novelraw Chapter 245: Tristan Sterling, I Beg You, Don’t Touch Me
Chapter 245: Tristan Sterling, I Beg You, Don’t Touch Me
Chapter 245: Tristan Sterling, I’m Begging You, Don’t Touch Me
"Yes," came the respectful reply from the other end of the line. Tristan Sterling arrived at Ivan Alden’s villa to pick up Melissa.
When Ivan Alden saw Tristan Sterling, they chatted idly like any two parents. "Melissa really looks like you, President Sterling." At first glance, Melissa’s overall appearance was a spitting image of Tristan, though her features resembled Rachel Royce’s from certain angles.
Tristan Sterling reached out, took Melissa’s little hand in his, and looked at Ivan Alden. "Of course my daughter looks like me." Stella also resembled Ivan Alden.
He’d noticed the resemblance the first time he saw Stella, as he knew Ivan Alden was divorced and his daughter lived with her mother.
"Melissa, say goodbye to Mr. Alden and Stella." "Goodbye, Mr. Alden! Goodbye, Stella!" Knowing Rachel Royce wasn’t coming to pick Melissa up, June Jennings had already left.
Tristan Sterling accepted the gift Ivan Alden had for Melissa on her behalf.
Once they were in the car.
Melissa asked, "Daddy, why didn’t Mommy come with you to pick me up?" "Mommy’s very busy with work lately. She’ll come get you on the weekend." Melissa hummed in understanding. "Mommy works so hard. Daddy, you have to work hard and make lots of money so Mommy doesn’t have to work so hard." Tristan Sterling stroked Melissa’s small head, his voice full of affection. "Anything you say, Melissa."
「The next day.」
The people from Norvane had arranged a dinner meeting.
Rachel Royce, Joanna Sutton, and Marcus Sheldon arrived at the reserved private room, but the other party hadn’t shown up yet.
The three of them waited in the private room.
A waiter brought them tea.
Twenty minutes passed.
The people from Norvane still hadn’t arrived.
Joanna Sutton was getting irritated. "Why aren’t the people from Norvane here yet?" Rachel Royce glanced at her watch, her brow furrowing slightly. "Let’s wait another ten minutes."
A few minutes later, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and answered. "Professor." Julian Jennings’s voice came through the line. "The Norvane acquisition has been handed over to Cedarwood."
"What?" ’It’s in Tristan Sterling’s hands?’
’What on earth does he mean by this?’
"I just got the news myself. You should all come back for now." Just as Rachel was about to reply, she saw Joanna suddenly grow faint and collapse onto the table.
"Joanna!" Rachel cried out.
"This water..." Marcus Sheldon felt his head become incredibly heavy.
Rachel’s head snapped toward the glasses of water in front of them. They hadn’t drunk any at first.
But Joanna, feeling irritated, had taken a drink, and Marcus had followed her lead with a sip from his own glass.
Before Marcus could finish his sentence, he fainted as well.
"Rachel, what’s happening?" Julian’s urgent voice came through the phone.
"Someone drugged our water. I didn’t drink any." "I’m on my way now. Go lock the door." Rachel immediately turned and rushed toward the door.
She was just about to lock it.
But a sudden, immense force from the other side stopped her.
The person outside shoved hard.
The door slammed into Rachel, throwing her to the ground. Her forehead struck the doorframe hard.
"Ah!" She clutched her forehead.
Looking up, she saw a tall, imposing man walk in.
"You—" A hand clamped over her mouth.
「Ten minutes earlier.」
The team from Norvane was waiting in a private room in the hotel across the street.
They were supposed to be meeting with Rachel today, primarily to smooth things over with Rowan. After all, there was nothing to be gained from antagonizing them.
But no one had shown up.
They had also just received news that the acquisition had been transferred to Cedarwood.
They didn’t know why, but partnering with Cedarwood was an excellent alternative.
Seeing that the Rowan team still hadn’t arrived and that their calls were going unanswered, the people from Norvane prepared to leave.
Just then.
A man walked through the door.
When Mr. Bell saw the man at the lead, he rushed forward and said respectfully, "President Sterling, what brings you here?" Tristan Sterling glanced inside the private room. "The people from Rowan aren’t here?" Mr. Bell was taken aback, unsure what was going on. "I’m not sure what happened," he explained. "I just called, but no one picked up."
