CHAPTER 104: CHAPTER 104: MANY THINGS TO BE AFRAID OF

"I’m not really famous here, so I don’t have to worry about being recognized on the street. But with my face like this, I can’t go home. How can you bear to have me stuck in a hotel the whole time?"

"I can bear it!" Faye Truman answered resolutely.

Cindy lowered her head in frustration, and after a moment of silence, she looked up fiercely, "If you don’t agree, I’ll tell everyone about your inappropriate thoughts towards Wenny!"

Faye Truman’s expression immediately changed, pointing a finger at her, "You, you’re something, daring to threaten me."

"Yep, I’m threatening you," Cindy smiled sweetly.

Faye Truman pursed her lips and glared at her, and after a long standoff, finally said, "Alright, you win."

*

After waking up in the afternoon in the hotel, Leon Sterling didn’t hurry to get up, but instead looked through the messages sent by Howard.

Turns out the person he was looking for could be found online and wasn’t just a little unknown designer after all. Leon Sterling recalled the way she poured out her troubles on the swing and couldn’t help but laugh. He fidgeted with the string of numbers on his phone before ultimately deleting the message entirely.

He got up, took a shower, and called Ruby Sullivan.

Just like Sasha Shaw had told him, it’s fine to like someone, but you can’t force them to like you back. As for wanting to know the result, the most direct and effective way is to ask the person directly, hands down.

He thought she made a good point. He had seen too many women pretend to be someone they’re not, forgetting that pretending is not exclusively a female trait.

Ruby Sullivan agreed to meet Leon Sterling in the hospital garden.

There was a large artificial lake there, and a walkway built over it where you could walk all the way to a pavilion in the center of the lake to rest.

The lake was filled with large lotus leaves; the season for blooming flowers was over, and what stood tall now were the lotus seed pods. In a while, when they ripen, staff would come and pick them.

Ruby Sullivan really liked this lake, even feeling it was a bit extravagant to have such a lake in a hospital.

It’s said that Ethan Sterling particularly liked lotus lakes and had this one built, a touch extravagant indeed.

When Leon Sterling arrived, Ruby Sullivan was sitting on a stone block under the shade of a tree, staring at the lake in a daze. He walked over quietly, trying to be light on his feet, but still ended up startling her.

"Hey." Around her, he always became shyer than usual, even unconsciously restraining his smile.

"Hey." Ruby Sullivan pointed to the stone block next to her, "Sit there and talk." She guessed what he would likely talk about when he mentioned having something to discuss.

Leon Sterling didn’t sit down but stood and squinted at the shimmering waves, "Do you love him?"

Ruby Sullivan raised an eyebrow, "If I tell you the truth, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, as long as you need me to."

Ruby Sullivan let out a long breath with a smile, "Probably not, but I don’t have the capital to refuse." She really considered Leon Sterling a friend, "You don’t need to do the bone marrow test, I talked to Vivian, I can’t be that selfish. If anything happens to you, Honey would be sad too, I don’t want her to bear such a heavy burden at such a young age."

"Do you think I’m useless?" Leon Sterling frowned, his tone becoming a bit hurried.

Ruby Sullivan was surprised, thinking it wasn’t something an artist of his level would say, "Charles, you’re a star in the sky, worth being admired by someone gazing at the night sky. You shouldn’t fall just because of this, because... I’m also a person who gazes at the night sky."

"Even if my bone marrow could save Honey, you wouldn’t want me to take the risk?" He pressed, not even sure what kind of answer he hoped to get.

Ruby Sullivan turned her head to look at him, "If your safety could be guaranteed, then I might be willing, but you’re different from ordinary people, the safety index is too difficult to ensure. I can’t make that decision."

She wanted to be a selfish mother, yet she feared the consequences of being selfish. She... could only choose to avoid answering.

"I’ll go for the bone marrow test. If my bone marrow matches with Honey’s, are you willing to leave my brother and be with me?" He vaguely guessed the weight he had in her heart, so in the end, he turned his confession into a negotiation, thinking it might increase his chances.

