Free Web NovelChapter 64: Chapter 64: Brandon Sterling Is an Illegitimate Son
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The Sterling Manor
The atmosphere at the dinner table was tense and oppressive.
Zachary Sterling, a rare sight, was finally home today.
He sat expressionlessly at the head of the table, flipping through the financial newspaper.
Stella Grayson sat to his lower right, with Megan Grayson and Brandon Sterling next to her in that order.
To his left were the couple, Tristan Sterling and Holly Sinclair.
Brandon Sterling and Tristan Sterling had inherited Zachary Sterling’s good looks.
The father and his two sons were all tall, handsome, and extraordinarily dashing.
Although Zachary Sterling was older now, his charm hadn’t faded in the slightest.
So much so that even now, he was never without a flock of women around him.
It was precisely because of Zachary Sterling’s philandering nature that Master Sterling found him unreliable, which was why he planned to leave the inheritance to Tristan Sterling.
Although Tristan Sterling had not yet formally taken over as CEO, he was the one who called the shots at Sterling Corporation now.
"Dad, have some soup."
Brandon Sterling ladled a bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of Zachary Sterling.
He broke the tense, awkward atmosphere.
"Mm," Zachary Sterling nodded, putting down his newspaper and taking a sip.
Brandon Sterling then ladled a bowl for Stella Grayson. "Mom, have some soup."
But Stella Grayson didn’t drink it.
She even pushed the soup Brandon had placed before her to the side.
A flicker of barely perceptible disdain crossed her eyes.
"Now that you’re back, you should focus on helping Tristan manage the company. You need to know your place—what you should and shouldn’t do."
Stella Grayson took a bite of food, daintily wiping the corner of her mouth as she spoke coldly.
"I understand."
Brandon Sterling’s lips twitched as he nodded gently.
The warning was so obvious that even Holly Sinclair, an outsider, understood it.
She frowned.
Subconsciously, she glanced at Tristan Sterling beside her.
But Tristan showed no reaction, simply continuing to eat his meal.
Just then, Zachary Sterling’s phone rang.
He glanced at it and stood up. "I have something to do. I won’t be back tonight."
And with that, he left.
Watching her husband’s retreating back, Stella Grayson unconsciously tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
So tight that her knuckles turned white.
’Something to do?’
’She didn’t even have to ask. It was definitely one of his little vixens looking for him again.’
"Brandon."
Seething with repressed anger, Stella Grayson couldn’t help but turn back to Brandon Sterling, a flash of hatred in her eyes.
"Mom." Brandon Sterling put down his chopsticks, assuming an attitude of respectful listening.
"I’ll say it again. From now on, stick to your own duties. A person’s greatest virtue is knowing their place. Don’t covet things that don’t belong to you..."
Stella Grayson paused, her sharp gaze coldly fixed on Brandon Sterling’s face. "Do you understand what I mean?"
Brandon Sterling’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, Mom. I understand."
His smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, without a trace of anger or resentment.
He had the air of someone indifferent to fame and fortune, who wouldn’t fight or scramble for anything.
Hearing this, Stella Grayson said no more.
But Megan Grayson, who was sitting at the side, looked down on Brandon Sterling with arrogance and snorted derisively, "I certainly hope you really do understand. Know your own status, and don’t be more of a hindrance than a help like you used to be. Otherwise, not even Uncle can protect you."
Brandon Sterling lowered his head and continued to eat, ignoring Megan Grayson.
Seeing that Brandon Sterling dared to ignore her, Megan Grayson grew flustered and angry.
Just then, a maid was serving a dish near where they were sitting.
Megan Grayson "accidentally" bumped into the maid.
"Ah!"
With a cry from the maid, the scalding hot dish spilled all over Brandon Sterling.
"HISS..."
Brandon Sterling shot to his feet, his brow furrowed tightly as he sucked in a sharp breath from the burn.
"I’m so sorry, Eldest Young Master, I didn’t do it on purpose..." the maid stammered in a panic, on the verge of tears.
"It’s alright, it’s alright." Brandon Sterling gave a gentle smile.
But perhaps because of the pain, his smile looked more like a grimace.
His approachable demeanor stood in stark contrast to Megan Grayson’s arrogance and tyranny.
Stella Grayson and Tristan Sterling acted as if they hadn’t seen a thing.
Holly Sinclair secretly tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
’This Sterling family is truly something else.’
’The great Eldest Young Master being bullied like this by a cousin... anyone who didn’t know better would think Megan Grayson was the one with Sterling blood.’
’And the most infuriating part was that Stella Grayson and Tristan Sterling definitely saw Megan Grayson’s little trick, yet they remained unmoved.’
’This is just bullying of the highest order!’
Tristan Sterling shot a cold glance at Holly Sinclair’s clenched hand.
His eyes were dark and terrifying.
"Please, take your time. I’m going to go take care of this."
But Brandon Sterling remained composed. He didn’t lash out at Megan Grayson, acting as if it were truly just a small accident.
With that, he turned and went back to his room on the second floor.
...
When Holly Sinclair found Brandon Sterling, he was standing by the artificial lake, silently gazing at the dark surface of the water, lost in thought.
"Brandon."
Holly Sinclair walked up and called his name softly.
"Finished eating?" Brandon Sterling immediately composed himself, turning to her with a slight smile.
He had already changed his clothes. The casual style made him look like a friendly boy next door.
"Mhm," Holly Sinclair nodded. freewebnoveℓ.com
Perhaps because they were both thinking of the awkward scene at the dinner table, neither of them spoke for a moment.
After a moment, Brandon Sterling was the first to break the silence. "Did you come looking for me specifically?"
Holly Sinclair brought her hand, which had been behind her back, out in front of him.
In her hand was a tube of burn cream.
"I got it from Joy," she said softly.
"Thank you." Brandon Sterling smiled as he took the cream.
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a large, red, swollen patch on his arm.
Trying to apply it with one hand, he accidentally touched the wound. Brandon Sterling couldn’t help but suck in a breath from the pain. "Hiss..."
"Let me help you."
Holly Sinclair said, unable to bear it any longer and not caring about propriety.
"Thank you." Brandon Sterling handed the cream to her.
"Brandon, you don’t have to be so polite with me." Hearing his repeated thanks, Holly Sinclair felt a strange pang of sorrow.
It was a feeling of kindred spirits in misery.
Because in the Sterling family, he, like her, was an overlooked presence...
One could even say, a detested presence.
Yes, detested.
’Back then, she didn’t understand. How could the great Eldest Young Master of the Sterling family be detested by his own family?’
Until one time, while bringing ginseng tea to her grandfather-in-law, she accidentally overheard a conversation between him and her father-in-law.
Only then did she learn that Brandon was actually her father-in-law’s child with another woman.
Thirty years ago, not long after Zachary Sterling and Stella Grayson had married.
While traveling, they found a child. Feeling it was fate, they decided to adopt him and named him Brandon Sterling.
When Brandon Sterling was two, Stella Grayson became pregnant and gave birth to Tristan Sterling.
For several years, Stella Grayson doted on Brandon Sterling as if he were her own biological son.
Who would have known that when Brandon Sterling was seven, she accidentally discovered that he was actually Zachary Sterling’s son with some vixen he had on the side.
For her, it was a bolt from the blue.
But because of the various business interests tying their families together, she could only swallow her pride and suffer in silence.
She was forced to accept Brandon Sterling, a presence she found utterly humiliating.
After Brandon Sterling’s identity as an illegitimate son was exposed, his status in the Sterling family plummeted.
That was why even Megan Grayson could boss him around. freewebnovёl.ƈom
"I brought this on myself. You don’t need to pity me."
