After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 172: Pinned to the Wall and Kissed After the Explanation
Normally, whenever Nathan Sterling encountered Wyatt Sterling, he was so terrified he wouldn’t even dare to look him in the eye.
It was a mystery where he found the courage today to threaten him over the phone.
"Are you sure?"
The voice on the other end of the line was chillingly quiet, unnerving and terrifying.
Nathan Sterling, who had been full of bravado a second ago, now sounded completely devoid of confidence. "I... I’m, of course... sure."
"Good," Wyatt Sterling said.
Nathan Sterling froze for a moment. ’Good what?’
Wyatt Sterling said, "Then let’s see what’s faster: your legs running to tattle, or me getting there to break them!"
"...!"
The call ended before Nathan Sterling even had a chance to regret his words.
Nathan Sterling stared down at his phone’s dark screen, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
’Great. I’ve really gone too far this time.’
He scrambled to shake Alice York awake. "Alice, wake up! We have a problem! A huge problem!"
Shaken from a deep sleep, Alice York was disoriented for a few seconds before she quickly threw off the covers and sat up. "What’s the emergency?"
Meeting Alice’s tense and worried gaze, Nathan Sterling guiltily averted his eyes. "...I, uh, accidentally answered your phone just now."
Alice was stunned for a moment, then her expression turned to one of exasperation. "That’s your huge problem?"
’He gave me such a scare.’
The way he was acting, all frantic and panicked, she had thought something truly terrible had happened.
Nathan’s voice was much quieter now. "What if it was a call from Third Uncle..."
At these words, Alice’s heart clenched. She shot to her feet. "What... what did Third Uncle say on the phone?"
Nathan explained, "He asked if you were still mad at him."
"..."
After he finished, Nathan stood up as well. He handed the phone back to Alice, then said with the air of a wise old man in a child’s body, "I warned you not to get too close to him. Sooner or later, there’d be trouble."
Alice took back her phone. "This is my business. And besides, didn’t I tell you before I went to sleep not to answer my calls?"
Nathan turned his face away, lying out of guilt. "I was playing a game. My fingers were moving so fast, I answered it by accident."
He had barely finished speaking when a knock sounded at the door.
"It’s over, it’s over! He’s here! He’s here to break my legs!" Nathan’s face went deathly pale, and he started scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off, looking for a place to hide.
Finally, he zeroed in on the space under the bed and dove under it with a clumsy slide.
Alice bent down and peered at Nathan, who was sprawled under the bed. "Why are you hiding?" she asked, puzzled. "Are you really that scared of him?"
With his hands covering his head, Nathan’s muffled voice replied, "I provoked him on the phone."
"Provoked him?" Alice frowned. "What else did you say?"
Nathan said, "I told him that if he dared to come over, I’d tell Grandpa."
"You actually dared to say that!" Alice closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, what’s done is done. Just stay hidden. I’ll get the door."
’Although she knew Wyatt Sterling wouldn’t actually do anything to an eight-year-old boy, it was better to be safe than sorry.’
Alice smoothed out her clothes and hair, then went to open the door.
The first thing she saw was his dark gray satin shirt, the material exquisitely tailored. Alice slowly lifted her head to meet his profound gaze. For a moment, the air around them fell still.
"Don’t recognize me anymore?" he asked, his eyes lowered to look at her.
Alice’s face was expressionless. Without a word, she stepped aside to let him in.
Wyatt Sterling gave her a long, hard look before stepping into the room. As she closed the door behind him, she stared at his broad back.
"Where’s the kid?" He scanned the room, his intention obvious.
Alice said, "He knew you were coming, so he took off already."
Hiding under the bed, Nathan was sweating bullets.
Wyatt Sterling turned around, his tone unreadable. "He’s as fast as a rabbit, isn’t he."
Alice walked over. "Third Uncle, Nathan’s just a kid. He was just messing around when he said that."
Wyatt’s gaze fixed on her face. "Do you have any idea what he said on the phone?"
"I do." Alice nodded. "He told me everything and admitted he was wrong. He won’t say anything like that again."
The air was quiet for a moment. Wyatt averted his gaze. "You’re very protective of him."
Alice replied, "He’s my only brother. If I don’t protect him, who will?"
Under the bed, Nathan silently clenched his fists.
"Come here," Wyatt said to her.
Alice hesitated for a moment before walking toward Wyatt. As she neared, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. She didn’t fight it, but she didn’t reciprocate either, simply allowing him to hold her, her face a blank mask.
"Was your trip here smooth?" Of course, Wyatt could tell she was unhappy; he’d seen it the moment she opened the door.
When she saw him, there was no smile, not even a trace of softness on her face, let alone any sign she was happy to see him.
Her forehead was pressed against his collarbone. Without looking up, she answered quietly, "It was fine. No issues."
Wyatt lowered his head. "Nothing you want to ask me?"
But Alice shook her head. "No."
’She didn’t admit it, but deep down, she was incredibly unhappy to see him.’
’Ever since Wyatt had left in the middle of the night, she’d tried to convince herself that he had something important to do, that he hadn’t told her because he didn’t want to wake her or make her worry.’
’But what happened after that?’
’When she got back, she had tried to contact him, but he was completely unreachable. He didn’t reply to her messages.’
’It was as if he’d vanished into thin air. She would even wake up in the middle of the night to check her phone, terrified of missing his call or a message from him.’
’And right up until her arrival in Arden today, she hadn’t received a single message or call from him.’
’To say she wasn’t fuming would be a lie.’
Wyatt lifted her chin. Her almond-shaped eyes, which he was now staring into, were impossibly beautiful. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head aside, dodging his lips.
He said, "The original plan was for us to come together today, but something came up with the Sawyer Family, so I had to change my plans and arrive early."
Alice raised a delicate eyebrow and shot him a sidelong glance.
’That’s his explanation?’
"Then why didn’t you return my calls or answer my texts?" Perhaps because she had been holding it in for so long, she decided to just ask him to his face and demand an answer.
Wyatt was silent for a few seconds before saying, "It wasn’t convenient."
’That wasn’t the answer she wanted. It was too dismissive.’
She pushed him away with one hand and turned her back to him, sulking in silence.
’Before, she would never have dared to act out like this with him, but things were different now. If he was really treating their relationship as one between equals, then she was entitled to her own feelings. If he wasn’t willing to soothe her, then fine. It would be a good opportunity for her to see the truth.’
She waited for what felt like a long time, but the man behind her didn’t make a single move. Her heart sank.
’So, his affection for her really was optional.’
Alice collected herself, ready to turn around and lay her cards on the table.
But unexpectedly, the man behind her seemed to have been waiting for this exact moment. The instant she turned, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her.
Alice was stunned for a second. When she came to, she was filled with a mixture of anger and indignation. She pushed at him. "Don’t you always... Mmph!"
Before she could finish her accusation, his lips silenced her once more. This kiss was even more domineering and forceful than the last, giving her no chance to push him away or escape.
Just then, there was a sudden movement from under the bed.
Alice heard it, and of course, Wyatt did too.
