Chapter 232: Chapter 232: No One Loves Her at All
"This is a Hawthorne gala. Don’t throw up here." Rhys Lancaster steadied her with one hand. "Go to the restroom."
He didn’t want to see her in such a wretched state, so he’d found himself helping her. Even he hadn’t expected it.
Alice York neither threw up nor swallowed.
She slowly lifted her head, her eyes already rimmed with red.
Rhys Lancaster thought his helping her had upset her. He hadn’t planned on explaining himself, but just then, Alice York suddenly grabbed his arm and ducked behind him.
"Alice—"
Felix Hawthorne’s outstretched hand met nothing but air.
Alice York hid behind Rhys Lancaster, concealing herself completely. She was already petite, and Rhys was tall; once she was behind him, she was almost entirely out of sight.
"Alice, what’s wrong?"
Worry flooded Felix Hawthorne’s face. He started to go around Rhys Lancaster, but Rhys blocked him with an arm. "Can’t you see she doesn’t want you near her?"
Felix Hawthorne looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his glasses, a sharp glint in them.
"Lancaster, get her out of here."
Just then, Finn Hawthorne came up from behind them, a sour look on his face. It was hard to tell who he was displeased with.
The moment Alice York had instinctively hidden behind him, Rhys Lancaster sensed her palpable aversion to Felix Hawthorne. It was nothing like the news reports claimed—that the two were close.
He glanced at Finn Hawthorne, then led Alice York away. Just as expected, Felix Hawthorne didn’t try to stop them again.
Finn Hawthorne stared at Alice York’s retreating figure, only looking away once she and Rhys Lancaster were in the distance. He turned to his brother, his voice dripping with sarcasm as soon as he spoke—
"Isn’t this gala supposed to be important? Why are you wasting your time on someone so insignificant, brother?"
Felix Hawthorne asked, "What was wrong with Alice York just now?"
Finn Hawthorne sneered. "Are you actually concerned about her, or is this just for show? If you’re just putting on an act, it’s almost convincing."
This was the first time Finn Hawthorne had ever spoken to his own brother with such biting sarcasm.
’He was furious. He desperately wanted to stand up for Alice York, but when he really thought about it, he knew he had no right. Besides, he was one of the accomplices.’
"I know what you’re trying to say." A gloomy shadow crossed Felix Hawthorne’s eyes. "But let me be clear, my concern is real."
"Hah."
Clearly, Finn Hawthorne didn’t believe a single word of it.
Not only did he not believe it, but he also felt compelled to remind him, "It was your damn business interests that dragged her into this mess. She was thrown away, and she was the last to know! She did absolutely nothing wrong, but just because she was with that goddamn Sterling family, anyone and everyone could walk all over her—and all of you did, too!"
Just moments ago, he had watched Alice York mechanically stuffing food into her mouth, trying to numb herself, refusing to accept the reality staring her in the face.
The man who had whispered sweet nothings to her, who had made her heart flutter, had turned around and thrown her aside to announce his marriage to another woman.
And the Sterlings had packaged her up like a commodity to be sold.
He’d heard that even her own mother was bleeding her dry.
Besides that elderly couple in Rhovan Town, no one truly loved her.
Everyone just wanted to exploit her!
"Brother, I don’t want some outsider to ruin our relationship, but don’t give me any more of that self-righteous crap. I don’t believe a word of it."
With that, Finn Hawthorne turned and walked off in the same direction Alice York had gone.
Felix Hawthorne calmly watched his brother’s retreating back. A surge of blood brought with it a vicious anger that pricked him like a thorny barb retracting into his flesh. In the end, he explained nothing.
Because it wasn’t the right time.
-
「In the ladies’ restroom.」
Alice York stood before the mirror above the sink, staring at her own disheveled reflection, lost in a daze.
’Everything that happened tonight felt like a dream.’
’Just last night, that man had been holding her, kissing her, gently calling her his good girl, asking her to tell him she loved him...’
’But tonight, all the tenderness and love in his eyes had been directed at another woman, in front of everyone.’
’And that woman had become his rightful fiancée.’
’Was it all an act?’
’But the Hawthornes had only just found their long-lost daughter. They doted on her like a precious jewel. How could they use something as important as her marriage to put on a show with Wyatt Sterling at such a major gala?’
’So, it was all real.’
The last little flicker of hope in Alice York’s heart was slowly being extinguished.
She closed her eyes, her mind flooded with the image of him and that woman embracing. The more she thought about it, the more pain she felt. She became unsteady on her feet, forced to grip the edge of the sink to stay upright.
"Are you... Alice York?"
An older housekeeper walked in.
Alice York opened her eyes and pushed herself off the sink to turn. "Who are you?"
The woman quickly replied, "I’m one of the Hawthornes’ housekeepers. I’m responsible for this restroom area."
Alice York’s arms felt weak. "Do you need something from me?"
"Oh no, it’s not me," the housekeeper said, waving her hands quickly. "There’s a Mr. Lancaster outside. He seems to be waiting for you, but when you didn’t come out after a while, he asked me to come in and check on you."
Mr. Lancaster.
’That must be Rhys Lancaster.’
’He’s still here?’
"You look quite pale. Do you need any help?" the housekeeper asked kindly.
Alice York shook her head, her voice faint. "I’m fine."
"Here, let me help you," the housekeeper said, walking over. "That Mr. Lancaster outside is quite worried. He was afraid something might have happened to you in here."
’Worried about me?’
’Rhys Lancaster, worried about me? He only brought me here himself. He’s probably just making sure I leave so that if something happens to me in here, he can’t be blamed for it.’
’He’s not a bad person, he just has a sharp tongue.’
"Thank you, I’d appreciate that." In her current state, she felt like she’d be stuck here forever, so she didn’t refuse the kind woman’s offer.
Coming out of the restroom, Alice York looked up and saw Rhys Lancaster’s back. He was standing by a few waist-high potted plants. The fronds of a Podocarpus brushed against his arm, but he didn’t seem to notice, simply holding his posture as he waited.
Alice York pulled her hand away as she looked away from him, then thanked the housekeeper.
Rhys Lancaster heard the voices and turned. He glanced at her, then strode toward her with a frown.
"Thank you for the trouble," were his first words, addressed to the housekeeper.
The housekeeper waved her hand, her smile warm and friendly. "It’s no trouble at all. I’m going to go wash my mop."
Once the housekeeper had left, Alice York turned to Rhys Lancaster and said softly,
"Mr. Lancaster."
Rhys Lancaster leveled his gaze at her.
Alice York said, "Thank you... for getting me out of there."
’Even though he has a vicious tongue and always seems to look down on her, he really did get her out of that situation. She had to thank him in person.’
Rhys Lancaster grunted in acknowledgment, then asked, "Did you throw it all up?"
"Hm?"
"The food you stuffed in your mouth."
"..."
A flicker of amusement stirred in Alice York’s chest. Her voice was still faint as she replied, "What else was I supposed to do, swallow it?"
Rhys Lancaster’s frown deepened. He stared at her and asked, out of the blue, "Do you fancy yourself a hamster or something?"
The question was just as baffling to Alice York, who could only respond with a confused look.
