CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: UNCLE STERLING

She walked to the entrance, not opening the door immediately, but cautiously peeking through the small, somewhat blurry peephole of the old security door.

The light in the hallway was dim, as if the sensor light had just turned off a moment ago.

The view through the peephole was distorted, but it was enough to recognize a tall male figure standing outside.

Not the sharp and imposing outline of Justin Holden.

The visitor was wearing a dark casual jacket, his stance somewhat laid-back, and he seemed to be holding something in his hand.

Jean Ellison felt slightly relieved. It wasn’t the worst-case scenario she had imagined, but her doubts deepened.

She took a deep breath, opened the wooden door inside, and through the cold metal bars of the security door, looked at the person outside.

The sensor light outside the door lit up in response to the sound of the door opening, casting a yellowish glow that clearly illuminated the visitor’s face.

"Doctor Sterling?"

Jean’s voice carried evident surprise, the tension in her nerves instantly relaxing, replaced by full confusion.

"Why is it you?"

Standing outside was Simon Sterling.

He wore his usual relaxed smile, holding a seemingly heavy grocery bag from the supermarket.

"I heard Jesse is coming home today, so I came to see the child."

Simon raised the bag in his hand, his smile bright as he looked past Jean, asking naturally.

"Not disturbing you, am I? I just got off work and passed by the supermarket downstairs. I thought you might be so busy these past couple of days that you wouldn’t have time to shop, so I picked up a few things."

His gaze went beyond Jean’s shoulder, seeing Jesse peering curiously from beside the dining table, his smile brightening further, even giving the little girl a wink.

"Jesse, Uncle got you lots of toys. Hope you like them."

Seeing a stranger, especially a tall unfamiliar man, Jesse instinctively shrank back into her chair, clutching the edge of the tablecloth with her small hand, her big eyes cautiously appraising him.

She didn’t immediately respond to Simon Sterling’s greeting.

Only then did Jean react, quickly unlocking the security door.

"Come in, it’s cold outside."

She sidestepped to make way, but her mind was no less puzzled.

Although she had known Simon Sterling for a few months, their conversations were always about the sanatorium. Their relationship wasn’t close enough for him to specially bring gifts to her home.

Simon Sterling took no offense, stepping inside with the bag.

He changed his shoes, his quick and natural gaze sweeping through the small, cozy space, pausing on the cartoon stickers on the wall, the small daisies on the table, and the block castle in the corner, his smile deepening, seemingly amused.

His gaze returned to the dining table where Jesse stood, still a bit reserved.

"Jesse, don’t be afraid. I’m Uncle Sterling."

Simon Sterling crouched down, leveling his eyes with Jesse, his tone especially gentle and friendly, like coaxing a child.

"Look, Uncle brought you something delicious."

He opened the grocery bag, revealing fresh vegetables, mushrooms, a large box of children’s milk, and several packs of the bear-shaped biscuits Jesse had eaten that afternoon. There was even a pack of toilet paper and some daily necessities.

Jesse’s gaze was drawn to the familiar biscuit box, her fear seemingly dissipating a bit, but she still didn’t speak, just turned to look at Jean, as if seeking her mother’s permission.

"You’re too kind."

Jean looked at the full bag of supplies, feeling a little embarrassed and confused.

"It’s not necessary at all. I can manage on my own."

"It’s no trouble at all."

Simon Sterling stood up, placing the grocery bag on the entry cabinet, moving naturally.

"Knowing today was the day you brought Jesse back, I figured it must be a whirlwind. I thought you might just make do with dinner, so since I was already buying groceries, I brought some along."

His explanation was logical, his eyes candid.

The bit of doubt in Jean’s heart dissipated mostly in the face of Simon Sterling’s straightforward attitude and the tangible supplies.

"Well... thank you."

Jean offered her sincere thanks, her tense body finally relaxing completely.

"I happen to be making some noodles. If you don’t mind, join us?"

She pointed to the two steaming bowls on the stove.

"Sure!"

Simon Sterling agreed readily, not being overly polite.

"I haven’t eaten dinner yet. A bowl of hot noodles sounds perfect."

As he spoke, he moved naturally toward the kitchen, as if familiar with the place.

"Let me help bring them over. Be careful not to burn yourself."

"No, no, you sit."

Jean quickly stopped him, briskly walking back to the stove, picking up the two bowls of noodles, and bringing them to the dining table.

Simon Sterling didn’t insist, glancing around the small living room, naturally pulling out another chair next to the dining table and sitting down, positioned directly across from Jesse.

Jesse continued to watch him curiously, but the wariness in her eyes had significantly lessened, perhaps because he brought bear biscuits, or maybe because he seemed well-acquainted with her mother.

Jean placed the noodles on the table and went to the kitchen to get a set of clean bowls and chopsticks to hand to Simon Sterling.

"Jesse, this is Uncle Sterling, Mommy’s friend."

Jean sat down, formally introducing her daughter.

"Say hello to Uncle Sterling."

Jesse glanced at her mother’s encouraging expression, then at the gently smiling Simon Sterling across from her, and finally spoke softly, with a bit of a childish voice.

"Hello, Uncle Sterling."

"Hey, Jesse is such a good girl."

Simon Sterling immediately responded with a smile, his tone full of genuine affection.

"Let’s eat the noodles then. They look and smell great! Your mom must be a great cook."

Jean smiled, picking up her chopsticks, mixing the noodles, and adding a golden fried egg to Jesse’s bowl.

"Eat quickly, or it’ll get cold and won’t taste good."

Jesse nodded, picking up her spoon and fork, focusing on tackling the noodles and egg in her bowl.

The warm aroma of food permeated the small space.

Simon Sterling also picked up his chopsticks, tasting the noodles.

"These are really good. Reporter Ellison, your cooking rivals those century-old restaurants."

"Stop teasing me."

Jean said, a little embarrassed, lowering her head to eat her noodles.

The three of them quietly ate their noodles.

Simon Sterling seemed very tactful, not asking much about Jesse, only occasionally complimenting her appetite or chatting about trivial work-related stories, keeping the atmosphere from feeling awkward.

As Jean ate her noodles, she couldn’t help but think about Justin Holden.

She hadn’t seen him since the court case was won.

She couldn’t forget what Professor Zachary Thorne said when he left.

"They really do look alike. Now I finally understand his recent obsession."

Professor Thorne had met her before, five years ago.

Now, her relationship with Justin Holden, after the lawsuit concluded, seemed to have returned to a balance.

He wouldn’t make random visits anymore, wouldn’t look at her with that lingering gaze.

"By the way,"

Simon Sterling seemed to remember something, setting down his chopsticks, his tone casual.

"Where’s Lawyer Holden? Wasn’t he always very invested in your case? On such an important day, why didn’t he show up? The child’s back, shouldn’t he be here to see the results of his efforts?"

Jean paused slightly in her action of picking up noodles.

Simon Sterling’s seemingly casual question accurately struck the most complex and unspeakable part of her heart.

She looked up, meeting Simon Sterling’s probing gaze, which seemed to hide something else, making her feel it was hard to grasp.

She lowered her eyes, stirring the noodles in her bowl, her voice calm and without emotion.

"He... went on a business trip. Attorney Pryce said their firm has an urgent case abroad, and Justin Holden left yesterday evening."