Chapter 234: The Two of Them Are Well Aware

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: The Two of Them Are Well Aware

However, Sean Sterling, standing to the side, simply watched with cold detachment. He looked at the unconscious Miss Sterling and even sneered, his expression filled with contempt and indifference.

"She’s just a dying woman, clinging to her last breath. Even if you call a doctor, it’ll be a waste of effort. There’s no point."

"Father, I’m giving you one last chance. Sign this document, leave your thumbprint, and I’ll call a doctor to treat Grandmother immediately."

Silas Sterling was overcome with fury. "You bastard! You rebellious son!" he cursed. "How dare you threaten me with your grandmother’s life! You’re utterly devoid of conscience, a traitor to your own family! Sooner or later, you’ll face divine retribution and get what you deserve!"

"Retribution? I don’t care about that." The smile on Sean Sterling’s lips grew more sinister. "Even if there is retribution, I’ll still outlive all of you."

"Forget about it! I will never give you what you want!"

"Since you insist on being stubborn, don’t blame me for being cruel."

Sean Sterling turned and walked to the bedroom door. In a voice devoid of any warmth, he gave an icy order to the servants standing guard outside.

"Starting today, cut off all of Miss Sterling’s and the Master’s ginseng soups and supplements. Halve their daily meals. Not one extra drop of water, not one extra bite of food, is to be given."

"You animal! How dare you!"

Hearing this, Silas Sterling was so enraged that a sharp pain shot through his chest. He coughed up a mouthful of blood that stained the front of his clothes, leaving him utterly weakened.

Sean Sterling merely shot him an indifferent glance, his tone as hard as ice. "When you’ve seen reason and are willing to sign, send someone to inform me."

With that, he turned and strode away.

In the living room, his assistant, Hector Warner, was worried.

"Second Young Master, what if Miss Sterling and the Master keep holding out and refuse to sign? What should we do?"

Sean Sterling picked up the teacup from the table and took a slow, deliberate sip. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he let out a cold sneer.

"If they won’t sign, we’ll just forge a document with their signatures and thumbprints."

"Once they’re dead, it’s all over. As for whether the document is real or fake... wouldn’t the person left alive and in power get to decide that? Who would dare to question it?"

"But I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to fool the Kensington family," Hector Warner said, his brow furrowed with worry. "Miss Kensington is meticulous and not someone to be trifled with. Sebastian Kensington is even more astute and discerning, a deep thinker. He’s been visiting Miss Sterling daily. It’s possible she’s already entrusted him with something important, or left some kind of contingency plan. We’ll never be able to hide this from him."

Sebastian Kensington was, without a doubt, the biggest stumbling block on his path to power—and the most difficult problem to handle.

If Miss Sterling really did leave a final testament making Sebastian Kensington the supervisor of the Sterling family’s assets, all his plans would be for nothing.

The most urgent task was to find a way to get rid of Sebastian Kensington and completely sever his connection to the Sterling family.

"Post men at the main gate. If anyone from the Kensington family comes to visit, stop them. Don’t let them into the villa, and absolutely do not let them see Miss Sterling or the Master," Sean Sterling ordered, his eyes dark and his voice cold.

"And if they try to force their way in and we can’t stop them?"

Sean Sterling’s dark eyes narrowed, a cunning and venomous light flashing within them. His lips curled into a cold, confident smirk.

"Don’t I still hold the ’ace’ that is Julian Sterling? For the sake of my ’dear’ older brother, they wouldn’t dare say anything rash!"

...

「The next morning」

Miss Kensington arrived at the Sterling estate with her butler to pay a visit. However, just as she reached the villa’s entryway, she was stopped by the servants at the door.

"Miss Kensington, I do apologize. The Second Young Master has given specific orders. Miss Sterling and the Master are gravely ill and extremely weak. All visitors are strictly forbidden so as not to disturb them. We must ask you to leave."

Miss Kensington’s expression immediately darkened. She exuded the imperious aura of someone long accustomed to being in charge, her tone laced with displeasure.

"Miss Sterling and I have been the closest of friends for half our lives. I have always come and gone from this house as I please. How dare you stop me?"

"We are truly sorry, but we are only following orders. We dare not defy the Second Young Master. Please don’t make things difficult for us." The servant kept their head bowed, refusing to budge an inch.

"Go and get Sean Sterling at once!" Miss Kensington was stubborn and strong-willed. Having rushed here full of worry, she had no intention of leaving empty-handed. Her voice grew sharp. "His father and grandmother are still alive. It is not his place, a mere junior, to run roughshod over the Sterling family!"

’She knew better than anyone that her old friend’s life was hanging by a thread, her health deteriorating daily. Each visit could be the last. For Sean Sterling to block her like this... he must be up to something!’

Not daring to delay, the servant could only say, "Please wait a moment. I’ll call the Second Young Master for instructions immediately."

Meanwhile, in the second-floor bedroom of the villa.

