Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Throwing the Divorce Papers in Tristan Sterling’s Face
She pretended to leave, but actually hid around the corner.
She saw a middle-aged woman dressed as a janitor whispering something to Vivian Linton.
She casually returned backstage.
Seeing Wendy Wyatt’s water cup, she recalled Joanna York’s earlier actions...
So she made up an excuse and sent Joanna York away.
Sure enough, she found laxatives in Joanna York’s bag.
She made a rough guess about Vivian Linton’s plan...
Then, finding an opportunity with Wendy Wyatt providing cover, she swapped the positions of her own final piece and Vivian Linton’s.
After the middle-aged woman had done her dirty work, she stealthily swapped the cheongsams back.
In short, Vivian Linton had hired someone to ruin her cheongsam, but ended up ruining her own instead.
A taste of her own medicine!
...
The cheongsam exhibition was a complete success, and Holly Sinclair was overjoyed.
As expected, her work was trending online.
It won the hearts of countless netizens.
She was confident that it was only a matter of time before SH Studio would flourish.
Holly Sinclair felt a new surge of confidence.
She no longer had to worry about her brother’s medical bills.
She could finally throw the divorce papers in Tristan Sterling’s face.
With this thought, Holly Sinclair’s steps grew much lighter as she walked toward her car.
But just as she reached her car, before she could even pull the door handle, a warm body pressed against her from behind.
She was startled.
She spun around abruptly, meeting a pair of black eyes as deep and dark as a pool.
It was Tristan Sterling.
Holly Sinclair frowned.
’Vivian Linton suffered such a huge loss tonight. Shouldn’t he be by her side comforting her right now?
What’s he doing here, cornering me?’
Tristan Sterling reached for Holly Sinclair’s bag.
"What are you doing?"
Holly Sinclair instinctively hid the bag behind her back.
"Your phone," the man said succinctly.
She was no match for his strength, and he quickly snatched the bag away.
"Tristan Sterling, what are you doing?" she snapped.
He pulled her phone out of the bag and shoved the screen in her face.
He unlocked it.
And then he opened her contacts.
"Who gave you permission to block me?"
he questioned her unhappily while removing his number from her blacklist.
That’s right!
Ever since they had parted on bad terms last time, Holly Sinclair had blocked all of his contact methods.
To this day, he still clearly remembered what she had said to him with such firm resolve...
Tristan Sterling, I don’t love you anymore!
Those words had been bothering him for two months.
Every time he thought of them, he felt an inexplicable irritation.
Watching Tristan Sterling’s domineering actions, Holly Sinclair’s anger surged.
"Give it back!"
she roared, snatching her phone back.
Tristan Sterling had already achieved his goal, so he let her take it.
Holly Sinclair immediately tried to block him again.
"Holly Sinclair, you dare block me again!"
But the man’s large hand seized her wrist, his cold voice, filled with warning, whispered chillingly in her ear.
Holly Sinclair suddenly started to laugh.
"Heh heh..."
Her eyes filled with mockery as she looked at him, straightening her back. "Tristan Sterling, what right do you have to threaten me? What makes you think I’m still afraid of you?"
Tristan Sterling’s expression darkened slightly.
’This arrogant little display... is she saying I have no way to control her anymore?’
’Hmph.’
’Utterly naive!’
"Wings hardened, have they?"
The man’s dark eyes narrowed, a cryptic light flickering in their depths.
"That’s right!"
Holly Sinclair nodded forcefully. "Perfect timing. See you at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow at 10:00 AM!"
A frosty mask settled over Tristan Sterling’s face.
After a long moment, he spat out two words from between his teeth, "Dream on."
Holly Sinclair had expected him to say those two words, but hearing them still ignited a flame of anger in her heart.
"Tristan Sterling, I don’t want your alimony anymore. As long as you sign, I’ll leave with nothing," she said, suppressing her temper and trying to sound reasonable.
"Dream. On!"
But the man enunciated each word, repeating the same two words.
Holly Sinclair was furious.
Secretly clenching her fists, she laughed in her fury.
"Since you’re being so uncooperative, Mr. Sterling, I’ll have to take legal action. I will submit the evidence of your affair with Miss Vivian Linton to the relevant authorities... Mmph—"
Before she could finish, her chin was seized.
With a THUD, he slammed her entire body against the car.
"Holly Sinclair, you think tonight’s cheongsam exhibition was a big success? You think SH Studio is your new backbone, is that it?"
A chill emanated from Tristan Sterling’s eyes, his icy breath ghosting over her lips.
It was enough to make one’s blood run cold.
But Holly Sinclair was no longer afraid.
"Yes!"
She answered loudly.
She wanted to tell him, loud and clear—
that she, Holly Sinclair, didn’t want him anymore!
Holly Sinclair thought the extremely prideful man would fly into a humiliated rage, lose his temper, and completely lose control.
And yet—
"Heh, heh heh heh..."
He laughed instead.
As if laughing at what a fool she was.
"What are you laughing at?" Holly Sinclair frowned deeply, an inexplicable unease creeping into her heart.
"Why did you name the studio SH?" he asked out of the blue, his gaze meaningful.
"What does that have to do with our divorce?" She thought he was being ridiculous.
’Is there any point in beating around the bush and changing the subject just to avoid divorcing me?’
"The H is for Holly. But what about the S?"
A half-smile played on Tristan Sterling’s lips. His long fingers toyed with a strand of her hair, his languid tone dangerously seductive.
His casual, lazy demeanor was like someone toying with a caged cat desperate to escape.
She was that cat.
And he was her master!
...?!
Holly Sinclair’s heart skipped a beat.
The man before her was sinfully handsome, yet all she felt was a terrifying dread, sending shivers down her spine.
He didn’t keep her in suspense any longer. Leaning close to her lips, he breathed softly, "It could stand for Justin Schofield’s pen name, or it could stand for... ’Sterling’!"
Sterling...
’So my partner isn’t my senior?
It’s him, Tristan Sterling?!
Did he buy my senior’s studio and then have him trick me into signing the partnership agreement?’
"What do you mean?!"
Holly Sinclair’s face paled instantly. Unwilling to believe it, she stared into his eyes, her own turning red.
She hoped to see the guilt of a liar in them.
But there was none!
"What do you think?" he countered, not answering her directly.
The faint smile on his lips seemed to mock her naivety.
"Impossible!!"
Holly Sinclair shrieked, on the verge of a breakdown.
She didn’t believe it!
She couldn’t believe her hope had been so cruelly crushed by him once again.
Seeing Holly Sinclair’s devastated expression, Tristan Sterling felt an inexplicable surge of anger.
’Does she really want a divorce that badly?!’
His large hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her toward him. His tone was icy. "Holly Sinclair, you want to start a business, you want to open a studio, I can help you with that. But it will not be the source of your confidence to divorce me!"
Holly Sinclair’s eyes were bloodshot, radiating pure hatred.
’If he doesn’t love me, why won’t he let me go?’
"Getting married wasn’t up to me back then. And now, getting a divorce..." He moved closer to her lips, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Is not up to you either!"
"Tristan Sterling, you bastard!"
Holly Sinclair roared, clenching her fists and pounding on his chest.
"A bastard I may be, but I’m still your husband!" he growled through clenched teeth, pulling her into his arms.
As the words fell, so did his kiss.
