On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 185: Just Stay By My Side

After hanging up, the sales associate approached, holding the card and the bagged clothes.

"Ma’am, here is your card. These are your clothes. We hope to see you again."

"Thank you." Ava Rhodes took the card and clothes and turned to leave.

Rose Lynch suddenly blocked her path. "You know him, don’t you?"

Ava Rhodes looked at her and replied, "I do."

Rose Lynch suddenly smiled. "Did Charles tell you?"

Ava Rhodes said coldly, "How dare you even mention him? Are you worthy?"

Rose Lynch’s expression darkened again.

Ava Rhodes ignored her and walked away.

Rose Lynch lost the desire to continue shopping. After a word with her friend, she headed back.

As soon as she arrived at the Sterling home, she saw an unhappy Esther Sterling.

"Esther, weren’t you supposed to go to school? Why are you home?"

Esther Sterling’s face was grim as she looked at her. "Mom, didn’t you say that man was just an ordinary person?"

"Which man? What are you talking about?"

"The man we met near my school the other day."

"What... what about him?" Rose Lynch felt a vague sense of unease. Ever since she saw Ava Rhodes take out that Black Gold Card, her mind had been in turmoil, her thoughts running wild.

"He’s not an ordinary man at all. He’s the president of Country A’s Apex Group and one of the country’s wealthiest men. Mom, why did you lie to me?"

"What did you say?" Rose Lynch’s pupils contracted in shock. "He’s... who is he?"

"One of the wealthiest men in Country A, the president of Apex Group." Seeing Rose Lynch’s reaction, Esther Sterling frowned. "Don’t tell me you didn’t know."

Rose Lynch collapsed onto the sofa as if in disbelief.

She immediately took out her phone and searched online for information about Apex Group. When she saw that the president’s photo was Charles Sterling’s handsome face, it was as if all her strength was drained away. The phone nearly slipped from her hand.

’How could this be?’

’How could this be?’

"Mom, what’s wrong?" Esther Sterling looked at her suspiciously and added, "Mom, what’s your relationship with President Sterling?"

Rose Lynch clutched her phone, speechless.

Endless regret and bitterness swelled in her heart.

She had abandoned the one she loved and spent half her life fighting to get ahead, only for it to all feel like a joke.

....

Chloe Sterling arrived at Director Xavier’s office.

"Director Xavier, you were looking for me?"

"Yes." Director Xavier said with a smile, "Chloe, have a seat. What would you like to drink? Coffee or tea?"

Chloe Sterling was direct. "Director Xavier, if there’s something you want to say, please just say it."

Director Xavier laughed heartily. "You kids... All right, then." He pointed to the items on his desk. "These are from President Sterling for you. Take them."

Chloe Sterling followed his gaze and saw the check and the Thousand-year-old Spirit Grass.

"You helped him out in a big way. There’s nothing wrong with accepting a little something from him. You deserve it, so don’t be shy."

"I’m not being shy," Chloe Sterling said. "I just don’t want it."

"Chloe, if you want to establish yourself in Crestfall, you need to build up some wealth. Money isn’t everything, but you can’t deny how useful it is. Take it. It’s a waste not to."

"..."

"Besides, he’s already left. These things are for you, so it’s not right for me to keep them. Just take them for now. What you do with them is up to you."

After the old man’s lengthy persuasion, Chloe Sterling finally agreed to take the items.

That afternoon, Jasper Lockwood came to pick her up. Chloe Sterling got in the car, and seeing a box in her hands, he asked, "What’s this?"

"Thousand-year-old Spirit Grass." Chloe Sterling turned to him. "There’s something I haven’t told you. I recently helped Apex Group solve a problem, and this is a gift from their president. There was a check, too."

Jasper Lockwood raised an eyebrow. "You helped Apex Group?"

"What’s wrong? Why that expression?"

Jasper Lockwood let out a helpless laugh. "It’s nothing."

’She just helped two people who are working against me.’

Chloe Sterling sensed something was off. She asked suspiciously, "I feel like it’s not ’nothing’."

"Knowing they came looking for you, weren’t you worried about exposing your identity?"

"I know what I’m doing. I won’t be found out."

"So all that time you were busy in the lab at home the other day, you were solving Apex Group’s problem?" Jasper Lockwood asked.

Chloe Sterling nodded. "Mhm, yes."

’So she really did solve it from home...’

Jasper Lockwood didn’t say anything more. It wasn’t Chloe Sterling’s fault; she didn’t know anything.

The car had just reached the gate of The Lockwood Residence when another black commercial van blocked their way. Immediately after, Mrs. Sinclair got out of the van and walked straight to Jasper Lockwood’s car.

Henry Chamberlain glanced back. "Sir..."

After a moment’s pause, Jasper Lockwood finally spoke. "Open the window."

The window lowered. Mrs. Sinclair stared at Jasper Lockwood and immediately demanded, "President Lockwood, is my daughter in your hands?"

Jasper Lockwood just watched her coolly, saying nothing.

"Where is she? What have you done to her?"

Jasper Lockwood finally spoke. "Mrs. Sinclair, why would you say that? Why would I do anything to your daughter?"

Mrs. Sinclair’s expression grew even darker. She ground out through her teeth, "Jasper Lockwood, don’t think I don’t know you’re behind all of this! And to think Tristan considered you a friend. When it comes to hurting his family and The Sinclair Group, you show no mercy at all."

Jasper Lockwood said coldly, "He is he, and you are you. Don’t lump them together."

"What a joke! We’re a family, on what grounds..."

"Shut up!" Before she could finish, Jasper Lockwood cut her off coldly. "Don’t waste my time with this nonsense. Go back and tell Zachary Sinclair that if he wants to turn this situation around, he should hand over all power to Tristan Sinclair. Otherwise, he can just watch half of his empire crumble."

"So it really was you. You knew all along."

It seemed they had underestimated Jasper Lockwood after all. Mrs. Sinclair said in a low, heavy voice, "Where is Phoebe? What have you done to her? Let her go!"

Jasper Lockwood stared straight ahead, his tone icy. "She’s still alive, for now."

Although she had guessed it was him, Mrs. Sinclair still trembled. "Jasper Lockwood, Phoebe has been in love with you for so many years, and this is how you treat her! What we did has nothing to do with her. Let her go!"

Jasper Lockwood ignored her and said to Henry Chamberlain, "Close the window."

"Jasper Lockwood!" the woman roared in anger.

The window closed, blocking out most of the sound.

Henry Chamberlain started the car, rammed Mrs. Sinclair’s vehicle out of the way, and then drove into the estate.

Mrs. Sinclair stood in the cold wind, her face alternating between pale and ashen.

They had thought their plan was perfect, but in just three short days, everything had been turned upside down. With the Sinclair Family and the Rivers Family running into trouble one after another, they finally realized that Jasper Lockwood had long been aware of their scheme and had made his own preparations.

It wasn’t enough to completely crush them, though, and it was still uncertain who would win or lose in the end. But the one thing that had thrown Mrs. Sinclair into a panic was her daughter, Phoebe Sinclair.

She was worried about what Jasper Lockwood might do to her in a fit of rage.

Chloe Sterling had remained silent the entire time, not saying a word.

Jasper Lockwood turned to look at her and took the initiative to explain. "This whole thing is a bit complicated. Once it’s all resolved, if you want to hear about it, I’ll tell you everything."

"Okay," Chloe Sterling replied. She paused for a moment before adding, "If there’s anything you need me to do, you can tell me."

"You don’t have to do anything. Just stay by my side."