The assistant, Hector Warner, dragged a dazed and helpless Julian Sterling into the bedroom.

"Miss Sterling, Master. Miss Kensington has come to visit you. In a moment, when you see her, I’m sure you both know what you should and should not say."

Before he had even finished speaking, he suddenly lashed out, his fingers viciously clamping down on Julian Sterling’s slender neck.

Julian Sterling’s face instantly turned crimson as he was choked. He struggled frantically, letting out small, pained whimpers, his eyes filled with terror.

"Stop! Let him go!"

Silas Sterling strained to prop himself up, his face a deathly, ashen pale, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Hector Warner, come after us if you must, but do not hurt Julian! If you dare lay a finger on him, I swear I’ll haunt you to the ends of the earth!"

Lying on the bed, Miss Sterling’s chest heaved violently with rage. Her breathing was rapid and ragged, her lips trembled, and she couldn’t even form a single coherent reprimand.

Only after watching their agonized expressions for a moment did Hector Warner slowly release his grip. He casually brushed off his clothes with a smile, his face a mask of indifference.

"Calm your anger, Master. I am merely acting on the Second Young Master’s orders; it’s out of my hands. As long as the two of you behave and don’t breathe a single word of what shouldn’t be said, the First Young Master will be perfectly safe. However, if you insist on being disobedient, then don’t blame us for what happens next."

A short while later, having been allowed entry by the servants, Miss Kensington hurried up to the second floor.

The moment she stepped into the bedroom, she was hit by the heavy, oppressive smell of medicine mixed with the faint scent of blood. The sight that met her eyes made her heart sink.

Though it had only been a few days, Miss Sterling and Silas Sterling looked several times worse than they had on her previous visit. Their faces were gaunt, their breathing was shallow as a thread, and their eyes were dull. They looked like lamps with their oil about to run out, and the sight was heart-wrenching.

Miss Kensington rushed to the bedside and tightly grasped Miss Sterling’s cold, stiff hand. Her eyes filled with heartache and confusion, her voice thick with emotion.

"How did you end up like this? Weren’t you undergoing detoxification and treatment? Why are you getting worse?"

’That Miss Grayson’s medical skills are superb. She was able to completely cure my own chronic ailment. Can it be that she’s unable to treat the deep-seated poison in the Sterlings?’

Miss Sterling squeezed her hand back, her own fingertips icy and trembling. Her eyes were filled with an unconcealable sorrow as she spoke, her voice as faint as a thread, each word costing her immense effort.

"The poison... has long since seeped into my organs. It’s too deep-rooted... It’s not so easily purged... Winnie, I can’t hold on much longer. I have a day or two at most... then I’ll be gone."

"Don’t say such things!" Miss Kensington’s eyes instantly reddened as she fought back tears, cutting her off sharply. "You promised me that when you recovered, we would go to Riverbend South together to relax and enjoy our golden years. You can’t go back on your word!"

"I won’t make it... in this life. But in the next, we’ll be inseparable best friends again." A single tear slid from the corner of Miss Sterling’s eye, her heart filled with regret and lingering attachments.

Suppressing the ache in her heart, Miss Kensington turned to look at Julian Sterling, who was cowering timidly in a corner. She softened her tone and called to him gently.

"Julian, sweet child, come here to Kensington."

Julian Sterling flinched. He kept his head down, huddled tightly in the corner, not daring to move a single step. His eyes were filled with a lingering terror, and he kept darting fearful glances at Hector Warner, who stood nearby.

"Don’t be afraid. Come here. Kensington is here."

Miss Kensington walked over slowly, gently took Julian Sterling’s cold hand, and placed it together with Miss Sterling’s in a tight grip. She looked at her dying friend on the bed, her tone solemn and resolute.

"My dear friend, you can rest assured. From now on, I will treat Julian as my own grandson. I will do everything in my power to protect him and never let him suffer the slightest harm."

Miss Sterling looked at Miss Kensington, her heart filled with gratitude. Her lips moved, and with great difficulty, she uttered two words.

"Thank... you..."

Miss Kensington stayed for half an hour before leaving the Sterling estate.

On the way back, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong.

The Sterling estate today was filled with a strange, oppressive atmosphere. The servants were silent as statues. Hector Warner never left the sickroom’s side, which felt more like surveillance than care. And Miss Sterling and Silas Sterling, usually so talkative, were both taciturn and seemed to be holding their tongues.

What made her even more suspicious was that she had clearly seen a faint, yet exceptionally clear Crimson Trace on the side of Silas Sterling’s face. From its shape, it was clearly the print of a hand from a slap!

’Why would there be a handprint on his face for no reason?’

’Someone had clearly slapped him!’

’Silas Sterling was the head of the Sterling family. Who would dare lay a hand on him?’

At this thought, Miss Kensington’s expression turned grim. A sharp, fierce glint flashed in her eyes as she immediately gave a command to her driver in a low voice.

"Don’t go back to the residence. Take me to the office."