Chapter 192: Visiting Henry Sterling

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Visiting Henry Sterling

Vivian Lowell blinked, her mood suddenly lifting.

Looking at it this way, perhaps Henry Sterling wasn’t actually all that important in Eleanor’s heart!

"Eleanor, let’s go!"

Vivian walked over and linked arms with Eleanor Rhodes. She looked back at Julian Faulkner with a radiant smile, gesturing for him to hurry up and follow them. They were ready to head out!

Julian, however, pursed his lips. He looked as though he wasn’t particularly thrilled.

But Vivian didn’t have time to worry about that right now. Chatting with Eleanor along the way, she soon arrived at Grandma Faulkner’s private ward. Grandma Faulkner was eagerly waiting for her.

Vance Wyatt had arrived first. He had brought six large bags, stuffed to the brim with items. Grandma Faulkner stared at them, her eyes widening. "Did Vivian ask you to bring all this up?"

She knew Vivian had just called Vance.

Hearing this, Vance explained, "No, Madam! It’s from a friend of hers. I’m not sure if you know her—her name is Eleanor Rhodes!"

Grandma Faulkner had some impression of Eleanor. She was a little girl with a bit of baby fat on her cheeks, possessing an adorable smile and a soft, gentle demeanor. If Grandma Faulkner didn’t already have Vivian as her granddaughter-in-law, she would have thought Eleanor was a fantastic catch!

"Hurry, hurry! Shaw, go fetch another pair of chopsticks! When they arrive, we’ll all eat breakfast together!"

"Yes, ma’am," Ms. Shaw replied, hurriedly going to the sterilization cabinet to retrieve the bowls and chopsticks.

Vivian and Eleanor walked in shortly after. Beaming, Grandma Faulkner pulled the two young women into conversation. They even did some Tai Chi together before settling down for breakfast.

The table, already small to begin with, couldn’t accommodate everyone since there were so many people. Julian had no choice but to grab a stool and sit out on the balcony.

Vance was there too. As he kept his head down to drink his porridge, he couldn’t help but shoot a cheeky grin at his boss while picking up a side dish. He chuckled inwardly, never expecting President Faulkner to be reduced to the same state as him!

Julian shot Vance a baffled look. Then, he reached over, picked up the entire plate of side dishes right in front of Vance, and dumped them all into his own bowl.

"This dish is quite good. I like it," Julian said coolly. Completely ignoring Vance’s shocked expression, he calmly resumed eating.

After breakfast.

Eleanor waved goodbye to Grandma Faulkner. The elderly woman was reluctant to see her go. She held onto Eleanor’s hand and said, "You sweet child, you should come over and visit us more often.

"I know quite a few young men, and they’re just as good as Julian. If you’d like, I can introduce them to you!"

Grandma Faulkner’s penchant for matchmaking was flaring up again. Eleanor hurriedly took a half-step back, shrinking her neck defensively with an apologetic smile. "No, no, that’s alright! I’m not interested in those men. I’d rather focus on building my own career!"

Hearing this, Grandma Faulkner thought about it and agreed.

"That’s true. Most men are quite useless—they’re unfaithful, lack ambition, and don’t dote on their wives enough. Marrying them just means you have to worry about them all the time. There’s really no need.

"Alright, alright, just keep it in mind. If I ever spot a truly good one in the future, I’ll definitely let you know!"

Seeing that Grandma Faulkner wasn’t pushing the matter, Eleanor finally smiled and nodded in relief. "Sounds good, Grandma Faulkner! I’ll be going now!"

"Yes, go on ahead."

As Grandma Faulkner said this, she pulled Ms. Shaw along, ready for another round of Tai Chi. The sun was beautiful today. She decided she might as well go downstairs for a walk later. The flowers in the hospital garden were blooming, and looking at them would be a nice way to lift her spirits.

Meanwhile.

After Vivian and Eleanor left, they went straight upstairs to look for Henry. Eleanor checked the text messages on her phone. After locating his ward, she stood by the door, suddenly hesitating. She had already made up her mind to visit him, but now...

Watching Eleanor purse her lips, Vivian was about to say something when a voice drifted out from inside the room.

"I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling. It’s all my fault. I knew Henry had a bit to drink, yet I still let him drive. As a result, he got into a car accident. I’m truly sorry."

It was Wendy Wynn’s voice. She sounded so pitiful and aggrieved that it nearly gave Vivian goosebumps.