"Of course not." Ruby Sullivan laughed, "I don’t love him, nor do I love you, not loving either, of course I’d rather mess with him, at least you’re still my friend."

Leon Sterling looked into her clear eyes, not sure whether to feel happy or sad for the moment.

And at that moment, Ethan Sterling hurried back to the car feeling a bit unsettled. He hadn’t heard Ruby Sullivan’s final answer and was somewhat afraid to hear it.

He hated this woman. Ever since she appeared, he began to have a lot of things he didn’t dare to do.

Leon Sterling said he wanted to check on Honey, so Ruby Sullivan got up to accompany him back to the ward. Remembering Seth Sterling’s reminder, she casually asked, "Did you hit Ethan Sterling in the face?"

"Yeah." Leon Sterling nodded, "Was it serious?" He didn’t notice any problems after it happened.

"It’s okay, just... it looks like a half-drawn panda eye." Ruby Sullivan pressed down on her smile to avoid laughing. For some reason, seeing Ethan Sterling, who’s always on a godly pedestal, make a fool of himself was immensely satisfying, "Thanks."

Leon Sterling watched her expression, thinking she was laughing at his childishness. Thinking of himself yesterday, he truly was childish, and didn’t want to accept her thank-you for a moment, "I did it for myself. Since I was young, I’ve been giving him things, like umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, endless tests. I’m fed up."

Ruby Sullivan looked at his complaining face like a little rascal and couldn’t help but laugh, "Alright, heaven gave you a biological brother to grow up with love and rivalry together, didn’t it?" Suddenly, she thought of Rhonda Sullivan, before that happened, she never thought that person wasn’t her real sister who would harm her.

By dusk, Ethan Sterling still hadn’t shown up, and when she called him he didn’t answer. Ruby Sullivan assumed he was busy and didn’t bother him further. After the four of them had dinner together, Rachel Lawson called to ask whether Ethan Sterling would be home that night, and that’s when Ruby Sullivan realized he hadn’t gone home, and Howard’s phone was also turned off.

Worried, Ruby Sullivan could only send a message to Ethan Sterling, and while dozing off, she received a call from Howard saying they had to spontaneously leave the country for a business trip, expected to return in about a week, and made sure to assure her.

But Ruby Sullivan was slightly uneasy; going abroad without saying anything and having the assistant make the call clearly seemed like a tantrum, didn’t it?

Afterward, she didn’t contact Ethan Sterling again, nor did he contact her.

Soon it was the day Honey was discharged, and Rachel Lawson and Leon Sterling came to take them to The Sterling Family house.

When Honey arrived home, she found that Rachel Lawson had specially decorated the room next to Seth Sterling’s room in pink, filled with all kinds of dolls, making it particularly dreamy.

"Honey, from now on, this is your home," Rachel Lawson welcomed her with a smile.

Honey was so delighted she almost took off, not only having a dad and a brother but also having such a beautiful room, "Thank you, Vivian, I love it!" She laughed, rushing onto the bed, hugging the stuffed toys, and turned to invite Seth Sterling over, too.

Of course, Seth Sterling flatly refused.

Honey pouted, suddenly seeming a bit crestfallen, "I wish dad was here too."

Ruby Sullivan walked over and ruffled her hair, "When daddy comes back, he’ll play with you, alright?"

"Guess that’s the way it’ll have to be."

Rachel Lawson didn’t want Honey to be unhappy, "C’mon, let’s go downstairs and see what yummy treats we’ve got prepared to welcome Honey."

"Okay." As soon as she heard about food, Honey was excited again, immediately hopping off the bed and dashing towards Rachel Lawson.

Seeing Rachel Lawson take the two kids downstairs, Leon Sterling softly asked Ruby Sullivan, "Did you two have a fight?"

Ruby Sullivan smiled, "Probably." She really wanted to know the answer too.