After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 153: He Wants a Proper Title
Wyatt Sterling took a few steps, but stopped when he saw the dog was still snarling. "Keep that up, and we’re having dog for dinner."
As if it understood, the dog scrambled back into its kennel, tail tucked firmly between its legs.
"Damn..." Finn Hawthorne muttered to himself. ’This guy can even intimidate a dog!’ 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Mason Cheney, standing beside him, offered a helpful reminder. "Young Young Master Hawthorne, it’s time to go in."
Finn Hawthorne retorted, "Like I need you to remind me. You damn lackey."
Mason Cheney didn’t get angry. He even smiled. "You are too."
"..."
’He really had fallen on hard times. Even a lackey dared to push him around. Fine. A tiger cornered on the plains doesn’t roar.’ Finn Hawthorne silently filed it away.
’Once he was back in Arden, he would make them pay for every single one of these humiliations.’
Just then, Alice York came out with her grandparents.
When she saw Wyatt Sterling with both hands full of gifts, she froze completely.
Her grandparents, however, reacted quickly, hurrying forward to take the gifts.
The old woman, beaming, said, "You shouldn’t have! Just having you here is more than enough."
The old man added, "These are too extravagant."
"It’s only proper," Wyatt Sterling said in a gentle tone.
"Little Girl, hurry and introduce us. This is your...?" the old man asked, turning back with a wide smile as he held some of the gifts.
Alice York stared blankly at Wyatt Sterling. His eyes were smiling, his whole demeanor gentle and approachable. Especially in front of her grandparents, he had adopted the perfect posture of a junior visiting his elders.
’Wyatt Sterling was the kind of man who was always put on a pedestal,’ she couldn’t help but think. ’And yet, coming to her grandparents’ home, he had been so thoughtful. He’d even carried the gifts to them himself, without a trace of his usual arrogance.’
"Little Girl?"
Her grandmother called out as well.
Alice York snapped out of it and immediately walked over to stand beside Wyatt Sterling. "Grandpa, Grandma, this is my..."
She glanced at Wyatt Sterling. His eyes were still smiling, but he didn’t intervene or try to speak for her.
Alice York quickly turned back. Under her grandparents’ curious gazes, she continued, "He’s my colleague. I couldn’t drive this time, so he gave me a ride. You can just call him Wyatt."
The moment the word "colleague" left her lips, Alice York could feel the atmosphere shift. It was as if the air had suddenly grown cold.
She snuck a sideways glance at Wyatt Sterling’s face.
Utterly displeased.
His expression had darkened completely.
And his eyes... they were cold and full of reproach...
Alice couldn’t help but wonder, ’Did I insult him by calling him a colleague? But what else was I supposed to say?’
"Oh, so he’s Little Girl’s colleague." The old woman looked Wyatt Sterling up and down. ’So handsome and distinguished,’ she thought. ’Not bad at all.’
The old man’s gaze was different. It was suspicious, puzzled. This man clearly had an extraordinary air about him; everything about him screamed wealth and status. "Little Girl, your colleague doesn’t look much like a doctor. He seems more like he’s in business."
Alice York was speechless. ’Grandpa’s eye for people is as sharp as ever...’
Wyatt Sterling replied, "My family is in business."
Alice York quickly chimed in, "Right, his family’s in business, that’s why he has that businessman’s aura."
Wyatt Sterling shot her a cool sidelong glance, and Alice York immediately feigned innocence, staring at the ground.
The old man nodded, then took half a step closer to Wyatt Sterling. "You look very familiar," he said.
Wyatt Sterling remained perfectly composed. "Oh? Where do you think you’ve seen me before, Grandpa?"
At his side, Alice York suddenly tensed up.
The old man stared at Wyatt Sterling’s face, scrutinizing it from every angle, before finally shaking his head. "I can’t place it."
Her grandmother cut in, "Don’t mind him. He’s getting on in years. He says that about everyone."
