The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 119: I Did Nothing to Wrong You

"Thank you, Professor. I want to try talking to Tristan Sterling again. I’ll contact you after that."

’At least for Melissa’s sake, she didn’t want to make things too ugly.’

Julian Jennings said, "Okay."

Rachel Royce then contacted Lawyer Walsh and temporarily canceled their meeting for the day.

After breakfast, Rachel Royce drove directly to the Silvermist Bay Villa.

She parked her car at the villa’s entrance.

In the past, it had been difficult to know Tristan Sterling’s whereabouts, but now he was usually home on the weekends.

Rachel Royce rang the doorbell.

Frances Wyatt quickly came to open the door.

Upon seeing it was Rachel Royce, Frances Wyatt’s expression soured.

Rachel Royce paid her no mind and strode right in.

"Hey, what do you think you’re doing? This isn’t your house, Miss Evelynn." Frances Wyatt stepped forward to block Rachel Royce.

Rachel Royce stopped and shot her a cold look. "If you don’t want to get hit, move."

Startled by Rachel Royce’s glare, Frances Wyatt froze on the spot.

Rachel Royce continued into the villa.

She entered the living room and heard the sound of a piano coming from one of the rooms.

The maids saw Rachel Royce but didn’t try to stop her, simply watching as she headed for the piano room as if she were the lady of the house.

When Rachel Royce reached the doorway of the piano room, she saw the father and daughter inside, sitting and playing at the piano.

Inside the spacious, bright, and warm room, Melissa wore a blue princess dress. She sat obediently, as pretty and adorable as a doll in a shop window.

The man wore a casual shirt in the same shade of blue as Melissa. His long, well-defined fingers rested on the piano keys, and he was surrounded by a gentle aura, exuding an ineffable elegance and nobility.

He played along, following Melissa’s rhythm.

When Melissa and her father exchanged a smile, her eyes seemed to hold the brilliant light of a thousand stars. As Tristan Sterling watched his daughter, his gaze was filled with pride and adoration.

Just then, Tristan Sterling noticed the figure standing in the doorway, but he only glanced away indifferently.

Rachel Royce stood in the doorway like an outsider, quietly watching the heartwarming scene unfold.

Once the piece was finished, Tristan Sterling planted a kiss on his daughter’s head and said, "You were amazing, Melissa."

A joyful smile spread across Melissa’s face, revealing her two small canine teeth. "Daddy," she said, "when Aunt Evelynn comes, can we play this for her?"

Tristan Sterling turned his head toward the doorway.

Melissa followed his gaze and saw Rachel Royce standing in the doorway. Her face lit up with surprise and delight. "Aunt Evelynn!"

She immediately jumped off the bench, and Tristan Sterling steadied her.

Melissa ran to Rachel Royce, who knelt down just in time for the little girl to throw herself into her arms, wrapping her small hands around her neck. "Aunt Evelynn, you came today! How come you didn’t call me?"

’She and Melissa had originally planned to meet tomorrow.’

Rachel Royce hugged her daughter, stroking the back of her head. "I missed you," she said softly, "so I came to see you, Melissa."

Melissa snuggled in Rachel Royce’s arms. "I missed you too, Aunt Evelynn," she cooed.

Rachel Royce immediately scooped her daughter up into her arms and couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her rosy cheek. Melissa returned it with a loud SMACK on Rachel’s face, giggling happily.

"Aunt Evelynn, let’s go upstairs. I want to show you a picture I drew."

"Okay!"

Rachel Royce glanced up at the man before carrying her daughter upstairs.

Frances Wyatt and Lisa Lawson watched this unfold, unable to believe their eyes.

’Does this woman really think she’s the lady of the house?’

They looked over at Tristan Sterling, but he showed no intention of stopping her. For a moment, they couldn’t understand why the master was allowing a stranger to be so close to the young miss.

’This Evelynn is certainly beautiful, with a great figure and a refined air. Even Miss Ainsworth seems to pale in comparison.’

