novelraw Chapter 190: It Just Sounded a Bit Familiar
Chapter 190: It Just Sounded a Bit Familiar
Chapter 190: It Just Sounded a Little Familiar
Tristan Sterling arrived at the hospital with a thermal lunch box to visit Alexander Sullivan.
When Alexander Sullivan saw who came in, he asked, "What are you doing here?" Noticing the scar on the left side of his face, he asked in surprise, "How did you hurt your face?"
Tristan Sterling walked over without answering, placed the lunch box on the bedside table, and said, "Are you feeling any better now?"
Alexander Sullivan replied, "Much better."
"You haven’t eaten, have you? Eat first."
Alexander Sullivan gazed out the window, his eyes dim. "I don’t have much of an appetite. I don’t want to eat."
Tristan Sterling looked down at him and asked, "What’s wrong? Something on your mind?"
Jane Sullivan had called him, saying Alexander Sullivan had suddenly stopped answering her calls. Tristan Sterling couldn’t get through to him either. After contacting a few people, he found out who Alexander was supposed to have dinner with and learned from them that Alexander had been hospitalized for a sudden headache.
Alexander Sullivan didn’t answer. He turned to look at him and said, "Go back and spend time with your daughter. I want to be alone for a while."
Tristan Sterling simply pulled over a stool and sat down. "Melissa has someone with her right now. You’re the one who needs company more."
Alexander Sullivan couldn’t help but chuckle. "After having Melissa, you’ve certainly become a bit more human."
Tristan Sterling said, "So, tell me. What really happened?"
After a moment of contemplation, Alexander Sullivan said, "I saw my father today."
Tristan Sterling’s pupils constricted slightly. "You didn’t go say hello?"
Alexander Sullivan gently shook his head. "No. He has a new family now. They’re all very happy, and he has other children. There’s no need for me to disturb him." As he spoke, a bitter smile touched the corners of his lips.
Tristan Sterling looked at him. "Maybe your father would have been happy if you’d said hello."
Alexander Sullivan gave a wry smile. "Forget it. It’s been twenty years. Whatever father-son bond we had has long since faded. We’d be strangers meeting for the first time. Why add unnecessary awkwardness? As long as they’re all doing well, that’s enough. I have nothing left to worry about."
Holidays like this, meant for family reunions, were always the most painful for him.
"I’m suddenly in the mood for a drink."
Tristan Sterling replied, "What you need right now isn’t alcohol. You need to eat a proper meal first."
With that, he stood up, unfolded the over-bed table, placed the thermal lunch box on it, and took out all the food inside.
He arranged the bowl and chopsticks for him.
There were also two mooncakes inside.
Resigned, Alexander Sullivan finally ate something.
Tristan Sterling stayed with him until his IV drip was finished and picked up his medication.
The two of them left the hospital room.
They came face-to-face with Rachel Royce and Peter Preston, who were walking toward them.
Rachel Royce saw the two men and was visibly startled for a moment. But she quickly averted her gaze, acting as if she had seen complete strangers, and walked straight past them.
Peter Preston saw them as well but showed no intention of greeting them, simply following Rachel Royce forward.
They had come mainly to deliver a restorative soup, prepared by a restaurant, to Peter Preston’s maternal grandmother.
Peter Preston’s grandmother was ill and had been hospitalized in Kingsland for three days.
Members of the Preston Family had been coming to visit the old woman one after another.
So, they were taking this opportunity to have the whole family gather for a meal on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Grandma! Aunt!"
Rachel Royce called out as she entered the hospital room.
"Rachel, Peter, you’re here."
Hearing this, Alexander Sullivan’s steps faltered.
Tristan Sterling looked at him. "What is it?"
Alexander Sullivan snapped out of it. "Nothing. It just sounded a little familiar."
In the end, Tristan Sterling said nothing more and drove him back to his villa.
The vast villa was empty and silent.
