Chapter 261
Noon.
Sterling sat in the hotel's private dining room.
He'd grown accustomed to insomnia. Despite pulling an all-nighter, his face betrayed no signs of fatigue—only a faint air of world-weariness.
Blake stood guard outside the door.
At ten past twelve, the elevator doors on this floor slid open slowly.
Ophelia emerged, escorted by the hotel manager.
"Ms. Thompson." Blake approached respectfully, gesturing for the manager to leave. "Mr. Lancaster is already waiting for you inside."
Ophelia glanced toward the nearby private room. "Is Mr. Bailey trying to say I'm late?"
Blake kept his head lowered. "I wouldn't dare. Just informing you that Mr. Lancaster is inside."
Ophelia let out an ambiguous, cold laugh.
When she reached the door, Blake pushed it open for her. After Ophelia entered, he closed it gently and instructed the staff to serve the meal.
"When I was leaving, my useless brother suddenly showed up and held me up for a bit." Ophelia took the seat opposite Sterling, clearly wanting to maintain her distance from him.
Sterling's gaze settled on her face. "You don't need to explain. Since I'm the one who asked to meet, it's only right that I wait."
Ophelia's expression improved slightly, though her tone remained barbed. "Mr. Lancaster, inviting me at a time like this—don't you realize I'm about to marry your nephew?"
She paused, slowing her words with heavy sarcasm. "Back when I showed interest in you, you couldn't have cared less. Now that I'm marrying your nephew, you suddenly come looking for me. Tell me, Mr. Lancaster—do you have some kind of special hobby?"
As her words landed, she got what she wanted: a flicker of emotion crossing Sterling's face.
Ophelia thought she'd successfully provoked him and tugged smugly at the corner of her lips.
Soon enough, Sterling's expression returned to indifference.
Ophelia felt deflated again. "Just kidding. Mr. Lancaster is still as boring as ever."
Sterling made no move to serve her, so Ophelia poured herself a glass of water. "Mr. Lancaster, whatever business you have with me, just say it. I don't think we have anything to chat about."
She and Sterling had no personal relationship to speak of—they'd only met once at a banquet years ago, after which her family had sent her abroad.
She'd been back in the country for some time now, and Sterling had shown no reaction.
Now that she was about to marry Charles, Sterling suddenly wanted to meet.
Ophelia didn't need to think hard to know today's lunch had an ulterior motive.
"I just wanted to remind Ms. Thompson—you've chosen the wrong partner." Sterling's voice cut through the silence.
A server entered to bring the dishes. The private room fell quiet for a moment.
Once the staff left, Ophelia shot back, "Then who should I have chosen? I approached Mr. Lancaster back then, but you rejected me. Should I have gone after your eldest brother instead? The one who's past forty and still unmarried?"
Her eyes held a trace of displeasure as she looked at Sterling.
Thanks to Sterling's rejection, she really had approached Wallace, though not in the form of a marriage alliance.
It had taken considerable persuasion from Wallace before Ophelia agreed to partner with a divorced man.
Sterling seemed oblivious to her irritation. "Ms. Thompson said it yourself—' back then.'"
Ophelia froze, looking at him with suspicion. "Don't tell me you've changed your mind."
Compared to Charles, Sterling was definitely her first choice.
If Sterling would agree to a marriage alliance with her, Ophelia wouldn't care about anything else. Even if the wedding were tomorrow, she could dump Charles without hesitation and turn around to marry Sterling instead.
Ophelia was already mentally reviewing whether she'd left any leverage in Charles's hands.
Sterling's voice rumbled low. "Partnerships don't necessarily require marriage."
At those words, Ophelia's train of thought screeched to a halt.
"But I think that's the only way I can trust you," she said.
Their eyes met, Ophelia's gaze carrying an air of dominance.
If Sterling was considering working with her, he must have encountered something troublesome.
Ophelia wanted to seize this opportunity to bind their interests together completely.
Marriage was the most efficient method.
Sterling saw through her intentions, his expression unchanged. "What if the person I'm going after is Charles?"
Ophelia's brow furrowed in confusion.
Sterling's tone carried a veiled threat. "Ms. Thompson is marrying him to leverage the Lancaster family's influence and secure your position in the Thompson family. Charles has the exact same plan."
Sterling narrowed his eyes, his entire bearing sharp as a blade. "If your alliance goes through and I move against Charles, do you think either of you would have any power to resist?"
"You..." Ophelia's expression shifted slightly.
As Sterling said, neither she nor Charles held much power within their respective families. That was precisely why they needed to band together to climb higher.
The marriage would give them leverage to ascend, but it wouldn't catapult them to the top overnight.
Even working together, at this stage, they couldn't possibly match Sterling.
And if Charles fell, all her carefully planned arrangements would be for nothing.
Sterling had never intended to give her a choice.
He was cornering her.
Ophelia quickly recognized her position in this lunch meeting and reined in her attitude.
"If Mr. Lancaster wants to go after Charles, you could do it alone. Why bother partnering with me?" She couldn't understand his thinking.
Sterling's presence radiated coldness. "Not enough."
It took Ophelia a few seconds to realize he meant his own efforts wouldn't be sufficient.
"I need time to think it over." She didn't agree immediately.
Sterling neither confirmed nor denied.
After a simple lunch, Sterling left first. Ophelia lingered at the hotel for a while before getting up and heading downstairs.
Meanwhile.
Charles knew nothing about their meeting. His entire focus was on Willow.
With the family dinner scheduled for tonight, he returned to the Lancaster Manor early, eager to witness Sterling's humiliation.
Though Willow hadn't contacted him, since she'd already chosen Maria, Charles was certain they'd broken up.
The thought of Sterling's possible expression later made Charles giddy with satisfaction.
"Grandfather, Uncle Wallace."
When he arrived, Wallace was helping Harold down from upstairs.
Charles greeted them both respectfully, then asked, "Uncle Sterling and Aunt Elaine aren't here yet?"
Harold looked toward the butler.
The butler replied respectfully, "Mr. Sterling Lancaster just called to say he's on his way."
Wallace smiled slightly. "Ster has the Lancaster Group on his shoulders. He's bound to be busy."
Harold's tone carried disapproval. "That doesn't mean he should keep the whole family waiting every time."
"What about Elaine?" Harold asked the butler again.
Last time Sterling came home, Elaine's interference had ended the family gathering on a sour note—something Harold still held against her.
The butler caught the displeasure in Harold's tone and answered carefully, "Ms. Elaine Lancaster... might be with Mr. Sterling Lancaster..."
Harold could tell Elaine hadn't bothered contacting the family, and his expression darkened further.