On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 72: Rose Lynch’s Tearful Plea

Rose Lynch’s voice came through the phone. "Esther is at the courthouse! She’s being sued! Honey, you have to get down here now!"

"What?! Wait, I’m on my way!" Warren Sterling shot Chloe Sterling a venomous glare and turned to leave.

Chloe Sterling stood her ground, her gaze darkening.

Maya Jacobs slowly approached her. "Chloe, are you okay?"

In truth, they all knew what the trending topic was about. Esther Sterling had publicly revealed her identity and apologized, but the internet-wide backlash was something she had brought upon herself. She was the one who slandered Chloe first.

But Mr. and Mrs. Sterling only ever sided with Esther Sterling.

Chloe withdrew her gaze and said flatly, "I’m fine. Let’s go back."

...

Esther Sterling never imagined that the first thing she would see after regaining her freedom would be the inside of a courtroom, where she stood as the defendant. When she heard the prosecution wanted her to go to jail, the color drained from her face in terror.

If her opponent had been anyone else, she might not have been so afraid. She could just hire a good lawyer and spend a little more money to make the problem go away. But her opponent was Vincent Henson—the undefeated Vincent Henson. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

This time, Esther Sterling was truly terrified.

Seeing Warren Sterling rush into the courtroom, she broke down in tears. "Dad, save me! I don’t want to go to jail! Mom, Auntie, I don’t want to go to jail! I’d rather die than go to a place like that!"

Ruby Lynch sat in the gallery, her beautiful eyes fixed on Vincent Henson. She couldn’t understand for the life of her why a lawyer of his caliber would help Chloe Sterling.

’Who on earth did Chloe get to help her?’

’It seems she had really underestimated that girl.’

’She’s only been in Crestfall for a little over half a year, yet she quietly managed to pull this off. Her methods are far more formidable than Esther’s.’

Looking at the pathetic state Esther was in, she couldn’t help but frown.

Rose Lynch looked at the hurried Warren Sterling and quickly asked, "Did you see Chloe? Did she mention any conditions? What will it take for her to let Esther go?"

Warren Sterling’s face was grim. "I saw her. She didn’t mention any conditions."

"What?" Rose Lynch was stunned. "How is that possible? Then what does she want?"

"What else could she want?! She’s just jealous of Esther and wants to destroy her! I don’t know who that little monster takes after to be so vicious!"

Rose Lynch’s heart tightened. She grabbed her bag and hurried away.

Chloe Sterling didn’t get much peace before Rose Lynch came to cause a scene again. She looked coldly at her so-called mother. "What do you want to say?"

"I’m sorry!" For the first time, Rose Lynch softened her attitude as she looked at Chloe. "Chloe, I’ve wronged you. I know you hate me. You can take your revenge on me, but Esther is innocent. Please, can you stop tormenting her over and over again? Direct all your resentment at me!"

"I’m tormenting her?" Chloe said coldly. "Wasn’t she the one who came after me first?"

"You bullied her so many times and drove away her best friend. She was just upset and venting a little online. And you? You want to ruin her entire life! She’s still your own sister, and she’s young and immature. How can you be so cruel?"

Chloe Sterling suddenly felt a suffocating tightness in her chest. In a heavy voice, she asked, "Am I crueler than you?"

’They were both her biological daughters, yet she treated them worlds apart.’

’They couldn’t see Esther’s behind-the-scenes machinations and only blamed her for fighting back every time.’

’Even when they saw that Esther was the one who started the rumors and sicced the internet on her, they dismissed it as just ’venting’ and being ’young and immature.’ But when she taught Esther a lesson for it, she was the one who was ’cruel’ and ’vicious.’’

Rose Lynch took a deep breath. "In the end, you still resent me. You’re hurting Esther because you resent us for treating you poorly. Chloe, this is my fault and your father’s. If you want revenge, come after us. Let Esther go. I’m begging you.

Or... we could put the past behind us. Come back to the Sterling family, and I promise I’ll care for you more. But you have to promise that you won’t hurt Esther after you return."

Chloe’s gaze grew even colder. "I don’t need your cheap affection! I told you, don’t ever show your face to me again. You disgust me!"

Rose Lynch’s pale fingers clutched her bag tightly. After a pause, her tone softened again. "As long as you agree to let Esther go, I promise I will never bother you again. Chloe, no matter how much you resent or hate me, I was the one who gave you life. I risked everything to give birth to you. Because of you, these years haven’t been easy for me, either. For the sake of all that, please, let Esther go."

"Haven’t been easy for you?" Chloe sneered. "I certainly couldn’t tell!"

Of course, the reason Rose Lynch’s life hadn’t been easy wasn’t because she had lost Chloe. It was because Chloe’s true identity was a ticking time bomb that, if detonated, would blow her life as a wealthy matriarch to smithereens.

Because she had never borne a son, her position in the Sterling family was already precarious. If it were ever revealed that Chloe wasn’t a true Sterling, she couldn’t imagine the consequences.

That was why she only had Esther. She had doted on her and protected her since she was a child. She absolutely could not let anything happen to her.

"I have my reasons," Rose Lynch said, looking at Chloe. "Chloe, this is the only thing I will ever ask of you in my entire life. Let Esther go, and I will never disturb you again."

Chloe didn’t want to say any more. She didn’t even want to look at this person any longer. Her tone was exceptionally cold. "It’s useless for you to beg me. Esther Sterling came after me first, and she must pay the price. That’s just how I am: I don’t bother those who don’t bother me. But if someone provokes me, I will make them pay.

When she gets out, you should have a good long talk with her. And don’t come looking for me again. I don’t want to see you or anyone else from the Sterling family. I don’t want to have to repeat myself."

With that, she turned to walk away.

"Chloe!" Rose Lynch grabbed her hand, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her face. "Don’t go! I’m begging you."

Chloe looked back at her, an indescribable feeling welling up inside her.

"I’m sorry. I’ve wronged you," Rose Lynch sobbed. "Please don’t do this to Esther. She can’t handle it. She really can’t."

"Why can’t she handle it? Because she’s never suffered a single hardship and grew up spoiled by all of you?"

"She’s still so young! How can she go to jail?" With Vincent Henson as the opposing counsel, Rose Lynch had no other options. She clung to Chloe for dear life, as if she were her last lifeline. "Chloe, she’s still your sister, and she even apologized publicly. Don’t destroy her. I’m begging you."

It was the first time Chloe had ever seen Rose Lynch like this. Gone was the haughty and arrogant matriarch. In her place was just a helpless mother, weeping and wretchedly pitiful.

Chloe’s lips parted. She wanted to ask if her mother would have pleaded on her behalf if their situations were reversed and she was the one facing jail time.

But in the end, she didn’t ask. She already knew the answer. She wouldn’t. Rose Lynch wouldn’t even have bothered to inquire about it.

’She’d probably just think I’d brought it all on myself.’

Chloe pushed her hand away and turned to leave.

Rose Lynch tried to grab her again but only clutched at empty air before a security guard stepped in to block her.

Without a backward glance, Chloe Sterling disappeared down the stairwell.