Chapter 209: Take Good Care of Madam

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Take Good Care of Madam

As Morgan Sterling spoke, a trace of sorrow crossed his face, but Jacqueline Vaughn’s heart trembled violently when she heard him.

For the past two years, ever since Thomas Sterling had been paralyzed and bedridden, Morgan Sterling had dropped all pretense. He pretended to be searching for a suitable kidney donor for Thomas, but in reality, he couldn’t have cared less.

He had the household staff drug Jacqueline Vaughn daily to make her appear senile. When Jacqueline found out, she used all her savings to bribe the maid caring for her, arranging to feign her dementia.

Meanwhile, Thomas Sterling had promised a large sum of money to his own caretaker. The caretaker secretly helped him contact a lawyer, and while Morgan was away, Thomas drew up a will and contacted Madeline Sterling, asking her to return to the country.

Thomas knew that Madeline wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but under the circumstances, he had no other choice.

The couple waited and waited at home for four long months, but Madeline never returned. They knew then that Morgan had discovered their plan.

"So, Mom, tell me. Where is Dad’s will? Where is his private seal? You know my money won’t last much longer. If I run out, I’ll have to start selling off these properties."

"Where will we live then? Just tell me, and you’ll still be the mistress of the Sterling Family, and Madeline will still be its most esteemed young lady."

Morgan’s voice held a bewitching tone. He knew Jacqueline would agree. For so many years, all she had ever done was vie for favor and prevent Thomas from having illegitimate children; she was useless at everything else.

When Thomas was alive, she might have listened to him. But with Thomas dead and Madeline gone, she had no one left to rely on.

"Will... will you really spare Madeline and me? Morgan, I... all these years, Mom has been good to you, haven’t I?"

"Of course. I know. If you and Madeline don’t want to go abroad, you can stay here. The two of you can go wherever you please."

"I’ll keep making good money. You and Madeline just need to live well. I’ll make sure you two want for nothing. You can buy whatever you want, go wherever you want."

Jacqueline looked at the man crouching before her and finally clenched her jaw. "Your father’s private seal is embedded in the pattern on the side of his headboard that faces the wall. The will is with Lawyer Wallace."

"So it was with him."

Morgan smiled, shook his head, and stood up. "He really is loyal to my father, isn’t he?"

"Morgan! Morgan, you just promised me! I want to see Madeline now, please? Where is she? Let her come see me," Jacqueline pleaded, clutching Morgan’s hand.

"Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll arrange it."

Morgan patted her hand and walked out the door. His expression immediately turned cold. He said to the maid waiting nearby, "Take good care of the madam."

"Yes, Young Master."

Morgan lit a cigarette and got into his car, preparing to go see Madeline. Through the smoke, his mind drifted back to last night. He had been pressing Thomas again, demanding to know where the will was, when Thomas had suddenly started laughing.

He had gasped for breath and said to Morgan, "You... you want to know where the will is? Dream on! I... I’ll die before I tell you!"

"With... without my private seal, even if... even if you become chairman, what’s the use! You... you can’t touch the Sterling Group’s money! With... with the money you have now, how do you expect to fight Asher Keating?"

Morgan had just stood there by the bed, watching the emaciated man on it. Thomas Sterling was gasping for air like a dying fish.

This man, whom he had called ’father’ for thirty-three years, had never loved him for a single day. Back then, Jacqueline Vaughn had used her pregnancy to marry into the Sterling Family. Instead of blaming himself for his lack of self-control, Thomas had only resented Jacqueline for scheming against him.

By extension, he grew to resent Morgan, blaming the child for ruining his marriage alliance with the Grant Family.

Throughout Morgan’s childhood, Thomas never gave him a kind look in private. Punishments like smacking his palms, along with cold taunts and curses, were a daily occurrence.

In stark contrast, Thomas heaped praise upon Asher Keating, who was two years younger than Morgan. He would tell Morgan he was a good-for-nothing, unable to compete with Asher despite being older.

It all started with a tongue-twisting poem. A seven-year-old Morgan had failed to recite it, while a five-year-old Asher had recited it perfectly.

Morgan would never forget it. He remembered his younger self watching as his father gently patted Asher’s head with a warm smile, saying, "Asher, you’re truly amazing."

When he turned to look at Morgan, the veiled disgust in his eyes sent a chill down to his bones.

For so many years, Morgan had competed with Asher, both openly and secretly. When Asher wasn’t involved in the Keating Family’s business, Morgan used the situation with Madeline to try and ruin Asher completely.

But he never expected that Asher would rather knock himself unconscious than go through with it. As Aaron Keating was cursing that the plan was about to fail, Morgan looked at Madeline, who was drugged, lost in a haze of lust, and barely conscious. He’d smirked sinisterly and asked Aaron if he wanted a taste of his sister.

Madeline had been so infatuated with Asher back then. Morgan had been desperate to outdo Asher in every conceivable way, and this was also a chance to frame him further.

To Aaron, the idea of Morgan messing with Madeline wasn’t disgusting at all; in fact, it excited him. Madeline usually wouldn’t even give him a second glance. So, after a moment of stunned silence, he immediately agreed.

Morgan snapped out of his memories and suddenly gave Thomas a strange, chilling smile. "Then you can just go die."

Thomas’s eyes widened. After Morgan left, someone went in and added something to Thomas’s IV drip. He was too weak to even struggle.

He felt his heart constrict, little by little, but he was completely helpless. All he could do was lie there and feel death closing in on him.

「Meanwhile.」

Upon hearing of Thomas Sterling’s death, Asher Keating slowly got out of bed. It was 6:30 in the morning in Eldoria, and Leah Sinclair was still asleep. Asher tucked the covers around her, opened the door, and went outside to light a cigarette.

He felt that Thomas’s death was too sudden. For the past two years, although Morgan hadn’t actually found a kidney donor for him, he had maintained the public image of a filial son. He had even neglected the Sterling Family’s business, supposedly because he was so focused on finding a donor.

Asher knew it wasn’t that Morgan didn’t want to manage the business. Rather, Morgan lacked what he needed to access the Sterling Group’s funds, and that something was undoubtedly related to Thomas.

Now that Thomas was dead, it must mean Morgan had gotten what he wanted. In that case, Morgan certainly wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Asher sent a message to Edward Yates, telling him to investigate everything that had happened within the Sterling Family over the past couple of days. He smoked slowly, contemplating whether he needed to return to the country ahead of schedule.

Leah Sinclair rolled over and felt the empty space beside her. She groggily woke up, grabbed her phone, and glanced at the time: 6:50.