The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 98: Paternity Test Report

Chapter 98: The Paternity Test Report

Rachel Royce stayed in Athera for three days.

On this particular day,

She received some news: Cedarwood had secured the Financial District project in Athera, and it was Tristan Sterling who had personally negotiated the deal.

As expected, there was no project Tristan Sterling couldn’t land when he personally intervened.

’It seems his goal in rushing to Athera wasn’t to acquire Procare after all.’

Internal affairs at the branch office were progressing smoothly. Three young and capable individuals were promoted after passing their evaluations and reviews.

The company needed fresh, motivated blood.

From now on, the branch office would be under Rachel Royce’s direct supervision and review, while Leo Howard would remain in charge on-site.

Thomas Sterling had taken to hanging around Rachel Royce’s office whenever he had nothing to do, wandering about and sending the hearts of many young female employees aflutter.

Rachel Royce kicked him out and sent him back to the hotel.

「Five days later.」

Rachel Royce went to the hospital to have her stitches removed. The scar on her forehead could only be removed through cosmetic procedures, so she decided to go to a salon and get straight-across bangs to cover it for the time being.

Thomas Sterling accompanied her to the salon and got his own hair trimmed as well.

He stared at Rachel’s new bangs.

"Why are you staring at me? Does it look strange?" Rachel Royce adjusted her new bangs. She had only worn them like this back in school, and it felt a little unfamiliar now.

Thomas Sterling smiled. "Bangs suit you, too. It just reminds me of when you had them in high school."

With her delicate, oval face, the straight-across bangs made Rachel Royce look even younger, like a sweet-faced college student.

Rachel Royce raised an eyebrow and curved her lips into a smile. "Well, you look more like a young lad yourself now."

Thomas Sterling chuckled in mock exasperation. "So before my haircut, was I some old uncle who wasn’t young anymore?"

Rachel Royce shrugged and walked ahead.

Unwilling to let it go, Thomas Sterling chased after her, demanding a clear answer.

「Meanwhile.」

Across the street, inside a slowly passing Rolls-Royce, a pair of dark eyes behind the glass window watched the two people playfully bickering.

"Alright, alright, don’t be so petty. I’ll treat you to a meal. What do you want to eat?"

Thomas Sterling huffed. "That’s more like it."

Tristan Sterling was only returning to Kingsland today.

A few days ago, Melissa had fallen ill. Tristan Sterling had immediately arranged for a private jet, and Sylvia Shannon had come along to take Melissa back to Kingsland to recover.

Tristan Sterling got out of the car. Just as he boarded the plane, he received a call. "President Sterling, we’ve obtained Miss Evelynn’s blood sample."

It was the sample Rachel Royce had left at the hospital.

Tristan Sterling grunted in acknowledgment and instructed, "Get it tested."

"Yes, sir."

Rachel Royce had dealt with most of the urgent work on her end. Leo Howard would handle the rest.

The person who had tampered with her car had been apprehended in another province.

Her lawyer would handle the matter from here on out.

At five that afternoon, Rachel Royce and Thomas Sterling took the high-speed train back to Kingsland.

By the time she got home,

It was already eight o’clock.

Florence Preston and Wendy Royce were waiting for Rachel Royce to come home for dinner.

As for Thomas Sterling, he had wanted to eat at the Royce Family’s home, but it was the Fitzwilliam Family’s dinner banquet today. Mrs. Fitzwilliam hadn’t seen him in a long time and was asking for him, so he had to go back.

Peter Preston was relieved to see Rachel Royce safe and sound. Wendy Royce and the others didn’t know about her car accident.

"Why did you get bangs?" Florence Preston asked.

Rachel Royce smiled. "What, does it not look good?"

"Of course it looks good. You look beautiful in any hairstyle. Look at you, you’ve gotten so thin after being away on business for so long. We’ll have to fatten you up. Come on, sit down and eat."

The family enjoyed a happy dinner together.

That night, Rachel Royce did not sleep well.

Her thoughts turned to Melissa.

’Melissa hadn’t contacted her for so many days. It was just as she’d expected; Tristan Sterling wouldn’t let Melissa see her anymore.’

For a moment,

She couldn’t control her emotions and buried her face in her quilt, her quiet sobs muffled by the fabric.

