Chapter 302: Chapter 302: Kindness
Being in charge yourself was so much better than working for someone else.
Working for others, no matter who they were, was ultimately just paving the way for someone else’s success.
At Sanctyr Base, under those circumstances, no matter how highly he was regarded, he would never have the chance to reach the top. He would always be stuck under someone else’s thumb.
But here, it was a different story. His opportunities were huge.
Too bad for him, while his plan sounded great in his head, it was all just them talking to themselves. Stella Sterling wasn’t engaging with them at all.
It was all a little awkward.
But these people were clearly thick-skinned. It was obvious that Stella Sterling didn’t like them and had no intention of going along, but they all just chose to ignore it, pretending they didn’t notice. It was quite a sight to behold.
They were putting on their own little play, but Stella Sterling refused to act her part.
Only after they had finished did Stella Sterling look at Evan Sterling and speak. "If you had these thoughts, you should have said so earlier. As it happens, I know the leader of your Sanctyr Base. I just saw him not long ago. I should have told him about your little plan back then."
Upon hearing this, a flash of astonishment crossed Evan Sterling’s eyes. ’How could Stella know him?’
He then recalled the Apocalypse Summit that had been held here not long ago.
The leader of Sanctyr Base had attended, and as the leader of Caeluna Base, his sister must have been invited as well.
So they must have met there. If that was the case, it wasn’t surprising that they knew each other.
They were both major bases, after all. It was natural for them to have dealings with one another.
Still, a sense of resentment began to fester in his heart.
Growing up in the Sterling family, he had always been the most outstanding. No one in the family could compare to him in any regard.
Even Yara Sterling, who had grown up in the family, was no different.
As for this younger sister, raised on the outside without any proper education, he’d thought even less of her.
He never expected that after the apocalypse came, she would be blessed with such an opportunity.
Even he couldn’t stand on equal footing with the leader of Sanctyr Base and was forced to serve under him, yet Stella’s status was equal to the man’s.
It instantly made him feel like Stella had gotten the better of him. Both his lifelong pride and his status as her older brother made this feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
But for now, no matter how displeased he felt, he could only suppress it. This wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. ’Once I have complete control of Caeluna Base,’ he thought, ’I’ll once again be the most outstanding member of the Sterling family.’
The thought brought him a measure of peace.
He said, "So that’s how it is. That’s perfect. You can go and talk to him then. I’m sure he’d be happy to let me go. It might require paying a small price, of course, but for our family to be reunited, it’s a price worth paying."
Hearing this, Stella Sterling burst out laughing. "Don’t get ahead of yourself. You want out? I can certainly mention it to him. But if you’re suggesting I should personally negotiate to bring you over here... that won’t be necessary."
"My base is doing just fine right now. I have my own talented people. I don’t need you."
Evan Sterling’s heart sank. "What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?"
"That’s more or less it. I’m glad we’re on the same page."
Stella Sterling nodded.
Her words thoroughly infuriated the other members of the Sterling family.
They could let everything else slide; they had tolerated it until now. But for Stella to look down on Evan Sterling like this was a direct slap in the face to all of them, and they couldn’t accept it.
Wanda Larkin’s expression, in particular, turned icy.
"What are you talking about? This is your older brother! It’s a blessing that he’s willing to come and help you. You ungrateful girl, don’t you know what’s good for you?"
Marcus Sterling was so furious he slammed his hand on the table. "Just as I thought, a total disappointment! You can’t even tell what’s good for you. I have no idea how you ever became the leader of this base."
"If you keep this up, this base will be ruined under your leadership sooner or later. A young woman like you isn’t suited to run a base anyway. Why don’t you just hand it over to your brother to manage? You can stop worrying about it. We’ll make sure you have enough to eat and drink here from now on."
As he spoke, Marcus Sterling dropped all pretense and revealed his true intentions.
"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad at all. That’s honestly the funniest joke I’ve ever heard. It’s a real shame none of you pursued a career in comedy!"
In the past, Stella might have been hurt by such words. She might have found them outrageous and unbelievable.
But she had seen and experienced too much. She knew exactly what kind of people they were now.
So now, nothing they did could surprise her.
Not only did she feel no sadness, but by facing them with a new mindset, the entire experience felt completely different. She even found it somewhat amusing.
No matter how much they tried to ignore Stella’s words, her mockery was so blatant that it was impossible to disregard.
Everyone’s expression was grim.
Finally, it was Evan Sterling who calmed down. ’I was too impulsive,’ he thought. ’I shouldn’t have acted like that.’
He turned to his father and said, "Dad, what nonsense are you spouting? We’re here to help Stella. This is the base she built with her own two hands. I have absolutely no designs on her base. Don’t you ever say that again, or you’ll just damage the relationship between us and undermine our family’s unity!"
His tone was filled with anger and accusation.
He was genuinely angry. His father had let the cat out of the bag. Now she would be on her guard.
This would only make her more unwilling. Hadn’t he just sabotaged everything?
Neither of his parents was reliable. Evan Sterling felt a wave of helplessness. They had been dealt a winning hand, yet they had managed to mess it up this badly.
It was utterly frustrating and completely different from how he had imagined things would go.
He had thought it would all go smoothly, but now that things had come to this, he had no idea how to salvage the situation.
"Alright, alright, I’m tired of playing along with this little drama. I know exactly what you’re all thinking."
"So drop your little fantasies. You should be more concerned with whether or not you’ll leave this place alive!"
"You didn’t really think I was an idiot, did you?"
Stella Sterling leaned back leisurely in her chair, watching each of their expressions with great interest.
Her sadistic streak seemed to be getting worse. She loved toying with people—giving them a glimmer of hope only to snatch it away. The resulting expressions on their faces were always wonderfully entertaining.
’You could even say I’m being kind,’ she mused. ’At least I’m letting them have their moment of happiness before they face the cruel truth.’