Tristan Sterling’s brow furrowed sharply.
Seeing the look on his face, Mr. Bell’s heart clenched.
Tristan turned and walked out, pulling out his phone to dial Rachel’s number. It went straight to voicemail. His expression instantly darkened.
He lowered his phone.
His expression was grim. After two seconds of silence, he turned back to face the people from Norvane. The sheer force of his presence made them all shudder.
"Pres-President Sterling, is something wrong?" Tristan ignored Mr. Bell, his cold, sharp gaze locking precisely onto the assistant standing behind him.
The moment Tristan had looked at them, the assistant had flinched, his eyes darting away guiltily. A reaction that did not escape Tristan’s notice.
He strode right up to the assistant, his voice low and terrifying. "Were you the one who gave Rowan the location?" The meeting details had been relayed by this very assistant.
The assistant’s face went white with terror. His legs felt weak, and he didn’t dare meet the man’s eyes. His voice trembled uncontrollably. "Y-Yes." Tristan’s dark eyes narrowed. "Where are they now?" At Tristan’s words, Mr. Bell finally understood. ’No wonder they never showed up.’ His own gaze toward his assistant grew cold.
As Tristan rushed to the hotel across the street, he suddenly received a call from Claire Ainsworth.
He ignored it.
Claire then sent a text: *Tristan, I have a sudden, terrible headache.*
But her message received no reply.
She had just learned that her brother had transferred the partnership to Cedarwood.
Neither her brother nor Tristan had discussed it with her, and she wasn’t sure what Tristan’s intentions were. A certain possibility came to mind.
She immediately went to Cedarwood to find Tristan, but he wasn’t there. His secretary told her, "I’m not sure. I heard he was going to meet with someone from Norvane."
An indescribable panic and nervousness welled up inside her.
Yet now, Tristan wasn’t answering her calls or replying to her texts.
This frightened her even more.
She picked up her phone and immediately called Ivan Alden.
*
CRASH!
Rachel grabbed the lamp from the bedside table and smashed it over the head of the man tearing at her clothes.
The man grunted in pain.
Rachel seized the opportunity to shove the man away and scrambled to get off the bed. But the drug had taken effect, her limbs felt like jelly, and she collapsed onto the floor. The horrifying memory of what had just happened flashed through her mind, making her tremble and retch. It was a dual torment, both physical and mental.
Bracing one hand on the edge of the bed, she forced herself to stand.
But the man was already upon her. Just as he was about to throw her back onto the bed...
the door was thrown open.
The attacker jumped, startled.
When he turned and saw who it was, his face filled with horror. The newcomer’s gaze was like a thousand blades, flaying him alive.
For a moment, he completely forgot where he was.
Before he could react,
security guards seized him and dragged him out.
As Tristan bent down and reached to pick her up, Rachel had a trauma response, gasping out, "Don’t touch me!" Her voice was faint and weak.
Tristan’s arms paused for a moment before he continued, lifting her into his arms.
Rachel’s breathing grew more rapid, her eyes welling with tears as she struggled. His gaze traveled from her soft cheeks, flushed crimson by the drug, down to her heaving chest. He swallowed hard.
After a two-second pause, he gently placed her on the bed.
He looked at the woman on the bed. She was down to her last layer, a form-fitting knit dress that clung to her graceful curves. Her long hair was splayed out beneath her, and veins stood out on her slender, flushed neck. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Tristan knelt on the edge of the bed with one knee and leaned over her. He gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and coaxed in a low voice, "The discomfort will be over soon." His men had already discreetly closed the door behind them.
He took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and unclasped the watch from his wrist.
As he reached for the last layer of her clothing, Rachel felt his touch and began to struggle. "No." Tristan held her down firmly. "We’re husband and wife. This is what we’re supposed to do," he said, his voice as gentle as if he were soothing his wife.
Rachel looked up at him, the last of her sanity crumbling. Fear filled her eyes as she pleaded in a hoarse, choked voice, "Tristan Sterling, I’m begging you, please... don’t touch me. Take me to the hospital."