Go investigate Alice York’s activities over the last few days."
"Yes, sir."
...
Alice York didn’t leave the Sterling family’s old residence until nearly noon.
Before leaving, she spent half an hour with Nathan Sterling, but their time together was far from pleasant.
Nathan Sterling’s attitude was a complete reversal from the morning. His expression was sour, he stopped calling her "sister," and he reverted to his previous cold-shouldering.
As Alice was leaving, he said, "Just hurry up and go. And don’t come back if you don’t have to."
Alice suppressed her anger. "Do you think I wanted to come back? Have you forgotten that you were the one crying and begging me to return today?"
Nathan Sterling got up and herded Alice toward the door. "There won’t be a next time."
Finding herself shut out, Alice looked at him and said, "I’ll be back tonight."
’Who knew when Silas Sterling would return to the family estate. She guessed Old Master Sterling hadn’t said a word, mainly because he was afraid of upsetting Silas. They could only tell him once he came back on his own.’
’But as long as Silas didn’t return, Mindy Vaughn would remain confined and forced to kneel. She was going to suffer a great deal.’
It was as if Nathan didn’t understand her concern at all. "What’s the point of you coming back?" he retorted. "I called you back today, but it’s not like you were able to help with anything!"
"..."
A chill shot through Alice’s heart. "What, am I some kind of big shot? Do I have superpowers? In this family, even the servants can give me attitude. What do you expect me to do?"
"Just go!"
Nathan pointed at her.
Alice said no more and turned to leave.
She went to the hospital for her shift as usual, her pay docked for her tardiness. Seeing how pale she was, Seth Sawyer assumed she was late because she felt unwell and offered to take on some of her work.
That afternoon, Melody Lancaster came to the hospital looking for Alice again.
This time, however, she came bearing her father’s medical records and used Director Linden’s name as a pretext, leaving Alice with no choice but to see her.
"Mr. Lancaster had a stent implanted for a cerebral infarction a year ago overseas. The surgery was a success at the time."
Melody Lancaster tucked her hair behind her ear, her expression worried. "Yes, but recently, my father’s left shoulder has started to droop noticeably. It’s a sign of impending hemiplegia..."
Alice put down the medical file. "As I recall, Miss Lancaster, you were in a great hurry to have your father discharged, with little regard for his life and safety."
"I had no other choice," Melody Lancaster said, her expression somber.
Alice recalled a piece of gossip she’d heard from another doctor. ’No other choice? Was it because she was fighting for the family inheritance? To the point she’d disregard her own father’s life for it?’
"So, are you here today to discuss conservative treatment for Mr. Lancaster’s condition, Miss Lancaster, or is it something else?" she asked.
Melody Lancaster rushed to say, "Of course it’s about my father’s condition. I’m hoping for another surgery."
"A second stent implantation?" Alice asked.
Melody Lancaster nodded. "Yes. Director Linden mentioned it to me. Conservative treatment is too slow, and we can’t afford to drag it out. I don’t want to see my dad suffer."
Alice scoffed internally but didn’t call her out.
After they finished discussing Vernon Lancaster’s condition, Melody Lancaster showed no sign of leaving and changed the subject. "Those two men I introduced you to last time—are you still talking with them? Did you hit it off with either one?"
Alice placed her pen in a holder and straightened the papers on her desk. "We’re not in touch. I deleted their contact info."
"Oh, I see."
Melody Lancaster didn’t sound surprised in the least.
Alice looked up at her. "It wasn’t on purpose."
"It’s fine. No need to explain." Melody acted as if she understood. "It’s no big deal. It just means you weren’t meant to be."
Alice just hummed in response and didn’t elaborate.
Melody Lancaster still lingered, refusing to leave. Alice finally asked, "Was there something else, Miss Lancaster?"
Melody beat around the bush. "Alice, have you been busy lately?"
"Not too busy."
Alice was being honest.
A pleased look crossed Melody Lancaster’s face. "Here’s the thing. I have a situation where I need a favor."
Alice cut her off before she could continue. "I probably can’t help."
Melody remained perfectly composed. "It’s just a small favor. I have a friend who’s a director. He’s done a lot of shows, and right now he’s working on a matchmaking program. He’s really short on participants. All of my friends who could join already have, but he still needs more people."
Alice watched Melody quietly, waiting for her to finish.
"It’s not a real matchmaking date. You’d be more like a plant, you know what I mean?" Melody asked.
"Yes, I do," Alice said.
Melody continued, "That’s how these dating shows work. The female contestants are basically all hired plants. My director friend really wants to get this show off the ground, but he’s been having a hard time finding people, so he asked me to recommend someone. And well, I thought of you."
Alice was running out of patience. "Miss Lancaster, a show that requires me to be in the public eye isn’t suitable for me."
"Who says it’s not suitable? You’re so beautiful and capable. Having you fill a spot on the show would definitely boost the ratings." Melody was clearly determined to convince her. "And who knows? Maybe by being on this show, you’ll find a career path that’s even better for you."
Alice stated calmly, "I am bound to the Sterlings. That family is the only path I can walk."
Seeing that Alice was utterly unyielding, Melody resorted to a direct threat. "I may not have visited the Sterlings’ home many times, but Old Master Sterling has a rather good impression of me. I’ve been feeling a bit unsettled lately... I think it’s about time I paid him a visit."
’At this point, how was this any different from completely dropping the act?’
’Oh, right. The only difference was that Melody Lancaster was better at putting on an act.’
Alice closed her eyes. "What do you want?"
Melody’s gentle smile returned. "Just go film the show. Think of it as doing me a favor. And who knows, maybe you’ll actually meet your true love on set. Wouldn’t that be something?"
Alice sneered, rising to her feet to issue a warning. "Miss Lancaster, let me give you a piece of friendly advice. If you insist on forcing me to do this show, whether or not I suffer in the end remains to be seen. But you will most certainly pay a heavy price for this little scheme of yours."
"And you think I’d believe that?" Melody also stood, her own smile widening.
Seeing how insistent Melody was, Alice finally gave in. "Fine. I’ll do the show. But only one episode. And we’ll each be responsible for our own consequences."
