CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: TURNING TRUTH UPSIDE DOWN

A few minutes later, the guests were sent out the door, and the media friends invited by the elder Mrs. Sterling were thoroughly searched before being allowed to leave.

The elder Mrs. Sterling sat with her hands folded in front of her, sitting upright in the center of the living room sofa, with her mouth drooping, staring straight at the black TV screen in front of her, motionless as if petrified.

A few juniors stood beside her, with Seth Sterling holding Ruby Sullivan’s hand on the far end, his gaze fixed forward with determination, as if he had made some sort of resolution in his heart.

The elder Mrs. Sterling never imagined that her grandson would indulge others to turn such a formal occasion into a farce. She even wasn’t sure if she should be angry. If she did get angry, perhaps she’d be furious enough to fit the situation.

She exhaled a long breath, first looking toward Sasha Shaw. She claimed to be Ruby Sullivan’s friend, but the events from long ago were something she had no recollection of at all.

"How do you prove that you are a good friend of Ruby?"

"When Ruby got married, I was the only bridesmaid. You can find their wedding video and have a look."

The elder Mrs. Sterling raised an eyebrow and asked Rhonda Sullivan, "Do you know this Miss Shaw as well?"

Lowering her brows, Rhonda appeared fragile and pitiful, pressing her lips together and nodding timidly, "Ruby didn’t have many friends, so I have some impression of this Miss Shaw."

"Thanks a lot, I thought you’d be full of nonsense." Sasha waved her hand at her with a squint and gave a fake laugh filled with sarcasm.

She couldn’t care less how ugly the face of the elder Mrs. Sterling became.

This old woman, always claiming to like Ruby so much, where was she when Ruby was being bullied by her grandson? Where was she when Ruby was kicked out of the house? Who knows if back then, her sweet talk was just to cheat the Sullivan Family out of their money?

The elder Mrs. Sterling furrowed her brows, suppressing her temper, "Miss Shaw, no matter what, today is Rhonda’s birthday. Sending a bunch of wreaths not only embarrasses Rhonda but also shames the Sterling Family. You must first apologize to Rhonda."

Sasha was stunned, mimicking her tone mockingly, "This elder Mrs. Sterling, back then you spoke sweetly, made all sorts of guarantees, tricked our Ruby into your house, and now that she’s dead because of you all, you’re asking me to apologize to this murderer?"

"Sasha, you must take legal responsibility for saying these things!" Rhonda Sullivan retorted angrily, seemingly exhausted with tears trembling in her eyes, "If you continue to slander me, I can only reveal the truth!"

"Oh ho," Sasha sneered, wanting to retort further, but Ruby Sullivan tugged at her arm.

Ruby Sullivan calmly looked at her, "Go ahead, say it." She too wanted to hear what truth Rhonda Sullivan had to offer.

Rhonda took a breath and said, "Only after marriage did Ruby realize she was incompatible with Ethan. Added to that, Ethan was absorbed in his career and had no time for her. She grew more and more disenchanted with married life; it was at that time she grew closer to a college classmate named Nathaniel. During that period before she left, she described things as boring and asked me to come over to keep her company. It wasn’t until that night when she pushed me down the stairs that I understood, she just wanted a reason for divorce. So, when Ethan took me to the hospital, she left with Nathaniel."

She lowered her head, seemingly ashamed for her sister and not daring to look at anyone. "Later, I heard they had a child, but Ruby was too overweight and suffered complications during childbirth, which is when..." She bit her lip, giving the impression she couldn’t continue, and after a long pause, she choked up saying, "Father also entered the hospital the next day, unable to handle the news."

She finished speaking and covered her mouth, tears beginning to flow.

The elder Mrs. Sterling’s eyes reddened, not having expected her stubborn actions back then to have facilitated a doomed relationship!

She slowly stood, pulling Rhonda to sit beside her, "Good child, don’t cry..."

Rhonda gently leaned on her shoulder, "This matter is a shame for both families and so I’ve always been unwilling to reveal it. Also, Ruby has been gone for so long and I really don’t want to tarnish her reputation."

