Free Web NovelChapter 39: Chapter 39: Holly Sinclair Digs a Pit for Vivian Linton
Holly Sinclair froze.
In her daze, Tristan Sterling had already opened the door.
And stepped inside.
Holly Sinclair was exhausted today.
First, she’d beaten up Vivian Linton and Zack, then she’d worked nonstop to restore the qipao, so busy she hadn’t even eaten.
She really didn’t have the extra energy to scream hysterically for him to get out.
Tristan Sterling tossed the keys onto the coffee table, plopped down onto the sofa, and made himself at home as if he owned the place.
"What are you doing here?"
Holly Sinclair stepped forward, asking as she stared coldly at the man.
Her voice was hoarse, listless, and utterly devoid of life.
"Come here," he commanded.
She didn’t move.
Tristan Sterling stood up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her down onto the sofa.
He unwrapped the gauze from her hand.
The wound, which had been healing, had split open again in places.
It must have happened when she hit Vivian Linton and Zack today.
"You really don’t want this hand anymore, do you?"
Tristan Sterling took a small bottle of ointment from his pocket and gently applied it around the wound.
It was a special ointment, the kind that was incredibly effective and couldn’t be bought with money.
"I don’t need your fake concern." Holly Sinclair tried to pull her hand back.
But he immediately snatched it back.
"Are you as stubborn as a mule?"
The man’s sharp brows knitted together as he shot her a displeased glare.
She was now as stubborn as she had once been obedient.
Tristan Sterling was truly having a hard time getting used to the current Holly Sinclair.
’Where did that little woman who used to dote on him go?’
’She used to be so gentle and considerate, putting him first in everything, impossibly docile.’
’Now she contradicted him at every turn, always ready with a sharp retort that left him speechless.’
’The audacity!’
The man’s large hand held hers like an iron clamp; she couldn’t break free.
She could only let him apply the medicine.
The ointment was cool and soothing.
The stinging wound soon felt numb to the pain.
Soon, he was finished treating the wound.
"It wasn’t Vivian. Stop going after her."
Tristan Sterling placed the ointment on the coffee table, his words spoken lightly.
Holly Sinclair’s heart clenched.
"Heh."
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. Lifting her gaze, she met the man’s cold stare. "So, Mr. Sterling, are you here to condemn me? Do you want me to get on my knees and apologize to your sweetheart?"
"Watch your tone." Tristan Sterling’s face darkened.
He couldn’t stand it when she spoke in that sarcastic, passive-aggressive way.
Every time Vivian Linton was mentioned, she became like a porcupine, raising all her sharp quills.
"Sorry, not happening." frёeωebɳovel.com
"Holly Sinclair, angering me will do you no good!"
"So what? Am I supposed to just take the hits and not fight back, take the insults and not talk back?" she said, her small face tilted up at him, every word dripping with sarcasm.
Tristan Sterling’s last shred of patience vanished.
His handsome face was grim, his tone harsh. "How long are you going to keep this up? Vivian hasn’t affected your position—"
"Tristan Sterling!"
Holly Sinclair shot to her feet, her face as cold as ice.
She clenched her fists involuntarily.
The man’s brows furrowed. He grabbed her injured hand and pried her fingers open.
He had just applied the medicine; if she clenched her fist again, the wound would reopen.
But she swatted his hand away and sneered, "If you came here just to disgust me... congratulations, you’ve succeeded!"
Disgust...
The already tense atmosphere instantly froze.
The two glared at each other.
After a moment, Holly Sinclair took a deep breath, trying hard to control her emotions, and calmly ordered him to leave. "You should go. I’m tired, and I don’t want to fight with you."
There was no point in talking.
She didn’t want to say anything more to him.
Tristan Sterling suppressed his temper. "Come back to Azure Bay. I’ll arrange for your brother’s treatment—"
"I don’t need it," she refused.