So, after Henry’s accident, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling had rushed to the hospital to check on his condition and happened to run into Wendy? Was Wendy putting on a performance in front of his parents?

"This child, sigh, also..."

Mr. Sterling had barely begun to speak when Mrs. Sterling snorted coldly. She cast a brief, indifferent glance at Wendy and said, "You’re Wendy Wynn? I know of you.

"When our Henry was studying abroad with you years ago, he mentioned you to me. You two weren’t together back then, and I heard you stayed overseas. Why are you back?"

Wendy seemed to sense Mrs. Sterling’s hostile attitude, and her tone softened even further. "What happened back then was my fault.

"After a few years abroad, I realized that Henry was the best man for me, which is why I returned to the country to find him. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, please give Henry and me a chance. I will treat him well."

Mr. Sterling sighed. "You..."

"Don’t interrupt!" Mrs. Sterling cut her husband off. She turned back to Wendy. "Stop putting on an act for me. I’ve already had people look into your affairs. The trust company you ran abroad collapsed.

"You were buried in debt and were forced to scurry back to the country. I suspect the only reason you sought Henry out was because of his substantial family background, wasn’t it?

"Wendy, I am advising you nicely right now. When you and Henry broke up, he already made it clear that whatever happened between you two was in the past, and he would let it go.

"He’s doing very well as a professor at Aethelburg University now. What are you doing coming back to bother him? I don’t like you, so leave right now! It would be best if you stayed far away from Henry, too!

"Once he wakes up, I’ll talk some sense into him as well. Here’s five hundred thousand. Don’t ask why the Sterling family is so wealthy yet I’m only willing to give you this paltry sum.

"It’s because I feel that even giving you this much is an insult to myself. You aren’t even worth five hundred thousand."

At the door.

Vivian and Eleanor listened to Mrs. Sterling’s words with wide eyes. They exchanged a look, scarcely able to believe what they were hearing. What a formidable woman Mrs. Sterling was! She had completely dug up all of Wendy’s dirty secrets!

So, Wendy hadn’t returned abruptly because she missed Henry, but because her overseas company had gone bankrupt and she was fleeing her unpayable debts? Goodness! Did she even like Henry at all?

From Mrs. Sterling’s tone, she evidently despised Wendy—going so far as to say "you aren’t even worth five hundred thousand" straight to her face. In this day and age, anyone could earn five hundred thousand if they worked hard for a few years. And Wendy was supposed to be a "returning elite," yet Mrs. Sterling had completely dressed her down...

Vivian practically wanted to clap and cheer. However, before she had the chance to smile, muffled sobbing came from within the room, and the door swung open.

Wendy walked out, weeping. It seemed she hadn’t been able to withstand Mrs. Sterling’s thunderous assault and had been forced to slink away in defeat, which led her to bump straight into Vivian and Eleanor.

Both sides stared at one another. Vivian reined in her smile slightly, but she still pursed her lips and observed Wendy with obvious mockery. She had no reason to save Wendy’s face.

Wendy was an utter two-faced hypocrite. Since the perceptive Mrs. Sterling had thoroughly exposed her and stripped away her dignity, Vivian was more than happy to kick her while she was down. She had to admit, bullying someone like this brought her a great deal of joy.

"It’s you two." Wendy noted the expression on Vivian’s face, and her own grew a shade paler, devoid of any color. It proved that no matter how manipulative she was, she still possessed a shred of shame.

"It’s us," Eleanor replied. Maintaining a high level of class in the moment, she chose not to ridicule Wendy. Instead, she said flatly, "Since you’re leaving, please step aside."

Wendy closed her eyes, seemingly incensed. Unable to bear it any longer, she looked up at Eleanor resentfully. "What gives you the right to visit Henry?

"Are you even friends? It seems..."

Before Wendy could even finish her sentence, Mrs. Sterling rose from her seat inside the room and walked over to the door. With a warm smile, she took Eleanor and Vivian by the hand and said, "Come on in, you two."

Wendy stared at Eleanor and Vivian in sheer disbelief. But neither of them spared her another glance. They simply followed Mrs. Sterling into the ward.

"Eleanor, Vivian, you’re here." Upon seeing the two girls, Mrs. Sterling shed the cold demeanor she had used against Wendy, becoming infinitely gentler.

Vivian couldn’t help but sneak a few extra glances at Mrs. Sterling. She had a very gentle appearance. It seemed Henry had inherited his soft, warm eyes from her. Her overall aura was exceptionally elegant as well. Beneath that gentleness, however, her eyes gleamed with a sharp shrewdness.

