On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 163: She Is Sleeping

Jasper Lockwood froze for a moment, surprised she had woken so easily. "Sorry, I woke you. I thought you were fast asleep."

"I’m always more alert in a new environment."

"In that case... do you want me to stay with you?"

"You don’t have to. Go on with your business."

"I’m all done. Nothing left to do." As he spoke, Jasper Lockwood lay down beside her.

Chloe Sterling: "..."

’With him beside me, it’ll be even harder to fall asleep.’

But that wasn’t what happened. With Jasper Lockwood lying beside her, she not only fell asleep but slept incredibly soundly, not waking until past four in the afternoon.

Jasper Lockwood hadn’t left, staying by her side the entire time. He wasn’t lying down, though. Instead, he was propped up against the headboard, handling work on his laptop.

Chloe Sterling rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"A little past four," Jasper Lockwood said. "You can sleep a little longer."

"If I sleep any longer, it’ll be dark out."

"You can sleep until tonight."

"On second thought, no."

Chloe Sterling sat up and glanced at her phone on the nightstand. It was a little too far away. If she tried to get it herself, she would have to drape herself over Jasper Lockwood’s lap. So she said, "Could you get my phone for me?"

A slight smile touched Jasper Lockwood’s lips as he handed her the phone. "Someone called you. You were asleep, so I rejected it."

"Who was it?" Chloe Sterling asked, taking the phone.

"A friend of yours, I think."

Chloe Sterling opened her call log. Jean Kensington had called her twice and sent her a few texts.

[Chloe, why didn’t you tell me about the Sheffield family’s trap? Are you okay? Did those bastards hurt you?]

[What are you doing? Why aren’t you picking up?]

[I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I should have investigated properly when I felt something was off.]

Then came his reply: [Chloe is sleeping.]

Jean Kensington: [Oh? And you are?]

Jean Kensington: [President Lockwood?]

[Yes.]

Jean Kensington: [Is Chloe okay?]

[She’s fine.]

Jean Kensington: [That’s good. Sorry to bother you.]

After reading the text exchange, Chloe Sterling looked up at Jasper Lockwood. "You replied for me and told her I was sleeping!"

Jasper Lockwood replied, "But you were sleeping, weren’t you?"

Chloe Sterling: "..."

’Jean is definitely going to get the wrong idea.’

Seeing the embarrassed look flash across her face, Jasper Lockwood suddenly chuckled. "Worried she’ll get the wrong idea?"

Chloe Sterling didn’t answer.

Jasper Lockwood added, "We’re a legally married couple. It would be perfectly normal for us to be doing... *something* during the day. A little misunderstanding doesn’t matter."

Chloe Sterling asked, "So you did it on purpose?"

Jasper Lockwood replied, "I was merely stating a fact."

Without another word, Chloe Sterling took her phone, got out of bed, and walked to the window to call Jean Kensington.

The call connected instantly, and Jean Kensington’s voice came through, teasing, "Darling, you’re awake."

Chloe felt her eye twitch, but she kept her composure and hummed in agreement. "I was asleep. I didn’t hear your call."

Jean Kensington chuckled. "I know. President Lockwood told me. I’m sorry, Chloe, this was my mistake. I never thought the Sheffields would be so venomous as to use Old Madam Sheffield as bait to lure you in. Why didn’t you tell me when you called earlier?"

"Is Old Madam Sheffield really sick? Are you sure?"

"I’m sure, and it’s very serious. I checked her medical records and her hospital’s resuscitation records. If all of that is fake, then the Sheffields are playing a much bigger game than we thought, and there might be other forces at play behind the scenes. I’m investigating it now. I’ll let you know what I find."

"Okay."

"Okay, that’s all for now. I won’t disturb you two lovebirds any longer."

Chloe Sterling said, "...I’m hanging up."

News of the Sheffield family’s plot to capture Lynn Chester—and how it backfired, with their own people getting injured and poisoned instead—spread quickly.

Silas Coldwell received the news soon after.

"They dare try to take someone from me? They must have a death wish."

Zane Stratton said, "The Sheffields are arrogant fools. How could a disorganized mob like them possibly capture Lynn Chester? Boss, should we make a move?"