"Holly Sinclair, my patience has its limits!" the man ground out, thoroughly enraged.
’He had lowered himself time and again, giving her a way out.’
’And she was still so ungrateful!’ freёweɓnovel.com
Meeting Tristan Sterling’s harsh gaze, Holly Sinclair gave a miserable, sorrowful laugh and said softly, "Tristan Sterling, do you know what I regret most right now?"
Tristan Sterling’s thin lips pressed into a grim line.
’His intuition told him she wasn’t about to say anything good.’
Holly’s smile took on a faint, ethereal quality. "My biggest regret is that when I was young and naive, I fell in love with—"
"Shut up!!"
He cut her off with a sharp roar, his handsome face terrifyingly dark.
"I was wrong, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again—"
"I told you to shut up!"
Overcome with fury, he seized her chin, the muscles in his jaw twitching with rage.
Holly Sinclair cried out in pain, her eyes quickly turning red.
A tear fell, splashing onto the back of the man’s hand.
As if scalded by her tear, Tristan Sterling jerked his hand back.
They were frozen for a few seconds.
"You’re unbelievable!"
Tristan Sterling spun around and strode away, his face grim.
The door was slammed shut with a BANG, and Holly Sinclair collapsed onto the sofa, drained of all strength.
Leaning her head back against the sofa, she closed her stinging eyes.
Tears slid silently down her face.
...
「One week later.」
Vervain Studio.
"Miss Quincy, please wait just a moment. I’ve already sent someone to get the qipao."
Vivian Linton greeted Penelope Quincy enthusiastically.
Penelope Quincy was Mrs. Quincy’s granddaughter.
Today was the day the antique qipao was to be delivered.
"Miss Linton, you’re truly skilled. To be able to restore my grandmother’s qipao so perfectly—it looks exactly the same as before."
Penelope Quincy had already seen a video of the restored qipao and couldn’t help but praise it effusively.
"You flatter me, Miss Quincy," Vivian Linton replied with a sweet smile.
"This qipao is my grandmother’s most treasured possession. Now that it’s finally fixed, she’ll be overjoyed. Miss Linton, thank you so much."
"There’s no need to thank me, Miss Quincy. It’s my honor to be able to help Mrs. Quincy. Although the restoration process was fraught with difficulties, and I had to pull several all-nighters to find a solution, as long as you and Mrs. Quincy are satisfied, all the hardship was worth it."
Vivian Linton said all this without blushing or catching her breath.
She brazenly took all the credit for herself.
"Miss Linton, not only are you incredibly skilled, but you’re also so humble. You have a limitless future ahead of you." Penelope Quincy was very pleased.
Vivian Linton was so buoyed by the praise she felt like she was floating.
She was inwardly ecstatic.
’It seems my dream of establishing myself in the qipao world is about to come true.’
’Mrs. Quincy is the chairwoman of a charity organization, a woman of great prestige and respect.’
’As long as I get her approval, I’m guaranteed to make a name for myself in the qipao industry.’
’By then, I’ll be worthy of standing by Tristan’s side.’
’And that old geezer from the Sterling family won’t be able to look down on me for having no family background or skills anymore.’
The more Vivian Linton thought about it, the happier she became.
Finally, Holly Sinclair arrived at the VIP room, carrying the restored qipao.
"The qipao is here."
Vivian Linton hurried forward and took the qipao from Holly Sinclair’s hands.
Without a word, Holly Sinclair stepped to the side.
The unfair contract Vivian Linton had her sign clearly stated—
If Mrs. Quincy was satisfied, the restorer was Vivian Linton.
Conversely, if the restoration failed, Holly Sinclair would take the blame.
"Miss Quincy, please take a look."
Vivian Linton placed the qipao in front of Penelope Quincy.
Penelope Quincy nodded, carefully picking up the qipao and unfolding it.
But when the qipao was fully opened, Penelope Quincy cried out—
"What is going on?!"
