novelraw Chapter 185: Uninvited Guest
Chapter 185: Uninvited Guest
An eerie silence fell.
"Hey guys..." The Lowell family’s Crown Prince felt a strange sense of unease. "Chairman Norwood... what do you think he’s trying to do?"
"What could he be trying to do?" The Sinclair family’s Crown Prince wasn’t directly involved, so his tone was more casual. "Surely Chairman Norwood isn’t so twisted that he’d want to put all of Eldest Miss Sterling’s old suitors in their place, right? That seems a bit much. A man like Chairman Norwood, that untouchable, ethereal figure, couldn’t possibly be so vindictive."
"I agree, it seems unlikely." The Warren family’s Crown Prince had a more open-minded personality. "Besides, that was years ago. It was just a case of being struck by her beauty—no real feelings involved. We were just messing around. Why would Chairman Norwood hold a grudge over that?"
"But I heard something else..." the Marsh family’s Crown Prince said in a playful tone. "My cousin helped with the seating arrangements, and he said four of the tables were arranged very strangely. They weren’t sorted by family, nor by status. At first glance, it looked like a chaotic mix of legitimate and illegitimate sons, the prominent and the obscure. But if you look closely, they all have one single thing in common."
"What is it?" The others were on the edge of their seats.
Even the crestfallen Declan Norwood couldn’t help but look toward the Marsh family’s Crown Prince.
The Marsh family’s Crown Prince didn’t keep them in suspense. "Back in the day, they all approached Kian Sterling to express their interest in Eldest Miss Sterling. But unlike the legitimate young masters, some of the illegitimate sons with lower statuses didn’t dare to announce it publicly. They only secretly sounded out Kian Sterling."
Everyone: "..."
In the distance, Silas Norwood, dressed in a black suit, approached with a refined and elegant air.
The group of gossiping heirs immediately fell silent.
"Is everyone ready?" Silas Norwood asked, looking at the group of young, well-dressed heirs. "Then come with me to pick up the bride."
"Chairman Norwood, after you." The groomsmen politely gestured for him to get into the lead car.
The drive from the cruise ship port to Sterling Villa was about an hour and a half.
In the lead car, Silas Norwood sat in the back, listening intently as the master of ceremonies explained the procedure for picking up the bride.
"You seem a little nervous, Chairman Norwood," the MC asked uncertainly. "Is the procedure too complicated to remember? Don’t worry, I’ll be right there to remind you when the time comes."
"I’ve memorized it all," Silas Norwood replied slowly, not trying to hide it. "It’s my first time getting married. It feels a bit complicated."
"Everyone’s like that. You and your wife are deeply in love, and you’ve already registered your marriage. Legally speaking, you’re already husband and wife. This is just a formality, so just be natural."
Silas Norwood nodded, but his gaze had already fallen to his phone.
He and Celia Sterling hadn’t been in contact for nearly three hours. Ever since they registered their marriage, the two had been inseparable. Even when they were both at work, they texted constantly. This sudden, prolonged silence felt strange.
「Sterling Villa.」
Celia Sterling was already in her gown, and the makeup artist was meticulously applying her makeup.
Kian Sterling stood to the side, watching her, somewhat lost in thought.
Evan Rhodes hurried in and whispered something in his ear. Kian Sterling’s expression didn’t change as he spoke gently to Celia Sterling.
"Big Brother is stepping out for a moment."
"Silas Norwood should be here in about half an hour." Celia Sterling looked at him with her almond-shaped eyes, wanting to say more but hesitating.
"I’ll just be nearby, meeting an old acquaintance." Kian Sterling’s doting gaze fell upon her radiant face, his voice low and fond. "Don’t worry, I will personally carry Cece out the door."
Celia Sterling’s worries were eased, and she obediently hummed in agreement.
Kian Sterling walked out.
Celia Sterling had just started chatting with Silas Norwood on WeChat. Besides proactively reporting his location, Silas Norwood found all sorts of other things to talk about, seeming unusually clingy.
Of course, he was usually clingy anyway.
Celia Sterling chatted with him for over ten minutes. Only after he told her his car had turned onto the private road leading to Sterling Villa did she put down her phone and carefully examine her makeup in the mirror.
The moment Kian Sterling stepped out of Celia Sterling’s dressing room, the warmth on his face vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.
In the living room, June Coleman and Natalie Shepherd were also present, chatting and laughing with several aunts and sisters-in-law from the Sterling clan. Their words were filled with envy and satisfaction regarding the wedding.
When she saw Kian Sterling walk out of the inner room with a frosty expression, June Coleman’s smile vanished. She stood up. "Kian, what’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing. Mother, you and the aunts can continue chatting." Kian Sterling tossed out the sentence and walked out the door.
At the main gate of the villa, Franklin Sterling was being blocked by several bodyguards. His face was dark, his eyes filled with anger.
"You insolent whelp! It’s Cece’s wedding! Are you really going to bar your own father from entering?"
Kian Sterling’s indifferent gaze fell on his face. With a placid expression, he gestured. "Let him pass."
The bodyguards immediately stood aside. Franklin Sterling straightened his suit, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Kian Sterling with no trace of fatherly affection in his eyes. "Where’s Cece? I want to see her."
Kian Sterling’s voice was cold and thin. "It’s all womenfolk inside. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to go in. The flowers in the side hall are in full bloom. Since you’ve come all this way, allow me to invite you for a cup of tea."
"You this, you that... what, am I not worthy of you calling me ’Father’?"
"You should know better than anyone whether you’re worthy or not." Kian Sterling was already heading toward the side hall. "This way, please."
For his beloved sister’s wedding, Kian Sterling had ordered nearly all the flowers in the Sterling Villa’s gardens to be replaced with festive and auspicious roses: Juliet roses of yellow and pink, finicky and delicate Ecuadorian roses, fiery red roses, cold and bewitching black roses...
Large clusters of roses spilled into every corner. The area by the side hall was filled with swathes of Juliet roses, their sweet fragrance wafting over, intoxicatingly pleasant.
A pot of hot tea was brought in by the butler:
"Chairman Sterling, please have some... and Mr. Sterling, you too."
The butler had been with the siblings for a long time. Back when Kian Sterling was deposed, he and Celia Sterling had relied on each other in this very villa, with the butler looking after them. He had watched them grow up bit by bit, so naturally, he had a vivid memory of the old Chairman Sterling—the muddle-headed man who specialized in undermining his own son.
Therefore, all the snacks he brought were Kian Sterling’s favorites. As for Franklin Sterling, the butler didn’t even ask, simply putting the things down and leaving.
"What time does the procession to pick up the bride arrive?" Franklin Sterling adopted the air of an elder. "I’ll be sending Cece off later, too."
"The Sterling Family is a prestigious one that values tradition above all." Kian Sterling shot him a cool glance. "You’ve spent a few years overseas and already forgotten the rule that parents do not send off the bride?"
"Do I need you to teach me about tradition?" Franklin Sterling’s face darkened slightly. But then he remembered he hadn’t come back this time to fight to the death with his son, so he composed himself. "Even if I’m not sending her off, I still want to watch her leave with my own eyes. I haven’t seen her in many years. I wonder what Cece looks like now. I’ve heard these past few days that she’s become very beautiful and well-behaved."
"You currently have twelve illegitimate children. The eldest is twenty-eight, and the youngest is a three-month-old embryo." Kian Sterling’s tone was bland, his calm words laced with a sense of complete control over Franklin Sterling’s life abroad. "Oh, and about that embryo... your seventh mistress probably hasn’t told you about it yet. She’s still trying to figure out how to maximize her benefits."