novelraw Chapter 186: When Will the Two Get Married?
Chapter 186: When Will the Two Get Married?
Chapter 186: When Will They Marry?
Rachel Royce watched as her hand was left empty, but she said nothing.
She heard Nina Fitzwilliam’s voice from behind her. "Uncle."
Rachel Royce turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw Thomas Sterling.
Rachel Royce led Melissa over.
"Uncle," Melissa called out.
Thomas Sterling looked over. His eyes met Rachel Royce’s, and they shared a smile.
He stepped forward, scooped Melissa up, and lifted her high into the air.
Melissa squealed with laughter.
Thomas Sterling set Melissa down and looked up at Tristan Sterling, who had walked over to stand beside Rachel Royce.
The smile vanished from his eyes. "Tristan," he called out.
Tristan Sterling grunted in acknowledgment. "You’re here."
The dinner party ended at nine o’clock.
Franklin Fitzwilliam and William Jensen said their goodbyes to the guests as they left one by one.
Before leaving, Sharon Sinclair took Rachel Royce’s hand and said, "Let’s get together properly again when we have time."
Rachel Royce nodded with a smile and agreed, "Okay."
Jason Sinclair said goodbye to Tristan Sterling and the others before getting into his car and leaving.
Tristan Sterling was holding the already fast-asleep Melissa. She had played all day, from morning till night, and after only a short break, she had been so exhausted she’d fallen asleep.
He said goodbye to Franklin Fitzwilliam and his wife, then took Melissa straight to the car.
William Jensen glanced at Rachel Royce, who looked back at her. "I should get going, too," Rachel said.
"Okay, be careful on the road."
Rachel Royce got into Thomas Sterling’s car.
After they had all left one after another, William Jensen asked, "What do you think Tristan Sterling is really thinking about Rachel Royce right now? I heard Rachel wants to divorce him, but Tristan won’t go through with it."
You could say he doesn’t care about Rachel, yet he refuses to divorce her. And today, his attitude toward her seemed quite gentle.
But if you say he does care, he left without even a word to Rachel.
Franklin Fitzwilliam put an arm around his wife’s shoulders as they started walking back. "Tristan loves Melissa so much. He probably still wants to give her a complete family."
"If he wants to give Melissa a complete family, then why doesn’t he make it up to Rachel and win her back?"
"You know what kind of person Tristan is. Do you really think he’d lower himself to win back a woman? Especially a woman he once cast aside with contempt?"
William Jensen frowned in confusion. "So he won’t divorce her, but he won’t try to win her back either? What’s that supposed to mean?"
Franklin Fitzwilliam sighed. "For a man like him, what he always wants is for others to submit to him."
Realization dawned on William Jensen. She looked at her husband. "You mean Tristan Sterling wants Rachel Royce to surrender to him?"
Franklin Fitzwilliam nodded in agreement.
William Jensen couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. She already knew Tristan Sterling was cold-blooded, but seeing his attitude toward Rachel, it was clear that not just anyone could be his wife.
"But Rachel Royce’s attitude toward Tristan Sterling is quite cold. I can see she really loves Melissa, but even so, she hasn’t taken Melissa back. It shows she’s unwilling to submit to him." She sighed. "Five years ago, she hardened her heart and left her child behind. She must have been hurt too deeply. No matter how much she once loved him, it’s probably impossible for her to love him again now."
Franklin Fitzwilliam said, "You’re right. Tristan is indeed too cold-blooded."
"Honestly, fate should make a man like Tristan Sterling suffer the bitterness of love. Let him have a taste of what it’s like to love someone he can’t have."
Franklin Fitzwilliam laughed and looked at his wife. "To be honest, I’d quite like to see him get taken down a peg myself."
William Jensen suddenly realized something. "Why do I feel like you’ve been acting strange today? So you were deliberately showing off in front of him, weren’t you?"
Franklin Fitzwilliam didn’t deny it. "I just wanted him to see what a happy and fulfilling life actually looks like."
William Jensen was speechless. "You’re unbelievable!"
At that moment, Tristan Sterling was sitting in his car, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window. Suddenly, his nose felt inexplicably itchy. He raised a hand to rub it, then turned to look at Melissa, who was sound asleep in her child seat.
*
Thomas Sterling drove Rachel Royce back to the Royce family home.
Thomas Sterling said, "On the 16th, I’m going to New York with you."
Rachel Royce glanced at him from the side.
Thomas Sterling explained, "A game we developed earlier has had an excellent reception in the North American Region. I’m going there for a gaming event and, while I’m at it, to bring back an award."
Rachel Royce smiled. "In that case, congratulations are in order."
Thomas Sterling chuckled. "I’ll treat you to a meal when we get there."
"Deal."
Rachel Royce had temporarily finished most of the work at Rowan that required her physical presence. The follow-up on the two major projects she had secured during this time would be handled by Joanna Sutton.
Today, there was also an interview show she had to host, which had been scheduled long in advance.
This time, the guest was none other than Alexander Sullivan.
In the professional setting of the studio, Rachel Royce’s demeanor toward Alexander Sullivan was no different from how she treated any other guest.
"President Sullivan, hello. Please, have a seat."
Alexander Sullivan nodded with a smile. "Hello."
The two shook hands.
Then they sat down.
Rachel Royce went straight to the point and began today’s interview.
After the main part of the interview concluded...
Rachel Royce suddenly threw out a sharp, piercing question. "I’ve heard that the chairman of the MK Group has always groomed you as his successor. As the CEO of MK, what is your purpose now in developing M&A operations in Kingsland, using companies you’ve acquired to take over subsidiaries belonging to MK itself?"
It would be impossible to say she didn’t feel even a little bit vengeful toward Alexander Sullivan.
Rachel Royce had just publicly asked about what should have been a confidential corporate matter. It was a direct provocation against Alexander Sullivan’s public image, dragging the conflict between him and MK out into the open.
The others who heard Rachel Royce’s question were also taken aback.
The director below the stage was especially startled.
He saw that Alexander Sullivan’s expression hadn’t changed much at all.
The director quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie to warn her.
Today’s show was being broadcast live.
But Rachel Royce simply reached up and turned off her earpiece.
The director’s face changed, and he quickly sent someone to go remind her.
Alexander Sullivan answered Rachel Royce’s question calmly and deliberately. "This is normal corporate operations. All business is conducted with the group’s best interests as the top priority."
Rachel Royce sneered inwardly. ’He really is a sly old fox of the business world. His words are completely watertight.’
She ignored his rhetoric and immediately moved on to the next question. "Mr. Tristan Sterling and your sister, Miss Claire Ainsworth, have been together for five years. May I ask when they will be getting married? And I wonder, will this affect the cooperation between you and Cedarwood?"
The name Tristan Sterling was a frequent feature in major financial news reports.
A photo of him from a public event once went viral online. His handsome, wealthy, and noble yet charming princely aura attracted the attention of many people outside of business circles.
During that time, newspapers featuring him would sell out quickly offline. Some obsessive fans even went to stake out the Cedarwood Group headquarters, fantasizing about a chance encounter between a wealthy prince and a Cinderella.
「Since then」
He forbade his photo from being published for any public events or interviews he attended.
And as for his private life, there was absolutely no information available online.
Rachel Royce’s question had just thrown Tristan Sterling’s personal romantic life out for public consumption, which was certain to ignite a firestorm of speculation and debate both inside and outside their social circles.
The director shot to his feet. "Has Evelynn lost her mind today?"
Was Tristan Sterling someone they could afford to offend? Did she want to get this show canceled?
The director ordered someone to cut to a different feed immediately.