novelraw Chapter 229: No Need to be So Resistant
Chapter 229: No Need to be So Resistant
Chapter 229: No Need to Be So Resistant
The man didn’t dare say another word, scurrying away with his head down as if fleeing for his life.
Tristan Sterling looked at Rachel Royce and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Rachel answered flatly, "Waiting for someone."
"Who are you waiting for?"
Rachel lifted her eyes to shoot him a sidelong glance. "If you have something to do, President Sterling, please go attend to it. It’s better if we act like strangers when we’re out."
Tristan said, "It’s just a few words. There’s no need to be so resistant."
Rachel turned to look at the man, then decided to stop speaking altogether. She took out her phone, about to make a call, when a voice called out, "Rachel!"
It was Thomas Sterling.
Rachel put her phone away and hurried forward to support Thomas Sterling. He was being propped up by someone else and had clearly had a lot to drink.
"Hey, sister-in-law!"
Rachel was taken aback by his words and looked at the man supporting Thomas Sterling.
Thomas’s head was heavy, but his mind was still clear. "Don’t call her that," he said, his voice lacking any strength.
His friend just chuckled.
"You can head back. I’ll be going now," Thomas said to his friend.
"Alright then. We’ll catch up another time. Sister-in-law, I’ll leave Thomas in your hands."
Rachel only offered a faint smile and reached out to support Thomas. "Can you walk?"
"I’m fine. Let’s go!"
Once they were outside, the cold wind sobered Thomas up even more. He saw the man standing a short distance away. Under the dim light, the man’s expression was obscure and unreadable.
Thomas simply nodded at him.
Rachel didn’t look at Tristan Sterling again.
The two of them walked toward the parking lot.
Rachel then heard a drunken, tear-choked voice cry out from behind them, "Tristan!"
Rachel instinctively glanced back and saw Claire Ainsworth, dead drunk and unconscious, being helped out of the bar. She looked as if she had drunk herself into a stupor out of overwhelming sadness.
Upon seeing Claire Ainsworth, Tristan Sterling strode forward.
Rachel averted her gaze, not looking again.
Once they were in the car, Thomas Sterling leaned back against the seat, completely drained of energy.
Rachel started the car and drove off.
She tried to keep the speed slow.
Just a few minutes after they set off, Thomas Sterling’s phone vibrated. He picked it up, glanced at the screen, and answered the call.
"Mom."
"Okay, I understand."
After he hung up, Thomas Sterling said to Rachel, "Rachel, could you please take me home?"
Rachel didn’t ask any questions. "Alright."
She made a U-turn at the next intersection.
「Half an hour later.」
The car pulled up to the Sterling family’s old estate.
Evelyn Fitzwilliam and her husband had always lived at the estate, occupying the courtyard on the east side.
Rachel parked the car outside the entrance to the main hall.
By now, Thomas Sterling had leaned back and fallen asleep. She gently shook his shoulder. "Thomas, we’re here."
Thomas groggily opened his eyes, his head feeling even heavier than before.
Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, and hurried around the front of the car to open the passenger door. Just as she did, Thomas suddenly vomited out onto the ground.
Rachel jumped in surprise.
She quickly headed toward the main hall and saw Evelyn Fitzwilliam coming down the stairs.
Evelyn froze for a moment when she saw Rachel.
Rachel addressed her politely, "Mrs. Sterling, I brought Thomas home. He doesn’t seem to be feeling well. It might be best to have someone help him inside."
Evelyn Fitzwilliam quickly instructed a maid to go help him.
A maid helped Thomas Sterling into the house. As soon as Evelyn got close, she smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her son and asked worriedly, "Why did you drink so much?"
Thomas said, "I’m fine. I just had a few drinks with a friend."
"Go upstairs and rest. I’ll have someone make you some sobering soup."
Thomas looked at Rachel. "Rachel, be careful on your way back."
Rachel nodded. "You get some rest."
With that, she said her goodbyes to Evelyn Fitzwilliam and turned to leave.
Just as Rachel was about to open the car door, Evelyn Fitzwilliam, who was standing on the steps, suddenly called out to her.
"Rachel!"
Rachel froze in her tracks.
The Sterling family had long known her true identity, but hearing Evelyn Fitzwilliam call her by her name still gave her a jolt of surprise.
Evelyn Fitzwilliam walked toward Rachel.
Rachel looked at her and said with a polite smile, "Mrs. Sterling."
She hadn’t had much interaction with Evelyn, but she knew she was Mr. Fitzwilliam’s daughter and could tell she was gentler than Sylvia Shannon.
Evelyn asked, "I heard you were filing for divorce from Tristan?"
Rachel hummed in confirmation. "But I’ve already withdrawn the suit."
Hearing this, Evelyn showed no surprise.
’After all, knowing the kind of person Tristan Sterling is, if he doesn’t want a divorce, there’s no way Rachel could win a lawsuit against him.’
"Does Melissa know that you’re her mother?"
Rachel didn’t quite know how to answer. In Melissa’s heart, she was her mother; it was just that Rachel herself hadn’t admitted it to her yet.
’I wonder why Evelyn Fitzwilliam is suddenly asking me this.’
"Probably," she replied.
Evelyn saw the bitterness in Rachel’s eyes and formed a guess. "I know you suffered a great deal back then. Even with Melissa, it must be difficult for you to live with Tristan again. But Melissa is still so young, and it’s clear she really loves you. Even if you truly can’t be with Tristan, you should at least give her a complete and happy childhood. The child is always innocent."
Rachel understood what Evelyn meant. She wanted her to compromise for Melissa’s sake, at least until the girl was old enough to understand.
’It seems all elders hope a woman will compromise for her child’s sake.’
’I just don’t understand why Evelyn Fitzwilliam is telling me all this.’
’Tristan Sterling isn’t even that close to his own mother, let alone his aunt.’
’Perhaps she’s saying this for Melissa’s sake.’
It was clear that Melissa was adored by the entire Sterling family.
She simply smiled faintly and said, "I understand what you mean, Mrs. Sterling. It’s cold out here. You should go back inside before you catch a chill."
Evelyn didn’t say anything more. Instead, she said, "Come to the house for dinner this Thursday evening."
Rachel was puzzled.
Evelyn simply smiled without offering an explanation and turned to go back inside.
Rachel got into her car. ’I’ll ask Thomas tomorrow what’s so special about Thursday.’
It was already past ten o’clock by the time she got home.
Walking into the living room, she saw Johnson Royce sitting on the sofa watching TV. "Dad, you’re still up?"
Johnson Royce turned to look at her. "Rachel, you’re back."
"Is Brother home?"
"He’s back. He should be busy in the study right now. Did you have a good weekend?"
"Mhm, I relaxed a bit. Now I can focus on work this week."
Rachel sat down across from Johnson Royce and chatted with her father for a while.
"By the way, what’s the situation with you and Tristan Sterling now?" Johnson Royce asked.
Rachel replied, "Same as always." She gave a helpless smile. "We’ll leave things as they are for now. It’s not like I’m in a hurry to get married, anyway."
Johnson Royce said, "The way you two are now, you can’t even be considered a married couple. The Sterling family doesn’t even acknowledge your existence. Rachel, you can’t be alone forever. You should try to find love again."
He hoped Rachel could get a divorce quickly and remarry someone who would love and cherish her.
’Jane Sullivan’s words might not have been entirely for my daughter’s benefit, but they weren’t without merit. If Rachel finds a new boyfriend, Tristan Sterling might just be willing to grant her a divorce.’