Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Forced to Ask for a Favor

Jessie Sterling’s head was still spinning from the whirlwind of drama. After lying down for a while, her phone went DING.

She picked it up and saw it was from Brianna Hudson, whom she hadn’t heard from in a long time.

After Brianna Hudson lost the horse race to her and got injured, she couldn’t even make it to Jessie’s wedding. The two of them hadn’t been in touch for quite some time.

[Brianna Hudson: Someone’s looking for you. That Cheryl Stuart girl. Should I give her your contact info?]

Jessie Sterling was a little surprised to see Cheryl Stuart’s name. Then it hit her. ’Isn’t that Shawn Stuart’s sister?’

She was just about to reply to Brianna Hudson and say no when another message from her came through.

[Brianna Hudson: Just do me a favor and talk to her?]

[Jessie Sterling: Are you being held hostage?]

[Brianna Hudson: …]

Jessie Sterling immediately sent a message to Lynn Jennings.

[Jessie Sterling: What’s up with Brianna Hudson lately? Does Cheryl Stuart have some kind of dirt on her?]

She was in Aethelburg now, and gossip from Southaven and Port Caldoria didn’t travel that fast.

[Lynn Jennings: No dirt, but Cheryl Stuart really is something else now. She’s dating Brianna Hudson’s scumbag dad.]

Jessie Sterling: “???”

When she saw Lynn Jennings’s reply, she felt for a moment like the words on her screen were gibberish.

Jessie Sterling immediately called her. “Didn’t you just say your second brother got into a fight with Miles Hollis? Wasn’t it over Cheryl Stuart? Isn’t she with Miles Hollis now?”

Lynn Jennings said, “That was ages ago. You know how Miles Hollis and his crowd change partners like they change clothes. Besides, Miles was never officially dating her anyway.”

Jessie Sterling hissed, still reeling from the shocking news.

“Then how… how did she end up with Brianna Hudson’s dad…?”

Lynn Jennings was on the rooftop of the research institute, enjoying the breeze with a cup of coffee in hand. “I think they met when she went to visit Brianna Hudson.”

Jessie Sterling: “…”

’If I were Brianna Hudson,’ she thought, ’I’d be having a heart attack right now.’

“Why are you suddenly asking about her?” Lynn Jennings asked casually.

Jessie Sterling was about to speak but suddenly remembered that Lynn Jennings and the others didn’t know about her run-in with Shawn Stuart. She paused.

“…It’s nothing. Brianna Hudson just messaged me about her out of the blue.”

“Why would Brianna Hudson contact you?” Lynn Jennings asked. “Since when are you two so close? And would she really go out of her way to tell you something like this?”

Jessie Sterling: “…”

The question was too sharp; she had no comeback.

“Jessie Sterling.”

Jessie Sterling: “…”

Lynn was usually easygoing. When she used Jessie’s full name, all Jessie could do was try to wheedle her way out of it. When even that didn’t work, she had no choice but to spill the beans.

Up on the rooftop, Lynn Jennings was speechless for a moment.

“And you didn’t even call me?” She sounded a little angry.

Jessie Sterling said, “I figured it wasn’t a big deal since I was fine.”

Lynn Jennings asked, “Are you coming back for New Year’s? If not, I’ll come to Aethelburg to see you.”

Jessie Sterling replied, “I probably won’t have time. I’ll come back around the time of their company’s annual party. You should come visit! We have a plum blossom garden at home, with red plums, Meiren plums, and lots of wintersweet. If you come now, the courtyard smells amazing. I bet you’ve never stayed in a single-story house before!”

Lynn Jennings: “…”

Lynn Jennings had long known that Jessie Sterling’s marital home was a courtyard house near the Forbidden City. Hearing the phrase “single-story house” now, she couldn’t help but wonder what expression President Morgan would have if he knew how his wife described their home.

After getting her fill of gossip, Jessie Sterling finally opened her chat with Brianna Hudson again.

