Enraged by Holly Sinclair's impudence, Yvonne Thorne shot to her feet, grabbed a glass of red wine, and hurled it toward Holly.
Holly sidestepped.
But she couldn't dodge it completely.
The crimson liquid soaked more than half her chest.
The fabric over her chest immediately turned semi-transparent, her cleavage faintly visible and incredibly alluring.
Several of the male classmates present couldn't tear their eyes away.
Holly Sinclair instinctively glanced toward Tristan Sterling.
He was looking at her, too.
He still wore that same aloof, noble expression, elegantly swirling the wine in his glass with absolutely no intention of helping her.
Holly Sinclair let out a self-mocking laugh.
Then, in one swift motion, she raised her own glass.
"Ah!"
Before Yvonne Thorne could even flash a gloating smile, Holly had viciously returned the favor, splashing a full glass of red wine in her face.
"Tit for tat. You're welcome."
Holly tossed out the cold words and turned to leave.
"Holly Sinclair, stop right there! How dare you throw wine on me? You bitch!"
Yvonne Thorne went berserk, her eyes blazing with fury as she lunged toward Holly.
"Yvonne!"
Vivian Linton cried out.
Philip Payne quickly grabbed Yvonne Thorne and held her back.
Watching helplessly as Holly Sinclair vanished from sight, Yvonne Thorne was so full of hate she could have ground her teeth to dust—
"Bitch! Holly Sinclair, you bitch!
"Don't let me see you again! The next time I do, I'll tear you to shreds!
"Such a bitch, pretending to be so pure! Still think you're the high and mighty Eldest Miss Sinclair? Hah! You're nothing but a cheap whore who climbs into any man's bed—"
BANG!
A wine glass was slammed down, its stem snapping.
"Tristan, your hand..."
Vivian Linton gasped, rushing to grab Tristan Sterling's hand with concern to examine it.
"It's fine."
Tristan Sterling pulled his hand away. He expressionlessly ripped off his tie and wrapped it around his hand. "I'll take you home," he said.
His deep voice carried an immense pressure.
Vivian Linton didn't dare object and quickly rose to leave with him.
Leaving Philip Payne and the others to stare at each other in bewilderment.
They didn't even dare to breathe.
...
Holly Sinclair hurried away from The Gilded Shore.
As she was leaving, she caught a glimpse of her own wretched reflection in a glass panel, and her eyes couldn't help but well up.
Her mind was filled with the image of Tristan Sterling, looking down from his lofty perch, coldly watching as she was humiliated and attacked.
Her heart throbbed with a dull ache.
Though she had long given up any hope for him, she still felt a bitter sense of injustice.
'When it rains, it pours.'
Holly had just reached the taxi stand when the night sky suddenly opened up in a downpour.
The rain came down fast and hard.
Before she could find shelter, she was soaked to the bone.
Holly Sinclair gave a bitter smile.
Overcome by a sudden wave of despair, she simply stood there, letting the icy rain hammer down on her body.
Not far away, a black luxury car slowly approached.
Inside the car.
"Mr. Sterling, it's the madam," Greg said softly.
Tristan Sterling had already seen her.
In the downpour, that ungrateful woman was miserably waving her arm to hail a taxi.
One car after another sped past, not only refusing to stop but splashing her with dirty water.
And she, as if she had given up completely, didn't even bother to move out of the way.
Tristan Sterling's face was like ice.
A fire raged in his heart.
"Mr. Sterling?"
When he received no orders, Greg braced himself and called out again.
"Ignore her!"
Tristan Sterling squeezed two words through his teeth, each one as cold as an icicle.
Greg's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately didn't dare to speak again.
'The big boss is furious. Better not to provoke him.'
"Don't be like that, Tristan. We should let Holly get in the car. She'll get sick in such a heavy rain."
Vivian Linton's delicate brows furrowed. Her slender hand came to rest gently on the man's shoulder. Gazing worriedly out the window at Holly Sinclair, who was now drawing closer, she coaxed softly.
"Then let her get sick!" Tristan Sterling roared.
"Tristan..."
"She brought this on herself!"
His voice was so loud that it carried out the window and fell with perfect clarity into Holly Sinclair's ears.
Holly Sinclair's hand, raised to hail a taxi, froze in midair.
She looked toward the sound and saw Vivian Linton's hand resting intimately on Tristan Sterling's shoulder. He, meanwhile, wouldn't even spare her a glance.
The black luxury car sped past her.
Holly Sinclair clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.
A cold liquid streamed down her cheeks, and she couldn't tell if it was the rain or her tears...
...
「Maplewood Manor」
Tristan Sterling saw Vivian Linton to her door.
"Want to come in for a bit?"
Vivian Linton's limpid eyes sparkled as she gazed at the handsome, imposing man before her, extending the invitation.
"It's late." Tristan Sterling's sharp brows knitted slightly as he brushed the rainwater from his clothes.
'He rejected me.'
The smile on Vivian Linton's lips froze.
But she quickly recovered. Looking with great concern at the hand he had wrapped haphazardly with his tie, she said, "Your hand is hurt. It needs to be treated—"
"It's fine. Get some rest."
With that, Tristan Sterling turned and walked away.
"Tristan!"
Vivian Linton called out to him, her voice filled with an unconcealable urgency.
'She'd seen it.'
'Just now, after the car drove past Holly Sinclair, his gaze had been fixed on the rearview mirror.'
'Reflected in it was the wretched sight of Holly, standing dumbstruck in the curtain of rain like a fool.'
Tristan Sterling turned back.
"Are you angry?"
Vivian Linton took two steps forward and cautiously hugged the man's arm.
Tristan Sterling said nothing, his expression inscrutable.
"Yvonne and the others didn't mean it. They were just sticking up for me. I've explained to them so many times that what happened back then wasn't Holly's fault alone, but they just feel so protective of me..."
"Mm."
Vivian Linton had said a great deal, only to be met with a faint, noncommittal hum.
Tristan Sterling's lukewarm reaction made Vivian Linton inexplicably flustered.
Biting her lip, she forced a smile. "Tristan, if you're angry because Holly was wronged, I can apologize to her..."
"Apologize for what? She's the one who owes you, not the other way around!" Tristan Sterling said gravely.
"Tristan..." Vivian Linton's eyes immediately welled up, shimmering with touched tears.
'His words put her at ease.'
"Get some rest."
"Okay. The roads are slippery in the rain. Tell Greg to drive carefully."
Vivian Linton stood on the steps, watching Tristan Sterling's car disappear into the rain.
'He's the future Head of the Sterling Family,' she thought, 'the renowned Mr. Sterling of Mistcroft. His dignity and pride cannot be challenged.'
'As the saying goes, "to beat a dog is to slight its master."'
'For Philip Payne and the others to humiliate Holly Sinclair in front of Tristan was, in a way, a slap in Tristan's own face. So it was only natural for him to get angry.'
'Yes.'
'That must be why he was upset tonight.'
...
Holly Sinclair was shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
After fumbling in her bag for a long time, she finally found her house key.
She opened the door with a trembling hand and stepped inside.
Just as she was closing the door, a gleaming leather shoe wedged itself in the gap.
The door wouldn't close.
She looked up and met a pair of predatory, ice-cold eyes.
In the instant she froze, the man pushed the door open and strode in without invitation.
"You..."
Panicked, Holly Sinclair rushed in front of him, spreading her arms to block his path. Her teeth chattered as she stammered, "G-get out!"