Jane Sullivan had taken Claire Ainsworth back to Portington for the holiday. When Jane had called him, it was to ask him to return to Portington as well. But for the past two years, that place hadn’t felt like home to him, and he no longer wanted to put on an act.
Tristan Sterling stayed with Alexander Sullivan at the villa for a while longer.
As he was about to leave, Tristan Sterling made a point of instructing the housekeeper to keep an eye on Alexander Sullivan and not let him drink any alcohol.
The housekeeper agreed, "Yes, I understand."
Tristan Sterling exchanged a few more words with Alexander Sullivan before leaving the villa.
He drove back to the Sterling family’s ancestral home.
Driving through the bustling streets, he saw decorations for the Mid-Autumn Festival everywhere.
His car stopped at a red light at an intersection.
His gaze was drawn to two figures crossing the street at the crosswalk amidst the crowd.
Rachel Royce was wearing a casual khaki trench coat over a long white dress. The autumn wind lifted her long hair, revealing an elegant profile. She was holding a cup of milk tea and had her head turned, saying something to the man beside her, her expression unclear from this distance.
The man beside her nodded slightly, listening to her words, his eyes behind his glasses looking exceptionally gentle.
As they walked by side-by-side, passersby couldn’t help but turn their heads for a second look, their eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
The light turned green.
Tristan Sterling drove away.
Rachel Royce and Julian Jennings headed toward the theater.
Because they had previously agreed to go to a concert together, Julian Jennings hadn’t returned to Portington. They both happened to be free today, and it was also the last show of the band’s tour in Kingsland.
She had been rushing to keep up with work recently and hadn’t had much time to rest properly, so Rachel Royce was also looking forward to relaxing a bit.
「At the theater.」
The two of them sat down in their reserved seats.
Many people had come today, and the seats were almost completely full.
The concert would last for ninety minutes.
「Half an hour later.」
Rachel Royce suddenly received a call from Melissa.
She quickly got up and went outside to take it.
"Aunt Evelynn, when are you coming to pick me up?"
She had promised Melissa yesterday that she would bring her over to her house for dinner tonight. It would be their first reunion dinner.
Rachel Royce said, "Auntie will come pick Melissa up after five o’clock," which would be right after the concert finished.
This Chapter is not over, please click the next page to continue reading!
Melissa said, "Then where is Aunt Evelynn? Can I come find you now?"
Rachel Royce thought for a moment. Melissa was probably at the Sterling ancestral home right now, and she really didn’t want to go there, so she agreed.
’By the time Melissa arrives, the concert will be almost over anyway.’
Rachel Royce returned to the theater and sat down.
Julian Jennings asked, "Was that Melissa on the phone?"
Rachel Royce hummed in agreement. "I’m taking her home for dinner tonight."
"Does Melissa know you’re going abroad?"
"I haven’t told her yet. I’ll take the opportunity to tell her properly tonight."
The moment the concert ended, Rachel Royce received a call from Tristan Sterling.
「Outside the theater.」
Rachel Royce saw Tristan Sterling and Melissa. Melissa was wearing a pink mask while the man stood with her, admiring the large chrysanthemum display in front of the theater. Spotting what seemed to be a butterfly, Melissa happily pointed it out to her father.
An extraordinarily handsome man with a beautiful, adorable child—many people were leaving the theater just then, and quite a few of them cast admiring glances toward the father and daughter.
Rachel Royce walked toward Melissa.
Julian Jennings followed beside her.
Tristan Sterling saw the two of them approaching. Melissa noticed Rachel Royce and ran toward her.
"Aunt Evelynn!"
Rachel Royce smiled gently and took Melissa’s little hand.
Seeing Julian Jennings, Melissa politely called out, "Mr. Jennings."
Julian Jennings said, "Melissa, long time no see."
Rachel Royce watched the two of them greet each other with a gentle look in her eyes.
Tristan Sterling stood where he was, watching.
Rachel Royce lifted her gaze to the man and saw the scar on the side of his cheek. It was from when she’d hit him with her bag that day, and it was still quite noticeable.