Mr. Sterling, on the other hand, while equally refined in appearance, looked a bit more naive. Vivian had heard long ago that Mrs. Sterling was the one who managed the Sterling family. She was a highly capable woman who handled many of their social affairs and several of the company’s major decisions. She was incredible—the exact type of strong, independent woman Vivian admired!

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling," Vivian and Eleanor greeted the elder couple in unison. The two elders were delighted, and when Mrs. Sterling noticed the fruit basket in Eleanor’s hands, she took the initiative to accept it.

"Oh, there are apples. Apples symbolize peace and safety. Eleanor, you’re so thoughtful." After saying this with a smile, Mrs. Sterling picked out the reddest apple and handed it to Mr. Sterling. "Go peel this apple so these two girls can have a snack."

Vivian was about to decline, but Mr. Sterling didn’t display the slightest hint of annoyance at his wife’s command. He simply nodded and went off to peel the apple. Seizing the opportunity, Vivian asked about Henry’s condition.

"It’s nothing serious, just a minor collision. He just took his medicine and fell asleep. He’s sleeping deeply because of the medication, but he should wake up in a bit," Mrs. Sterling explained. She sighed and continued, "Back when Henry was still abroad, he told me a few things about that Wendy Wynn.

"From his descriptions, I could tell she wasn’t a simple woman. It was as if she could control Henry’s thoughts. She had him so mesmerized he didn’t even know which way was up. I warned him about it, and he told me he knew.

"Later, when Henry returned to the country and they broke up, I finally felt relieved. I figured that woman must have found some other high branch to perch on overseas.

"And surely enough, after doing some digging, I found out she had latched onto a foreign tycoon. The tycoon invested in her, allowing her to open a trust company in the financial sector!

"The company ran fairly well at first, but for some reason, the tycoon’s capital chain broke, and he wanted to pull his money out. Wendy couldn’t produce the funds, so the two of them had a massive falling out.

"When that tycoon injected the capital, he made sure to keep a trump card up his sleeve. The contract was black and white, so in the end, he took his money back. That spelled disaster for Wendy.

"Her own company’s capital chain snapped, plunging her into debt. Eventually, she had to file for bankruptcy in disgrace and scurry back to the country.

"If you ask me, she only has her own stupidity to blame. What do men out there want from her? Isn’t it just youth and beauty? For most of them, it’s just a fleeting interest!

"Those men are extremely shrewd. They might seem gullible, but they know exactly what they want. Once you outlive your usefulness, they won’t even give you the time of day."

Mrs. Sterling’s words were profound. Men were indeed shrewd. They knew exactly what they wanted in their hearts. If they were willing to spend money on a woman, it was only because they wanted to extract something else from her. The day they stopped wanting to spend money, their sudden callousness would make you feel as though you had never known them at all. It was terribly cold.

Of course, there were also truly, genuinely foolish men in the world—like Felix Faulkner.

After chatting about Wendy for a while, Mrs. Sterling lost interest in the subject. Just then, Mr. Sterling finished slicing the apple and brought over a bowl filled with neat, bite-sized pieces. Mrs. Sterling took it and offered the fruit to Vivian and Eleanor.

"Eat up, eat up," she urged gently.

Vivian couldn’t help but marvel at the contrast. When Wendy left earlier, she had been carrying a bag. It seemed to be something she had bought for Henry, and it didn’t look cheap either. Yet Mrs. Sterling had completely rejected it, demanding that Wendy take her presence and her gifts and leave.

Now, looking at the simple fruit basket Eleanor had brought, Mrs. Sterling accepted it gladly and cherished it deeply. The vast gulf between how she treated the two women was glaringly obvious.

"Thank you, Mrs. Sterling. You should have some too. Honestly, these fruits were originally meant for Professor Sterling," Eleanor said, stealing a secret glance at Henry.

He was still fast asleep with his eyes closed. His expression was incredibly serene, and his complexion looked healthy enough. It seemed there weren’t any major issues.

After taking him in, Eleanor said, "I’m just glad he’s alright. It’s getting late, and Vivian and I need to head back to the company, so we’ll be going now."

"Eleanor, Vivian!" Mrs. Sterling was a bit reluctant to see them leave. However, recognizing the resolute look in Eleanor’s eyes, she knew she couldn’t convince them to stay. She sighed and didn’t press the issue.

But right at that moment, Henry, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly stirred and murmured.

"El... it hurts."