After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 71: He Panicked Too

Alice York had always thought having good hearing was a good thing.

But right now, she despised her keen sense of hearing. She also hated herself for coming upstairs to find Wyatt Sterling.

’She served her purpose as a pawn.’

’She’s just an adopted daughter. Is she even worthy?’

’She already knew, didn’t she? So why did she still feel so aggrieved after hearing those words?’

It was because every time he showed her the slightest bit of kindness—even just a tiny bit—she would instantly forget all his faults and start wagging her tail at him like a dog.

She was the type to forget the pain as soon as the scar healed.

She deserved it.

When Wyatt Sterling came out, Alice was nowhere to be seen. He had no idea she had been there.

Downstairs, the butler saw him and bowed his head nervously. "Third Master."

Wyatt Sterling grunted in acknowledgment. Just as he was about to leave, the butler hurriedly said, "Third Master, Miss Alice came looking for you a moment ago."

"She was here?" Wyatt Sterling glanced over.

The butler nodded. He hadn’t seen Alice leave, so he assumed she was still waiting upstairs. That’s why he’d mentioned it.

Wyatt Sterling asked when she had come. The butler told him, and Wyatt’s brow furrowed as he listened.

Meanwhile, Alice was already in a car, rushing to the hotel where Zoe Jenson was staying.

Holden Locke opened the door. He stared at her, stunned for a few seconds, before pulling her inside. "Did you sneak over here?"

Alice wasn’t particularly petite—she was five-foot-six, barefoot. But most of the men in her life were five-eleven or taller, which made her seem much smaller by comparison.

It was the same with Holden Locke; she looked tiny next to him.

She looked up at Holden Locke’s worried expression and gave him a reassuring smile. "Third Uncle said I could come."

Hearing this, Holden Locke finally relaxed.

"Uncle, who is it?"

Zoe Jenson’s voice called from inside the room.

She didn’t come out to check, not expecting Alice to arrive so early. She had figured Alice wouldn’t be there until three or four in the afternoon at the earliest, or perhaps not even until evening.

When she didn’t hear her uncle’s reply, she started to head over, only for Alice’s figure to suddenly appear in her line of sight.

"Alice?" Zoe was dumbfounded.

Alice walked over. "I’m here."

Zoe tried to smile, but her lips wouldn’t cooperate. Her mouth turned down into a pout, and she walked toward Alice, looking like she was about to cry. "It feels so unreal seeing you. I need a hug."

Without a word, Alice hugged Zoe.

Holden Locke smiled from behind them.

The suite was a well-appointed two-bedroom, with every amenity. Holden Locke brought over two sodas, handing one to Alice and one to Zoe. "Sit and talk."

The two of them sat down. Alice chugged half her soda in one go while Zoe watched her anxiously. "Your Third Uncle really let you come this early?"

Alice wiped the soda from her lips and nodded. "Yeah."

Zoe relaxed.

They talked about many things, but Alice, not wanting to worry Zoe, didn’t mention the real reason the Sterlings had sent her to the Churchill family.

Zoe didn’t understand. "Then why are the Sterlings so insistent on you staying with the Churchills? Don’t tell me they want you to be a spy or something."

Sitting across from them, Holden Locke looked at Alice. "What exactly are the Sterlings holding over you?"

"My mom and my little brother." Alice didn’t hide this part.

"Damn it!" Zoe fumed. "They’re people who don’t even love you, but they can still be used against you."

Alice froze, speechless for a long moment.

Holden Locke cleared his throat, reminding Zoe, "That’s going too far."

Zoe realized it too—her words had deeply hurt Alice.

"I’m so sorry, Alice..." Zoe hugged her, apologizing.

Alice smiled and changed the subject. "When are you and Professor Locke going back to Silvanus?"

"If you’re not going back, then I’m in no rush." Zoe shook her head.

Alice looked at Holden Locke. "What about you, Professor Locke? You must have missed a lot of your classes."

"I’ve taken a leave of absence. Don’t worry." Holden Locke gave her a warm smile.

Just then, Alice’s phone vibrated with an incoming call.

She took it out, and her expression froze when she saw the screen. Zoe leaned over to look. "It’s your Third Uncle."

Across from them, Holden Locke’s brow twitched.

Alice answered, and Wyatt Sterling’s cool voice came through the phone. "Come down."

"Third Uncle, you’re here?" Alice asked.

Wyatt Sterling said, "I’m taking you back."

’Alice sighed internally. So much for him being generous. He’d only given her this little bit of time.’

"You have three minutes."

With that, Wyatt Sterling hung up.

Alice really didn’t want to see him. Not after hearing him say "Is she even worthy?" with his own lips. His words were so heartless, so cold, they had crushed her heart to pieces.

"I heard that. Your Third Uncle is telling you to go down," Zoe said.

Alice put her phone away and stood up. "I only have three minutes. I should go."

Zoe grabbed her, unwilling to let go. "Alice..."

Afraid of making the moment too sentimental, Alice pried Zoe’s hand away. "You and your uncle should head back to Silvanus. Don’t stay here too long."

Zoe was so distraught she was on the verge of tears. Holden Locke stood up to comfort her, then walked Alice to the door.

"Alice, if you need help, just say the word. I’ll do everything in my power to help you." It was Holden Locke’s promise to her.

Alice was touched. She nodded. "I have to go."

She didn’t dare say more, afraid of dragging innocent people into her mess.

Downstairs, Wyatt Sterling’s car was waiting. She walked over and got in. A phone was tossed into her lap. She caught it instinctively and looked down, recognizing it as her old phone.

She clutched it, turning to look at him in surprise.

Wyatt Sterling said, "You can have it back."

She clutched the phone tighter. "Are you going to take it away again?"

"I won’t." He tilted his head, his eyes on the unease on her face. "When I said on the phone that I was taking you back, I didn’t mean back to the Churchills."

Their eyes met, and Alice’s heart pounded erratically.

’She was probably overthinking it. Not going back to the Churchills could just mean going somewhere else.’

"What are you thinking about?" Wyatt’s hand reached for Alice’s face, his fingertips brushing against her jaw.

She didn’t pull away. Her gaze was fixed on him, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

A rare, magnificent smile graced Wyatt’s lips, and his voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "We’re going back to Silvanus."

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, terrified his next words would be that he was only joking. But she waited with her eyes closed for a long moment, and the words she dreaded most never came.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Wyatt Sterling smiling at her. "Stop overthinking it. I keep my word. The flight is at 3 PM. You’re coming with me."

Alice sat up straight, her back ramrod-straight. She asked him, "But haven’t I already been given to the Churchill family?"

Wyatt Sterling scoffed, "What do you mean, ’given’? Have I ever said those words myself?"

Alice was speechless.

’Thinking back, it was true. Wyatt Sterling had never actually said he was giving her to the Churchills. She was the one who had always said it to him.’

"I told you this would all be over soon." He pressed a button, and as the privacy partition slowly rose, he reached out and pulled Alice to him.

Alice didn’t struggle. She settled into his embrace without moving, just staring at him in a daze.

Her eyes were pure and clear, like a pool of brilliant moonlight. His gaze traced the lines of her brows and eyes as he suddenly asked, "Were you outside the study?"

Alice was still reeling from the wonderful surprise of returning to Silvanus. His sudden question sent a chill through her heart, snapping her back to reality. She began to struggle, trying to pull away from him.

But Wyatt held her by the shoulder, keeping her in place. Then he asked again, "Tell me. What did you hear outside the study?"