After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 177: Similar Genetic Features

Rhea Sterling sucked in a breath. "Kenneth Shaw is such a bastard. He’s been ignoring me for ages. We finally had time to come to Arden together, and he promised to spend it with me. But not even half a day later, he ditched me here in Arden and went back by himself."

Alice York furrowed her brow. ’So, Zoe Jenson’s gossip was true after all,’ she thought.

"The wedding preparations are in full swing, but Alice, you know what? I don’t want to marry him anymore." Rhea Sterling sounded more and more wronged as she spoke, and tears started to stream down her face.

Alice handed her a tissue. Wiping her tears, Rhea said, "But I can’t bring myself to let him go. I just can’t accept this."

Nathan Sterling glanced in their direction.

Their eyes met, and Alice put a finger to her lips. Nathan pouted and went back to lounging on the couch.

Alice gently patted Rhea Sterling’s shoulder. "Did he have to go back for something really important?"

"What’s so important? It’s just about his sister-in-law’s family. It has nothing to do with him, but he’s so invested that sometimes I even wonder if he’s into his sister-in-law."

Alice reminded her, "Rhea, watch your words."

"No, I’m going to say it! That bastard Kenneth Shaw—I suspect he has a thing for his sister-in-law! He must!" Rhea Sterling was in a rage, speaking recklessly without a filter.

Alice quickly covered her mouth. "Rhea, Rhea! You’re drinking tea, not wine. Stop talking nonsense."

"But Kenneth Shaw..."

"What about Kenneth Shaw?"

Just then, Wyatt Sterling strode in.

Rhea Sterling wasn’t done with her tirade, but at the sound of Wyatt Sterling’s voice, her words caught in her throat. She instantly jolted upright.

She slowly lifted her head. Seeing Wyatt Sterling’s cold, aloof face was like being jolted awake from a dream. She stammered, "Third Uncle..."

Wyatt Sterling walked over, his frigid aura making Rhea Sterling’s shoulders tremble. She shrank closer to Alice.

They were all Sterlings. Who among them wasn’t afraid of Wyatt Sterling?

Even Nathan Sterling, who hadn’t done anything wrong, now sat up properly.

The tea masters all stood quietly to one side.

Wyatt Sterling said coolly, "Everyone, out."

Once the tea masters had left the private room, Wyatt Sterling turned his gaze to Rhea Sterling.

Terrified, Rhea Sterling continued to hide behind Alice.

"So you still know how to hide." Wyatt Sterling’s expression was terrifyingly cold.

Rhea Sterling, on the verge of tears from fright, whimpered, "Third Uncle, I..."

"When you’re out, be mindful of who you are." Wyatt Sterling’s warning was like a cold blade scraping bone. "Stop spouting nonsense in public."

Rhea Sterling felt wronged but didn’t dare to argue. "I know. It won’t happen again."

Wyatt Sterling’s expression did not soften. "If you’re unhappy, make your decision soon. The end of the year is still far off. If you can’t bear to let him go, then keep your mouth shut and endure it."

His words were both a reminder and a rebuke.

A family with the Sterlings’ status could have its pick of marriage alliances. Kenneth Shaw had been Rhea Sterling’s own choice, and there weren’t major interests at stake, so whether to break it off was entirely up to her.

He had said all that needed to be said. If Rhea couldn’t let go, then she would have to swallow this bitterness herself.

"Mason Cheney, take Miss Rhea back to the Sawyers’," Wyatt Sterling ordered.

Mason Cheney stepped forward. "Miss Rhea, if you please."

Rhea Sterling didn’t resist. Before she left, she asked Alice, "Alice, are you heading back?"

"I might..."

Before Alice could finish speaking, Wyatt Sterling’s voice cut in. "Nathan isn’t going back, so she can’t either."

Nathan Sterling, sitting in the corner: "..." ’Since when did I say I wasn’t going back!’

"Oh, okay then." Rhea Sterling understood. "I’ll head back first."

Alice walked Rhea Sterling out of the private room.

