Chapter 80
At the Lancaster Group.
The CEO's office had been filled with a heavy atmosphere since early morning.
Blake entered cautiously, immediately noticing Sterling's dark expression. He approached the desk quietly.
Sterling looked up, dark circles prominent beneath his eyes.
"Did you have another restless night?" Blake couldn't help asking with concern.
Sterling pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples. "What is it?" he asked in a low voice, ignoring Blake's question.
His avoidance confirmed Blake's suspicions. Sterling hadn't slept well.
Blake wondered how his boss managed to maintain such a demanding work schedule while suffering from insomnia. It was alarming to witness.
"Ms. Brown has requested to meet with you at noon. She's asking if you're available," Blake reported respectfully.
"Gloria?" Sterling's eyes darkened slightly. "Did she mention what it's about?"
Blake shook his head. "No, sir. She only said she needed to discuss something with you. From her tone, it seems rather personal."
Sterling tapped his desk thoughtfully. "Any progress on investigating that night? Are we certain it was her?"
Blake hesitated. "We can only confirm that the sleeve found in your room belonged to her."
The implication was clear—they still couldn't definitively identify who had been with Sterling that night. Even ruling out Willow, Rachel remained a possibility.
A heavy silence fell over the office.
After a long moment, Sterling nodded. "Very well. Let's see what she has to say."
Blake acknowledged the instruction and turned to leave, but paused as a thought occurred to him.
"Ms. Spencer's massage techniques seemed particularly effective for you..." he began, thinking Willow might help with Sterling's insomnia.
Before he could finish, Sterling shot him a cold look. "That won't be necessary."
The atmosphere in the office grew even more oppressive.
Blake was startled, wondering if Willow had somehow offended Sterling. They had seemed to be on good terms, with Sterling showing her special consideration.
Blake had assumed it was because she helped him sleep better.
"Yes, sir," he replied, not daring to press the issue.
---
After receiving her assignment, Willow immediately began familiarizing herself with the materials.
She would be helping at the product launch that afternoon, leaving her little time to prepare.
Fortunately, she had spent the previous day reviewing publicly available information about the project. By noon, she had a solid grasp of the details.
When Molly invited her to lunch, Willow initially wanted to decline, concerned her friend would notice her injury and worry. But Molly was insistent, so she reluctantly agreed.
As expected, Molly spotted her limping immediately. "Willow, what happened to your foot? You were fine after dinner yesterday!"
Despite Willow's efforts to walk normally, Molly had noticed something was wrong.
She gave up the pretense and allowed herself to limp more naturally. "I just twisted it accidentally."
Molly supported her as they walked. "How did that happen?"
Willow hesitated, unsure what to say. "Well, I..."
"Was it Charles? Did he come to see you?" Molly suddenly remembered seeing a luxury car parked near their building as they were leaving the night before.
She had wondered who in that modest neighborhood could afford such an expensive vehicle.
Willow had been about to invent an excuse, but seeing that Molly had already guessed correctly, she saw no point in lying.
Besides, Molly already knew most of what had happened between her and Charles. Willow needed someone to confide in.
"Yes, he found out I'm working at Lancaster Group. He wasn't happy about it," she admitted.
Molly helped her into a chair at their table, then clenched her fists angrily. "And he did this to you?"
Willow still felt compelled to defend Charles. "It wasn't intentional."
"You're still making excuses for him!" Molly exclaimed, her voice rising with indignation.
Nearby diners glanced in their direction.
Molly lowered her voice sheepishly. "A man who gets physical once will do it again. This time it was 'accidental,' but what about next time? How can you be sure of his intentions?"
Remembering their phone conversation from days earlier, she continued, "His mother seemed pretty volatile and unreasonable. Maybe he inherited her temper!"
Her words conveyed complete distrust of Charles.
Willow's grip tightened on her utensils, and she found herself instinctively wanting to defend him.
After all, they had been together for eight years, and Charles had never behaved this way before.
Had she really known him so little?
"Anyway, you should stay away from him!" Molly suggested after a moment's thought. "Why don't you move in with me? I'm sure my brother would be fine moving out if we lived together."
Willow pushed aside her conflicted thoughts and smiled reassuringly. "That's not necessary. My neighbors have promised to keep watch and prevent him from entering the building."
Molly still looked unconvinced.
"Let's eat," Willow urged. "I have work this afternoon."
At this reminder, Molly reluctantly dropped the subject.
Before they could finish lunch, Willow received a call from her manager, requesting she head to the event venue immediately. She agreed and prepared to leave.
---
Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor of Moonlight Restaurant, Gloria sat alone, waiting for Sterling.
Valerie's voice came through her phone, "Don't be nervous. I personally arranged the paperwork. As long as you don't slip up, he'll never know the truth. Just stick to the script."
Gloria felt anxious. "But what if—"
"Even if he discovers the deception, it doesn't change the fact that you were the woman with him that night," Valerie reasoned. "At worst, he'll think you're being opportunistic, trying to force marriage with a pregnancy."
This reassurance calmed Gloria somewhat.
Hearing footsteps outside, she quickly ended the call.
Moments later, the door opened.
The restaurant manager respectfully escorted Sterling inside.
"I'll leave you now, Mr. Lancaster. Please call if you need anything," the manager said, bowing as he backed out of the room.
Only Gloria and Sterling remained.
Sterling's commanding presence filled the room with an intimidating aura, even without him saying a word.
Gloria's nervousness returned in full force.
Sterling's scrutinizing gaze settled on her. "What did you want to discuss?"
Noticing her discomfort, Sterling softened his tone, his voice deep and pleasant.
Though he still couldn't confirm whether she had been the woman from that night, Gloria remained the most likely candidate. This warranted some patience on his part.
His gentler approach helped Gloria relax slightly.
Taking a deep breath, she lowered her eyes, adopting a helpless expression. "Sterry... I think I might be pregnant."
A deathly silence fell over the room.
Even the normally composed Sterling showed visible reaction, his scrutinizing gaze searching Gloria's face intently.