Chapter 266
Late that night, in Sterling's apartment.
Sterling and Henry sat on either side of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Luke wagged his tail, sitting beside Sterling with his front paws planted on Sterling's leg, eagerly eyeing the drink in his hand.
Sterling's expression remained blank as he dodged the dog and pressed down on his head, making him lie down.
Beside him, Henry spoke leisurely. "See? I told you—you don't need to go soft on Charles. He's got Lancaster blood running through his veins. He's not some simple character."
The Brown family had also received Charles's wedding invitation.
Learning that Charles's marriage alliance was with the mayor's daughter, Henry easily guessed his intentions.
After lying low for so long, wasn't Charles now returning to the Lancaster Group to compete with Sterling for territory?
All Sterling's years of leniency had resulted in nurturing a viper.
"Your eldest and second brothers were much smarter," Henry said. "The moment you were born, they knew you'd be serious competition. They saw you as a thorn in their side and were hell-bent on destroying you."
He looked at Sterling's reflection in the window. "Your second brother died so young. If you wanted to deal with Charles, it'd be a piece of cake. Even if you didn't plan to kill him off, sending him abroad would work too. Yet you've done absolutely nothing."
He'd never agreed with Sterling's approach to handling the Lancaster family.
Sterling glanced at him. "As you said, they saw me as competition. That's why they made moves against me."
The implication was clear: he didn't see Charles as a threat. There was no need to do anything to him.
Henry shrugged. "Got it. You think I'm being too nosy. Fine, I won't say another word. Happy?"
With that, Henry drained his glass and turned to pour more.
He reached out and grasped at nothing.
Henry looked confused.
Glancing down, he saw that Luke had somehow batted the bottle aside and was stretching out his tongue to lick the opening.
"Can dogs drink alcohol?" Henry looked at Luke, then turned to Sterling for confirmation.
Sterling belatedly noticed. He turned, grabbed Luke by the scruff of his neck, dragged the big dog back, and inspected the bottle. Only after confirming Luke hadn't licked much did he relax.
With the bottle contaminated by dog slobber, neither of them could continue drinking.
Henry had been specifically summoned to keep Sterling company over drinks anyway. Seeing this, he decided to take his leave.
Just as he was about to speak, something occurred to him.
"You coming to dinner tomorrow night? My dad's hosting." He looked meaningfully at Sterling.
Sterling showed zero interest. "Not interested."
Henry pressed on. "Really not going? You don't even know who'll be there, and you're already so sure?"
Sterling narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
Henry played mysterious. "I heard my dad arranged it so Glo could apologize to Willow in person. What do you think?"
He might as well have said outright that Willow would be there.
As Henry spoke, he secretly studied Sterling's expression.
Sterling's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't answer immediately.
"So? Want to go? Who knows—might be some pleasant surprises." Henry loved stirring up drama.
Sterling fell silent for a moment. "The Brown family is apologizing to her. What capacity would I go in?"
Henry got what he wanted and teased, "Ex-boyfriend?"
At those words, Sterling shot him a lethal glare.
Henry smoothly changed his tune. "When my dad invited her, he made it clear—he's only having Glo apologize because of you. You played such a huge role. What's wrong with showing your face?"
Whether it was that "ex-boyfriend" comment that struck a nerve, Sterling kept his face cold and didn't respond.
Henry waited a good while without getting an answer. He couldn't help wanting to push.
He had no interest in tomorrow night's dinner himself. His father had simply ordered him to attend.
If Sterling went too, at least he'd have some entertainment to watch.
"You seem awfully concerned about the status of my relationship with her." Sterling gave him an icy look.
The words on Henry's lips were instantly blocked. He cleared his throat nonchalantly. "I... I'm just concerned about you!"
Before Sterling could speak again, Henry beat a hasty retreat. "Fine, I won't ask anymore, okay? Go or don't go—up to you. I'm leaving. Wasting this perfectly good time to drink with you, and you can't even give me a decent expression. I must be a masochist."
Henry complained his way out.
In the apartment, Sterling looked down, meeting Luke's bewildered gaze.
Still seemingly disgruntled about being stopped from sneaking a drink earlier, Luke barked at him twice.
Sterling ran his hand over the dog's head a couple of times. "You want to see her too, don't you?"
Luke naturally couldn't understand what he was saying. He obediently lay down beside Sterling.
The next day.
Willow woke up early with a vague heaviness pressing on her heart.
Thinking about Charles accompanying her to Percy's dinner that evening, she figured that was probably affecting her mood.
All day, Willow had no energy. She couldn't focus on her books.
That evening, Charles arrived at the hospital early to pick her up.
"Come back soon. If you're not happy, don't stay for the meal. We don't owe them anything." Maria worried Willow would be wronged and gave her special instructions.
Willow smiled. Before she could respond, Charles took her hand hanging at her side.
"Grandmother, don't worry. With me there, Willow won't be wronged." Charles's smile was perfectly natural.
These past few days, he'd come to the hospital daily, treating Maria exactly the same as before their divorce.
No matter how cold Willow and Maria were toward him, his smile never wavered.
As if by acting this way, things really would be like before.
Maria glanced at him without acknowledging him, only squeezing Willow's hand with concern.
Willow felt inexplicably unsettled. Forcing herself to rally, she smiled at Maria. "Okay, I'll come back early. You should rest—don't wait up for me."
After saying goodbye to Maria, they left.
Charles still held Willow's hand as though it were nothing.
Willow tried several times to pull away, but he only gripped tighter, even threatening her with Maria's heart donor.
"Willow, you agreed to come back to me. Is this the attitude you're showing?" Reaching the car, Charles finally released her hand. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his tone intimate yet tinged with coldness. "I want the Willow who used to smile at me—not this reluctant puppet doll."
Willow's expression shifted.
Charles opened the car door for her. "Your grandmother's heart donor is on its way. It'll arrive soon. That should be good news for you. Smile for me, okay?"
Willow caught the threat laced in his words. Her lips curved into a stiff arc.
Charles smiled back. "That's it. Take it slow. We'll get back to how we were eventually."