Chapter 174: Chapter 174: My Wife Is Gone, What Will You Use to Compensate Me?

The gist of it was that Shawn Yates’s maternal family was willing to merge all their businesses into the Yates Group, on the condition that the assets would not fall into the hands of the second wife’s child. This meant Wyatt Yates had to be out of the picture.

Ultimately, Wyatt Yates’s father couldn’t withstand the pressure from the entire family and made the decision.

Tristan Lawson’s expression was grim, his thin lips pressed into a tight line.

He knew what this news meant the moment he saw it.

He had investigated before. The chairman of the Yates Group doted on Wyatt Yates and had always intended to pass the company down to him.

Yet Wyatt Yates had given it all up.

And Tristan Lawson knew exactly why.

It seemed Wyatt Yates had definitely gone to Aridia as well.

Tristan Lawson glanced down at his leg, growing more and more irritated.

’Why is every single one of them after my wife, completely ignoring my existence!’

Tristan Lawson dialed Hugo Sterling’s phone.

"Did you see the news?"

’Of course I saw it!’

However, Hugo Sterling just chuckled. "There’s a lot of news out there. Which story are you referring to?"

"You’re playing dumb and putting on an act. Could you be any more two-faced?"

Only then did Hugo Sterling raise an eyebrow, his tone full of meaning. "Oh, now I know. You mean the news about the Yates Group. Yes, I saw it. The two young masters of the Yates family fought over the inheritance, and the Second Young Master Yates lost. How tragic."

Tristan Lawson scoffed. "I doubt he thinks it’s tragic at all." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Why are you kicking a man while he’s down? Second Young Master Yates failed to secure the inheritance. Isn’t that tragic enough for you?"

"Hugo Sterling, you’re such a hypocrite!"

’Others might not know the real reason, but how could Hugo Sterling not? He’s clearly doing this just to piss me off.’

"Right, I’m the hypocrite, and you’re not. When you need something from me, it’s ’Brother Hugo.’ When you don’t, you use my full name."

’Tristan Lawson hadn’t called him Brother Hugo in years. But on the day of the car crash, he...’

’In short, Hugo Sterling knew exactly how to twist the knife, always bringing up the most painful subjects.’

"Don’t you forget, you stabbed me. How are we going to settle that score?"

"Don’t worry, I’m already bringing supplements to see you."

With that, Hugo Sterling pushed open the door to the hospital room and hung up.

He was carrying a fruit basket and some health supplements, with a bouquet of flowers tucked under his arm.

Tristan Lawson put down his phone.

Hugo Sterling came in, placed the fruit basket on the nightstand, and arranged the flowers. The room filled with their light, sweet fragrance, making for a pleasant atmosphere.

He sat down and said, "I knew you were dying to come after me, but with your leg, it’s not exactly convenient. I felt sorry for you, so I decided to come to you instead."

Tristan Lawson glared at him. "You stab me, and all I get are some fruit and flowers? Am I that cheap?"

Hugo Sterling rubbed the tip of his nose, then met Tristan Lawson’s gaze. "What else do you want me to do to make it up to you? I already stabbed you. If you really can’t let it go, you can stab me back. Then we’ll be even. How about that?"

Hugo Sterling knew he was in the wrong for stabbing Tristan.

If he were a relative of Noelle Sutton’s, the stabbing would have been justifiable.

But as it was, he had no connection to Noelle Sutton whatsoever.

"A stab wound is easy to pay back. I’m not in a hurry; I’ll settle that score with you slowly over time. But Wyatt Yates wants to chase my wife. He’s so afraid I’ll use the Yates Family to hold him back that he gave up his inheritance. And you’re the one who sent her abroad. If I lose my wife, how are you going to compensate me for that?"

"Oh, so you remember she’s your wife? Were any of the things you did things a husband should do? How dare you say something like that? Noelle is an amazing woman. People are going to pursue her, people are going to love her. If you’re not happy about it, where were you all this time?"

