Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 87: Shane Donovan’s Half-Sister

The next morning, the alarm rang sharply.

Aidan Sterling’s temples throbbed with blue veins, the hangover’s aftereffects like a dull knife chiseling into his temple.

He rubbed his swollen temples and got up to head to the bathroom.

Cold water splashed on his face, barely dispelling some of the haze.

His brows furrowed tightly, last night’s memories fragmented, only recalling that he drank a lot with Shane Donovan, and then...

Then what happened?

He shook his head, trying to shake off those blurry snippets, his empty stomach growling in hunger, urging him to go downstairs to find something to eat.

However, just as he pulled open his room door—

The guest room door across the hall was almost simultaneously pulled open from inside.

Aidan: "..."

Damn!

—Shane Donovan?!

How is he here?!

Shane Donovan clearly had just woken up too, his hair hanging messily over his forehead, obscuring part of his eyes and brows, softening his usual cold demeanor, yet his gaze remained deep. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He looked at Aidan’s ghostly expression and slightly raised a brow without speaking.

"You..." Aidan pointed at Shane Donovan, his finger trembling, "How are you in my home?!"

At that moment, footsteps came from the stairs, and Isla Sutton came up holding a cup of warm water. She paused upon seeing the two confronting each other, then smiled and said, "Awake? Perfect, come down for breakfast."

She looked at Aidan sternly, "You have the nerve to ask why he’s here? Last night, you were dead drunk, insisting on him not leaving, making him stay... saying there are plenty of guest rooms, sleep wherever..."

Isla Sutton said this while shaking her head helplessly, "You kid, once drunk, you lose all sense."

Aidan: "!!!"

He jerked his head towards Shane Donovan, his face like a spilled palette of colors, turning green and white, a spectacular display.

He... he actually dragged Shane Donovan... desperately making him stay to sleep last night?!

How could this be?!

Is he crazy?!

Shane Donovan met his incredulous look, the corner of his lips imperceptibly curling, then slightly nodded to Isla Sutton, "Aunt, morning."

Isla Sutton smiled gently, increasingly pleased with Shane Donovan, "Breakfast is ready, come down and have something to warm your stomach."

...

The breakfast table atmosphere was peculiar.

Theodore Sterling occasionally raised his eyes to sweep over Shane Donovan and Stella Sterling sitting side by side, then glanced at his eldest son, whose face was ashen, buried in his bowl guzzling porridge, his brows slightly raised but he didn’t ask much.

Meanwhile, Isla Sutton kept serving Shane Donovan food, caring for him like he was more than her own child.

Stella Sterling sipped milk in small mouthfuls, her gaze occasionally sneaking glances at her big brother and the Shane Donovan beside her.

Her curiosity was about to overflow!

What is actually happening?

Yesterday these two were like fire and water, wishing to tear each other apart, but overnight they’ve become so...

Harmonious?

Amidst the subtle tension, Aidan’s phone on the table suddenly buzzed.

He glanced at it, his brows slightly knit, picked up the phone, "I’ll take a call."

Saying this, he got up and walked towards the balcony off the living room, closing the glass door behind him.

Outside on the balcony, the winter morning light was faint, tinged with coldness.

Aidan turned his back to the dining room, answered the call, his voice suppressed a bit.

Faintly, they could hear his indistinct responses inside.

"Mm..."

"Are you sure?"

"Got it."

In just a few dozen seconds, the call ended.

Aidan stood holding his phone for a few seconds before turning and pulling the glass door open to return to the dining room.

His facial expression seemed unchanged from before, but upon closer inspection, a layer of obscure unreadable emotion lurked in his eyes, like a faint shadow.

He silently returned to his seat, picked up the spoon again, but only stirred the bowl of now cool porridge absentmindedly, without the intent of eating.

This subtle change didn’t escape Shane Donovan’s attentive observation.

He quietly lifted his coffee cup, took a sip, his gaze lightly passing over Aidan’s slightly tense jawline.

A breakfast full of underlying thoughts and tension finally concluded in a rather dull atmosphere.

Isla Sutton beckoned the servants to clear the table, Theodore Sterling stood up and went to the study.

Aidan stood up, walked to Shane Donovan’s side, tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes gesturing towards the garden, "Smoke?"

Shane Donovan looked up at him, said nothing, and stood up to follow him.

The two tall men walked one after the other out of the living room, arriving under the old bare locust tree in the corner of the courtyard.

The crisp winter morning air carried a biting chill, breath glancing off in white mist.

Aidan fished out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, pulled one out and handed it to Shane Donovan, then put one in his mouth too, lowered his head, hands curled around the flickering flame of the lighter, lighting Shane Donovan’s cigarette first, then his own.

The crimson dot of fire flickered in the dim morning light.

Neither spoke, silently puffing smoke, the nicotine mixed with cold air, a unique freshness.

The white smoke rings slowly dispersed, blurring each other’s expressions.

After a while, Aidan took a deep drag on his cigarette, watching the curling rising gray-blue smoke, his voice heavy, slightly hoarse from the smoke: "Owen Callahan, that bastard... later got bagged and thrown into Silvanus almost drowned, dragged out half-dead, was it you?"

Shane Donovan’s fingers holding the cigarette paused, flicked ash, releasing a low single tone from his throat: "Mm."

Aidan sneered, his gaze like an icy blade: "I’ll handle the rest. You stay out of it."

His words seemed cryptic but Shane Donovan understood.

He turned his head, his deep gaze lingered on Aidan’s tense profile, amidst the curling smoke, his expression inscrutable.

He didn’t ask further, merely replied nonchalantly: "Suit yourself."

Some things were indeed more fitting for Aidan to execute, also more...

Gratifying.

Once again a silence settled between them, only the faint quiet sound of the burning tobacco breaking the quiet.

...

Meanwhile, in the living room, Stella Sterling was lounging on the sofa, idly scrolling through social media on her phone.

Suddenly, a highlighted explosive news alert popped up, and the sensational title instantly widened her eyes—

[Explosive! Kaelon Circle’s Wealthy Family Secrets! Deceased Donovan Group’s Eldest Son Arthur Donovan’s Alleged Daughter Revealed!]

Below was attached a blurred but barely recognizable photo—The woman in the photo was dressed in designer clothes, stepping down from a luxury car...

Who else but Grace Quinn?!

Stella Sterling’s fingers froze above the screen, her heart skipped a beat, almost doubting if she was seeing things.

Grace Quinn?!

How could she be tied to Shane Donovan’s already-deceased father Arthur Donovan?!

Illegitimate daughter?!

This... how is this possible?!

Isn’t she Philip Donovan’s daughter?

How could she become Shane Donovan’s half... sister?