Chapter 425 - 421: Unspoken Rules?

Hope Miller hadn’t expected to run into someone the moment she stepped out. She had just been pressing her ear against the door, listening for a long time, and had only come out after confirming there was no sound.

But in just an instant, she concealed the panic in her eyes and gave Lily Sterling a faint smile. "Lily, you went out?"

The two of them weren’t close—they hardly even knew each other. In fact, this was the first thing either had said to the other since joining the cast, and it was only prompted by the fact that they were alone together.

No matter how naive Lily Sterling was, it was impossible for her to remain completely unfazed after bumping into Hope Miller coming out of Teacher Lowe’s room at this hour. But since it was none of her business, she simply gave a slight nod without saying anything more.

It was Hope Miller who offered an explanation. "I was just giving Teacher Lowe a couple of pain relief patches for his neck. He mentioned it was bothering him today."

Lily Sterling smiled, her expression neutral. "Get some rest."

She did her best to act natural, mainly to avoid any awkwardness. Fortunately, Hope Miller didn’t seem inclined to chat either. After saying goodnight, they both returned to their rooms.

Hope Miller didn’t even live on this floor.

Lily Sterling hurried back to her room and shut the door, leaning against it as she tried to steady her nervous breathing.

’It was strange. This has nothing to do with me, so why am I getting so worked up?’

The industry was full of unspoken rules, some sought willingly and others forced upon people. But until now, she had only heard about them, never experiencing them firsthand.

Seeing it with her own eyes today had given her a real shock.

After a long moment, she finally calmed down. She walked over to the bed, sat down, and pulled out her phone. Recalling the advice Heather had given her, she hesitated, debating whether or not to tell Heather what she’d seen.

But after wrestling with the decision for a while, she decided against it. ’After all, it’s a sensitive and frankly, unsavory situation. It’s Hope Miller’s private business, and I have no right to gossip about it.’

But just as she put her phone down, it chimed with a WhatsApp notification.

She swiped it open and saw the message was from Heather.

"Lily, you and George Lowe are staying on the same floor. Try your best to avoid being alone with him. Someone went to his room tonight."

Lily Sterling stared at the message, momentarily stunned.

’Heather knows?’

But Heather Keaton hadn’t mentioned Hope Miller by name, managing to protect her privacy in the matter.

"I’ll be careful. Thanks for the heads-up, Heather."

*

That day, Cecilia Sterling followed the address provided by President Sanders and drove to a go-kart club called "Kartel."

The person currently in charge of The Sullivan Company was Julian Summers. According to the background check Fabian Griffin had run, the only reason Julian had been able to take over the company was likely because he was the family’s only child.

His abilities were clearly limited; ever since the company had fallen into his hands, the annual financial reports had shown a steady decline.

The Sullivan Family clearly couldn’t spare the attention for The Crimson Hotel in the Sunstone District. It was only a matter of time before they sold it off.

"Miss Sterling, you may have to wait a little while."

In the lounge, Cecilia Sterling gazed through a glass window at the outdoor go-kart track, where a black go-kart was speeding along. It was Julian Summers.

Cecilia turned at her words. Julian Summers’s pretty secretary offered her an apologetic smile.

"How long?" Cecilia asked.

The secretary clearly knew her boss well. She glanced at the time and said, "Probably another forty-five minutes. My boss usually finishes his full time on the track before stopping. He just got a new setup, so he’s in the process of breaking it in. It’s like this every day."

Cecilia nodded. ’President Sanders must have just made the introduction. Julian is here at this time every day, so they just set the meeting here without arranging a specific time.’

So she wasn’t angry; she simply walked over to a seat and sat down.

The young secretary was perceptive and quickly brought over a glass of orange juice.

"Miss Sterling, this is my boss’s private lounge. The club staff don’t usually come in, so if you need anything at all, just let me know."

The young secretary said her piece and turned to leave, but Cecilia stopped her. "Hey, miss, is it possible to try this out?"

The young secretary paused, seemingly not understanding Cecilia’s meaning. "Miss Sterling, what is it you want to try?"

Cecilia arched an eyebrow toward the track outside. "Go-karting, of course. I’d like to try it."

"You want to learn go-karting?" The secretary came to her senses. Her eyes drifted to the long dress and high heels Cecilia was wearing, and she looked a bit troubled. "I’m not sure your current outfit is suitable. But if you really want to try, I can go find a coach and ask."

"Great. Thank you."

Cecilia thanked her with a smile.

It wasn’t entirely a spur-of-the-moment decision. Though it was Cecilia’s first time at a place like the Go-Kart Club, she remembered being obsessed with an online go-kart racing game once.

Being here at a real-life club, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity and her desire to experience it for herself.

Soon, the young secretary returned, with a handsome, fair-skinned young man trailing behind her.

"Miss Sterling, this is one of the club’s coaches."

"Hello. I’m a go-kart coach here at Kartel. My surname is Warner. Are you looking to try go-karting, miss?"

A smile played on Cecilia’s lips. "Can I give it a try dressed like this?"

Coach Warner had already noticed Cecilia’s dress and heels. He replied right away, "The dress is no problem, you’ll just have to swap the heels for a pair of flats. We have disposable ones here. Do you have a driver’s license, miss?"

Cecilia nodded slightly, and Coach Warner said cheerfully, "Then you’re all set. We’ll start on the beginner’s track. The first time is all about getting a feel for it."

Cecilia didn’t hesitate. She stood up at once and said to the young secretary, "When your boss is done breaking in his gear, please let him know I’ll come find him after I’m finished with my trial run."

The young secretary nodded dumbly, thinking to herself, ’How did this turn into my boss waiting for Miss Sterling?’

Cecilia followed Coach Warner to get geared up, which really just meant a pair of gloves, a helmet, and a pair of flat shoes.

After changing, Cecilia’s overall appearance was quite comical. A round, heavy metal helmet was perched on her head, she wore a pair of non-slip leather gloves, and her feet were in a pair of flats.

But she was still wearing her long dress, and her slender, fair arms were bare.

She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Coach Warner, take a picture for me!"

Coach Warner obliged. While taking the picture, however, he asked tentatively, "Miss, are you Mr. Sullivan’s girlfriend?"

"Do I look like I am?"

Coach Warner didn’t answer directly, only saying, "You look good together."

Only then did Cecilia deny it. "I’m not. I’m here to discuss business with him. However, if you’re a good teacher and you make me want to learn how to do this for real, you’ll be the first person I come to for a membership."