Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Surveillance Around the Warehouse
It was Tristan Sterling.
The tall, imposing man strode in and grabbed Holly Sinclair’s wrist in a vise-like grip.
He roughly snatched the water hose away.
Someone quickly turned off the faucet.
Feeling like her wrist was about to be crushed, the corners of Holly Sinclair’s eyes reddened with pain.
"Tris-Tristan..."
Upon seeing Tristan Sterling, Vivian Linton acted as if she’d suffered a terrible injustice, her body going limp as she collapsed to the floor.
"Vivian!"
Tristan Sterling immediately flung Holly Sinclair aside and rushed toward Vivian Linton.
Thrown off balance, Holly Sinclair staggered back two steps.
Her elbow hit the wall, and her face paled with pain.
Tristan Sterling helped Vivian Linton up, taking off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders.
"SOB... Tristan, I’m so cold..." Vivian Linton took the opportunity to fall into his arms, tears streaming down her face.
"It’s okay now," Tristan Sterling comforted her in a soft voice, gently patting Vivian Linton’s shoulder.
Holly Sinclair watched coolly, seeing the tenderness and heartache for Vivian Linton in Tristan Sterling’s eyes.
Her own face was completely expressionless.
But a bitter pang of jealousy rose in her heart.
"What are you doing?"
Tristan Sterling’s sharp gaze fell upon Holly Sinclair’s face as he demanded harshly.
"An eye for an eye."
Holly Sinclair said coldly, "They’re the ones who locked me in the warehouse."
"Holly, what are you talking about? Locked you in a warehouse? I don’t understand what you’re saying..." Vivian Linton cried out her innocence, a shocked expression on her face.
"Vivian Linton, you did it, but you won’t own up to it?"
"I didn’t!"
Vivian Linton vehemently denied it, immediately tilting up her red, swollen face to cry to Tristan Sterling, her eyes brimming with tears. "Tristan, I don’t even know what happened! I had just gotten to the studio when Holly dragged me in here. She hit me and sprayed me with cold water... SOB SOB SOB..."
She looked as if she were too grief-stricken to continue.
"You’re saying it was Vivian?" Tristan Sterling looked at Holly Sinclair.
Holly Sinclair nodded firmly. "Yes! It was—"
"Where’s your proof?"
"..."
Holly Sinclair was speechless.
She didn’t have any.
But she would bet her life it was Vivian Linton.
Taking a deep breath, Holly Sinclair stared into the man’s eyes. "Tristan Sterling, it was Vivian Linton who locked me up!"
Tristan Sterling’s eyes darkened slightly.
"Zack! Was it you?"
Vivian Linton suddenly shouted, "Was it you who accidentally locked Holly in the warehouse?"
It was a fact that Holly Sinclair had been locked up.
Someone had to take the fall for it.
"Y-Yes... I’m sorry, it was an accident..."
Zack, shivering from the cold, apologized reluctantly. "Miss Sinclair, I didn’t do it on purpose. The lock was broken. By the time I went to find a locksmith to get you out, you were already gone..."
"Holly, did you hear that? It was Zack who was careless, it had nothing to do with me. How can you take your anger out on me just because you don’t get along with your colleagues?"
Vivian Linton’s eyes welled with tears, her face a mask of grievance. "I think this must be a misunderstanding. Zack didn’t do it on purpose. Holly, Zack is a very dutiful person, which is why I assigned him to be your assistant. I never thought you two would get into such a nasty fight on the very first day..."
Her words were laced with insinuation, her meaning clear between the lines.
Holly Sinclair sneered.
’Zack is dutiful?’
’Which means I’m the difficult, overbearing one.’
"Tristan Sterling, do you really believe their nonsense?" Holly Sinclair stared at him.
Tristan Sterling’s face was unreadable, giving no clue as to what he was thinking.
Vivian Linton felt a stir of unease.
"Tristan, believe me, I really didn’t lock Holly up. I can swear on it." She gently tugged on Tristan Sterling’s sleeve, choking back sobs in a pitiful display.
’Tristan loves me.’