Silas Coldwell’s eyes narrowed. "No need," he said grimly. "I’m afraid someone has already acted."

"Are you talking about Jasper Lockwood?"

Silas Coldwell shot him a glare, and Zane Stratton immediately fell silent.

The thought of Chloe Sterling rushing off to Maridia so quickly made Silas Coldwell’s stomach burn with rage.

’She really seems to care about Jasper Lockwood.’

’It seems it’ll be even harder for me to have her now.’

’Why? What does that bastard Jasper Lockwood have that I don’t!’ The more Silas Coldwell thought about it, the angrier he became.

「The next day.」

Before leaving the hotel, Chloe Sterling handed an antidote to Henry Chamberlain. "Give this to the Sheffield family."

Henry Chamberlain glanced at the antidote in her hand. "Madam, I don’t think that’s necessary."

Chloe Sterling said coolly, "I can teach him a lesson, but I don’t want anyone to die."

Henry Chamberlain nodded. "Understood. I’ll have someone send it to the Sheffield family." He took the antidote as he spoke.

Chloe Sterling added, "Make sure it gets to the Sheffields. But there’s no hurry. Anytime within the next month will do."

Henry Chamberlain smiled. "Understood."

’A month of living in fear... that should be enough to make Quentin suffer.’

Jasper Lockwood picked up Chloe Sterling’s medical case. "Okay, let’s go."

The Lockwood Group also had operations in Maridia, so Henry Chamberlain gave the antidote to one of his subordinates with instructions to wait 28 days before delivering it to Quentin.

「Back in Crestfall.」

Chloe Sterling contacted Ava Rhodes and arranged to meet her on Saturday.

Ava Rhodes agreed joyfully and then went to find Charles Sterling.

「In the study.」

Charles Sterling sat at his desk, deep in thought. He, too, had received news of Lynn Chester’s appearance in Maridia.

Ava Rhodes came up behind him, leaning lightly against his back and wrapping her arms around his neck. "What are you thinking about?" she asked softly. "Lynn Chester?"

"Mhm," Charles Sterling replied. "She just appeared in Maridia and took down an entire family."

"Took down a family? Why?"

"They set a trap to capture her, but they failed and ended up bringing ruin upon themselves."

"Well, that family must be truly foolish. So many international powers have failed to catch her. How could they possibly succeed?"

"Indeed," Charles Sterling said. "Getting ahold of Lynn Chester is incredibly difficult."

"Don’t worry," Ava Rhodes comforted him. "We’ll think of another way. We’ll figure it out."

Charles Sterling took her hand. "Yes," he said softly. "We will."

For the time being, Ava Rhodes didn’t tell Charles Sterling that she had arranged to meet Chloe Sterling. She wasn’t sure how Chloe would react and planned to wait until she had a better sense of things before telling him.

Ruby Lynch had tried numerous tactics, but none had succeeded in getting Claire White’s case appealed. She didn’t dare to be too obvious, for fear of exposing her own involvement.

In the end, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and pay the six million in compensation, which made her so furious she didn’t eat all day.

What infuriated her even more was that Orchid Labs had started sending out invitations to this year’s new product launch. Everyone in her circle was receiving them one by one, but she was the only one left out.

After mulling it over, she decided to call and ask about it.

「Orchid Labs HQ.」

Chloe Sterling and Faith Morrison were leisurely sipping their coffee.

"Oh, right, the guest list for the product launch is finalized. Do you want to see it?"

Chloe Sterling said, "No."

’She only focused on product development and never bothered with these matters. It didn’t matter who was invited; they’d be making money regardless.’

Faith Morrison smiled. "Fine by me."

Just then, an assistant came over. "President Monroe, Mrs. Rivers is on the phone. She’s asking why she hasn’t received an invitation."

Faith Morrison replied with a lazy, imperious air, "Tell her straight up: there isn’t one for her this year."

The assistant nodded. "Understood."

Chloe Sterling raised an eyebrow. "What’s this? Turning down a customer?"

Faith Morrison’s lips curled into a smirk. "Plenty of people are clamoring to buy our new products; we don’t need her. And I’d rather not have to look at her face."

Chloe Sterling chuckled softly and said no more.