Chapter 89: Chapter 80: A Deal

The atmosphere at the dinner table went from dead silent to openly hostile.

As Audrey Hughes’s mask of composure shattered and she flew into a rage, Victor Sterling, in contrast, became deliberately calm. He set down his cup, wiped his hands with a wet nap, and said in a placating tone, “The boys are here. You need to calm down.”

“Don’t pretend to be some loving father! If you actually gave a damn about the boys’ feelings, you wouldn’t have asked such a ridiculous question!”

“How is it ridiculous? Ezra and Sherman’s daughter are well-matched in looks and family background. Besides, they both have disabilities, so they won’t look down on each other. This marriage is a match made in heaven.”

“They haven’t even met, and you’ve already decided they’re a match made in heaven. Victor Sterling, search your heart and tell me: are you really thinking about Ezra’s future, or are you just eyeing the Shaw Family’s business empire in Portmere?”

“If they get married, Ezra will have a companion for life, and it will be more convenient for the Sterling and Shaw families’ businesses. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”

“Killing two birds with one stone, my ass! Let me tell you, don’t you dare try to use my son!”

“Isn’t your son my son too? How have you become more and more unreasonable with age?”

“Hah. Of course, I’m not as gentle, considerate, and understanding as those little mistresses you keep on the side.”

“You…”

Seeing that they were about to have a huge fight, Shane Sterling put down his chopsticks and signed to Ezra Sterling, “Are you full? If so, let’s go for a walk outside.”

Ezra Sterling might be deaf and mute, but he wasn’t blind. Victor Sterling’s face was grim, and Audrey Hughes was shooting daggers with her eyes. The air was thick enough to freeze.

He immediately stood up and followed Shane Sterling out.

Just as Shane Sterling and Ezra Sterling reached the main entrance, they heard a loud CRASH! from the dining room. Someone had smashed a bowl.

The amplified sound rang through Ezra Sterling’s hearing aid. He was about to turn back, but Shane Sterling placed a hand on the back of his neck and guided him out the door.

“What are they fighting about now?” Ezra Sterling signed.

Shane signed back, “Don’t worry about them.”

Audrey Hughes and Victor Sterling’s marriage was like an old house riddled with too many cracks. On the surface, they seemed to be fighting over Ezra Sterling’s marriage, but who knew which crack the gushing resentment was truly pouring from.

“Why don’t they get a divorce?” Ezra signed again.

“You want them to?”

“It’s better to go their separate ways and find happiness than to stay entangled in misery.”

“Their interests are too deeply intertwined.”

The company, their assets, their social standing… A divorce was never just about the two of them. It would trigger the collapse of an entire ecosystem. Victor Sterling and Audrey Hughes were both intelligent; they had likely done the math long ago and realized that the cost of maintaining their marriage was far lower than the sunk costs of a divorce.

The two brothers strolled through the courtyard.

Shane Sterling happened to glance at a string of tattooed letters on the inside of Ezra Sterling’s forearm.

“One heart. One love. One lifetime.”

“When did you get the tattoo?” Shane Sterling asked, pointing to the English words on Ezra Sterling’s forearm.

Ezra Sterling blushed and smiled shyly. “Last month.”

“Things must be serious, then?”

“Yeah, very serious.”

“When do you plan on telling the family?”

“I already showed Mom a picture of Chloe earlier.”

’It all made sense to Shane now. No wonder their mother, Audrey Hughes, had smiled with such relief when they first walked in. And no wonder she had been so furious when Victor Sterling proposed the arranged marriage for Ezra.’

“Bro, how are things between you and Miss Prescott lately?”

“They’re good.”

“So when are you going to tell the family?”

Shane Sterling fell silent. ’Tell who in the family? He wasn’t like Ezra, who at least had their mother to share his happiness with.’

“We’ll see.”

—

Victor Sterling and Audrey Hughes had a huge fight, but he stayed anyway. In the end, the family sang “Happy Birthday” to Ezra Sterling and cut the cake before he left.