She returned to the room after Rhea left. Seeing that Wyatt Sterling was already seated, she walked over and said, "Rhea was terrified just now."

Wyatt Sterling toyed with the teacup in his hand and said flatly, "A pity she wasn’t scared to death."

"..."

Alice was speechless and swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. ’Forget it,’ she thought. ’It’s better to not stir up trouble. The man is too intimidating, and I can’t afford to provoke him.’

After leaving the private room, Alice and Wyatt Sterling went to a dinner engagement.

Nathan Sterling was surprisingly well-behaved today, but Alice knew it was only because Wyatt was around. He had to be good, whether he liked it or not.

...

「The Hawthorne Estate.」

When Felix Hawthorne returned from his business, he learned from a bodyguard that Finn Hawthorne had gone out earlier but had returned a short while later.

"Looking completely dejected?" Felix Hawthorne adjusted the glasses on his nose.

The bodyguard nodded. "Yes. The Third Young Master was in a foul mood, glaring at everyone he saw. He even kicked a passing dog."

"..."

Felix asked as he walked inside, "What has he been doing since he got back?"

"Swimming."

"And then?"

"Swimming."

"He hasn’t done anything else?"

"No, just swimming. He’s gotten cramps underwater three times and had to be rescued four times."

"What was the fourth time?"

"He fell headfirst into the pool."

"..."

The more he asked about his younger brother, the more speechless he became.

Felix took off his jacket and handed it to the bodyguard. He had been about to wash up and change for a dinner party, but he changed course and headed for the pool instead.

At the far end of the pool was a white wall.

A movie was currently being projected onto the wall. Finn Hawthorne, long out of energy for swimming, was lounging on a deck chair, fiddling with his phone. He tried making a call every few minutes, but it never went through, leaving him feeling numb.

Hearing footsteps, he glanced over before looking away again. His voice was listless. "I thought you’d gone to Silvanus to pick someone up again."

Felix stood beside the deck chair. "Vera hasn’t decided to come back yet."

Finn scoffed. "Working from dawn till dusk selling flowers for a measly bit of cash. I don’t get it. She wouldn’t know how to enjoy the good life if it slapped her in the face."

"Watch how you talk," Felix said, his tone displeased. "She grew up poor. Don’t judge her by your standards."

"Fine, I won’t say any more."

Finn unlocked his phone, preparing to call Alice again.

’There’s no way I won’t get through today,’ he thought, refusing to give up.

"Clean yourself up. You’re coming with me to a dinner party," Felix said.

"Not going," Finn refused flatly.

"We’re having dinner with Wyatt Sterling," Felix said. "He’s the one who injured you so badly the other day. Don’t you want to see him again?"

At the mention of Wyatt Sterling’s name, Finn instantly perked up. "I’m going!"

’That’s the guy who hung up on me! He’s the reason I haven’t been able to reach Alice.’

’I’m definitely going tonight!’

...

Felix hadn’t booked a table at a restaurant or hotel, but rather an entire private kitchen.

It was on a high floor and didn’t even have a sign. Without someone to lead the way, an ordinary person would never be able to find it.

Once they arrived, Alice realized she had been mistaken. This place didn’t serve the public; it was the Hawthorne family’s exclusive private kitchen. The Hawthornes ate here frequently themselves, and while it wasn’t open to outsiders, they occasionally used it to entertain guests.

"This way, please."

An attendant pushed the door open, gesturing for them to enter.

The exterior was unremarkable, but once inside, Alice discovered a whole new world. The overall style was one of antique charm.

"Third Master Sterling." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

A tall man walked toward them.

The first thing Alice noticed was the man’s face. He wore a pair of rimless glasses, which she hadn’t seen in photos. He was strikingly handsome, with refined features. The high bridge of his nose had a slight aquiline bump, just like Finn Hawthorne’s.

Suddenly, Alice raised a hand to touch the bridge of her own nose.

’What a coincidence,’ she thought. ’The bridge of my nose is just like that, too.’