Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Premeditated

Thomas Sterling walked up to Raina Willow. “Who exactly put you up to this?” he asked one last time, his voice sharp. Raina Willow remained silent.

Thomas Sterling had run out of patience. “If you don’t talk, then no matter what the person behind this promised you, you can just wait to be completely blacklisted by the entire industry p>

At his words, Raina Willow’s head snapped up in terror. Her eyes met his, which were frighteningly cold, and a cold sweat broke out on her skin. It was obvious Thomas Sterling wasn’t joking.

“I Raina Willow’s lips trembled, but she didn’t know what to say.

Just then, Rachel Royce’s phone began to vibrate.

She picked it up and saw the call was from Tristan Sterling. Rachel answered. “Hello p>

“Are you at the hotel?” Tristan asked, his tone unreadable.

Rachel hummed in acknowledgment. “Melissa is with her grandmother right now p>

“Where are you p>

Instead of answering, Rachel asked, “What is it p>

’Tristan Sterling would never pay attention to entertainment gossip, so I certainly don’t think he’s calling to check on me. Besides, his tone doesn’t sound like he’s concerned at all p>

After she spoke, the other end of the line fell silent.

Rachel Royce thought he had hung up. She glanced at her screen and saw the call was still active. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up,” she said coolly.

With that, Rachel Royce hung up without hesitation.

「In a car heading to the hotel p>

Tristan Sterling listened to the dial tone and lowered his phone.

Claire Ainsworth, sitting beside him, felt her heart clench as she sensed the grim aura radiating from him.

’I have no idea what he meant by calling Rachel Royce just now,’ she thought, ’but listening closely, I couldn’t detect any hint of concern in his voice p>

This put her slightly at ease.

Before Tristan Sterling had called Rachel Royce, he had first called Sylvia Shannon.

“Rachel Royce isn’t at the hotel p>

Sylvia Shannon had said, “I don’t know if she is or not. She should be with Thomas right now. I have no idea why they were in such a hurry to leave, but they do seem quite close p>

Claire Ainsworth had then spoken up. “Evelynn and Thomas can meet up anytime. Why, of all days, would they cause a scandal together at a hotel? And on Mrs. Sterling’s birthday, no less. There was no need to be in such a rush p>

Her words, both overtly and covertly, implied that Rachel Royce and Thomas Sterling were already an item, and since this was happening in a hotel, the rest was left unsaid.

After speaking, she paused for a moment before adding, “I’m sure this Raina Willow is just trying to use Evelynn for clout. Tristan, your cousin will definitely resolve this quickly p>

Tristan Sterling listened to Claire Ainsworth’s words, his handsome face grim, and did not respond.

Claire Ainsworth couldn’t fathom what the man was thinking. Seeing that he remained silent, she didn’t dare say anything more.

「Back at the hotel p>

Rachel Royce had just hung up on Tristan Sterling when another call came in. It was from Julian Jennings.

Julian Jennings had been in meetings all morning and was unaware of what had happened online until June Jennings saw it and called him immediately.

Rachel Royce briefly explained the situation to Julian Jennings.

Julian Jennings said, “It seems someone planned this whole thing to target you and Thomas p>

’But what’s their goal?’ she wondered. ’Even if Thomas Sterling and I really were involved, what would the person behind this gain p>

“The culprit must have known your and Thomas’s movements today. You should pay attention at his mother’s birthday banquet p>

Hearing this, it dawned on Rachel Royce. “Okay, I will p>

The scandalous news online was quickly taken down by a PR team. Apparently, the perpetrator hadn’t intended to let it blow up too much.

Theodore Sterling called Thomas Sterling. Theodore had just arrived at the hotel today after returning from abroad.

Afterward, Theodore Sterling contacted the hotel manager and told them to deal with the paparazzi and reporters as quickly as possible.

Theodore Sterling went to their floor and knocked on the door.

Thomas Sterling opened the door and saw him. “Brother,” he called out.

Theodore Sterling wore gold-rimmed glasses. He was handsome, with sharp, deep-set features, and he carried himself with a serious, stern demeanor.

He saw Thomas Sterling, then his gaze swept over Rachel Royce inside the room. “There’s someone else in here?” he asked.

Thomas hummed in affirmation.

Theodore Sterling turned to his assistant and ordered, “You handle this p>

“Yes, sir,” the assistant replied respectfully.

Rachel Royce and Thomas Sterling were finally able to leave the hotel room.

Rachel finally greeted him. “Mr. Sterling p>

’I haven’t seen Theodore Sterling since returning to the country, not even at the Fitzwilliam family banquet. He must have been busy working abroad p>

Theodore Sterling just gave a slight nod. He asked Thomas Sterling, “What exactly happened p>

Thomas explained briefly.

Theodore Sterling said, “I’ll have someone scrub the news from the internet p>

Thomas hummed in agreement. ’Mu Guang is already handling it, but if my brother wants to help clean up, I have no reason to refuse p>

“Do you know who’s behind this p>

Thomas Sterling replied, “Not yet, but it’s definitely someone who knew my and Rachel’s movements today p>

Theodore Sterling immediately guessed what he meant. “You’re saying it’s someone attending Mom’s birthday banquet today p>

Thomas hummed his assent.

Theodore Sterling said, “Let’s go upstairs, then p>

The three of them took the elevator upstairs.

Preparations for the luncheon were already underway.

There weren’t many guests invited today.

Tristan Sterling was sitting and chatting with Franklin Fitzwilliam.

Tristan Sterling noticed the three of them, his deep eyes sweeping over Rachel Royce.

Theodore Sterling walked toward the two men, and Thomas Sterling followed. But after taking just one step, Thomas noticed Rachel Royce standing still. “Rachel, what’s wrong p>

’It would be awkward and out of place for me to tag along with all the cousins,’ she thought. ’But it wouldn’t hurt to go over and say hello to Franklin Fitzwilliam p>

“It’s nothing p>

Rachel Royce and Thomas Sterling walked over.

Rachel Royce smiled and greeted Franklin Fitzwilliam, but her gaze never once fell on Tristan Sterling, and she clearly had no intention of greeting him.

“Rachel, you’re here,” Franklin Fitzwilliam replied with a smile. He was clearly unaware of what had just happened online.

Rachel Royce hummed in response.

Just then, Thomas Sterling said, “Rachel and I have something to attend to. You guys take your time p>

He had, of course, noticed Rachel Royce’s discomfort just now.

In a situation like this, he couldn’t just leave her feeling out of place.

So, Thomas Sterling led Rachel Royce away, finding a spot to sit at a distance from the others. No matter how one looked at it, their close interaction suggested their relationship was anything but ordinary.

Rachel Royce hadn’t originally planned on staying for lunch, but now she wanted to wait until after the luncheon was over and see just who was behind all this.

When she checked online, the scandal that had just been trending was now mostly gone. The search terms had been taken down, and only one or two related articles remained at the bottom of the results, clearly about to be removed as well.