That night, she dreamed again of Melissa being sick, crying inconsolably. She wanted to reach out and hold her, but she could never touch her small body.

She startled awake from the dream.

Her head was groggy, and her eyes were terribly swollen.

She applied some depuffing cream and put on makeup to brighten her complexion, not wanting her family to see and worry.

She gave Thomas Sterling a call, wanting to ask about Melissa’s condition.

Only then did she learn that Melissa had gotten sick in Athera and had returned home to recuperate for a few days. Just two days ago, once she was better, she had gone with Madam Sterling to Crestwood Resort in Barrington for the summer.

’Hearing that Melissa had been sick, she must have caught an infection at the hospital.’

’Tristan Sterling had sent Melissa to Crestwood Resort, clearly to prevent her from seeing Melissa. His methods were always like this—capable of precisely crushing a person’s spirit. He wouldn’t lay a finger on you, but he could inflict immense mental torment.’

"I understand."

Rachel Royce sat in her room for a while, composing herself before going downstairs.

「Ten in the morning.」

Rachel Royce arrived at the office.

Joanna Sutton went to see her immediately. Seeing her new bangs, she praised, "These bangs make you look at least ten years younger. You’re the very definition of a fresh-faced college beauty."

Rachel Royce smiled. "You’re exaggerating."

Joanna Sutton started talking about Victor Yates. The entire company now knew he was a mole from Cedarwood. With Rachel Royce having successfully acquired Procare, the gossip about her had died down. Previously, the negative rumors had mainly been spread by people Victor Yates had secretly arranged.

Joanna Sutton cursed, filled with righteous indignation.

Rachel Royce waited for her to vent her fill before consoling her, "It’s okay. He’s nothing but a stray dog now, anyway."

Julian Jennings has had him blacklisted from the entire industry.

Joanna Sutton complained to Rachel Royce that a project in Portington had suddenly run into trouble, and Julian Jennings was there in person.

"It must be that bastard Tristan Sterling’s doing."

’Rachel Royce couldn’t help but frown. She recalled slapping Claire Ainsworth a few days ago. Tristan Sterling really was a man of his word.’

「In Portington.」

’It was probably connected to Suzanne Sullivan, too.’

After Joanna Sutton left,

Rachel Royce gave Julian Jennings a call.

The call connected quickly. "Rachel."

Rachel Royce asked, "Professor, what happened in Portington?"

Julian Jennings didn’t hide anything from Rachel Royce. Rowan’s trade project in Portington had been obstructed. A subsidiary of the MK Group had previously competed for this project, but Rowan had secured it in the end.

The documents that had already been approved were now being held up.

From what Julian Jennings said, MK still wanted the project. The MK subsidiary’s previous failure was partly due to internal strife at their parent company; a senior executive had backed the wrong faction, causing them to lose several deals.

Now, the subsidiary’s senior management had been replaced. The intelligence Julian Jennings gathered indicated that the new executive was someone put in place by Suzanne Sullivan.

So, it was Suzanne Sullivan who wanted the project.

After hearing Julian Jennings’s explanation, Rachel Royce realized that this Suzanne Sullivan was no simple character.

Suzanne Sullivan getting even for Claire Ainsworth was one thing, but the bigger reason was the competition for corporate interests.

The two sides were still in a deadlock.

Since Julian Jennings was handling it personally, there wasn’t much she could do to help.

"Don’t worry about things here. I’ll handle it."

"Okay."

Just as she hung up,

Ian Quinn’s secretary informed her that he wanted to see her in his office.

At a previous summit, the Financial Bureau had initiated a national overseas investment project, a collaboration between Cedarwood and Rowan. Today, she needed to attend a meeting with people from Cedarwood.

Ian Quinn hoped Rachel Royce would go, but he wanted to ask for her thoughts first.

Rachel Royce accepted the task without hesitation.

There was no reason to avoid professional contact with Cedarwood.

"Alright then."

「Two in the afternoon.」

The CEO’s office of Cedarwood Group.

Mark Chapman walked in with a report.

"President, the results are in."

Tristan Sterling reached out, took the manila envelope, and tore it open. Inside, he pulled out a paternity test report.