CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: SILAS SHEFFIELD STILL HOLDS ONTO HIS FIRST LOVE

Clara Sterling and Sophie Sheffield hadn’t seen each other for three and a half years.

The summer after high school graduation, Sophie Sheffield mustered up the courage to confess to Preston Pierce but was rejected, and then she went abroad for studies.

In all these years, she hadn’t returned home even once.

Clara knew how much Sophie liked Preston.

To Sophie, Crestwood was a city filled with sadness, but fortunately, four years later, she finally had the courage to set foot in the city again.

"Clara!" The moment Sophie saw Clara, her eyes lit up, "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come to pick me up?"

"My mom was transferred to a hospital in Veridian, and I happened to be free today, so I thought I’d surprise you." Clara’s eyes curved into a smile.

Silas Sheffield didn’t tell Sophie that Clara would come to pick her up today, just to surprise her.

"Darling, I missed you so much!" Sophie gave Clara a big hug as soon as she got close, "It’s been more than three years, and Clara, you look even prettier."

Clara smiled, "You must be tired after such a long flight."

"Flying is tiring, but seeing you makes it all worthwhile." Sophie still smiled brightly as before, handing a bag to Clara, "A gift for you."

"Thank you." Clara smiled as she accepted the gift.

Suddenly, Sophie’s expression changed, looking suspiciously at Silas, then quickly turning her gaze to Clara, "Wait, how did you two come together?"

On the way here, Silas had asked if they should tell Sophie about their marriage.

Clara hesitated a bit.

Silas noticed her concern and said they could keep it from Sophie for now.

Clara’s main concern was the Sheffield family.

The Sheffield family was one of the top aristocratic families in Crestwood, and Silas was the CEO of Sheffield Group. His wife should be a heiress with a matching family background, not an ordinary girl like her.

Moreover, her mother was seriously ill now, and they didn’t know how much it would cost. It was a bottomless pit.

While the money might be nothing in Silas’s eyes, for Clara, it was an astronomical number, enough to create a psychological burden.

She was very grateful that Silas was willing to help her, but at the same time, she felt even more inferior, always feeling like a burden.

Clara subconsciously believed the Sheffield family wouldn’t accept her.

And then there was Sophie; Clara hoped they could remain friends rather than shifting to a sister-in-law relationship.

Moreover, the future of her relationship with Silas was uncertain; perhaps one day, Silas might meet someone he loves and want a divorce, and it would be easier.

No one knew they were married, which was good for both sides.

Clara was pondering a reason to brush it off when Silas spoke up, "We didn’t come together, we met at the airport entrance."

Clara quickly added, "Yes, we both came to pick you up, so we met."

This reason was convincing enough, and Sophie didn’t doubt it.

In the night, Crestwood was dazzling with lights, prosperous and captivating.

Along the way, Sophie chatted non-stop with Clara.

After more than three years, the two weren’t estranged at all.

Sophie shared many interesting stories from abroad with Clara.

Clara listened attentively, with a gentle smile on her lips, occasionally chiming in.

When Sophie was tired, she unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and took a sip, then suddenly asked, "By the way, how are things with that Isaac Sutton?"

Silas focused as he heard Clara softly say, "We broke up."

Though she hadn’t talked to Isaac about the breakup yet, in her mind, they had already broken up unilaterally.

Once she boarded the plane the next day, she would immediately block all of Isaac’s contact details.

"When did that happen? Why did you break up? Didn’t you love him a lot?" Sophie bombarded her with questions like a barrage of a hundred whys.

Hearing "loved him a lot," Silas’s fingers curled slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his ink-like eyes.

Clara hadn’t yet told Sophie about Isaac pretending to be poor to deceive her.

Both Silas and the driver were in the car right now.

Clara didn’t want to bring up her issues with Isaac, so she said, "It’s a long story, and hard to explain for now. I’ll tell you slowly some other day."

"Okay." Sophie then asked, "How’s Aunt doing? I heard from my brother that she’s been transferred to Veridian Valeridge Hospital."

"Yes." Clara said, "She’s currently undergoing preoperative chemotherapy. The doctor said that once the tumor shrinks from the chemo, they can proceed with surgery."

Sophie squeezed Clara’s hand, comforting her, "Aunt will definitely get better."

Talking about her mother’s illness, Clara felt weighed down and nodded without speaking further.

As the atmosphere became a bit stifling, Sophie changed the topic, "Brother, are you dating anyone?"

Clara pursed her lips, her heart in her throat.

Silas paused for a moment, "No."

"Oh, I knew it. How come you’re still single after all these years?" Sophie teased him mischievously, "Didn’t Dad have you when he was your age?"

In the dim light, Clara couldn’t help but curl her lips.

Sophie was still as straightforward and fun-loving as before.

Silas remained silent, having grown accustomed to his sister’s unseriousness.

"What a waste of that handsome face." Sophie remembered something and suddenly asked, "Are you still hung up on your first love?"

Clara paused for a moment, instinctively holding her breath as she awaited Silas’s answer.

Silas hadn’t been in a relationship all these years, and she was curious about why.

After a few seconds of silence, Clara heard him softly "hmm" in response.

Clara pursed her lips slightly, feeling a bit bitter, yet somewhat envious.

Bitter because it reminded her of her own unspoken crush, envious because there was a girl who could make someone as coldly indifferent as Silas so faithful for so long.

After eating with Sophie, Clara hurried back to school before curfew.

As usual, she switched cars midway, taking Zachary’s car to the school entrance.

It must be said that this method was really considerate. As Zachary jokingly remarked, "Getting off my car, people would think you hailed a ride-share."

Back in her dormitory, Clara texted Silas to report in.

[Silas, I reached the dormitory.]

[Okay.]

[Thank you for being so considerate.]

[What do you mean?]

[Switching cars.]

[You’re welcome.]

So, he admitted it.

A faint smile appeared involuntarily on Clara’s lips.

Remembering Silas admitting to an unforgotten first love, Clara suddenly grew curious, wondering how Silas would treat the person he loves considering how gentlemanly he had been with her, someone he wasn’t really familiar with.

...

At noon the next day, Clara and her roommates went to a hot pot restaurant near the school.

The girls sat together, chatting and laughing while enjoying hot pot.

After the meal, they headed back to school. Just as they reached the school gate, a man in a suit directly approached Clara and said, "Miss Sterling, my lady wishes to see you."

The girls exchanged glances with each other.

Lynch Lynch asked, "Clara, do you know this person?"

"No." Clara asked the man, "Who are you? And who’s your lady?"

The man glanced at Clara’s classmates and said, "May I have a word with you privately?"

Clara roughly guessed that this man might be related to Isaac Sutton.

She told her classmates, "I’ll go have a word with him."

Lynch Lynch said, "Alright, don’t go too far, just stay by the school gate. We’ll wait here for you."

"Okay."

Clara followed the man to the other side of the school gate.

A Maserati was parked there.

Clara walked over, and the back window rolled down, revealing a woman’s face.