Chapter 224
Blake drove ahead, deeply agreeing with Elaine's complaints.
Sterling remained coldly indifferent to the topic. As Elaine said, having been immersed in such an environment since childhood, he had long since merged with it, becoming a complete beast through and through. What's more, he was now the one holding absolute victory.
"How's your divorce going? Did Valcourain agree?" He casually changed the subject.
Elaine had always had a string of lovers. A year ago, she got pregnant with Valcourain's child and was pressured into marriage. Less than a year into the marriage, Elaine grew tired of it, but he refused to let go, constantly trying to convince her to continue this joke of a marriage.
At the mention of him, Elaine rolled her eyes. "I suspect his mental age is only ten. Once his brain fills up with love, there's no room for anything else. Can love pay the bills?"
No matter how handsome a man was, if he constantly hovered around her without providing any emotional value she needed, Elaine would find him annoying. In comparison, the mature and steady Matthew now suited her taste better.
Thinking of Matthew, Elaine narrowed her eyes with satisfaction. "Thank god my current lawyer has some skills, otherwise I'd really be driven to death by him."
Sterling could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. "You're still not divorced, and that lawyer is willing to play around with an affair?"
Elaine shot him a look. "Aren't you the same? If I remember correctly, you had your eye on Willa before she was divorced. Don't deny it."
Sterling raised an eyebrow. "We only got together after she was officially divorced."
Elaine's expression changed. "You're together? Willa gave in?"
The last time she met Willow, Willow's attitude clearly showed she was still considering. They got together so quickly.
Elaine looked at her brother with even more resentment. She was so envious—he hadn't suffered much from love's bitterness either.
"Since you're together, why are you still being evasive in front of Father? That's not the you I know," she said.
At the very least, when it came to the Lancaster Group, Sterling had always used decisive methods, never being so cautious.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. If you want to control both love and career, there's only one outcome..." Elaine reminded him meaningfully.
Before she could finish, Sterling interrupted. "I don't think that way."
Elaine stared at him suspiciously. As far as she knew, Harold had tested him many times, but Sterling had never admitted anything.
"Willa's grandmother is still hospitalized and about to have surgery. She can't handle any shock," Sterling said gravely. "At least before the surgery, we can't take risks."
Harold targeting him was fine, but if anything happened to Maria, it would create irreparable rifts between him and Willow. Sterling wouldn't gamble on this.
Elaine understood. "Then you should keep it low-key."
After saying this, she curiously asked about Maria. "Does Willa's grandmother know about your relationship with Willa? If she knew about your relationship with Charles, she probably couldn't handle it either, right?"
Sterling replied, "We're keeping it from her for now."
Knowing he was also suffering from love's troubles, Elaine felt much more satisfied. "That's more like it."
Sterling looked at her with confusion.
Elaine mysteriously said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Willow waited until late at night and finally received Sterling's message:
"Elaine moved out of the Lancaster Manor. I'm arranging accommodation for her, and won't be coming back tonight. Rest early."
Following that was Elaine's voice message: "Willa, it's me. Ster isn't with any other woman, don't worry. I'm watching him for you."
Willow was concerned about his injury, but with Elaine there, it wasn't appropriate to bring it up. She only chatted briefly with both of them.
The next day, after getting up, Willow confirmed again that the online buzz about her marriage to Charles had been suppressed and was almost unsearchable. However, those who needed to see it had already seen it.
When Willow arrived at the company, almost everyone who saw her had very subtle expressions.
"Willow," Molly carefully reminded her, "that incident has spread throughout the company. I can see everyone's attitude isn't good. Be careful."
Willow was mentally prepared and nodded in agreement. Sure enough, when she reached her department, colleagues were pointing and whispering behind her back.
Willow could vaguely hear their discussions, but she was used to it and didn't take it to heart. They had already assumed she got in through connections anyway, and she didn't plan to change their minds.
She refined the project she'd received last week and submitted it to the project leader, Leila.
"No good. Rewrite it." Leila didn't even look and directly rejected it.
So Willow rewrote another version. When she submitted it again, she got the same response.
After several rounds, Willow finally couldn't hold back.
"Could you please specify what exactly is wrong?" she asked politely.
Leila was about three or four years older than her, arrogant and proud. Hearing this, she looked at Willow with disgust. "Do I need to spell it out for you? Aren't you supposed to be so capable? Mr. Myers personally interviewed and hired you, but you can't even see what's wrong with your own proposal?"
The hostility in her words was almost tangible.
Willow frowned slightly. Previously, Leila had disliked her but never shown it so blatantly, at most giving her trouble behind the scenes.
Was it because, before, there were only rumors, but yesterday's news finally confirmed that she got in through connections?
Since Leila was so hostile toward her, staying in her project team wouldn't lead to anything good.
Willow proactively requested to withdraw. "Leila, if you think I'm incompetent, I can leave this project."
"How impressive—come when you want, leave when you want. Do you think the planning department is your home?" Leila's hostility intensified. "Your proposal is shit, but the Brown Group will take on the resort project considering your connection to the Lancaster family. Besides that, what else have you accomplished since joining?"
She spoke loudly, and when she finished, everyone in the planning department looked over.
Willow stood by Leila's workstation, being humiliated by her barrage of insults. Everyone was excited by this, wishing that Willow would be fired soon. No one would speak up for her.
"I thought you had such powerful backing, turns out it's just Mr. Lancaster Jr." Leila looked at her with contempt. "Let me tell you, Mr. Lancaster Jr.'s favor was used up the moment you joined the Lancaster Group. As long as Mr. Lancaster is around, Charles will never get his hands on the Lancaster Group. As for you, if you insist on staying at the Lancaster Group, you'll be stuck in this position forever."
Everyone knew the Lancaster family situation well. If Charles returned to the Lancaster Group, he would be Sterling's biggest competitor. Sterling wouldn't allow him back, much less let his people develop within the Lancaster Group.