"Grandmother understands." The elder Mrs. Sterling patted her hand, her voice somewhat choked.

Ruby Sullivan had long anticipated that she would continue her act, but hadn’t foreseen that she would perform so convincingly.

Sasha was so upset that her face turned pale. If Ruby Sullivan hadn’t held her tight and frowned at her, she would have hit someone. Even a fictional story needs some semblance of a baseline, right? Not only reversing black and white but also dumping a bucket of slander over Ruby Sullivan’s head!

"Alright, you both can leave now. I won’t pursue today’s incident," the elder Mrs. Sterling exhaled, looking towards Ruby Sullivan. "As for you, I don’t care what spell you’ve cast on those grandfather and grandson, leave the Sterling Group immediately. If I find out you’re still entangled with my grandson, I’ll ruin your career and make you never able to lift your head."

Seeing she was about to leave, Ruby Sullivan had to speak up to stop her, "Wait, I have something to say."

The elder Mrs. Sterling, supported by Mama Bennett, had already gotten up, and hearing her voice, frowned in annoyance.

Mama Bennett tilted her head immediately, glaring at her fiercely, "The old lady is tired, just shut up."

"Ruby Sullivan is not dead!" Ruby Sullivan blurted out.

Before she could say anything further, the elder Mrs. Sterling suddenly swayed and fainted.

Several hours later, the light over the hospital’s emergency room went out, and the doctor emerged slowly, shaking his head with a somber expression, "Please accept my condolences."

The elder Mrs. Sterling had suffered a sudden heart attack. Although her regular checkups showed she was in good health, age was a factor, and since returning, she has been under a lot of stress; sleep issues due to jet lag also became potential risk factors. If she hadn’t been under continuous emotional stress in such a short time, perhaps with proper rest, there wouldn’t have been issues.

But "if" never happened.

Ruby Sullivan suddenly recalled the elderly woman who once smilingly asked if she wanted to marry her grandson. The elder Mrs. Sterling had said that Ruby’s mother had been her favorite student and, if it weren’t for someone else stepping in, she would have loved to make her daughter-in-law. So, she really hoped that she could marry her grandson, Ethan Sterling.

Ruby Sullivan was dumbfounded at the time, even forgetting to ask if Ethan liked her, just foolishly nodding with a smile.

The elder Mrs. Sterling truly was very loving toward her and genuinely protected her every step of the way.

As Ruby thought about it, tears flowed down her face. Now, with such firmness in taking control over her grandson’s marriage, she merely wished for her grandson’s well-being. What wrong was there in that?

While she stood there in a daze, she suddenly felt a sting on her face and realized, a beat too late, that Rhonda Sullivan had slapped her.

"Are you happy now?" She looked at her angrily, hysterically barking with tears welling up in her eyes.

The dazed Sasha rushed forward, pushing her away, "Who do you think you are? Who gave you the face to say such things? Today’s incident is entirely your doing!"

Ethan Sterling came over, grasping Sasha’s hand that was about to swing forward, eyes red and choked up, "Haven’t you had enough?"

Sasha glared, suddenly feeling Ruby Sullivan hug her from behind, her thin shirt quickly soaked with her tears. She shrugged off Ethan’s hold, turning to embrace Ruby, glaring fiercely at Ethan. "Let’s go." With that, she pulled Ruby’s hand to leave without waiting to see what else she wanted to do.

It was at this moment that the elder Mrs. Sterling, covered with a white sheet, was pushed out, and Ethan, looking blank, finally moved slowly, stepping to follow.

Rhonda quickly followed, grabbing his hand, "Ethan..."

Exhausted, Ethan didn’t even have the strength to shake her off, raising his arm high just to pull his hand free. Without looking at her, he forced back the emotions swelling in his throat, saying flatly, "Get lost."

Rhonda stood there in shock for quite a while before collapsing into tears on the ground. Although she didn’t have much affection for the elder Mrs. Sterling, at that moment, she genuinely mourned her death.