After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 22: The Bad Premonition Is Confirmed

A smile finally appeared on Alice York’s face, and she no longer looked so weighed down with worry.

"That’s more like it."

Owen Sterling raised his hand and gently tapped the spot between Alice’s eyebrows. "A young woman your age should be lively and cheerful. Don’t always be so downcast. If something’s on your mind, you can tell me. Bottling it up for too long can lead to depression."

Owen Sterling just had that knack.

He could lift Alice’s spirits with just a few words.

"Mm, I know. Thank you, Owen," Alice said, a smile blooming on her face.

This smile was genuine, not forced like it usually was.

"Come on, I’ll take you back," Owen Sterling offered.

"Okay." Alice didn’t refuse.

The two of them chatted and laughed, but neither noticed the two figures standing across the corridor.

The hairs on Mason Cheney’s arms stood on end. He had only just arrived himself, preparing to report to Wyatt Sterling what had happened to Alice. But the first thing he saw was this scene of Alice laughing and talking with Owen Sterling.

Mason stood frozen for a moment, not daring to look at the expression on the man beside him.

He had to hand it to her.

’Miss Alice, can’t you just smile at the Third Master like that once in a while? It would make things better for you, for me, for everyone, wouldn’t it!’

"Third Master..." Mason Cheney practically had to hold a knife to his own neck to dare to speak at this moment.

A closer look at Wyatt Sterling’s dark expression revealed the calm before a storm. A menacing aura radiated from him.

Mason’s scalp tingled. He swallowed several times before managing to get the words out in a rush. "Just now, the Second Master used the Second Mistress’s name to secretly lure Miss Alice over. But the Second Master wasn’t having an episode at the time. Miss Alice probably thought he was, which is why she was so frightened and fled in a panic."

An image of Alice’s pale little face from earlier flashed through Wyatt Sterling’s mind. She had clearly been scared stiff, yet she hadn’t dared to mention a single word of it.

’Calling her spineless wouldn’t be wrong,’ he thought.

"Who delivered the message?" Wyatt Sterling asked, turning around and averting his gaze.

Mason immediately followed. "I’ve already asked. It was a servant from the Second Mistress’s house. Old Master Sterling indulges the Second Master’s behavior, so the servant didn’t dare refuse."

The servant truly hadn’t dared to refuse. She said that if she didn’t comply and provoked Silas Sterling into having an episode, word would get back to the Old Master, and things would get serious.

When the servant explained this to Mason, she also mentioned that since Alice had a different surname, offending her wasn’t a big deal.

Mason repeated the servant’s exact words.

After hearing this, Wyatt Sterling didn’t get angry. In fact, most of his menacing aura dissipated. Mason couldn’t figure it out. ’What exactly is the Third Master’s attitude toward Miss Alice?’ he wondered.

Just as Mason was puzzling over it, he heard Wyatt Sterling toss out a nonchalant phrase: "Lock her up."

A shiver ran down Mason’s spine. He quickly replied, "Yes, sir."

「That afternoon.」

As promised, Alice York went to find the butler again. "Can I see Grandfather now?"

Seeing that Alice had indeed adopted a proper attitude and had waited patiently from morning until afternoon, the butler didn’t make things difficult for her. He turned and said, "Follow me."

Alice thanked him and immediately followed.

Old Master Sterling was brewing tea in the backyard gazebo. Alice noticed someone else beside him. When she got a clear look at the person’s face, she stopped in her tracks.

The butler noticed Alice hadn’t kept up and turned back. "Miss Alice, why have you stopped?"

Alice took a deep breath, then started walking again. "I’m coming."

Having been with the Sterlings for nearly twenty years, the butler was sharp and perceptive. He noticed Alice’s discomfort and kindly told her, "The Second Master isn’t having an episode today. Don’t be afraid."

Alice was taken aback.

The butler gave her a slight smile. "The Old Master has made arrangements. If you do well this time, his anger will surely subside."

Although Alice didn’t know what arrangements Old Master Sterling had for her, for the butler to say so much, she figured it couldn’t be anything good.

When Old Master Sterling saw her approach, he didn’t give her a pleasant look. "So you know to come back."

Beside him, Silas Sterling called out to her with a wide smile, "Alice, you’re here."

Seeing Silas, Alice thought about how he had tricked her earlier. The butler said he wasn’t having an episode, so what had he been trying to do? Besides, he had looked exactly like he did when he was having one...

She composed herself and called out, "Uncle Sterling," before respectfully answering Old Master Sterling, "I came back today to admit my mistake to you, Grandfather."

Hearing this, Old Master Sterling’s expression softened slightly. "At least you know to come back and admit your mistake. I suppose you’re not a complete ingrate after all."

Alice nodded. "Grandfather, you invested so much in my upbringing. From now on, I will serve the Sterlings wholeheartedly and never again think of leaving. I beg you to be lenient, Grandfather."

These words went against all of Alice’s original intentions and principles.

But now, she had no choice but to bow her head in defeat.

The Sterling family was a high-walled palace, and she couldn’t fly out.

Old Master Sterling was very satisfied with Alice’s attitude today. He nodded and then said, "Alright then. I have a task for you."

Hearing this, a bad feeling rose in Alice’s heart. She remembered how the butler had given her a warning just before she came over.

And what Old Master Sterling said next did indeed confirm her bad feeling...

-

It was noon by the time Alice left the Sterling estate again.

Old Master Sterling had told her to go back and pack her things, and he had arranged a car to take her back to Westeria.

After getting a call from Zoe Jenson, Alice politely declined the car the Old Master had arranged.

A few minutes later, she was sitting in Zoe Jenson’s passenger seat.

"Alice, you don’t look so good." The light ahead was red, and Zoe Jenson hit the brakes. "Did the Old Master chew you out?"

Alice told the truth. "Not this time. He did last time."

Zoe rested her hands on the steering wheel. "Last time, he probably called you an ungrateful wretch."

Alice gave a bitter smile. "You guessed it exactly."

"Anyone could’ve guessed that." The more Zoe thought about it, the angrier she got, and her words grew fierce. "If it were me, I’d be that ungrateful wretch, no question. I mean, what right do the Sterlings have to treat you like this? It’s not your fault your stepfather has a mental illness. Years ago, the Old Master changed your first-choice college application with a single word, forced you to study medicine, forced you to major in psychiatry, and forced you to serve their family for the rest of your life. The Sterlings are nothing but a family of leeches."

"Zoe, none of that matters anymore." Alice was amused by the phrase "a family of leeches." The laugh lightened her mood.

"If only you could get away from the Sterlings for good."

What Zoe didn’t dare to mention was that the main culprit behind this whole situation was Mindy Vaughn.

If Mindy Vaughn hadn’t insisted on marrying that psycho Silas Sterling and dragging Alice with her, how could Alice’s life have turned out like this?

But Zoe only dared to rant about this in her head. She wouldn’t say it to Alice’s face; after all, that woman was Alice’s biological mother.

"You went back to the Sterlings to apologize today, right?" Zoe asked.

Alice nodded.

Zoe continued, "So, has Old Master Sterling calmed down? The hospital won’t keep targeting and tormenting you anymore, will they?"

"They won’t," she said.

"That’s good. Caving for now is a necessary evil. We’ll figure something else out later." The light turned green, and after speaking, Zoe started the car.

Alice was silent for a long moment before saying, "Actually, there was a condition for Grandfather’s sudden change of heart."

Hearing this, Zoe’s expression turned grim. "No wonder you’ve looked so down. What kind of condition did Old Master Sterling propose that’s making you so miserable?"