The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 99: Already Divorced

Chapter 99: We Got a Divorce

Tristan Sterling stared at the paternity test in his hand, his handsome, profound features betraying no emotion.

He let out a low, inscrutable chuckle. His narrow, dark eyes were silent and unfathomable as he rose and fed the report into the shredder.

Mark Chapman watched President Sterling’s actions, wondering what the results of the report had been.

He then reported another matter. "Evelynn from Rowan will be here at two-thirty to discuss the overseas investment."

"Understood," Tristan Sterling said in a deep voice.

「At two-thirty.」

Rachel Royce and two senior executives from her company were seated in the Cedarwood conference room, right on time.

The ones meeting with them were not Tristan Sterling, but Cedarwood’s vice president and senior management from the investment and project departments.

The meeting lasted two hours.

With no competing interests at stake, the discussion proceeded peacefully and smoothly.

It was nearly five o’clock by the time they finished.

The two parties shook hands.

The vice president of Cedarwood was full of praise for Rachel Royce.

Her striking youth and beauty were certainly deceptive. But after more than two hours of talks, he was convinced that she was far from just a pretty face. Her decisiveness, knowledge, professionalism, and vision marked her as a top-tier talent in the industry—a natural, without a doubt.

In hindsight, it was perfectly understandable why Dylan Young had failed to secure the Procare project.

Cedarwood’s senior management had arranged a dinner for six o’clock that evening.

Naturally, Rachel Royce was expected to attend.

She first returned to the Rowan offices with her colleagues.

After they had left, the vice president went to the CEO’s office to report to Tristan Sterling, offering a few words of objective praise for Rachel Royce.

Tristan Sterling listened to the vice president without looking up, offering no particular response.

The vice president also informed him about the dinner they had scheduled with Rowan’s team at Orchid Gardens that evening.

Back at her own company, Rachel Royce first briefed Ian Quinn on the situation.

Ian Quinn had other plans that night, so he didn’t accompany Rachel to the dinner.

「Six o’clock.」

Led by a waiter, the group arrived at their private dining room.

The moment she stepped into the room, Rachel Royce saw the man seated at the head of the table. He was smoking, pale wisps of smoke curling from his lips. He looked up, his dark eyes, filled with an unreadable shadow, landing on her.

An inexplicable wave of unease and panic washed over Rachel Royce.

’Why is Tristan Sterling here?’

She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and stepped forward.

The man at the head of the table leaned back casually, while the other Cedarwood executives sat upright. Seeing the guests arrive, they rose to greet them and show them to their seats.

The two parties shook hands and exchanged pleasantries in a cordial atmosphere.

The two executives accompanying Rachel Royce greeted Tristan Sterling respectfully, and he gave a cool, brief reply.

Once they were seated, Rachel Royce naturally chose a seat as far away from Tristan Sterling as possible.

Waiters began to bring out the dishes.

As they talked, the two parties exchanged several toasts, and the atmosphere was congenial.

Rachel Royce chatted animatedly with Cedarwood’s vice president, consciously avoiding looking at the man at the head of the table and doing her best to avoid any direct interaction with him.

When one of the Rowan executives, who was seated closest to Tristan Sterling, struck up a conversation with him, he responded with polite amiability.

As a successful businessman, he could always maintain a courteous and approachable demeanor during public banquets and dinners.

But anyone who truly knew him was aware of the cold-blooded, iron-fisted tactics that lay hidden beneath that polished surface.

Suddenly, Tristan Sterling’s phone buzzed.

He answered it right away.

Melissa’s voice came through the receiver.

The man’s voice softened as he spoke with his daughter.

"Daddy’s having dinner right now."

"Where did you go play with Nina and the others today?"

"..."

The others at the table fell silent, not wanting to disturb Tristan Sterling’s call. During their chat, Melissa never mentioned Aunt Evelynn.

Rachel Royce lowered her gaze, her hand tightening involuntarily around her wine glass.

’Melissa has Nina Fitzwilliam and her two cousins with her now. The little ones are probably having a great time at the villa.’

Tristan Sterling chatted with Melissa for several minutes before hanging up.

He turned to the Rowan team. "My apologies, my daughter is rather clingy." As he spoke, his expression was filled with pride.

"Daughters are like that. Mine was my little shadow when she was young," someone commented.

"A sweet daughter is a blessing. My mischievous little rascal, on the other hand, seems to feel out of sorts if he doesn’t cause me trouble every day."

"..."

As the conversation shifted to their children, the atmosphere grew even more relaxed and congenial.

Rachel Royce listened in silence.

Just then, a female director from Cedarwood turned to Rachel Royce and asked casually, "Evelynn, are you married?"

Rachel Royce froze for a second. After she started working at Rowan, she had stopped wearing the ring.

Hearing the question, she smiled faintly and answered calmly, "No."

’Her marriage to Tristan Sterling had been in name only, anyway.’

Although she didn’t look at the man at the head of the table, she noticed the corner of his mouth curl into a sarcastic smirk. Before the female director could respond, he mercilessly called her out. "The last time I ran into Miss Evelynn, she was still wearing her wedding ring."

Rachel Royce looked at him and replied coolly, "We got a divorce."

Tristan Sterling’s dark eyes deepened. "Is that so? That was fast."

Rachel Royce took another sip of wine and said blandly, "It was. What’s the point of staying married to a man who cheats and flaunts his mistress in public?"

Tristan Sterling stared at her.

The others listening to their exchange felt a subtle tension in the air but couldn’t quite put their finger on what was wrong.

It only made everyone more curious about Evelynn’s marriage.

A woman as beautiful, capable, and with a figure like hers was the total package. What kind of man would be arrogant enough to cheat on such an outstanding wife?

However, most of the people at the table were men—men who wielded wealth and status in society. Who among them could claim to be completely faithful to their families?

And so, no one dared to touch the topic of infidelity.

The female director smiled, smoothing things over. "Someone as outstanding as you, Evelynn, will surely find a partner who will cherish you."

Rachel Royce smiled back. "I’ll take that as a good omen, President Archer. To you." She raised her glass.

And with that, the topic was dropped.

Sometime later, Rachel Royce excused herself to go to the restroom.

Her stomach had been bothering her all day with a dull ache. A quick trip to the restroom confirmed her suspicions: her period had arrived early.

Combined with the alcohol she had consumed, the cramps in her lower abdomen intensified.

She made a call using the house phone, and a staff member quickly brought her a sanitary pad.

After taking care of things, Rachel Royce came out of the stall. As she stood washing her hands at the sink, she saw in the mirror that her face had become visibly pale.

’Ever since she hemorrhaged during childbirth, her body had been weaker. Even though Florence Preston had taken excellent care of her afterward, the first couple of days of her period were always especially painful.’

’The dinner is almost over,’ she thought.

She could endure it for a little longer. After washing her hands, she turned—and saw the man standing in the doorway. She had no idea how long he’d been there.

Rachel Royce jumped when she saw him. "You..."

Tristan Sterling’s eyes were fixed on her, taking in her deathly pale face.

Once she recovered from the shock, Rachel Royce’s mood soured. "President Sterling, could you please not sneak up on people like that?"

Tristan Sterling replied, "Guilty conscience?"

Rachel Royce: "..."