After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 125: The Wyatt Sterling of the Past

Fearing Julian Dalton would say no, Yael hugged his leg and wheedled, "Please, Papa? I want to sleep with Alice. Can I? Can I, please?"

Normally, when Yael wheedled like this, Julian Dalton would give in before she even finished her first sentence. But this time was different. He couldn’t make the call. He turned his gaze to Wyatt Sterling. "Wyatt, about this..."

Wyatt Sterling frowned. "No."

Julian Dalton pressed on. "We’ve been friends for years, haven’t we?"

Wyatt Sterling made his stance clear. "If it happens once, it’ll happen again. I choose not to indulge it from the very beginning."

Julian Dalton sucked in a breath. "Wyatt, let me tell you, if you have a daughter someday and act like this, she’ll never be close to you. You have to be gentle, bend the rules a little. That’s how you build a good father-daughter bond."

Since a direct approach wasn’t working, Julian Dalton had no choice but to try a more aggressive tactic to sway Wyatt Sterling.

Unfortunately, Wyatt Sterling was completely unmoved. "I’ve said it before. My future children will be raised in a strict environment. Not like you, utterly without principles."

"..."

Julian Dalton didn’t argue. He was just waiting for the day Wyatt Sterling would have to eat his words.

"How long will you be gone this time?" Wyatt Sterling asked.

Julian Dalton exhaled. "Five days at most. I’ll try to cut it down to three. Yael hasn’t been doing well lately, so it’s not good for her to be traveling around. I’ve interviewed a few nannies and am still screening them. Once I pick one, she can start tomorrow."

Wyatt Sterling grunted in acknowledgment and added a reminder, "Choose carefully."

Julian Dalton said, "Why don’t you recommend someone more reliable?"

Wyatt Sterling replied, "I’ll have Mason Cheney look into it for you."

"Alright." Julian Dalton nodded.

Alice York, having overheard the general conversation, asked, "Mr. Dalton, are you looking for someone to take care of Yael for a few days?"

Julian Dalton thought for a moment that Alice York was about to volunteer, but remembering a certain someone’s sour expression from earlier, he dismissed the idea. "Yes, I’ve almost found someone."

Alice York asked again, "Does it pay well?"

Julian Dalton raised an eyebrow, smiling as he asked, "You aren’t actually thinking of volunteering, are you?"

Wyatt Sterling’s brow furrowed.

"No, no, not me. It’s for a... friend of mine." ’Actually, "friend" is a bit of a stretch. She’d only just met Seraphina Sheridan.’

Julian Dalton said, "I’m holding them to a high standard, so the pay won’t be low. At least five thousand a day. Are you planning on recommending someone?"

Hearing the figure, Alice York had her answer. "I do have a friend I’d like to recommend, but please, Mr. Dalton, don’t just take my word for it. You absolutely shouldn’t skip the background check. If she isn’t qualified, just turn her down. You don’t have to worry about offending me."

’After all, she didn’t really know Seraphina Sheridan either.’

’If she’s a good person with a clean record, then this would be a way to help her. If the check reveals a shady past, at least I’ll know what I’m dealing with for any future interactions.’

"I’ll contact her tomorrow and ask," Alice York said.

"Alright," Julian Dalton nodded.

In the end, Julian Dalton picked Yael up.

Fortunately, Yael didn’t make a fuss. She even sweetly blew a goodnight kiss to Alice York. "Goodnight, Alice!"

Hearing her say goodnight was enough to make Alice York’s heart melt.

After Julian Dalton and his daughter left, Alice York turned around to see Wyatt Sterling with a grim expression on his face.

She wanted to make a run for it, but the events of the day were still weighing on her mind. She chose her words carefully before asking, "Third Uncle, about the trip to Arden..."

Wyatt Sterling said flatly, "The old man didn’t bring it up." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Alice York’s spirits sank in disappointment, and she lowered her head.

She had been clinging to a sliver of hope that Wyatt Sterling might have brought it up himself. The moment that hope was dashed, she felt a wave of despair.

Alice York said nothing more and turned to walk toward the stairs. Wyatt Sterling called out to her, "Don’t worry too much."

Alice York stopped and quickly turned back.

The hope in her eyes flared to life, only to dim slightly before flaring up again. It was a rapid, dramatic shift.

Wyatt Sterling took it all in, feeling an inexplicable flicker of irritation. "I told you, going to Arden isn’t like going to Washington. The same thing won’t happen again."

Hearing this, Alice York’s heart sank. "So, Third Uncle... are you trying to tell me that my trip to Arden is a done deal?"

"Essentially." He didn’t deny it.

Alice York said no more and turned to go upstairs.

She went into the adjacent guest room and locked the door. Wyatt Sterling came and tried the handle, but when it didn’t open, he didn’t force his way in or order her to open it. He just stood outside for a moment before walking away.

Alice York thought about many things that night. Some things she couldn’t make sense of, while others finally clicked into place. But one thing became crystal clear: to Wyatt Sterling, she wasn’t important.

’He could be incredibly gentle with her, but all he really wanted was her docility and obedience. This doting affection of his might contain a few traces of genuine liking, but he could discard it at any moment. She would never be his exception for anything. He was the one who started this, and only he could be the one to end it. He would never let himself get lost in their affair. The day their interests no longer aligned, he would pull away without a second thought, casting her aside like a worn-out shoe.’

Realizing this, Alice York let out a long, slow breath.

She stared at the dim ceiling for a long time. When she finally closed her eyes, she had a dream filled with memories from years past...

To secure her position by having another son, Mindy Vaughn was completely fixated on Silas Sterling. She had no eyes for Alice York; neglect and disregard had become routine, to say nothing of a mother’s love and care.

Every parent-teacher conference during her three years of high school was important, but Mindy Vaughn only went once, during her freshman year. She never went again.

That day, the teacher spoke with Alice York for a long time, expressing hope that her mother could come in for a meeting. Alice was too scared to call Mindy Vaughn, but after leaving the office, she worked up her courage and called her over and over.

On her final attempt, the call was finally answered. Before the word "Mom" could even leave her lips, she heard Mindy Vaughn’s joyous voice on the other end. "Alice, you’re going to be a big sister! I went to Washington for a check-up, and it’s a boy! I’m so happy."

In that moment, Alice York truly didn’t know what to say.

’Congratulations?’

’But she hadn’t seen her mother in so long, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be cared for by her. It must feel wonderful...’

She cautiously brought up the parent-teacher conference, but Mindy Vaughn just said, "It’s a delicate pregnancy right now, and I need to stay home and rest. It’s not good for me to be moving around. Don’t worry, I’ll contact your teacher."

That sentence gave Alice York a flicker of hope. She thought Mindy Vaughn would actually contact her teacher.

But all that came of it was her teacher’s disappointed and pitying gaze. "Alice, is your mother not coming to the conference this time either?"

She numbly shook her head.

"What about your stepfather?" the teacher asked, despite knowing she was from a blended family.

Alice York was at a loss, not knowing how to answer.

That day, she skipped evening study hall and rushed back to the family residence, hoping to see Mindy Vaughn. But when she got there, she learned that her mother had gone to a mountain villa to rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. She had been completely abandoned.

After finding out, she could no longer hold back her emotions and sat on the steps of the Sterlings’ front gate, crying.

At some point, Wyatt Sterling had walked up and was standing before her. He stared down at her for a long time before saying slowly, "How about I go to the parent-teacher conference for you?"