After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 73: The Beast About to Break Through Its Cage

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Beast About to Break Through Its Cage

Wyatt Sterling said coolly, "Alice is timid and shy. She doesn’t like sitting next to people she’s not familiar with."

Alice York turned to look at Wyatt Sterling. He was staring straight ahead, a faint smile on his lips.

’Alice...’

’He rarely called her by her nickname.’

William Churchill glanced at Scott Churchill’s sullen face, then looked at Wyatt Sterling. "Wyatt, Scott is just a bit too enthusiastic. He’s a simple boy; he didn’t mean anything by it."

"I didn’t mean anything by it either."

As he spoke, Wyatt Sterling placed the fish maw soup a servant had brought over in front of Alice York and wiped his hands with a napkin. "You said to have him sit next to Alice, and I didn’t object."

William Churchill was left speechless and could only go over to comfort Scott Churchill.

Alice York stared at the fish maw soup before her, her feelings in turmoil. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The servants began bringing out the dishes.

Scott Churchill stood up and moved his favorite dishes in front of himself. He even deliberately placed two in front of Alice York, grinning foolishly. "Alice York, eat up, eat up."

Alice York forced a smile. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome! Alice York, you’re so pretty today. Hehehe." Scott Churchill giggled foolishly at her.

Just as Alice York managed to return the smile, a hand covered her left one.

Her heart leaped, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but the hand on hers pressed down firmly, holding her in place.

Scott Churchill still hadn’t returned to his seat. Panicked and afraid of being seen, she tugged his hand down beneath the hem of her clothes.

When she looked up, she saw the smile on Wyatt Sterling’s lips had deepened considerably. ’Or maybe it’s just my imagination,’ she thought, since he was busy chatting with William Churchill.

"Miss York."

The topic of conversation suddenly shifted to her. Alice York looked up, putting down the chopsticks in her right hand.

The palm of her left hand, still held by Wyatt Sterling, began to sweat. He showed no sign of letting go; in fact, the pad of his thumb was tracing her palm in a teasing manner, even as his face remained perfectly composed.

William Churchill said to her in a tone that was half-sigh, half-sincere, "I never formally introduced you to Scott, but I imagine you’ve figured it out by now."

Alice York knew, but not in great detail.

She asked bluntly, "Uncle Churchill, your original plan was for me to be with Scott Churchill, wasn’t it?"

William Churchill nodded, his expression earnest. "Yes, Miss York. From the very beginning, I hoped you and Scott could be together. The fact that you’re a doctor in his area of need gave me great peace of mind."

"And for your peace of mind, you were willing to sacrifice my life, Uncle Churchill?"

Alice York tried to pull her hand from Wyatt Sterling’s grasp, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.

She gritted her teeth and continued to lay out the facts, her smile never reaching her eyes. "You were afraid I wouldn’t accept Scott Churchill’s condition, so you had Kyle Churchill approach me first. Then, you’d swap him out for Scott at the wedding, all without a soul knowing. Even if I found out, it would be too late to back out. Once that marriage license was signed, I’d belong to the Churchill Family, for better or worse."

William Churchill’s face was a mask of apology. "It’s true my planning was inadequate. But Scott is simple-minded. Please don’t hate him."

’He’s simple, all right,’ Alice York thought.

’So simple that when he tried to kill me, there were no complex thoughts involved. Just the single-minded goal of choking me to death.’

After the meal, William Churchill kept Wyatt Sterling behind for a private word. It wasn’t appropriate for Alice York to stay, so she went outside to wait, with Scott Churchill trotting eagerly behind her.

Wyatt Sterling had Mason Cheney follow them, which made Alice York feel a little more secure.

Palm trees, lush and healthy, were planted on both sides of the steps, their fronds close enough to touch.

"Alice York, Alice York, are you leaving?" Scott Churchill asked, approaching her with a wide, toothy grin.

Alice York toyed with a palm frond. "Yes, I’m going back now."

