After dialing, with Vanessa Sterling anxiously waiting, the receiver only emitted the prompt of a turned-off phone.

Vanessa, who had already prepared her opening words in her mind, suddenly felt a surge of disappointment.

But at this moment, she wasn’t in the mindset to notice it.

She instead picked up her coat and walked out, heading straight into the residential building across the street.

After inquiring, the security personnel at the duty room told her, "Are you talking about that tall boss who wears a suit every day? He went out in the evening; it seems he hasn’t come back."

As he spoke, the security pointed to the road outside the duty room and said, "His car is usually parked there; if the car is not present, he’s probably out."

"...Okay, thank you."

Standing on the roadside, Vanessa Sterling found herself momentarily at a loss, unsure of where to find Miles Sterling first.

Although she knows Miles has been around for quite some time, she has never figured out what he does here, doesn’t know who he usually interacts with, and even less about where he frequently goes.

Left with no choice, Vanessa had to reply to Quentin Sterling: Sorry, Uncle, I asked the security at his complex, and he doesn’t seem to be at home.

Perhaps there was a situation at the hospital, Quentin did not reply to the text message.

Unconsciously, Vanessa began to feel uneasy, and after returning to her room, she couldn’t sleep, occasionally checking by the window to see if Miles Sterling’s car had come back.

Half an hour later.

The plane carrying Miles Sterling landed at the airport.

Once his phone was on, he saw several missed calls, among which he immediately noticed the two words "Vanessa."

He froze; was he seeing it wrong, or did she call by mistake?

Why would she actively call him?

In his distraction, a call from Quentin Sterling abruptly popped up on the screen.

Miles Sterling was startled before picking up: "Uncle?"

"You finally answered the phone."

"What’s going on?"

"You should come back soon. Your mother... didn’t make it through; she passed at 2:53."

The news of Wendy Jennings’ death felt somewhat sudden to Miles Sterling.

But after a moment of silence, he quickly accepted this reality, his voice as calm as water: "I’m at the airport, I’ll head over immediately."

Miles Sterling didn’t quite know what was wrong with him; upon learning of his mother’s death, he wasn’t particularly sorrowful.

Neither hatred nor love could be described.

It was as if the mother-son relationship was just a form of bond, not bringing him much familial warmth.

Even after going through so much, Wendy Jennings remained selfish, never even feeling that what she did was wrong.

After arriving at the hospital, Miles Sterling remained very calm throughout the entire procedural process, as if it were merely a routine affair.

Others might think he lacked human sentiment, as his mother passed away, yet he showed no sign of grief for a deceased mother.

Only he knew how much impact Wendy Jennings, as a mother, had on his life since childhood.

Attempting to control his every life trajectory, even up to the last moment before her death.

She selfishly wanted everything to conform to her mind and her will, never considering others’ feelings.

The funeral was simple, with all funeral arrangements completed the next day.

In the drizzling rain at the cemetery, Quentin Sterling walked over with a bouquet of flowers, holding an umbrella for Miles Sterling, and said, "These flowers were ordered by Vanessa for me to bring."

Upon hearing the name "Vanessa," a light suddenly appeared in Miles Sterling’s previously hollow and lifeless eyes.

"Doesn’t she hate?"

"That’s why she didn’t come in person, just sent flowers through me. She said there’s no need to tire oneself out with hatred for someone who is already gone."

Miles Sterling suddenly laughed bitterly and, as if talking to himself, asked, "So, does this mean that when I’m gone, I can get her forgiveness too?"