Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Personally Picking Her Up for the Banquet
Felix Hawthorne hummed in response.
"Where’s your business trip taking you this time?" After asking, Wendy Jacobs explained, "I haven’t been out in so long. I was thinking of asking Gemma to go on a trip with me, but I have no idea where to go. Felix, do you have any recommendations?"
Felix Hawthorne lowered his phone, checked the time, and put on his glasses. Just as he was about to reply, he heard Wendy Jacobs ask, "Oh, am I interrupting you, Felix?"
"No, I’m not busy right now." Felix Hawthorne’s tone was even, and he made no mention of his business trip’s location. "There are plenty of great places to visit in the country. Aunt Wendy, are you looking to see historical landmarks, or would you prefer to enjoy the beauty of nature?"
Wendy Jacobs explained what she was looking for, and Felix Hawthorne, based on her preferences, recommended several excellent spots that would be perfect for her trip.
On the other end of the line, Wendy Jacobs was delighted. "Felix, your recommendations are as detailed as a travel guide! Alright, I’ll settle on that place then."
The car reached its destination. Felix Hawthorne glanced out the window and suddenly said, "Aunt Wendy."
"Yes? What is it?" Wendy Jacobs asked.
Felix Hawthorne rested his hand on the interior door handle, his fingertip pausing over the button. "Back in the Capital, have you heard any whispers?"
Wendy Jacobs asked, "What whispers?"
Felix Hawthorne said, "We’ve found our sister."
"Really? You’ve really found Vera?" Wendy Jacobs’s voice was full of shock. It was clear she hadn’t heard a thing.
Felix Hawthorne said calmly, "The reason you couldn’t reach Mother is probably because she’s with our sister and doesn’t have her phone on her."
On the other end of the line, Wendy Jacobs was so excited she became incoherent. "Vera’s back! That’s wonderful, just wonderful! My sister has been searching high and low for so many years... Mother and daughter are finally reunited. All her efforts weren’t in vain. This is just so wonderful."
Her normally gentle voice was now choked with emotion, thick with unshed tears.
Wendy Jacobs continued, "I’m booking a flight right now. I’m coming to Arden immediately. I have to see my niece with my own eyes. The poor girl, lost out there all these years... She must have suffered so much, hasn’t she?"
Felix Hawthorne said, "She has suffered a great deal. We’ll all do our best to make it up to her from now on."
"I’m just so glad she’s been found. Okay, I have to go—I need to book my flight." On the other end, Wendy Jacobs was about to hang up.
Felix Hawthorne suddenly asked, "With the upcoming government transition in the Capital, Uncle must be at his busiest. Will you be able to get away?"
Wendy Jacobs seemed to come to her senses. After a moment’s thought, she said, "That’s true."
Felix Hawthorne smiled faintly. "Then why don’t you wait until after the transition, once things have settled down for Uncle? You can come to Arden then. You’ll probably be just in time for the banquet Mother is holding for our sister."
Wendy Jacobs agreed, "That’s a good idea."
After ending the call, Felix Hawthorne placed his phone face down. Behind his glasses, his eyes were chillingly still.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Someone rapped on the car window.
Felix Hawthorne ignored it. He turned his phone back over, opened WeChat, and typed: [I told Aunt Wendy we found our sister.]
After sending the message, Felix Hawthorne pressed the button, and the automatic door slid open. He stepped out and smoothed down his clothes. Chase Jennings, standing beside him, said, "Wyatt Sterling sent someone to hurry you along."
"What’s the rush? Do I look like I have nothing to do?"
With a cold expression, Felix Hawthorne strode inside.
At noon, Alice York had lunch with her grandparents. Wyatt Sterling sent a message via Mason Cheney, saying he had a lunch meeting and that they shouldn’t wait for him.
Wyatt Sterling didn’t get back until around two in the afternoon.
"Who did you have lunch with?" she asked, looking up at him. The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Wyatt Sterling smiled. "Checking up on me?"
Alice York averted her gaze, flustered. "I was just asking. That’s not how one checks up on someone."
