Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Weren’t We Supposed to Be Pretending?
"He’s at the hospital?"
Wyatt Sterling asked.
Mason Cheney nodded. "Yes, Eldest Young Master Hawthorne has already gotten on the elevator. He only has one female subordinate with him."
"Hah." Wyatt Sterling disliked the man, so his tone was naturally cold and grim. "He certainly got here early."
’Way too early!’
Alice York hadn’t expected Felix Hawthorne to arrive so early today either.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Wyatt Sterling’s gaze suddenly shifted to her. He reminded her, "Don’t talk so much."
The words caught in her throat.
’He’s the one who made my throat infection worse, and he still has the nerve to be this bossy.’
"That look on your face... are you cursing me out in your head?" He kept his eyes fixed on her, not missing a single expression.
Alice subconsciously opened her mouth to speak again, but Wyatt’s sharp command—"Hold it. Less talking."—left her utterly speechless.
All desire to speak vanished.
This speechless expression was even more vivid and adorable than her expressions when she spoke. Wyatt couldn’t resist reaching out and touching her cheek.
Alice watched his hand approach and didn’t shy away. The moment his fingers touched her face, she puffed out her cheeks.
Wyatt’s touch changed from a gentle brush to a soft pinch, a smile spreading across his lips. "Good girl."
"..."
’What kind of time is this to be calling me a good girl!’
A noise came from outside the hospital room. Wyatt retracted his hand and stood up. As he looked up, Felix Hawthorne walked in.
He was alone; his subordinate was waiting outside the room.
"Third Master Sterling, what a coincidence. You’re here too."
From the moment Felix entered the room, his gaze was fixed on Alice. Though he was verbally greeting Wyatt, he didn’t even spare him a glance from the corner of his eye.
Wyatt’s expression was frosty, his tone distant. "Is Eldest Young Master Hawthorne here to see a doctor, and just happened to be passing by?"
Alice sighed internally. ’Why do these two start competing the second they see each other!’
"You jest, Third Master Sterling. I am in perfect health. I came to the hospital specifically to visit someone important, not just passing by."
He clearly stressed the words "someone important."
Wyatt chose to be direct rather than subtle with his warning. "Eldest Young Master Hawthorne, don’t get into character too quickly."
"I’ll try my best."
As Felix spoke, he had already walked to Wyatt’s side.
He raised a hand to adjust the rimless glasses on his nose. "And you, Third Master Sterling, coming to the hospital so early in the morning to visit your niece. What a good elder."
Wyatt’s eyes narrowed, a flash of coldness in them.
Felix said no more. He walked to the bedside, and the moment his gaze returned to Alice, his expression softened with tenderness.
"Are you feeling any better today?" Felix asked softly.
It was inconvenient for Alice to speak, so she just nodded.
She had just witnessed a clash between Felix and Wyatt. It was hard to say who won or lost, but in any case, neither of them looked pleased.
But Felix’s expression changed quite fast; he smiled the moment he saw her.
"Is this the only IV bag for today?" Felix looked up at the fluid in the drip, which was flowing very slowly.
Just as Alice was hesitating over whether to speak, Wyatt’s voice cut in, "This is the only bag. That’s it when it’s finished."
Felix turned his head to look at Wyatt.
Wyatt ignored Felix’s gaze, walked back to his original seat, and sat down, showing no intention of leaving.
Felix asked Alice again, "What about tomorrow? Will you need another drip?"
Once again, it was Wyatt who answered. "That depends on her recovery."
Felix furrowed his brow, but just then, Alice gave him a small smile. With that one smile, all the fire and anger in Felix’s heart dissipated.
Alice pointed to her throat, then waved her hand. Her meaning was easy enough to understand: ’My throat hurts, I can’t talk.’
"How did it suddenly get so serious? Weren’t you still..." Halfway through his sentence, Felix’s gaze suddenly fell on Wyatt.
In an instant, his expression turned incredibly grim and cold.
Wyatt sat there, completely imperturbable, ignoring Felix entirely.
