Chapter 233
Willow stayed in Maria's room for quite a while. Nearly half an hour passed before Maria finally let her leave.
Before she left, Maria added one more warning, her tone uneasy. "It's already so late. Go straight to your room and stay there."
Willow caught the underlying message, a bitter ache spreading through her chest as she nodded.
Back in her room, Willow finally dared to check her phone. No messages from Sterling. She couldn't tell if he was angry or simply hadn't made it back yet. She hesitated, debating whether to reach out first. Just as she was about to send him a message, Kaitlyn's call came through.
Willow's brow creased slightly as she answered.
The moment the call connected, Kaitlyn's apologetic voice came through. "I hope I'm not disturbing your rest at this late hour?"
"No. Is there something you need, Mrs. Brown?" Willow's tone was flat.
"I visited your grandmother today, and I think I may have said something I shouldn't have. Willa, your grandmother..." After returning home, she'd spent the entire day worrying. After much deliberation, she decided she should call Willow to find out what happened.
"She collapsed right after you left." Willow made no effort to hide her displeasure—she didn't have the energy to.
Silence stretched across the line.
When Kaitlyn finally spoke again, her voice was cautious, tentative. "How is she now? Has she woken up? I'm so sorry. I had no idea she didn't know about Ster's identity. Is there anything I can do to help? I'll do whatever—"
The guilt weighed heavy in her words.
"My grandmother's awake. She's fine. You can stop worrying, Mrs. Brown." Willow cut her off coldly.
Kaitlyn breathed a sigh of relief, though the guilt still lingered. "I truly didn't mean any harm, Willa..."
"Don't call me that. We're not that close." Willow interrupted again.
Kaitlyn corrected herself. "Ms. Spencer, if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."
Willow closed her eyes briefly. "Don't worry. If anything happens to my grandmother during this time, I'll hold you responsible."
This was what the Brown family owed them, after all. When her father died, they hadn't lifted a finger to help. If anything happened to Maria now because of the Brown family, she'd demand answers—no matter the cost.
Kaitlyn apologized again.
Just as Willow was about to hang up, exhausted, Kaitlyn's hesitant voice came through once more. "Ms. Spencer, you and Ster right now..."
"My personal life doesn't need the concern of an outsider like Mrs. Brown," Willow snapped, cutting her off. "Tell me the truth—bringing up Sterling in front of my grandmother today, was that really not Gloria's idea? Even if it wasn't, you had your own agenda, didn't you? You want me away from Sterling to give your daughter a shot, right?"
The barrage of accusations left Kaitlyn speechless. She wanted to say she really was thinking of them, but something about Willow's tone made the words catch in her throat.
"I'll contact you if I need anything. Otherwise, if you really want to help us, please stay away from my grandmother!" Willow delivered her final words and hung up.
At the Brown Villa.
Kaitlyn stared at her phone, unable to snap out of her daze for a long moment. She knew she'd made a mistake. Willow had every right to be angry. But for some reason, facing Willow's accusations made her chest ache with an inexplicable pain.
Gloria came home from outside, reeking of alcohol.
Kaitlyn snapped back to reality, standing up with concern. "Why are you home so late? And you've been drinking?"
A tipsy smile played on Gloria's face. "Just a little. Mom, I haven't even asked you yet—how's Mrs. Spencer?"
As she spoke, she stumbled slightly.
Kaitlyn rushed over to steady her, helping her upstairs while filling her in on Maria's condition, including how she'd misspoken in front of Maria.
Halfway through, she suddenly remembered Willow's accusations, and... Kaitlyn glanced at her daughter with complicated emotions. Part of the reason she'd brought up Sterling in front of Maria was because Gloria had asked her to.
Realizing what she was thinking, Kaitlyn quickly shook her head, pushing the thought away. Gloria had clearly recognized her mistakes. She couldn't have known Maria was unaware of Sterling's identity. How could it have been intentional?
It was her own fault.
She was so consumed with self-blame that she failed to notice the flash of cold calculation in Gloria's eyes when she heard about Maria's collapse.
Late at night. An upscale club in Majestic City.
Sterling and Henry sat across from each other.
Henry looked miserable. "What now? Mr. Lancaster, I have a personal life too, you know. Aren't you already with Willow? Have her keep you company!"
He'd been about to seal the deal when Sterling tracked him down at his hotel and literally dragged him out of bed. Thinking about what he'd just left behind, Henry wanted nothing more than to strip this guy down and toss him out.
Sterling shot him a look, his voice cold. "Her grandmother found out who I am."
Henry shrugged. "So what—"
Mid-sentence, realization dawned. "Wait, Mrs. Spencer didn't know before?"
Sterling took a drink without answering.
Henry understood. "If Mrs. Spencer doesn't approve, there's not much you can do. Hell, I couldn't accept it at first either."
He clapped Sterling on the shoulder casually. "Want me to call Glenn over? He can give you some psychological counseling."
His mental calculator was already running—once Glenn arrived, he could escape.
Sterling's voice cut through the air, quiet but pointed. "I checked the surveillance footage. Your mother was the one who told her."
Henry had already been scrolling through his contacts for Glenn when his movements froze.
"My mom?" Disbelief colored his voice.
Sterling neither confirmed nor denied it.
Henry stared at him for a long moment, confirming he wasn't being lied to. Then, thinking about why his mother would do such a thing, his expression turned complicated beyond words.
"I'm sorry, but I promise you, my mom definitely didn't mean it." He wanted to explain, but didn't even know where to start.
Why would his mother bring up Sterling in front of Maria out of the blue? The answer was obvious. His dear sister was behind this again.
Gloria kept crossing lines, one after another. Henry wanted to see her less and less. He couldn't accept that his own sister had become this kind of person. Lately, he'd been leaving early and coming home late to avoid running into her. He never imagined that in a moment of inattention, his family would cause such a massive disaster.
"Ster, you know how it is. My mom was spoiled from childhood, married my dad young, and he's been pampering her ever since. All these years, she's aged but never developed any real cunning."
Henry racked his brain, scrambling to defend his mother.
"I've been negligent lately. Don't worry—I'll make this right."
Sterling sipped his drink, his gaze occasionally flicking to the phone on the table. He didn't respond.