Chapter 169: Conversation with Rolf

Chapter 169: Conversation with Rolf

Without the support of the Montgomery family, what would Isabella do? She was set on marrying Oliver and becoming Mrs. Montgomery.

"Once your identity is revealed, your father's status in the Prescott family will plummet. He'll definitely be angry."

Catherine muttered to herself.

If she didn't speak up, who knew how long the Montgomery family would keep treating Isabella this way before they'd let her go. Isabella had never suffered hardship in her whole life. How could she endure this kind of mental torture?

Catherine's heart ached watching her like that.

If Oliver hadn't run away from the wedding, if Michelle hadn't taken all her anger out on Isabella, Isabella wouldn't be suffering like this.

Catherine didn't know what to do.

Astrid saw the hesitation in Catherine's eyes and turned to leave.

The Prescott family's cold-bloodedness was in their bones - no one could help them. She had suffered from it for years and was numb to it now.

If Lillian had died of depression because of Catherine's appearance, one could imagine that while alive, Lillian had endured no less contempt and mental torture in the Prescott family than Isabella was experiencing now.

Astrid returned to her room. Silas had finished his conversation.

"Back so soon?" Silas was about to go look for her.

"Yes, it's a bit cold." Astrid didn't want to bring up Catherine and Isabella's situation - it would waste their time together.

"The banquet's almost over. If you want to leave, we can go anytime." Silas held her hand and noticed it had gotten cold from being outside, so he wrapped it in his palm to warm it up.

"Okay, let's go home," Astrid answered sweetly.

At Michelle's birthday party, everyone seemed to be chatting and laughing, but behind the scenes, who knew what they were gossiping about?

Astrid had no desire to stay. After saying goodbye to Rachel, she and Silas left early.

Life returned to calm.

Silas seemed like a different person, working regular hours every day, spending his free time with Astrid - watching movies, working on designs.

News about Prescott Jewelers kept trickling out, with new content constantly emerging.

One day, Astrid saw headlines about Prescott Jewelers everywhere: "Dean's Affair Diary."

It clearly exposed photos of Dean with different women, along with the number of illegitimate children. It even revealed stories of these women fighting over him.

Dean's image plummeted overnight.

Meanwhile, Rolf's reputation kept growing. After that signing ceremony, there wasn't a single news report about it, as if it had never happened.

One evening, Astrid received a call from Calista.

She was crying on the phone, saying Rolf was too ruthless. After exposing Dean's scandals, he'd made it impossible for Dean to maintain his position at Prescott Jewelers.

Dean was completely defeated now, and she didn't know what would happen to him.

Astrid didn't know how to comfort her. After all, the information Rolf had exposed was all true.

"Calista, things will get better."

The words sounded hollow, but they were the only comfort Astrid could think of.

After hanging up with Calista, Astrid fell silent.

The next day was a fresh start.

Astrid had been home for a while and decided to go out for a walk.

At the coffee shop.

She went in and ordered her favorite mocha, sitting by the window, watching people come and go on the street.

The coffee shop was in a quiet location on a small street. Because it was near a tourist spot, people occasionally passed by.

Then, across from Astrid's table.

"Waiter, get me a mocha." Rolf sat down uninvited and waved to the waiter.

They sat there, neither speaking first, until the waiter brought the coffee.

Rolf skillfully tore open sugar packets and stirred slowly.

"Uncle Rolf, is this how you usually drink your coffee?" Astrid couldn't help asking, watching his actions.

At home, he usually drank his coffee without sugar, but now he was putting all the sugar in - that was her habit.

Did they actually share the same preference?

"At your age, you should use less sugar."

After hearing this, Rolf didn't get angry but smiled instead. "Bad people usually live long lives. No worries."

He was quite self-aware.

But his smile looked harmless, yet was actually cold and ruthless.

Astrid smiled at him and said nothing more.

Rolf finished stirring his coffee, took a light sip, raised his eyebrows at Astrid, and his voice became somewhat stern.

"Astrid, have you thought about studying abroad?"

Astrid shrugged, indicating she hadn't considered it.

If he hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten.

"I still hope you'll go abroad, and when you do, it would be best to take Christopher with you." Rolf wore a slight smile, but his words were cold.

"What? Are you scared?" Astrid asked curiously.

She'd recently heard that Christopher had collected quite a bit of evidence to reclaim the ownership rights to the designs Astrid had left behind when she was forced to resign.

A large part of Starlight Gems' initial success was due to her designs.

After all, she was Vincent's student, and during that time, Vincent had given her plenty of guidance.

"Christopher has been fighting with the company lately. If this continues, he won't end up well either." Rolf said this with a smile, lifting his coffee cup for a light sip.

"You forced Uncle Dean out, and your next target isn't my dad, but me?" Astrid asked with a smile that held mockery, doubt, and even some genuine amusement.

When someone gets angry enough, they really do laugh.

"If it weren't for me, you'd still be overwhelmed dealing with Starlight Gems matters, with no chance to sit here leisurely enjoying life."

"You won't have to pay for studying abroad, and you won't have to worry about whether you're good enough for Silas. The choice I'm giving you is what's best for you."

"After all, being young and able to live abroad without worries is what many people want."

Astrid smiled crookedly and shook her head gently.

Being forced to leave her homeland, going abroad alone and lonely - how was that a good thing?

"Think it over. If you don't follow the arrangement, Christopher can forget about making it in Cypress Bay." Rolf looked into Astrid's eyes, making threats in a flat tone.

Christopher had finally achieved some success in Cypress Bay's circles. The thought of him losing years of hard work because of her made Astrid feel guilty.

"Uncle Rolf, why are you so determined to make me leave? At least give me a reason." Astrid asked calmly.