On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 124: Fallen

After a long silence, Jasper Lockwood finally said, "He’s not into women."

Chloe Sterling stared at him for a moment, a look of disbelief on her face.

Jasper Lockwood asked stiffly, "Why are you so interested in him?"

"Just curious," Chloe Sterling replied.

When Tristan Sinclair arrived at the piano competition, he discovered that someone had been injured. That someone was Esther Sterling.

Someone had deliberately poured makeup remover on the stairs leading from backstage to the stage, causing Esther Sterling to slip and fall, leaving her in a complete mess.

Tristan Sinclair’s eyes darkened. He ordered his subordinate, "Find out who did this!" Then, he turned to Esther Sterling. "Are you all right?"

Seeing the man who had suddenly appeared and was now showing concern for her, Esther Sterling’s eyes sparkled. She was completely smitten. Still, she maintained her composure and replied softly, "I’m fine. Thank you, President Sinclair."

Tristan Sinclair took this competition very seriously, which is why he had rushed over as soon as the incident occurred. He only knew Esther Sterling as one of the contestants who had performed reasonably well; as for the time he’d helped her out of a previous jam, he had long since forgotten.

But the others hadn’t forgotten. They even thought Tristan Sinclair had a thing for Esther Sterling. Now that she’d had an accident, he had immediately rushed over and asked after her himself, which made everyone even more certain of their suspicions.

Director Sheffield immediately said, "Esther, why don’t you go to the hospital and get checked out? This isn’t the final round. It’s all right if you miss one performance."

"There’s no need, Director Sheffield. I’m fine, it’s just a sprained ankle. I can push through. I can perform next."

"But your arm is scraped as well."

"It’s already been bandaged. I’m okay." Pausing, Esther Sterling looked at Tristan Sinclair and said gently, "President Sinclair, I’m really fine. I can perform next."

Director Sheffield also looked to Tristan Sinclair, asking, "President Sinclair, about this..."

Tristan Sinclair said flatly, "If you’re sure you’re okay, then go ahead."

"I am," Esther Sterling said immediately. She excitedly took a step forward, but the movement pulled at her sprained ankle. With a muffled grunt of pain, she stumbled, losing her balance. She was about to fall, but thankfully, Director Sheffield reacted quickly enough to catch her.

Tristan Sinclair, who was standing opposite her, didn’t move an inch the entire time, showing no intention of helping her. He even knitted his brows slightly; the adoration in Esther Sterling’s gaze and tone was an instant turn-off.

Esther Sterling hadn’t faked her stumble, but she had assumed Tristan Sinclair would catch her. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when he didn’t move at all.

’Then again, it made sense. With so many staff and contestants watching, it wouldn’t be good for him to be too obvious. Even if she took first place, her win would be questioned.’

"Esther, that looks quite serious. You should go to the hospital first," Director Sheffield said.

"I’m sorry, Director Sheffield. I just wasn’t paying attention and lost my footing. If I’m more careful, it’ll be fine. Please, go ahead and schedule me for the next slot."

"Are you sure?"

"I’m sure."

"Alright, you’ll be on in a moment. Remember to go to the hospital immediately afterward."

"Yes. Thank you, Director Sheffield."

Tristan Sinclair didn’t say another word. Without even sparing Esther Sterling a second glance, he turned and headed to the front of the theater to watch the performances.

Watching his back as he left, Esther Sterling felt a secret thrill. ’He must be going out front to wait for my performance,’ she thought. Her confidence instantly soared.

In the audience, Tristan Sinclair watched the piano performance on stage intently. Once the piece concluded, the girl stood up, smiled for her curtain call, and then exited the stage.

Next, it was Esther Sterling’s turn. After walking on stage, she first glanced at Tristan Sinclair in the audience, then walked to the piano, sat down, and began to play.

Tristan Sinclair watched the performance with a calm expression. After a while, his subordinate approached and whispered, "President Sinclair, we’ve investigated the makeup remover incident. One of the contestants intentionally poured it on the stairs to sabotage the other performers."

Tristan Sinclair said coldly, "Disqualify her from the competition and announce it publicly."

"Yes, sir."

After watching another six or seven performances, Tristan Sinclair stood up and went backstage again.

At that moment, a girl suddenly rushed over and knelt before Tristan Sinclair, her face streaked with tears. "President Sinclair, I was wrong! I’m begging you, please don’t make this public. I’ll be finished if you do!"

Tristan Sinclair’s expression was indifferent. "Did you not think about the consequences when you did this?"

"I wasn’t in my right mind! I was wrong, I really know I was wrong now! President Sinclair, I’m begging you, please spare me."

"There’s a price to pay for your mistakes."

Though Tristan Sinclair was usually all smiles and seemed approachable, when it came to official business, he was completely uncompromising, appearing cold-blooded and merciless.

No matter how pitifully the girl cried, he remained unmoved.

He strode away on long legs.

It was the first time Esther Sterling had seen such a cold side of Tristan Sinclair. She was a little intimidated, but at the same time, she felt a secret delight. ’This proves he isn’t chivalrous with every woman,’ she thought, ’just with me.’

At this thought, the corners of Esther Sterling’s lips curved into a smile.

The girl who had been kneeling on the floor was led away by security.

Tristan Sinclair went to the break room.

After a while, Director Sheffield came over. He started by praising Esther Sterling, then asked, "President Sinclair, what are your thoughts?"

Thinking back on the recent performances, Tristan Sinclair mused for a moment before saying, "That Number Seven was pretty good, too."

"Number Seven? You mean Claire White?"

Tristan Sinclair thought about the contestant’s name for a moment. "Yes, that’s the one," he said.

"Indeed." Director Sheffield nodded. "Out of this batch of contestants, Claire White and Esther Sterling are both excellent performers. Their skill levels are comparable. We’ll just have to see which of them comes out on top in the finals." He paused, watching Tristan Sinclair’s face, and asked, "Do you have any directives for the finals, President Sinclair?"

Tristan Sinclair fixed him with a pair of sharp eyes and said seriously, "Of course, it must be fair and impartial. The winner will be chosen based on merit."

Director Sheffield nodded. "Yes, of course."

Hiding outside the door, Esther Sterling clenched her fists. ’What did I just hear?’

’Tristan Sinclair said Claire White was good? What does that mean? Was my performance not as good as hers?’

Esther Sterling’s eyes narrowed. Her biggest rival in this competition was indeed Claire White. She had originally thought that by relying on Tristan Sinclair, she was guaranteed to win first place.

’But now that Tristan Sinclair has said something like that, the outcome is no longer certain. With Claire White as a competitor, I’m not completely confident I can take first place.’

A calculating glint appeared in Esther Sterling’s eyes before she turned and left.

The other people nearby began to whisper among themselves.

"Don’t tell me President Sinclair has really taken a liking to Esther Sterling? He helped her out of that jam last time, and the moment she had an accident this time, he showed up immediately."

"It’s hard to say, but he really does seem to treat her differently from everyone else."

"But when Esther Sterling almost fell just now, President Sinclair looked pretty cold. He didn’t even try to help her."

"Maybe he was just being cautious because there were so many people around."

"Then Esther Sterling is definitely going to win first place in the competition."

Hearing their hushed conversation, Esther Sterling smirked to herself. ’Of course first place will be mine,’ she thought. ’I won’t let anyone take it from me.’