On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 98: Fiercely Smitten

Chloe Sterling stretched lazily and hummed an "mhm."

"Didn’t sleep well last night? Or did you get up too early today?"

"Got up too early."

"Get some rest. We’ll go eat when you wake up." Jasper Lockwood sat down beside her, picked up a nearby blanket, and draped it over her. As he did, he noticed the scratches on her hand. Although the wounds had healed and the scabs had fallen off, the faint marks were still visible.

"What happened to your hand?"

Chloe Sterling glanced at it and said dismissively, "It’s nothing. Just a few scratches. They’re already healed."

"This doesn’t look like just a few scratches. There must be seven or eight marks on the back of your hand."

"It’s fine. They won’t scar. They’ll be gone in a few days."

"I’m not talking about scarring. I’m talking about how you got hurt. You promised me you’d be careful before you left."

"This is hardly an injury. It just broke the skin, that’s all," Chloe Sterling said lazily, her eyes narrowed.

Jasper Lockwood’s deep gaze fixed on her for a moment before he asked again, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Why don’t you check?" Chloe Sterling blurted out, only realizing what she’d said after the words were out.

Jasper Lockwood, however, said, "Alright." And with that, his hand reached for her clothes.

"Jasper Lockwood!" Chloe Sterling shot upright, suddenly wide awake. "No! I was just gathering herbs in the mountains. How could I have gotten hurt anywhere else?"

"Well, I’ll know for sure once I take a look, won’t I?" Jasper Lockwood said with a completely straight face. Paired with his serious, ascetic features, it seemed as if he truly had no ulterior motives and was only checking for injuries.

"No!" Chloe Sterling refused.

’Absolutely not! Not in broad daylight!’

Jasper Lockwood placed the blanket back on her. "Get some sleep for now. We’ll talk about it when we get home."

"Talk about what when we get home?" Chloe Sterling asked subconsciously.

Jasper Lockwood didn’t answer her. Instead, he stood up and walked out.

Chloe Sterling was speechless...

After the man left, sleepiness washed over her again. She didn’t have the energy to overthink it and soon fell asleep on the sofa.

「Outside, in the office.」

Jasper Lockwood picked up his phone and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to call his bodyguard, asking what had happened in the countryside these past few days.

The bodyguard didn’t dare hide anything and gave a detailed account of everything Chloe Sterling had done. This included taking an antidote before touching a highly poisonous vine and then personally brewing medicine for the baby.

He even included small details, clearly explaining how she had picked a few flower petals for Damian Rivers’s bodyguard so he could give them to his girlfriend.

’Take the antidote first, then touch the poison...’

Jasper Lockwood could perfectly imagine the scene, could even guess Chloe Sterling’s calm and collected expression at that moment. Even when injured, she would wear that same indifferent look.

She was only twenty, yet she faced every danger with a calm and indifference that was heartbreaking.

"Right, there was also..." the bodyguard said, remembering something else.

"What else?"

"The day after Madam touched the poisonous vine, she looked terrible. Her face was pale and haggard, as if she’d been sick, but her complexion improved by the afternoon."

"Anything else?" Jasper Lockwood asked again.

The bodyguard thought for a moment before replying, "No, that’s everything."

After hanging up, Jasper Lockwood returned to the lounge. Chloe Sterling was already asleep. He sat down gently beside her, watching her tranquil sleeping face.

He sat there, motionless, for two hours, until the woman slowly opened her eyes.

The moment Chloe Sterling opened her eyes, she was met with a stunningly handsome face, and the corners of her lips curled up unconsciously.

"You’re awake. Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm." Chloe Sterling sat up. "How long did I sleep? When did you come in?"

"Not long. If you’re still tired, you can sleep a bit more."

"No more sleeping. If I do, I won’t be able to fall asleep tonight."

Jasper Lockwood glanced at his watch. It was already past six. "Then we’ll go eat in a bit," he said.

Chloe Sterling took the blanket off herself. "Okay."

...

Esther Sterling and Ruby Lynch arrived at a high-end restaurant, only to be turned away at the door.

The reason was that the restaurant had been booked out for the night by the President of the Lockwood Group, Jasper Lockwood.

Hearing Jasper Lockwood’s name, the two of them naturally didn’t dare say another word.

They had to find another place.

As they walked, Ruby Lynch said, "I heard that President Lockwood is secretly married. I wonder which woman is lucky enough to be the wife of the Lockwood Group’s President. Just the thought of it sounds so prestigious."

Hearing this, Esther Sterling’s mind drifted to another man: Tristan Sinclair.

"I think President Sinclair is wonderful, too. He has the same lofty status, but he isn’t cold and unapproachable like Jasper Lockwood."

Esther Sterling’s eyes sparkled. Thinking back to when she had accidentally seen Tristan Sinclair at the competition venue yesterday, her cheeks grew warm, and she couldn’t help but blush.

It was the first time she had ever seen Tristan Sinclair so up close, the first time she had ever felt her heart flutter.

Especially... when he smiled at her, called her "beautiful," and even helped her out of a tight spot.

She had no idea how many people had been jealous at that moment.

’He sees me differently,’ Esther Sterling thought. ’Tristan Sinclair likes girls like me.’

At these thoughts, her heart skipped a beat. ’I have to win first place in the competition. I have to get closer to Tristan Sinclair.’

Ruby Lynch didn’t notice her expression and commented, looking ahead, "President Sinclair is indeed more approachable." After a pause, she suddenly turned her head. "By the way, didn’t you see him at the venue yesterday?"

"Mhm," Esther Sterling nodded. "I saw him, and he even helped me out and told me I was beautiful."

"Really?" Ruby Lynch’s eyes instantly lit up. "Tristan Sinclair helped you out and called you beautiful! Do you think he likes you?"

Esther Sterling was a little embarrassed. "Maybe. I don’t know." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Ruby Lynch looked thrilled and said with a smile, "Esther, why are you only telling me something this huge now!"

"I was going to tell you over dinner."

"How did President Sinclair help you? Tell your auntie all about it."

Esther Sterling recalled yesterday’s scene. The head director had been acting crazy for some reason, lashing out at everyone he saw. At the time, he was taking his anger out on her, and his words were very harsh.

Just then, Tristan Sinclair suddenly appeared. Seeing the situation, he told the man to watch his tone, even adding with a smile, "You’re about to scare the little beauty away."

Upon seeing Tristan Sinclair, how could the director dare to be insolent? His face was instantly wreathed in smiles, and he even apologized to Esther Sterling.

The incident sparked a great deal of envy from those around them.

It was in that exact moment that Esther Sterling fell for him, hard.

What she didn’t know was that if Tristan Sinclair had known who she was, he certainly wouldn’t have done that. The "little beauty" comment was nothing more than an offhand remark.

Esther Sterling told Ruby Lynch everything.

"Did he help any other girls?" Ruby Lynch asked.

Esther Sterling shook her head. "No, just me."

The look in Ruby Lynch’s eyes was one of shock and delight. She was now certain that Tristan Sinclair was into her type.

Of course, Esther Sterling was indeed beautiful, and she had an extra spark of vivacity compared to most pretty girls.

Ruby Lynch grabbed her hand. "Esther, President Sinclair must like you! You have to give it your all in this competition! Don’t worry, your auntie will clear all obstacles for you."

Esther Sterling’s eyes twinkled as she nodded firmly. "Mhm."