As he was leaving, Victor Sterling called out to Shane Sterling.

“Shane, are you leaving?”

Of course Shane was leaving. ’He didn’t want to be caught in the awkward space between Audrey Hughes and Ezra Sterling either.’

The father and son walked out the main door together.

“Did you drive yourself?” Victor Sterling asked.

“Yeah.”

“Get in my car first. Let’s talk for a bit.”

Shane Sterling followed his father, Victor Sterling, into his Rolls-Royce. They sat side-by-side in the back seat. The car didn’t move, remaining parked under a plane tree outside Arcadia Heights.

“How’s your love life these days?” Victor Sterling began.

A smirk played on Shane Sterling’s lips. “Why the sudden interest in my and Ezra’s love lives? Did the government ask you to conduct a census?”

“Wipe that smirk off your face and answer my question.”

“My love life has more branches than any tree on Master Halloway’s Calypso’s Isle. Which one did you want to hear about?”

Shane Sterling wasn’t deliberately hiding his relationship with Isla Prescott. It was just that after sparring with his father for so many years, he had learned to test the waters first. He would never show his hand until he understood his father’s true intentions.

“Why can’t you ever be serious?” Victor Sterling’s patience wore thin, and he cut straight to the chase. “I heard you saved Jocelyn on Surfsong Island?”

“What, did someone award you a medal for it?”

“What’s really going on between you and Jocelyn?”

“You’re the one who knows best what went on between us.”

It was Victor Sterling who had forced the match, orchestrating his and Jocelyn Quincy’s engagement. The two of them hadn’t even known what was happening; they had simply accompanied their respective fathers to a dinner at a hotel. The very next day, the news of their engagement was on the front page of the financial papers.

Getting engaged was easy, but breaking it off was hard. Shane Sterling had protested to his father countless times, but Victor Sterling had shut him down every time.

Left with no choice, he had resorted to the “green hat” gambit, sacrificing his own pride as a man to finally break free from his father’s manipulation.

“Jocelyn went too far back then. You were wronged.” Victor Sterling reached out and patted Shane Sterling’s thigh. “But since you still like her, you two could give it another try.”

’He liked Jocelyn Quincy?’

Shane Sterling was utterly speechless. “President Sterling, what are you talking about?”

“What’s this ’President Sterling’? I’m your father!” Victor Sterling looked at Shane Sterling and lit a cigarette. “As for that whole green hat incident, President Quincy has already given Jocelyn a good talking-to. I’m sure she won’t make the same mistake of embarrassing you again. You can give her another chance.”

Shane Sterling was even more speechless. “If I help a broom that got knocked over by the wind, does that mean I have to marry it and take it home?”

“If you’re not interested in Jocelyn, why would you help her after she hurt you so badly?”

“Can’t I just be a kind-hearted person?”

Victor Sterling frowned, considering his words for a moment before speaking again. “The business between the Sterling Family and the Quincy Family is getting bigger and deeper. President Quincy and I both feel that a marriage alliance would be good for both families. You and Jocelyn grew up together, so you know each other well. No matter how immature Jocelyn is now, she’s still the eldest daughter who will inherit the family business. The entire Quincy Group will be hers one day. I think you should reconsider rekindling things. It’s a deal you won’t lose out on.”

Shane Sterling pushed his tongue against his cheek and let out a laugh of pure anger. “President Sterling, are you trying to play matchmaker for two couples in one day? Trying to boost Cupid’s KPIs? Is the Sterling Group about to go bankrupt? Have you really sunk so low that you have to sell off your sons to stabilize the business? And fine, sell me if you must, but was dragging Ezra into it really necessary?”

“Why wasn’t it necessary for Ezra? In the Sterling Family, everyone has to have their value. Even if Ezra is a cripple, he still has to contribute his light and heat to the company.” Victor Sterling snorted and forcefully stubbed out his cigarette. “You’d best not interfere in Ezra’s affairs. Now get out of the car.”

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