novelraw Chapter 215: He Knows What She Wants to Talk About
Chapter 215: He Knows What She Wants to Talk About
Chapter 215: He Knew What She Wanted to Talk About
June Jennings and Joanna Sutton stopped talking.
「The next day.」
Rachel Royce mailed the bracelet to Tristan Sterling’s company.
The package arrived at the front desk.
Claire Ainsworth happened to be at the company looking for Tristan Sterling.
Ever since she ran into Rachel Royce in New York, her brother had sent her back home the very next day. Tristan Sterling hadn’t contacted her, and she couldn’t get in touch with him either.
Although her brother told her he was busy with work, a growing unease settled in her heart.
With Tristan Sterling out of the country, she hadn’t been in the mood to come to work.
Now that she knew he was back, she had specifically cooked lunch herself and brought it to him today.
As she reached the front desk, she overheard the courier and the receptionist talking.
"Is this for your President Sterling?"
The receptionist saw Claire Ainsworth and replied respectfully, "Yes, it is."
"Give it to me. I’ll take it up to him."
"The item is valuable and requires President Sterling to sign for it personally. I’ll go upstairs with you, Miss Ainsworth."
The receptionist asked the courier to wait for a moment.
Then, she and Claire Ainsworth went upstairs together.
Claire Ainsworth looked at the exquisitely wrapped box in her hands. She curiously opened it and saw a stunning, translucent purple bracelet inside.
Claire Ainsworth was captivated at first sight.
The receptionist was also stunned when she saw the contents of the box. The bracelet looked incredibly valuable. She couldn’t help but say flatteringly, "This must be a gift from President Sterling for you, Miss Ainsworth."
Upon hearing this, a joyful smile touched Claire Ainsworth’s lips. ’Tristan must have gotten this for me to make up for things.’
’How could Tristan possibly not care about me?’
She closed the box and handed it to the receptionist. "You take it to your President Sterling to sign for. I’ll go up in a little while."
She wanted to wait for Tristan to give her the surprise himself.
They were still waiting for the elevator.
The receptionist took it and placed the box back into the packaging bag.
"Okay."
Claire Ainsworth suppressed her excitement, feeling the frustration that had built up over the past few weeks finally melt away.
「Ten minutes later.」
When Claire Ainsworth saw the receptionist come back down, she picked up her insulated lunch box and took the elevator upstairs, completely missing the odd look on the receptionist’s face.
President Sterling’s expression had been quite sour when he signed for the package; he certainly didn’t look like someone who had just received a gift he intended to give away.
Since Claire Ainsworth didn’t ask, the receptionist didn’t say anything.
Claire Ainsworth knocked and entered the president’s office.
"Tristan!"
Tristan Sterling looked at Claire Ainsworth, his expression unchanging.
Seeing Tristan Sterling’s indifferent attitude, Claire Ainsworth’s initial joy evaporated, and her heart sank. She cautiously approached, placed the insulated lunch box on his desk, and said, "Tristan, I’m sorry."
Tristan Sterling retorted, "Sorry for what?"
"I..."
Claire Ainsworth bit her lip, feeling wronged and indignant. ’Is Tristan really going to take Rachel Royce’s side? But what I said wasn’t wrong.’
She fell silent.
After a moment, she heard Tristan Sterling’s deep voice say, "This company isn’t your playground. If you don’t want to take your job seriously, then just stay home."
Though the man’s tone wasn’t harsh, his words were startling.
Claire Ainsworth’s head snapped up. ’Is Tristan mad at me over this? Not because of Rachel Royce?’
"I’m sorry, Tristan. I just hadn’t seen you in so long, and I couldn’t reach you after I came back. I was really scared, so I wasn’t in the mood to stay at the company. I’ll work hard from now on."
’Now that Tristan Sterling is back, of course I have to stay at the company and keep an eye on him.’
At that moment, her large, watery eyes, filled with grievance and pity, were fixed on Tristan Sterling.
"Then pull yourself together and get back to your desk."
Claire Ainsworth replied, "Okay, I understand." As she spoke, she pushed the insulated lunch box toward him. "I cooked this myself. Please try it, Tristan."
"Alright."
Claire Ainsworth didn’t move. ’He hasn’t given me the bracelet yet,’ she thought. ’It must be because he hasn’t completely forgiven me.’
’Ever since Tristan had Melissa, he stopped doting on me so unconditionally.’
’Now he’s even blaming me just for not taking my job seriously.’
Seeing that she hadn’t moved, Tristan Sterling asked, "Is there something else?"
Claire Ainsworth secretly clenched her fists but didn’t ask in the end. ’Tristan will probably give it to me once he’s not angry anymore. I can’t risk making him more upset right now.’
"I’ll go get back to my work, then."
Tristan Sterling hummed in response.
Claire Ainsworth turned and left the office.
Just as she left the office, she received a call from her mother and walked toward a quieter area to take it.
"Hello, Mom."
"Did you see Tristan?"
Claire Ainsworth gave a dejected hum.
Jane Sullivan heard the dejection in her daughter’s voice and asked with concern, "What is it? Is Tristan still angry with you?"
Claire Ainsworth explained the situation to her mother, then added, "But Tristan bought me a bracelet. I think he’s still mad about me not taking my job seriously, so he hasn’t given it to me yet."
Hearing this, Jane Sullivan asked, "Are you sure Tristan bought it for you?"
"I saw it. It’s a purple bracelet, and it would look perfect on me."
’Who else would he give it to? That kind of bracelet isn’t something you’d give to an older female relative.’
"It would be best if he really is giving it to you. At least that means he still cares about you. But now that he has Melissa, Claire, you can’t keep being so spoiled and willful. You need to learn some restraint. A man’s patience has its limits; don’t wear out his affection for you."
Jane Sullivan patiently reminded her daughter.
Although Claire Ainsworth found it hard to accept that Tristan Sterling no longer indulged her completely, she knew her mother’s words were right.
After giving her daughter instructions, Jane Sullivan hung up the phone.
She put down her phone, lost in thought.
’Tristan Sterling isn’t like other men. No one can easily manipulate him, not even the Sterling Family. His only weakness is Melissa, and Melissa is completely devoted to Rachel Royce.’
’Trying to get him to divorce Rachel is impossible. The only way is if something happens on Rachel’s side—something that disgusts him so much he feels he has no choice but to divorce her, something that makes him believe she’s unfit to be Melissa’s mother.’
’Thinking of Rachel Royce—her other daughter—she felt an indescribable mix of emotions.’
’But right now, I have to make plans for Claire and for the Ainsworth Family.’
’If she successfully divorces Tristan, it would be setting her free in a way. She could go find a partner who’s actually right for her.’
’She couldn’t help but recall seeing Thomas Sterling at the hospital the other day. It was clear to her that Thomas was also interested in Rachel.’
’They looked good together, too.’
After school that afternoon, Melissa called Rachel Royce. Her school was holding a parent-child activity the next day, and she wanted both her mom and dad to go with her.
Rachel Royce wanted to politely decline, but hearing the hopeful tone in her daughter’s voice, she could only agree.
She had consulted Lawyer Goodman again today about refiling the lawsuit. The shares she held had now been dealt with, so she no longer had any financial entanglement with Tristan Sterling.
Judging by Tristan Sterling’s current behavior, he clearly had no intention of filing for divorce.
Although she wanted to give him the cold shoulder, she didn’t want him to just keep stringing her along like this.
But a direct confrontation wouldn’t solve anything.
She picked up her phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally sent Tristan Sterling a message: "Tristan Sterling, can we please talk?"
When Tristan Sterling received the message, he knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.