He walked over and gave her palm a gentle squeeze. "Then why didn’t you video call me at lunch to see who I was with, whether they were men or women? Now *that* would be proper checking up."
"..."
She pulled her hand back. "Who would go to all that trouble?"
"Is it?" Wyatt Sterling sighed. "I suppose I should be glad you’re so trusting."
"..."
She turned to slip away, but he pulled her back, his palm settling on her waist. "Where are you going? I just got back. Keep me company for a little while."
"You’ve been drinking." She could smell the alcohol on him. It was faint, only noticeable up close.
Wyatt Sterling admitted, "Just a couple of glasses."
Alice York asked, "A couple of glasses of what?"
Wyatt Sterling: "Spanish wine."
Alice’s voice was soft. "Is it strong?"
Wyatt Sterling chuckled and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Do I seem drunk to you?" he murmured.
His warm breath tickled her neck, and she squirmed, trying to get away, her mood lightening considerably. But this flirting was too brazen. Her grandparents were still in the house and might hear them. Embarrassed, she quickly pushed him away.
The push had surprising force, making Wyatt Sterling stumble back half a step.
Unhurriedly, he pulled her back into his arms. The playful banter was gone from his voice as he asked, "Why were you unhappy today?"
’So he knew.’
’Mason Cheney must have told him.’
Ever since taking that call from Ian Bishop in the morning, her mood had been soured by the revelations about her parentage. She’d been gloomy all day. Mason Cheney must have noticed and sent a message to Wyatt Sterling.
Alice couldn’t bring herself to confide in anyone about her complicated origins—not even Wyatt Sterling. She could only invent another reason. "I’m worried Grandpa and Grandma won’t get used to living in Silvanus."
Although Ian Bishop had said they wouldn’t force her to go abroad, until she met the high-ranking official’s wife for herself, she didn’t feel safe sending her grandparents back to their small town.
What if they changed their minds and snatched her grandparents away again? She’d lose all her leverage for negotiation.
"There’s nothing to worry about. They’re more adaptable than you are." After saying this, Wyatt Sterling went inside to see her grandparents.
「That afternoon.」
As arranged by Wyatt Sterling, her grandparents boarded a flight to Silvanus, with Alice York accompanying them.
Her grandparents readily accepted the arrangement, despite having to leave the small town they had lived in for so many years and settle in Silvanus for an indefinite amount of time.
And so, Alice York ended up staying in Silvanus for four days. Including her time in Rhovan, she had been away for nearly a week.
The date for the banquet Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne were hosting for their daughter was set. It was very soon—the following night. Alice York had no intention of attending, but then she received a call from Felix Hawthorne.
He called her "Alice" in a gentle voice and told her his flight details. "I’ll be arriving at Silvanus Airport at eleven. Alice, will you come straight to the airport, or should I come and pick you up?"
Alice York was well aware of the deal between them. She understood his words meant he was coming to take her to Arden.
"I..." She felt a strong urge to back out of their deal. All she wanted was to stay in Silvanus with her grandparents. But she knew it would be wrong to go back on her word, especially with Felix Hawthorne. After hesitating for a few seconds, she changed her tune. "I haven’t finished packing yet, so I’ll have to trouble Eldest Young Master Hawthorne to come here first."
"There you go, calling me that again." His voice held a hint of laughter.
’Alice York remembered what he’d said that night. Call him ’Brother’ like Finn Hawthorne did? Ha. She couldn’t bring herself to utter the word.’
"Mr. Hawthorne." Besides "Eldest Young Master Hawthorne," it was the only other form of address she could manage.
Felix Hawthorne gave a wry smile. "I don’t know what to do with you. Alright, then. I’ll come and get you."
After hanging up, Alice York quickly resigned herself to the fact that she was going to Arden again.
’Just because Old Master Sterling hadn’t come after her yet didn’t mean she was in the clear.’
’Going wasn’t just about keeping her promise to Felix Hawthorne; it would also be a way of placating Old Master Sterling.’
’Besides, Third Uncle would be at the banquet. What was there to be afraid of?’
