The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 41: Where Is the Younger Sister’s Mother?
Chapter 41: Where Is the Little Sister’s Mommy?
Julian Jennings, Ian Quinn, and Joanna Sutton arrived at the hotel one after another.
Rachel Royce had sent them the invitations.
When they arrived, they happened to run into Suzanne Sullivan and Claire Ainsworth.
The two of them were there for a birthday banquet today.
However, they were heading to the more upscale reception hall on the 16th floor.
Suzanne Sullivan exchanged a few words with Julian Jennings before taking Claire Ainsworth upstairs.
After the two had left, the three of them took the next elevator.
「At the Sterling Residence.」
It was a day for reunion, and the Sterling and Fitzwilliam families were celebrating together.
Last year, it had been hosted at the Fitzwilliam Family’s home.
This year, it was at the Sterling Family’s.
The members of the Fitzwilliam Family arrived one by one.
The first-floor living room was abuzz with excitement. The children’s laughter and chatter were endless, while the adults made small talk.
As noon approached, nearly everyone had arrived.
Tristan Sterling was alone when he arrived. He greeted each of the elders in turn.
After taking a seat, Madam Fitzwilliam noticed Thomas Sterling wasn’t there and asked Evelyn Fitzwilliam, "Where’s Thomas?"
Evelyn Fitzwilliam said, "He told me he’s going to Rachel’s father’s wedding today, so he won’t be back for lunch."
The moment she said that,
the atmosphere froze for an instant.
Seeing this, Evelyn Fitzwilliam belatedly realized she had said something she shouldn’t have. Rachel hadn’t come today, and her mother-in-law hadn’t reacted, so she had assumed her in-laws already knew. But judging by their current reactions, they were clearly unaware.
Madam Fitzwilliam naturally sensed the strange atmosphere. Her expression stiffened slightly. She glanced first at her husband, then at Tristan Sterling, whose face was impassive. It was as if he couldn’t care less about his father-in-law’s wedding.
She didn’t press the issue. "I see."
After everyone had moved to the dining room and taken their seats,
the reunion atmosphere remained harmonious. The absence of one or two people seemed to have no effect.
However, everyone naturally steered the conversation away from the baby Rachel was about to have, as bringing it up would inevitably lead back to Rachel herself.
Evidently, the very name "Rachel" was now a sensitive topic.
But a child could hardly be expected to understand adult emotions.
Nina looked at Tristan Sterling and asked, "Mr. Sterling, where’s my little sister? Why don’t I see her?"
Franklin Fitzwilliam placed some food on Nina’s plate and answered for Tristan Sterling, "Your little sister hasn’t been born yet."
Nina said, "If she’s not born, is she still in her mommy’s tummy?"
"That’s right, she’s still in her mommy’s tummy."
"Then where is the little sister’s mommy?"
"..."
"Alright, Nina, you’ll be able to see your little sister soon. Eat up now. After we finish eating, Daddy will take you to play." Franklin Fitzwilliam quickly redirected her attention.
He did so because he had clearly noticed his grandfather’s gaze on him.
Madam Fitzwilliam was worried her husband would say something, but thankfully, he didn’t bring up Rachel either.
Not long after lunch,
Tristan Sterling received a phone call, then informed the elders that he was preparing to leave.
Mr. Fitzwilliam looked at Tristan Sterling and said suddenly, "Since your heart is with someone else, you should just get a divorce. Don’t let the two of you hold each other back."
His words were so direct that everyone’s expression shifted, and the atmosphere became delicate.
Madam Fitzwilliam glared at her husband. He just couldn’t hold his tongue. "What are you talking about, old man! It’s a day for family reunion."
Mr. Fitzwilliam just huffed.
Madam Fitzwilliam quickly tried to smooth things over. "Your Grandfather Fitzwilliam is just joking! Tristan, don’t take it to heart."
Tristan Sterling gave a faint smile. "I’ll be taking my leave now."
「At the hotel.」
Rachel Royce, Julian Jennings, and the others were seated at the main table. Wendy Royce, Florence Preston, and Peter Preston returned to their seats only after making their rounds and toasting the guests.
It was a joyous day.
Everyone had a smile on their face.
After they finished eating, Rachel Royce sat chatting with Joanna Sutton. She overheard Peter Preston talking about work with Thomas Sterling, and they sounded like they had found kindred spirits in each other.
These days, the integration of AI into game development was already quite common.
Thomas Sterling’s current game project was also going to use related technology, but its difficulty was on a level that couldn’t be compared to the AI in ordinary games.
He had already been working with a top-tier tech company in the industry and had offered a very generous price. But even after a month of grinding away, working overtime, they still couldn’t achieve the effect Thomas Sterling wanted. It was a problem that was still weighing on his mind.
After just a few sentences with Peter Preston, Thomas Sterling felt as if he’d suddenly seen a glimmer of hope.
He decided he would go visit Peter Preston’s company later.
Julian Jennings spoke with Peter Preston about his company’s financing. The three internal review rounds had already been passed, and they could sign the contract after New Year’s Day.
Listening to their conversation, Wendy Royce was overjoyed and toasted Julian Jennings again to thank him.
Julian Jennings said, "Mr. Royce, you’re too kind. It’s not really a favor. Prodigy Tech was chosen for investment because Rowan saw its growth potential, and it passed a strict internal review. In the future, we’ll be relying on Prodigy to earn a profit. It’s mutually beneficial."
"Indeed! Mutually beneficial, hahaha!"
"..."
Wendy Royce was so happy today that he drank a great deal, and no one could persuade him to stop.
It was a rare day off.
Rachel Royce played mahjong with Joanna Sutton, Julian Jennings, and Ian Quinn all afternoon. Since Rachel couldn’t sit for too long, Florence Preston took her place for a while.
Wendy Royce, drunk, was sleeping it off in a hotel room.
Meanwhile, Peter Preston and Thomas Sterling went to Prodigy.
At six in the evening,
the wedding banquet officially came to an end.
Wendy Royce and Florence Preston saw the guests off.
There was going to be a fireworks show and a drone performance on the riverbank tonight.
Florence Preston was worried about Rachel, being so heavily pregnant. Joanna Sutton said, "Miss Preston, don’t worry. There are five of us here. We absolutely won’t let a single hair on Rachel’s head be harmed. We’ll make sure she gets home safe and sound."
Peter Preston said, "Mom, don’t worry. We’ll take good care of Rachel."
Rachel said, "It’s alright, Miss Preston."
Wendy Royce and Florence Preston then agreed.
The group left the hotel by car.
After Rachel’s group had left, Wendy Royce and Florence Preston headed back into the hotel. They still needed to go settle the bill.
As they were walking back, other hotel guests were also leaving.
Suzanne Sullivan and the host of today’s birthday banquet were heading toward the hotel exit.
Wendy Royce was talking about something with Florence Preston and didn’t pay much attention to the people in front of them. Suzanne Sullivan was chatting with someone next to him.
They brushed past each other in an instant.
Just as Suzanne Sullivan reached the hotel entrance, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The middle-aged man beside him looked at him and asked with confusion, "Suzanne, what’s wrong?"
Suzanne Sullivan glanced back, but he could no longer see the fleeting figure. He retracted his gaze and replied, "It’s nothing."
After saying goodbye to the host, Suzanne Sullivan got into his car and received a call from Claire Ainsworth.
"Brother, we’re waiting for you. Hurry up and come over."
"Mm."
"..."