’But it doesn’t seem like the master is interested in Evelynn.’

’Confused, they wanted to say something to dissuade him.’

’But in the end, they didn’t dare say a word.’

’They’d just have to report the situation to the madam later.’

Rachel Royce and Melissa went into the bedroom.

Melissa showed Rachel Royce the picture of her mother she had drawn previously. "Aunt Evelynn, look! Did I do a good job?"

Rachel Royce saw that Melissa had now drawn in the facial features. The style was childlike, but with the beauty mark beneath the corner of the eye, it was clearly a portrait of her.

Rachel Royce studied the drawing intently. "It’s beautiful. You’re a wonderful artist, Melissa."

"Then it’s a gift for Aunt Evelynn."

Rachel Royce patted Melissa’s head. "Thank you, Melissa."

"You’re welcome! I’m all packed. Can we go to Aunt Evelynn’s house today?"

"Of course. But wait a moment, Melissa. I need to talk to your dad for a little while."

"Okay, I’ll wait for you, Aunt Evelynn."

Melissa left the room with Rachel Royce. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

After asking a maid, they learned that Tristan Sterling was in the study.

Thinking Rachel Royce wouldn’t know where the study was, Melissa led her there, pushed the door open, and called out, "Daddy."

Tristan Sterling was sitting on the sofa, leafing through a book. He looked up at his daughter and asked, "What is it?"

"Aunt Evelynn has something to talk to you about, Daddy."

Tristan Sterling’s gaze fell on Rachel Royce as she entered, and his dark eyes grew cold.

"Melissa, could you go outside for a bit? I need to talk to your daddy alone."

"Okay."

Melissa obediently left the study.

Rachel Royce reached out and closed the door.

The study fell silent.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Rachel Royce took a quiet, deep breath.

She turned to face Tristan Sterling.

The man leaned back against the sofa, his long legs crossed. His gaze remained on the pages of the book as his slender fingers flipped through them, showing no intention of looking at her.

Rachel Royce walked over to him. "You wanted to talk in person," she said, looking down at him. "So let’s talk."

The moment she finished speaking, there was the sharp sound of a book being slammed shut.

Rachel Royce’s heart skipped a beat.

Tristan Sterling looked up, his jet-black eyes deep and dangerous. "I don’t like to repeat myself," he said, his voice frigid. Then he stood and walked over to the bookshelf.

Rachel Royce stared at his back, her fists clenched. She forced herself to remain calm. "Tristan Sterling, I can say with a clear conscience that I’ve done nothing to wrong you. That night five years ago... deep down, you know perfectly well I wasn’t the one who drugged you."

Back when they were negotiating a project, the chairman’s daughter had taken an interest in Tristan Sterling. She had approached Rachel and offered her a huge sum of money to arrange something.

Rachel Royce had refused her outright.

But on the night of the project negotiation, Tristan Sterling was drugged anyway.

Mark Chapman had secretly told Tristan Sterling that the chairman’s daughter had approached Rachel privately.

Tristan Sterling assumed that she had planned to use the situation to her advantage and then pin all the blame on the chairman’s daughter.

Later, that woman faced severe retaliation from Tristan Sterling. It would have been incredibly easy for him to investigate the truth of what happened.

But in the end, he still chose to hate her.

"You looked down on me! You thought I wasn’t worthy of you, so you took all your anger out on me! When I came to the Sterling Family pregnant, you could have easily refused me, Tristan Sterling. But you didn’t, did you? In the end, my sudden appearance was advantageous for you and for the Sterling Family! I don’t owe you or your family a single thing, so what gives you the right to treat me like this?!"

Rachel Royce unleashed it all in a single, breathless tirade, her voice trembling by the end.

Tristan Sterling turned to look back at her. His gaze was frosty, carrying a sinister chill in its stillness. The way he stared at Rachel Royce was like an icicle piercing her heart, causing her to stiffen from head to toe.

"Are you finished?"