Alice York let out a snort of laughter. When Wyatt Sterling looked over, she immediately wiped the smile from her face and pretended nothing had happened.
"Little Girl, are those two your colleagues as well? Say, why is that one’s face all black and blue?" The old man had noticed the two men standing in the back, especially Finn Hawthorne, whose appearance was jarring.
Mason Cheney pushed Finn Hawthorne forward. He gave a polite nod to the elderly couple, but Finn Hawthorne pretended not to see anyone, his face a mask of impatience.
Forcing a smile, Alice York said, "They’re colleagues too."
"One of them isn’t," Wyatt Sterling said.
The elderly couple looked at him. Alice York looked at him. Mason Cheney and Finn Hawthorne looked at him too.
Wyatt Sterling slowly raised a hand and pointed at Finn Hawthorne. "He’s here to do odd jobs. If you two have any work that needs doing, please don’t hesitate to give it to him. He owes Alice York a large sum of money that he can’t repay, so he personally promised to work it off like a beast of burden."
Finn Hawthorne: ?
’When did I ever owe Alice York money?’
’And when did I promise to slave away for her?’
Upon hearing this, the old woman pulled Alice York’s hand and asked in a hushed voice, "How much does he owe you?"
Alice York was still in a daze, but Wyatt Sterling had already answered for her. "It’s not a small sum. He can’t afford to pay it back, so he willingly offered to work it off."
"This..." The old man looked at Alice York. "Little Girl, is that really true? He owes you a lot of money and refuses to pay it back?"
Alice York: "..."
’Now, the one thing she hadn’t been able to figure out on the entire trip finally made sense. Wyatt Sterling had brought Finn Hawthorne along just to trap him here and torment him!’
She lifted her gaze to Finn Hawthorne’s utterly aggrieved face and replied, "Yes. He owes me a lot of money."
With the story confirmed by Alice York herself, her grandparents immediately believed it, and their expressions toward Finn Hawthorne soured. The old woman, in particular, drew a clear line, warmly ushering Wyatt Sterling and Mason Cheney inside, asking them what kind of tea they’d like while offering them stools and bringing out fruit.
When it came to Finn Hawthorne, however, her tone was sharp. "You can just stand aside. Squat if you have to. There’s no plain water for you."
The old man started giving orders too. "Go chop some firewood. When you’re done with that, sweep the floors. Inside and out, make sure it’s spotless."
Finn Hawthorne: "..."
’This was too much!’
’He was the pampered and precious Young Young Master of the Hawthorne Family, and he was here to be a servant?’
’No way. He had to escape. Today.’
He bottled up his rage, secretly plotting his escape.
But unfortunately, Wyatt Sterling saw right through him. He walked over to Finn and reminded him nonchalantly, "If you dare run, and I catch you... I’ll break your legs."
"..."
Finn Hawthorne’s hand instinctively went to his thigh. He knew Wyatt Sterling was a man of his word.
He immediately backed down. "I won’t run."
Wyatt Sterling said, "Go chop the wood."
"Oh." He didn’t know the first thing about it, but he knew better than to argue. He couldn’t afford to have his legs actually broken.
Alice York walked over to Wyatt Sterling. Taking advantage of the moment her grandparents were busy, she asked, "Is it really okay to torment him like this?"
’The Hawthorne Family is not to be trifled with.’
’Once Finn Hawthorne gets back to Arden, he’ll definitely come after them for revenge.’
Wyatt Sterling glanced at her. "Are you scared?"
Alice York wanted to nod, but under Wyatt Sterling’s intense gaze, she immediately shook her head instead.
Wyatt Sterling scoffed, his hand reaching out to squeeze the back of her neck. "Now, it’s time to settle our accounts."
Alice York flinched. "Me...? What did I do now?"
Wyatt Sterling gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "’Colleague?’ What kind of colleague brings such extravagant gifts to meet someone’s grandparents?"
