After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 41: Alice York is the Mistress of This House
"Is it because I’m not obedient enough?"
Alice York didn’t believe Wyatt Sterling really wanted her to date Kyle Churchill. ’He must be saying it on purpose to scare me, to make me more obedient.’
"I can promise you, Third Uncle..."
She was like a lone boat, swaying and adrift on the sea, as she desperately grabbed his hand. "From now on, I’ll be good and obedient. I’ll never throw any more tantrums. Even if you summon me and dismiss me at will, I won’t have a single complaint."
Wyatt Sterling’s gaze held a hint of compassion. "Don’t cry."
But she couldn’t stop them. Fat tears rolled from her eyes as she choked out, "I’m just begging you, Third Uncle, don’t leave me with the Churchills."
She looked so broken as she cried, each tear heart-wrenching to see.
Wyatt Sterling slowly raised his hand, the pad of his finger gently wiping the tears from her cheeks.
The gesture made Alice York mistakenly believe he had softened toward her and would take back his threat. But in the next instant, she heard him remind her, "Tomorrow, you will continue your date with Kyle Churchill."
Alice York felt as if she’d been plunged into an icehouse.
She stared blankly at the man before her, all her hopes and pleas vanishing into thin air in an instant.
"Why?"
She couldn’t accept it. She wanted an explanation.
’Does he have some other arrangement? Is dating Kyle Churchill just for show?’
But Wyatt Sterling offered no explanation. He turned his back to her. His tall, imposing figure was so close, yet utterly unreachable.
Alice York walked to his side. "If you’re insisting I date Kyle Churchill, you have to at least tell me why, don’t you?"
Wyatt Sterling’s expression was indifferent. "Kyle Churchill is a good match for you."
It was a dismissive explanation, and Alice refused to accept it. "Putting aside whether I even know him, just from our interactions over the last two days, I find his words and behavior repulsive."
An emotion Alice couldn’t decipher flickered in Wyatt Sterling’s eyes. "William Churchill said his son is naive and simple. He’s never had any real experience with women, so he doesn’t know how to act around them."
Alice suppressed her anger. "He says that, and you actually believe him, Third Uncle?"
Wyatt Sterling glanced sideways at Alice York, whose eyes were red-rimmed.
’Stubborn, unyielding, and fixated on her own logic.’
He looked away, his tone heavy. "Whether I believe it or not is unimportant. Just remember what I told you."
Alice York staggered backward, her face ashen. "Wyatt Sterling, you are truly cruel to me."
With that, she turned and walked away.
’I have to leave this place, leave Washington. As long as I’m not at the mercy of the Sterlings, I’ll go anywhere. I never want to see him again. I never want to have anything to do with the Sterling family ever again.’
Wyatt Sterling didn’t stop her. He watched her retreating back with cold eyes as she tried to flee, his thin lips parting slightly. "Do you think Mindy Vaughn will have an easy time with the Sterlings if you leave?"
His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was clear enough for Alice to hear.
But this time she chose to ignore it and continued walking forward.
Wyatt Sterling added nonchalantly, "Nathan Sterling has already had another episode."
She stopped dead in her tracks, her body frozen as if bound by an invisible rope, unable to take another step.
Wyatt Sterling walked toward her, ignoring the despair on her face. "Alice York, don’t be so stubborn."
The wind on the rooftop was stronger now, more biting than ever before.
A profound sense of helplessness enveloped her like a vast net, pulling tighter and tighter until she could barely breathe, on the verge of suffocation.
Blinking back her tears, she turned and smoothed down her wind-tousled hair. "I know what to do now."
Wyatt Sterling: "As long as you know."
Her expression was unnaturally calm. "Is there anything else you need to instruct me on, Third Uncle? If not, I’ll head back to the Churchills’ place."
Wyatt Sterling watched her quietly for a moment, then turned to go downstairs. "Follow me."
From the top of the stairs, the large living room below looked somewhat empty. It had just been furnished, so there were no signs of anyone living there.
Her hopes had been raised and dashed in this house, an emotional rollercoaster that made Alice feel a growing aversion to the place.
But then she heard Wyatt Sterling say, "Go register for the facial and fingerprint recognition."
She was confused. "Mine?"
Wyatt Sterling walked past her, explaining simply, "This house is in my name. It’s private, unlisted. From now on, if you get bored at the Churchills’, you can come and stay here whenever you want."
Alice York rejected the offer without a second thought. "It’s your house, Third Uncle. I won’t be staying here."
Wyatt Sterling glanced back and reminded her, "We’re leaving Washington tomorrow morning to return to Silvanus."
Alice York’s eyes lit up.
The corner of Wyatt Sterling’s mouth twitched. "You’re not."
Alice York’s gaze fell. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
The registration process was far more complex than for a normal residence. This was a top-tier luxury villa with a comprehensive and rigorous security system. It included retinal scans, and they even took a blood sample. Alice had to be physically held down to ensure her cooperation until the very end.
By the time the entire process was over, Alice was drained of all fight.
The technician kept trying to placate her. "Miss York, please understand. The owner of every villa here goes through this process before moving in. It’s to reinforce the security system and ensure your peace of mind."
Alice’s face was blank. "I’m not the lady of this house."
The technician seemed taken aback for a moment. "Mr. Sterling instructed us to give you the full registration, with the clearance of the lady of the house."
Alice fell silent.
Leaving the mountaintop villa, just as she was getting in the car, Alice York asked Wyatt Sterling why he insisted on giving her the full registration.
Wyatt Sterling stood by the open car door and flicked a speck of dust from his cuff. "Don’t you like it here?"
Alice York: "I never said I liked it."
Wyatt Sterling ducked into the car. "That’s not the look you had on your face on the rooftop."
"Just now they said..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was suddenly pulled into the car by Wyatt Sterling, landing on his lap.
Though the back seat was spacious, his arms were confining. Alice tried to get up, inadvertently bracing her hand on his lower abdomen—just inches from the most dangerous territory.
"Don’t move," Wyatt Sterling warned in a low voice, his hand pressing on her waist.
Alice was both mortified and indignant.
Their position was undeniably intimate. Julian Dalton came out, saw the scene, and tactfully detoured around them, but his voice was deliberately loud. "Wyatt, my daughter’s calling and rushing me, so I’ll take the other car and go on ahead."
’Julian Dalton has a daughter?’
’I only knew he and Wyatt were close and saw each other often, but I had no idea if he was even married.’
Once Julian Dalton’s car had driven off, Alice tried to scoot to the side, but Wyatt grabbed her waist, shut the door, and said, "Drive."
"Wyatt Sterling!"
"What are you shouting about? You’re the one sitting on me."
"..."
Wyatt Sterling reclined his seat slightly, guiding her with a hand on her lower back to sit on the seat next to him. Then he returned to their previous topic. "What did they say?"
Alice didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
’I’ll just take it to my grave and pretend I know nothing. All of his warmth is a lie.’
She endured the entire ride back to the Churchill estate in silence. Before getting out, Alice asked one last time, "Can I really not go back to Silvanus with you tomorrow?"
The car window was currently rolled down.
Wyatt Sterling raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek. "Be a good girl and stay with the Churchills."
Her last hope extinguished, Alice squeezed her eyes shut. "Fine."
She turned to open the car door, but as she looked up, she saw Melody Lancaster standing just a short distance away.
Alice froze. ’A moment ago... the window was open...’
