The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 159: Tristan Sterling, You Are Really Shameless
Chapter 159: Tristan Sterling, You’re Truly Shameless 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Hearing Rachel’s words, the already sour expression on Claire Ainsworth’s face turned even uglier. She looked up at the man beside her.
Tristan Sterling looked down at her. "Claire, you go on ahead."
Claire Ainsworth bit her lip, looking aggrieved. She shot a vicious glare at Rachel Royce before striding away.
Tristan Sterling turned to look at Rachel Royce. The bright lights illuminated his deep-set, handsome features, but his dark, silent eyes were cold and unreadable.
"For the past five years, when Melissa needed a mother, where were you?"
Rachel’s pupils constricted as she stared at him. ’So he’s blaming me for people gossiping about Melissa.’
She then heard him continue, "So you should be managing yourself and thinking about how to make it up to Melissa, not taking her to meet some irrelevant man."
The emotions churning in Rachel’s chest boiled over. She faced the man and said, "Tristan Sterling, you’re truly shameless."
Hearing her words, Tristan’s expression was as placid as still water. "I don’t want to see you taking Melissa to any other man’s house again."
Rachel clenched her fists.
’So just because I was gone for five years, he thinks he can stand on his high horse and endlessly criticize me.’
"Tristan Sterling, you can date Claire Ainsworth, but I’m not allowed to find another man?"
"You can try."
The man’s tone was still calm, but his deep, dark eyes seemed to turn instantly cold.
"So you colluded with those Hong Kong investors to dump Eastgate’s stock. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?" Rachel demanded.
"Daddy!"
Melissa’s delighted voice suddenly called out.
Rachel’s heart tightened. Looking up, she saw Melissa running toward them with Joanna Sutton following close behind.
Tristan Sterling turned and strode forward, bending down to scoop his daughter into his arms.
"Daddy, you’re eating here too."
Tristan hummed in acknowledgment. "Did you have fun today?"
Melissa nodded. "I did!"
Tristan’s large hand gently stroked the back of his daughter’s head, his eyes filled with tender, fatherly love. "That’s all that matters."
The father and daughter spoke for a little while.
Joanna Sutton walked over to Rachel’s side. Noticing her pale expression, she asked in a low voice, "Rachel, are you okay?"
Rachel took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions in her heart. "Don’t worry, I’m fine."
Joanna Sutton didn’t press the issue. She looked over at Tristan and Melissa. ’So, some men can fail to love their wives but still love the children they bear.’
The two women stood quietly to the side.
"Daddy will come pick you up to take you home tomorrow afternoon, then."
Melissa thought for a moment. "I’ll call you when it’s time, Daddy."
"Okay."
Tristan Sterling set Melissa down and straightened her dress. As he turned to leave, he glanced at Rachel Royce before striding off.
Rachel and Joanna Sutton took Melissa back to the restaurant.
June Jennings saw them return and asked, "What took you so long?"
Rachel said, "It was nothing. Have you ordered yet?"
"We’ve all ordered. We were just waiting on you."
Rachel replied, "Then what we have should be enough."
After dinner, the group decided against walking around any further.
June Jennings got ready to take Stella back to the Royce estate.
They said their goodbyes to Joanna Sutton.
Afterward, Rachel and June took Melissa and Stella back to the Royce estate.
When they got home, Florence Preston saw them return. "You’re back," she said.
"I bought you a dress, Miss Preston," June said. "Come see if you like it."
"Why did you buy me another dress? I haven’t even worn the last one you gave me!"
"It looked nice, so I bought it. You can wear one a day. You’ll have plenty of chances to wear them."
"..."
Florence Preston was also very fond of June Jennings. She could, of course, see what was on June’s mind, and she certainly had no objections to a match between June and Peter Preston.
June was Julian Jennings’s biological sister. Even though June would be remarrying with a child, Florence felt her own son would be the one marrying up. She was finally able to stop worrying about her son’s love life.
June urged Florence Preston to go try on the dress and show them how it looked.
Resigned, Florence had no choice but to go and change.
There were three dresses in total, along with two matching jackets, all of which suited Florence Preston perfectly.
Wendy Royce came downstairs.
June quickly asked, "Uncle, what do you think? Doesn’t Miss Preston look beautiful?"
Wendy Royce looked at his wife and lavished her with praise. Melissa and Stella chimed in with their own compliments, causing Florence Preston’s cheeks to flush red.
The atmosphere in the living room was warm and harmonious.
After a while, Rachel and June took the children upstairs to bathe and get ready for bed.
They were all planning to sleep together tonight.
After they had gotten Stella and Melissa to sleep,
Rachel and June were leaning back against the headboard. It was then that June spoke up. "Peter and the others still aren’t back. Should we call them and see what’s going on?"
Rachel replied, "Thomas already called me. They’re in Solara right now."
June was shocked. "Solara? What are they doing in Solara?"
"Raymond Reynolds is there. We’ll just have to wait until they come back for the full story."
June let out a breath. "I hope everything goes smoothly for them."
「That night.」
Rachel, however, did not sleep well.
Her mind was filled with what Tristan Sterling had said earlier that day. It felt as if a giant boulder was pressing on her chest, crushing her to the point where she could barely breathe.
Melissa suddenly kicked off her blanket.
Rachel reached over and pulled the blanket back over her. Looking at her daughter’s sweet, sleeping face, her mood lifted slightly.
「The next day.」
Rachel and June didn’t take the children out, choosing to stay home instead.
She didn’t call Julian Jennings or Peter Preston, either. She didn’t want to disturb them, trusting that they could handle everything.
Around mid-afternoon, Rachel received a call from Tristan Sterling. She had the sudden urge to block his number.
June saw the dark expression on her face as she held the phone and whispered, "Is that Tristan Sterling?"
Rachel hummed in confirmation, then looked at Melissa. "Melissa, come here. Your daddy’s on the phone."
Melissa ran over to Rachel, took the phone, held it to her ear, and chirped, "Daddy."
"Daddy, can you pick me up for school tomorrow morning instead? I want to sleep with Stella, Aunt Evelynn, and Miss June again tonight."
Tristan replied, "Alright, then. Daddy will come pick you up for school tomorrow morning."
"Okay."
"Give the phone to Aunt Evelynn. I need to talk to her."
Melissa handed the phone to Rachel. "Aunt Evelynn, Daddy wants to talk to you."
Rachel took the phone. Not wanting to speak with the man in front of Melissa, she got up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window before asking coolly, "What is it?"
Tristan said, "Be at my office at ten tomorrow morning."
Rachel thought of the KU matter. ’It’s something we have to discuss one way or another.’
She responded coldly, "Understood."
With that, she hung up the phone.
「The next morning.」
Tristan Sterling arrived at the villa’s main gate at eight o’clock.
Melissa and Stella were still eating breakfast.
Knowing Tristan was waiting outside, neither Florence Preston nor Wendy Royce was in a good mood, but for Melissa’s sake, they didn’t let it show.
Once Melissa finished her breakfast,
Rachel picked up her schoolbag and walked her to the door.
Tristan Sterling got out of his car.
