After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 176: Announcing the Good News of Finding Their Daughter
Alice York stared at the caller ID on her screen, a little frustrated.
Just as she was hesitating, Wyatt Sterling, who was beside her, asked, "Who’s calling?"
"It’s Finn Hawthorne."
With that, Alice York turned the screen for Wyatt Sterling to see.
Wyatt Sterling reached out and took the phone. He didn’t hang up; instead, he answered the call for her.
"Alice, you’ve made it to Arden, right?"
"Are you free to go out now? How about I treat you to a meal?"
"I know all the best places in Arden. With me as your guide, I guarantee you’ll have a great time and enjoy yourself to the fullest."
On the other end of the line, Finn Hawthorne rattled on and on. Once he was finished, he eagerly awaited Alice’s response. If she refused him, he would find another way, or maybe even go straight to her place to find her!
He had it all planned out.
The only thing he hadn’t expected was that the person who answered the phone wasn’t Alice York, but—
"I appreciate the thought, Young Young Master Hawthorne, but she won’t be going."
Wyatt Sterling’s voice was unmistakable, and Finn Hawthorne recognized it instantly.
"You’re Wyatt Sterling?"
"Speaking."
Finn Hawthorne yelled, "Why are you answering the phone?! Where’s Alice? Put her on, I need to talk to her!"
Wyatt Sterling’s tone was flat. "You can say it to me."
As if his voice wasn’t loud enough, Finn Hawthorne pulled the phone away from his ear and roared at the screen, "It’s not the same! You’re you, and Alice is Alice! You can’t speak for her. I want to talk to her, so give her back the phone right now!"
The voice was so shrill that Wyatt Sterling moved the phone away from his ear.
Alice York said, "Maybe I should take it."
The phone wasn’t on speaker, but Finn Hawthorne’s voice was so loud that she could hear him perfectly clear from where she sat.
Wyatt Sterling didn’t give her the phone. He glanced at her and asked, "Has he been harassing you like this often since you got back from Rhovan?"
"..."
’It wasn’t exactly harassment.’
’It’s just that his attitude toward her had changed so drastically.’
’But she didn’t think a person’s attitude could change so drastically for no reason. Finn Hawthorne must be plotting something; she just couldn’t figure out what.’
"What do you mean, harassment? Alice and I are friends now. She came to Arden, and I just want to treat my friend well, that’s all. How did that become ’harassment’ coming from you, Wyatt Sterling?!"
Apparently, Finn Hawthorne had heard Wyatt Sterling’s last question, which was why he immediately retorted.
Wyatt Sterling raised the phone and replied in a measured tone, "Friends? A kidnapper like you has the audacity to say something like that?"
That remark was a direct hit to a major artery.
The other end of the line went completely silent.
Wyatt Sterling scoffed and hung up.
A few seconds later, the screen lit up again. It was Finn Hawthorne calling. Wyatt Sterling glanced at the screen and rejected the call.
The other side didn’t give up and kept calling.
Noticing Wyatt Sterling’s expression growing darker, Alice York took her phone back. "I’ll just turn on airplane mode."
As she spoke, she switched her phone to airplane mode right in front of him. Now, Finn Hawthorne’s calls could no longer get through.
"There, all better, Third Uncle." She put her phone away and looped her arm through his. "Where are we going now?"
Wyatt Sterling’s expression softened. He said to her, "Tonight, Eldest Young Master Hawthorne is hosting a banquet in my honor. We have a long afternoon, so I’ll take you shopping first."
Alice York looked up. "Eldest Young Master Hawthorne is hosting a banquet? Is it at the Hawthorne estate?"
"It’s out," he said.
Alice York said, "Oh," but then she quickly realized something and pressed, "Eldest Young Master Hawthorne is hosting a banquet just for you?"
A smile played on Wyatt Sterling’s lips. "I’m taking you with me."
"No..." Alice York shook her head. "I mean, did Eldest Young Master Hawthorne only invite you? What about Grandpa and the others?"
Just now, she had assumed it was an invitation for all the Sterlings in Arden.
But after thinking it over, she realized she had likely misunderstood. This banquet probably had nothing to do with her grandfather and the others.
Wyatt Sterling chuckled. "Do you like big crowds?"
"..."
’Fine, I’ll just pretend I never asked.’
Alice York shuffled to the side, putting some distance between herself and Wyatt Sterling.
Wyatt Sterling placed a hand on her shoulder. "In a little while, the Hawthorne Family will announce some good news. On the day of the announcement, all of Arden will be abuzz."
Alice York froze for two seconds, then quickly put it together. "Is it the good news about the Hawthorne Family finding their daughter?"
Wyatt Sterling narrowed his eyes. "You know?"
Alice York answered honestly, "Finn Hawthorne told me. He said his long-lost sister has been found. When you mentioned good news just now, Third Uncle, I naturally thought of that."
"He even told you about that."
Wyatt Sterling was naturally a little surprised.
Alice York didn’t know how to explain it. "Anyway, he’s been acting very erratically lately. He keeps trying to get on my good side, but I can’t figure out his angle."
Wyatt Sterling’s face darkened slightly. "Stay away from him."
"I know." Alice York was just a little curious. "Was the Hawthorne heiress found recently?"
Wyatt Sterling hummed in agreement.
Alice York remarked with a sigh, "To have no news for over twenty years and then suddenly be found... it’s a miracle."
"There are no miracles in this world," Wyatt Sterling said flatly.
Alice York was confused. "What do you mean by that, Third Uncle? Could it be that the Hawthorne heiress they found..."
"She’s been confirmed. There are no issues," Wyatt Sterling said.
"Oh."
Alice York took the hint and didn’t ask any more questions.
’Since the Hawthorne Family themselves have confirmed it, there must not be a problem.’
...
The afternoon stretched on.
Wyatt Sterling went to meet an old friend. Alice York, not wanting to make an appearance, didn’t go out either and stayed in a private room watching a tea ceremony. Nathan Sterling was also well-behaved, staying obediently by her side instead of going anywhere.
Coincidentally, they ran into Rhea Sterling there. She was also watching the tea ceremony to pass the time.
"I should’ve just gone to the Sawyer Family’s place with you all. Then I wouldn’t have been abandoned to wander around by myself."
Rhea Sterling’s voice was thick and nasal, a sign that she had been crying not long ago.
Alice York didn’t know what Rhea Sterling had gone through that afternoon, and it didn’t feel right to ask directly, so she just silently poured her tea.
"Alice, who did you come with?" Rhea Sterling’s gaze swept around the room before finally landing on Nathan Sterling, who was lying on the tatami mat.
Alice York shrugged. "Well, you see him. I brought Nathan."
Rhea Sterling gulped down the tea like it was water. "They say when your brother is much younger than you, taking him out is like bringing your own son along. Do you ever feel that way?"
"Not at all. Everywhere we go, he acts like he wishes he were a mile away from me. He doesn’t give me anything to worry about," Alice York said honestly.
Rhea Sterling chuckled, her mood lightening a bit. "It seems like Nathan doesn’t hate you as much as he used to."
"Really? I’ve yet to see him crack a smile at me." Alice York continued to refill Rhea Sterling’s cup.
The tea ceremony was nearing its end, and Rhea Sterling had drunk her fill of tea.
She wasn’t normally like this. Today, she was just upset and needed an outlet.
She told Alice to stop pouring, scooted over on the tatami mat to sit beside her, and rested her head on Alice’s shoulder. "Alice, do you know why I’m so sad today?"
Alice York had a guess, but she didn’t say anything.
