Chapter 51 Chapter 51: It Can’t Be a Coincidence
The old man took a deep breath and said:
"I’ve allowed you to bring Amelia into this house, but your duty now is to keep her in check. Don’t turn a blind eye and pretend you don’t know what's happening. William, I am your grandfather and I am not dead yet."
The warning was clear. William thought to himself, What trouble has Amelia caused to make Grandfather so displeased? When she gets home, he’d have to question her thoroughly.
"Grandfather, I…"
"Ah! What are you doing? Let me go! Help! Brutus is going to kill me!"
William was about to defend himself when a scream from the garden interrupted him. Both he and old Mr. Sterling rushed outside, where they saw Brutus strangling Laura. His face was twisted with rage, and it looked like he truly intended to kill her.
"Stop him!"
Old Mr. Sterling shouted at the panicked household staff standing around uselessly.
They managed to pull Brutus off, but he continued to scream:
"I’ll kill you! You’re a wicked witch! You deserve to die!"
Laura, trembling with fear, clung to William, crying:
"He’s gone mad! William, your father wants to kill me!"
But Brutus, still raging, spat back:
"You deserve to die! You tried to kill my child and the person I love! You must die!"
At this, Laura lost control and lunged at Brutus, clawing at him.
"You want to kill me over that slut? Are you even human anymore?"
The scene was complete chaos. Furious, old Mr. Sterling ordered his staff to separate them, dragging Brutus to his room, while leaving Laura for William to handle. After everything that happened with Selena’s family, the old man no longer trusted her, no matter who was in the right.
Inside his room, Brutus knelt before old Mr. Sterling, confessing to having a mistress and how she had been attacked and nearly killed.
"Father, I know I’ve disappointed you, but I can’t lose Kelly or my child."
Watching his nearly fifty-year-old son weep like a child, old Mr. Sterling felt a pang of sorrow. He sighed deeply and said:
"If Laura was behind it, I’ll deal with her. But you’ve let me down. Did you even think about your two children when you had that affair?"
Brutus lowered his head in silence, the room filled with the sound of his sobs.
Tired, old Mr. Sterling dismissed him and then turned to Uncle Victor, his confidant.
"Victor, have I been wrong all along? Years ago, I arranged for Brutus to marry Laura so he could secure a position in the family. Later, I tried to repay the debt by having William marry Selena. And now, both my son and grandson’s lives are in ruins."
Uncle Victor quickly offered words of comfort, but they fell on deaf ears. After a long silence, old Mr. Sterling spoke again:
"Tell Keith to get ready. He and I will go visit that girl."
When Keith learned that his grandfather wanted him to accompany him to meet his father’s mistress, he was furious. He didn’t dare defy his grandfather, but his expression was unmistakably sour.
Old Mr. Sterling glanced at his grandson and said, "You’re grown now, you need to think things through carefully. I wouldn’t ask you to come along for no reason."
Keith immediately protested, "What’s there to think about? He betrayed my mother, and now you want me to visit that woman? Aren’t you afraid my mother will be upset?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Keith respected his grandfather, but he couldn’t agree with his decisions. Ever since his grandfather forced his brother to marry that country woman, his dissatisfaction had only grown.
That woman made him sick to his stomach just at the sight of her—ugly in both appearance and demeanor. How could she ever be a match for his brother? Luckily, she had disappeared now, saving him the trouble of dealing with her.
Old Mr. Sterling sighed, shaking his head. He knew his grandson wasn’t a bad person, but he was too easily influenced, believing whatever anyone told him and hurting the innocent as a result. It was only after he investigated Selena’s whereabouts that he learned Keith had bullied her. The realization had made him furious—mostly at himself for not paying closer attention to his family’s affairs earlier.
Now it was too late to change the past. All he could do was try to teach his naive grandson before he passed away, so his son wouldn’t face estrangement in old age.
As for the woman and the child she carried... Old Mr. Sterling didn’t believe she truly cared for his son. If that was the case, all he needed was the child.
The two arrived at the hospital, and Uncle Victor inquired with the nurse about Kelly’s room. But he had forgotten her name and instead asked for the room of the person who had recently been stabbed.
Because the incident had been quite public, the nurse immediately knew who he was looking for and replied, "Are you looking for Ms. Selena’s room? It’s room 362 on the sixth floor."
Selena?
Both old Mr. Sterling and Keith turned to look at each other, the same thought running through their minds.
Could it be her?
"Take me to that girl right away, the one named Selena."
Uncle Victor wanted to say that Brutus’s mistress wasn’t named Selena, but before he could, old Mr. Sterling had already ushered him and Keith into the elevator. The urgency to meet this Selena—whether she was the same or not—was overwhelming. He just needed to confirm it.
When they arrived, old Mr. Sterling couldn’t wait and knocked on the door. It was Sophia who answered and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Uncle Victor replied, "We’re here to see Ms. Selena."
Old Mr. Sterling peeked inside the room and immediately spotted Selena lying on the bed. He exclaimed, "It’s her!"
Kelly and Selena’s faces darkened the moment they saw the Sterling family members. Old Mr. Sterling brushed past Sophia and rushed to Selena’s bedside, asking, "Your name is Selena, so are you..."