Chapter 213: Just Like a Dog

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Just Like a Dog

"I’ve written it all down. I’ll gather all the herbs you mentioned as quickly as possible."

"Hurry. Miss Sterling can’t hold on for much longer," Vesper said gravely.

After hanging up, Sebastian didn’t dare to waste a moment. He immediately contacted every available connection, launching a global search for the herbs.

’He knew these were all incredibly rare herbs. A hundred-year-old wild ginseng was a once-in-a-lifetime find, and a genuinely wild one was nearly impossible to obtain, no matter the cost.’

Meanwhile, at the Sterling family home.

Sean Sterling returned home and went straight to the annex to see Julian Sterling.

Watching his older brother—once so full of life, a true golden child—now sitting woodenly at the dining table, Sean’s narrow eyes narrowed, a sinister glint in their depths.

He turned to the servant waiting nearby and ordered coldly.

"Get out."

The servant didn’t dare to refuse, bowing hastily before backing out and closing the dining room door.

Once the servant had gone, the last shred of Sean’s facade vanished. He abruptly raised his hand and violently swiped Julian’s bowl to the floor.

The porcelain bowl shattered, scattering food everywhere in a complete mess.

As if feeling no pain, Julian frantically threw himself to the floor. He began clawing at the food, grabbing handfuls and stuffing them into his mouth in a wretched display.

Sean loomed over him, a cruel, disgusted smile on his face. His voice was vicious.

"Julian Sterling, I bet you never imagined it would come to this, did you? You look just like a dog!"

"Lick it all clean. If you miss a single grain of rice, I’ll starve you for three days. You won’t even get to eat filth like this."

With that, he stepped forward and stomped hard on the scattered food. Then, he deliberately wiped the filth from the sole of his shoe onto Julian’s back, the glee and hatred in his eyes palpable.

A wave of twisted satisfaction surged through Sean as he watched the brother who had always overshadowed him now being trampled so easily underfoot.

"Sir, are you here to see the Eldest Young Master?"

Just then, a servant’s voice, deliberately raised, came from outside the door—a clear warning to Sean that someone was coming.

Sean’s expression changed instantly. All trace of malice vanished, replaced in a heartbeat by a look of worried concern. He quickly bent down to help Julian up.

"Brother, are you okay? Come on, get up."

But Julian shoved him away and continued stuffing the filthy food into his mouth, muttering.

"Hungry... eat... Bad man, go away..."

"What is going on here?"

Silas Sterling hurried into the dining room, leaning on his cane. When he saw the mess and his son crawling on the floor, eating dirty food, his face turned ashen with a mixture of heartbreak and fury.

"Brother, stop eating that! The food on the floor is dirty. I’ll have someone make you a fresh meal right away!" Sean said with an urgent tone. He then turned to Silas and explained calmly, "Dad, I just got off work and came to check on him. I guess he accidentally knocked over his bowl. He just insisted on eating off the floor, and I couldn’t stop him."

Frantic, Silas strode forward to pull his son up.

"Julian, get up. You can’t eat this. Dad will have them make you something new."

But in his confused state, Julian had surprising strength. He shoved Silas hard, sending him staggering back several steps, nearly toppling over.

"Dad, be careful!" Sean reacted instantly, rushing forward to steady Silas. His actions looked caring, but a flicker of coldness crossed his eyes.

Silas steadied himself and, burning with rage, spun around to furiously question the servant behind him.

"How are you taking care of the Eldest Young Master?! Get him up now and bring him a clean plate of food!"

The servant glanced timidly at Sean, but seeing his icy stare, quickly went to help Julian up.

"Wait!"

Silas suddenly barked, his eyes fixed on the back of Julian’s clothes. There, a clear footprint was visible—obviously, someone had deliberately stepped on him.

"What is this footprint?!" Silas’s voice trembled with absolute rage.

The servant’s face went white with fear. He stammered, unable to form a single coherent sentence.

"You treacherous servant! I told you to take care of my brother, and you dare to abuse him behind our backs!" Sean was the first to lash out, his voice sharp. Before the servant could even try to explain, he slapped him hard across the face.

The servant clutched his face, eyes wide with shock and injustice. But when he met Sean’s bone-chilling glare, the protest died on his lips. He didn’t dare say another word.

"Even if Julian isn’t in his right mind, he is not someone you can bully!" Silas was so angry he slammed his cane on the floor. "Sean, call the police right now! We can’t let this malicious servant get away with this!"

Sean’s eyes darkened slightly as he quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Dad, we can’t call the police! With my brother in this condition, if we involve the police, it’ll be all over town. People will mock the Sterling family, and he’ll become a laughingstock..."

"Just leave it to me. I promise I’ll find someone loyal, meticulous, and trustworthy to take care of him starting tomorrow. This will never happen again."

At these words, Silas’s anger began to subside. He looked at his incoherent son, his heart filling with helplessness and sorrow.

’He was right. Julian had suffered enough. If word got out that he was being abused by a servant, he would become the laughingstock of their entire social circle, never able to hold his head high again.’

After a moment’s thought, he finally relented, tacitly agreeing to Sean’s plan.

"Teach him a lesson, then throw him out of the Sterling house!"

With that, he turned and left, leaning on his cane.

"Second Young Master..." The servant clutched his face and looked at him, his expression full of grievance.

Sean tossed him a card. "Here’s two hundred thousand. Get out of Northolme. Or else..."

"Don’t worry, Second Young Master. I swear I won’t say a word," the servant said, picking up the card and nodding repeatedly.

Sean glanced at Julian, a vicious sneer in his eyes. He was completely oblivious to the tiny, almost imperceptible light blinking from a miniature camera in a hidden corner of the dining room.

...

For the past few days, Vesper had done little besides sleep, binge-watch shows, and read.

As her wedding day drew closer, her anticipation grew.

Joan came over. "Ma’am, Liam Hawthorne is here. He says he’d like to see you."

Vesper hadn’t followed any news about him since he was hospitalized for injuries he sustained while saving someone. ’It’s been a long time since I’ve even heard that name!’

’The man I once loved so desperately... now I barely even think of him.’

’Since we’re going to be family, I suppose we’re bound to run into each other.’

’I’ve moved on. There’s no reason not to see him.’

"Let him in."

A moment later, Liam Hawthorne walked in.

His eyes immediately found Vesper, sitting on the sofa in soft loungewear, her face free of makeup.

The warm sunlight slanted across her shoulders, making her fair skin glow with a soft, gentle light. She was enveloped in a faint warmth, radiating a natural and tranquil elegance.