Hugo Sterling didn’t pull any punches.

"That’s because Wyatt Yates has no shame. He knows she’s a married woman, but he’s still trying to butt in as a third party. And of course, there’s you. You’re no better. Are you aiming to be number three or number four? If any of you had a shred of decency, you wouldn’t even be thinking about her. Is it because there are no single women left in the world?"

"From what I see, Wyatt Yates’s feelings for Noelle are sincere, but he has always treated her with respect. It’s too early for you to be talking about ’third’ or ’fourth’ parties. Once you’re out of the picture, they can all pursue her openly and honorably. And if you decide you want to chase her then, I’m afraid you won’t even rank high enough to be number three or four."

Surprisingly, Tristan Lawson didn’t get angry. "I don’t want to argue with you. It’s pointless. The bottom line is, you caused this mess, and you’re the one who sent her away. Her well-being, her marital security... it’s all on you now. If she comes back and anything is different, it will be entirely your responsibility. You’d better get your ass to Aridia right now and keep a close eye on her for me."

"I was already planning on it. You can reimburse me for the plane ticket."

"Get lost!"

"You’re the one telling me to go. I’m leaving now. You focus on recovering." Hugo Sterling finished, then added as a final reminder, "Try to get discharged soon, otherwise you might not make it to the court hearing."

Tristan Lawson was seething.

’Having Hugo Sterling go to Aridia was, at any rate, safer than having Wyatt Yates there.’

’Even if Hugo had some ideas about Noelle, he wouldn’t actually do anything. After all, they still had years of friendship between them. Hugo wouldn’t go so far as to actually try and steal his woman.’

’But Wyatt Yates was a different story.’

’Making such a grand gesture...’

Tristan Lawson grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and took a long, hard drink.

He suddenly recalled Hugo Sterling’s parting words: "Try to get discharged soon, otherwise you might not make it to the court hearing."

He still hadn’t seen a court summons. Tristan Lawson picked up his phone and called Secretary Shaw.

"CEO Lawson."

"Check the summons for the court date."

"One moment, CEO Lawson."

A moment later, Secretary Shaw reported back to Tristan Lawson that the court hearing was in thirteen days.

Thirteen days...

’That’s enough time to get discharged.’

’What Hugo meant was...’

A smile suddenly touched the corners of Tristan Lawson’s lips.

Noelle Sutton rested for a day. Early the next morning, Wyatt Yates came to take her to the hospital for the minimally invasive surgery.

Noelle Sutton had never had major surgery before, so she was naturally a little scared.

Wyatt Yates reassured her, telling her not to worry. He explained that modern minimally invasive techniques were very advanced—they would administer anesthesia, she would go to sleep, and it would be over before she knew it. He was there, so she could relax.

"Are you the one doing my surgery?"

Wyatt Yates nodded.

He had personally developed the entire procedure, so he knew it better than anyone.

’The one thing he wanted most was to cure The Little Mute with his own hands.’

Since she had known him for years, Noelle Sutton trusted Wyatt Yates a great deal.

Once everything was ready, Noelle Sutton was taken into the operating room.

Dressed in his scrubs and fully covered, Wyatt Yates seemed to transform upon entering the operating room. He took on a different air.

’He was meticulous, focused, and possessed a mature, steady presence.’

’Noelle hoped he would always be like this. This was the version of him she wanted to see.’

’Always improving, always excelling.’

After the anesthesiologist administered the medication, Noelle Sutton drifted into a deep sleep.

When Hugo Sterling arrived in Aridia, the first thing he did was go to Noelle Sutton’s apartment, but no one was home.

His calls to Noelle Sutton’s phone went unanswered. He managed to get Wyatt Yates’s number, but when he called that, no one picked up either.

A sense of panic began to set in.

’Wyatt Yates hasn’t just taken her somewhere, has he?’

Just as he was starting to worry, Wyatt Yates returned his call.