’He would never let me make some stupid oath.’
Vivian Linton was full of confidence.
But to her surprise, Tristan Sterling remained silent.
After a few seconds without Tristan Sterling coming to her defense, Vivian Linton looked up at him, her eyes red with grievance. "Tristan..."
"Weren’t you going to swear an oath? Go on!"
Holly Sinclair urged with a cold smile.
Vivian Linton was furious enough to die, but she didn’t dare show it.
Gritting her teeth, she could only raise three fingers to the side of her head—
"I, Vivian Linton, absolutely did not lock Holly Sinclair in the warehouse! If I’m lying, may my parents and family meet a terrible end!"
After swearing the oath, she immediately looked at Holly Sinclair and said indignantly, "Holly, I swore on my beloved family. Now you have to believe me!"
At first, everyone had thought it was a bit selfish of Vivian Linton to make such a venomous oath involving her family, but after hearing her follow-up sentence, they all expressed their understanding.
"This definitely has nothing to do with Luna. Everyone knows she’s the most filial daughter and values her family more than anything. If it were really her, how could she bear to make such a vicious oath about her parents and family?"
"Exactly! I’m just like Luna. I’d rather suffer myself than let my family come to any harm."
"Luna is so gentle and kind, she wouldn’t even step on an ant. How could she possibly harm someone..."
Listening to everyone’s chatter, Holly Sinclair sneered inwardly again and again.
’Vivian Linton is ruthless!’
’To save her own skin, she’d even curse her own family.’
"Holly, are you satisfied now?"
Knowing she was safe, Vivian Linton went back to playing the victim, her eyes shimmering with tears as she lamented, "Even if you resent me for coming back to Tristan’s side, you shouldn’t have attacked me without even giving me a chance to explain..."
"Vivian Linton, don’t push me!" Holly Sinclair said through clenched teeth, her voice chilling.
’She might have signed Vivian Linton’s tyrannical contract, but she didn’t mind taking everyone down with her.’
"Tristan..."
Vivian Linton trembled in Tristan Sterling’s arms, putting on a show of being terrified.
"Holly Sinclair, that’s enough!"
Tristan Sterling shot Holly Sinclair a warning look.
Filled with hatred and grievance, Holly Sinclair clenched her fists and roared, "Tristan Sterling, I’ll say it one more time! It was Vivian Linton who locked me up!!!"
"Vivian wouldn’t do that."
The man uttered lightly.
In an instant, the color drained from Holly Sinclair’s face, leaving it as white as a sheet of paper.
Her heart was pierced.
The pain made her eyes redden.
’So this is the difference between being loved and not being loved.’
’He loves Vivian Linton, so he’ll side with her unconditionally.’
’No matter what Vivian Linton says, he believes her.’
’And me?’
’He’s suspicious of every single word I say to him.’
’Whenever it’s me against Vivian Linton, he always takes Vivian’s side.’
Hah...
Holly Sinclair gave a bitter smile.
She turned and walked away.
Tristan Sterling’s brows furrowed slightly.
Meanwhile, Vivian Linton, nestled in Tristan Sterling’s arms, watched Holly Sinclair’s retreating back as she tried to suppress her pain. A triumphant smile played on her lips.
’Holly Sinclair, you can’t win against me.’
’I have Tristan’s favor. What do you have?’
Hah...
’Just you wait!’
’The throne of Mrs. Sterling will be mine soon enough!’
While triumphantly envisioning her bright future, Vivian Linton gently cupped her own red, swollen cheek, looked at the man, and whimpered pitifully, "Tristan, my face hurts so much..."
"You didn’t know Holly Sinclair was locked up?"
Tristan Sterling looked at Vivian Linton coolly, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce right through her.
Vivian Linton’s heart skipped a beat. The man’s voice now felt even colder than the water that had just been sprayed on her.
She instinctively defended herself. "I... I really didn’t know. I left the studio very early yesterday."
Just then, Connor Grant walked in.
He handed over a tablet—
"Sir, this is the security footage from around the warehouse."
The color drained from Vivian Linton’s face.