Unexpectedly, while she had been talking to Lynn Jennings, Brianna Hudson had sent her several more messages.

[Brianna Hudson: She’s latched onto my daddy now. She just asked me during lunch at home, right in front of him.]

[Brianna Hudson: How could I say no? Fuck!]

[Brianna Hudson: I don’t know what she wants with you, but this woman is a real piece of work. You’d better not agree to anything she asks.]

Jessie Sterling was surprised that Brianna Hudson would tell her all this voluntarily. She thought for a moment and agreed to Brianna’s request.

A moment later, Jessie Sterling received a friend request from Cheryl Stuart.

As expected, Cheryl Stuart was looking to plead someone’s case, but Jessie Sterling ignored her.

She had agreed to add Cheryl Stuart as a favor to Brianna Hudson, but once added, Cheryl herself wasn’t worthy of any such consideration.

After their company’s annual party, Zoe Marx brought Yvonne Rhodes and the others to visit Jessie Sterling.

Jessie Sterling had sent her location to the four of them that morning. As a result, while she was still getting dressed, her phone started chiming nonstop.

Zoe Marx had created a group chat for the visit the day before.

[Mochi: Are we meeting at the entrance of the Forbidden City?]

[Bella: That’s pretty close to our hotel. Should we walk over? Which gate? Is this location pin a little off?]

[Zoe Marx: Taking a stroll through the Forbidden City sounds good too. I haven’t been there in years.]

Jessie Sterling had changed into an apricot-colored knit dress with ruffled trim. It was just right for the indoor temperature—not too cold, and for someone like her who was sensitive to the cold, not at all too warm.

She picked up her phone, paused when she saw the messages, and replied to Bella.

[Jessie Sterling: It’s accurate, I promise! Just head over. It’s in an alley across from the Forbidden City.]

Once she was ready, Jessie Sterling walked from the Four-Joy Courtyard to the front hall, first stopping by the kitchen to check on the lunch the cook was preparing.

She had found out in advance where Zoe Marx and her friends were from and had planned the lunch menu according to their local tastes.

Mochi was from an ethnic minority in the southwest, Bella and Yvonne Rhodes were both from the Jiangnan region, and Zoe Marx was a Shanghai native.

Since they all came from different places, their tastes naturally varied, and she wanted to accommodate everyone as much as possible.

After confirming the cooks were busy with preparations, Jessie Sterling went to the wine cellar to choose the drinks for lunch.

The wine cellar Victor Morgan had built at home wasn’t huge, but its collection was quite impressive.

It housed treasures like a 1945 Romanée-Conti and a posthumous 1985 vintage from Henri Jayer—wines whose values had been driven sky-high at auctions. There were also diamond-studded champagne bottles, a gold-plated limited edition from ’90, and more, all part of Victor Morgan’s collection.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg. In Victor Morgan’s words, he brought some home just in case Jessie Sterling felt like drinking, so she could have easy access.

As for hard liquor, they didn’t keep much of it at home.

After selecting a bottle of champagne, Jessie Sterling finally went back upstairs.

She was worried Zoe Marx and her friends might walk right past the main gate, so she planned to grab a stool and wait for them there.

But then she remembered the embarrassing incident from the last time she went out the main gate, and she hesitated.

Just as she was standing indecisively behind the door, she heard an excited voice from outside the walls.

“Wow! The wintersweet blossoms at this house smell amazing! They look like they’re blooming so beautifully!”

It was Mochi’s voice.

As someone who was always online, Bella pushed up the glasses on her nose and looked around. “Isn’t this that photo spot from the summer? The one with the flower wall from Olivia and Flamingo Point’s roses or whatever?”

It had been very popular before. Many Aethelburg locals and tourists had come to this flower wall for photos.

“The people who live here must really love growing flowers…”

Zoe Marx’s voice hadn’t even faded when, suddenly, the group of four saw the grand, impressive gate swing open.

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