Alice was the only one who felt awkward. She could barely lift her head.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
There was another knock on the door.
Mason Cheney stood at the door and said, "Third Master, Owen Sterling is here."
"Big Brother is here?"
That was Alice’s voice. Though it was very hoarse, it was still clear enough to be understood.
Wyatt and Felix’s gazes snapped toward her simultaneously. Alice fixed her gaze downward, slowly lowering her head.
’Oh, right. I’m not supposed to talk.’
Before long, Owen Sterling had already walked in. When he saw the other two men in the room, he was clearly a bit surprised.
But right now, he only had eyes for Alice. He strode to the bedside, casually tossed the jacket from the crook of his arm onto the foot of the bed, and called out, "Alice, how are you? Feeling any better?"
Alice beamed, her happiness at Owen’s arrival visibly apparent.
She wanted to call him "Big Brother" and tell him to sit, but she pressed her lips together and remained silent, simply patting the spot beside her on the bed to gesture to him.
The smile on Owen’s face was exceptionally gentle. "I won’t sit, and you shouldn’t move around either. You have an IV in your hand; if the needle gets dislodged, your hand will swell."
Hearing him refer to himself as her "brother" made Felix’s gaze snap over to him.
Owen noticed and slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met. Owen saw the hostility in Felix’s eyes but paid it no mind. He then turned to look at the imperturbable Wyatt, who was sitting off to the side.
"Third Uncle, you’re here to see Alice too?" They were family; Owen couldn’t just ignore him.
Wyatt grunted in acknowledgment and asked him, "When did you get in?"
Owen replied, "Six o’clock last night."
Wyatt’s eyelids slowly lifted, his gaze landing on Owen. "Who told you to come?"
When the Old Master came to Arden, he only brought a few people. Aside from Nathan Sterling, who was basically just for show, everyone else had a role to play.
Owen wasn’t on the list of approved personnel. He was never on it, from beginning to end. So what was he doing in Arden now?
"Giving myself a vacation. Came to relax a little," Owen replied, his expression unchanged.
"Relax?"
Wyatt’s tone grew heavier. "If I recall correctly, your grandfather recently gave you several major projects to cut your teeth on. He values you so much, yet instead of knuckling down and polishing your skills at the company, instead of focusing all your attention on work, you run off to Arden to ’relax.’ You’re telling me the Old Master wasn’t infuriated by this?"
"Third Uncle, you’re overthinking it. Grandfather isn’t angry."
A smile hung on Owen’s lips, and he looked completely at ease. "Grandfather dotes on me. When he heard I came to Arden, he even told me to make sure I had fun."
Wyatt scoffed. "Is that so? Well then, you’d better not disappoint the Old Master’s good intentions."
Owen remained unfazed. "Of course I won’t."
The uncle and nephew’s conversation wasn’t held in private. The tense, hostile atmosphere was even more palpable than when Felix had arrived.
However, Felix had no interest in paying attention to the Sterling family’s internal struggles.
He adjusted his glasses and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Is there anything you want to eat?"
’You’re overdoing it, you’re overdoing it, you’re overdoing it.’
’Weren’t we just pretending? Why is he being so serious about caring for me?’
"Just nod or shake your head," Felix said, ignoring the other two men and looking only at Alice. "Do you want some fruit?"
Alice hesitated, neither nodding nor shaking her head.
Felix understood. "There are many kinds of fruit. Let me think... you’ve probably never tried the famous pears from Arden. They have a soft, smooth texture, and they’d be good for your throat."
’Pears?’
Alice recalled a WeChat conversation with Zoe Jenson. When Zoe heard she was going to Arden, Alice didn’t ask her to bring any bags or skincare products, only the pears. Zoe had said they were soft, seedless, fragrant, and delicious...
Just thinking about the taste made her swallow unconsciously.
Felix saw this and, with a smile, called his subordinate waiting outside the door. "Chloe Linden."
Chloe Linden immediately walked in.