A look of reluctance crossed Scott Churchill’s face. "Can’t you stay and keep me company?"

Alice York turned to him and said unequivocally, "I will not be staying."

"But... but Dad said you’re the wife they gave me." At the mention of the word "wife," Scott seemed to understand, and he just kept giggling foolishly.

Alice York felt a wave of revulsion, but she tried not to let it show on her face as she said, "We’re not a good match."

"We are, we are!" Scott Churchill insisted, nodding firmly. "I really like you! Stay and be my wife, please?"

Mason Cheney subtly stepped between them, separating Scott Churchill from her. "Want a knuckle sandwich?" he threatened in a gruff voice.

Scott Churchill was annoyed at Mason Cheney’s sudden appearance, but when he heard the words "knuckle sandwich," his eyes lit up. He nodded vigorously. "I do!"

Mason Cheney made a fist, jutting out his index knuckle, and raised it. "My treat."

The color drained from Scott Churchill’s face. He covered his head and bolted.

"Don’t want it, don’t want it!"

He vanished in an instant, running like a bat out of hell.

Alice York couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. After thanking Mason Cheney, he told her, "With someone like Scott Churchill, you have to be more aggressive and intimidate him. A half-and-half approach of refusal and appeasement doesn’t work. It’ll just trigger his violent side."

Alice York knew that, of course. She gave a bitter smile and said, "This is the Churchill estate. I wouldn’t dare."

Mason Cheney nodded in understanding.

Since Wyatt Sterling hadn’t come out yet, Alice York took the opportunity to subtly probe Mason Cheney. "Does the Old Master know that I’m coming back?"

"Miss York, let me put it this way. Before we left, the Old Master was pulling all the strings. But from the moment we arrived here, this has been the Third Master’s game."

Mason Cheney wasn’t being completely direct, but Alice York understood him perfectly.

’Wyatt Sterling is gradually breaking free from the Old Master’s control. This game... it’s his game. His ambition has grown to a scale she could never have imagined...’

Alice York had no idea what Wyatt Sterling and William Churchill discussed after the meal, nor was she curious.

The moment she boarded the plane at three in the afternoon, right on schedule, she almost burst into tears.

It wasn’t until the plane touched down at Silvanus International Airport and she stepped outside, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds of Silvanus, that everything finally felt real.

"Been crying?"

Wyatt Sterling’s voice came from beside her. When Alice York turned her head, she met his scrutinizing gaze.

A silent breeze swept past her ear. She raised a hand to smooth back her hair. "I didn’t cry."

Wyatt Sterling smirked. "Even if you didn’t cry, you’ve been holding it in the entire trip."

She fell silent, not answering him.

There were two cars waiting to pick them up.

Mason Cheney put Alice York’s luggage in one of the cars. She asked, "Are we going to the Sterling residence first?"

Wyatt Sterling grunted in affirmation.

Before she could ask anything more, Wyatt Sterling lifted his chin, motioning for her to get into the front car.

"And you?" She looked at him.

"To the main house," he replied, his gaze fixed on her.

’Hearing that he was also going to the main house, she felt a strange sense of relief, as if she had nothing to fear as long as he was around. But his words—that she wasn’t worthy—were a constant reminder not to get too attached.’

「Back at the Sterling main house.」

The first person Alice York ran into was Owen Sterling. The surprise was mutual. He had been on his way out, but when he saw her, he froze in place for a full half-minute.

"Alice?"

Owen Sterling called out, his voice uncertain.

Alice York was already walking ahead of the others. She quickened her pace toward Owen Sterling, merely intending to get closer to speak with him, but he suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"Alice, it’s really you! You’re back." Owen Sterling sounded both overjoyed and emotional, holding her tightly.

Caught off guard by the hug and remembering Wyatt Sterling was right behind her, Alice York pushed at him nervously. "Owen..."

Not far behind them,

Wyatt Sterling watched the scene unfold, his expression deceptively calm. But beneath that placid gaze, a beast was hiding, ready to break free from its cage.