Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sterling sighed inside, he picked up a fork and started with the cheese pasta. It was so good that he could finish the whole thing. But because of Li who was hungry, he only ate three to four fork of the pasta.

“What about this?” she pointed at the chicken when Sterling was wiping his mouth with the tissue.

“Can I eat now? I can faint from hunger, Isabella.” Li held his tummy but she ignored him.

Sterling glanced at Li who was standing beside him and Li happily drew out a chair and sat down.

“What do you think you are doing?” she asked him.

“Big bro told me to eat.” Li started with the baked chicken.

“When did he said that? I dint hear any voice that sounds like his here.” she said.

“You still don’t understand the language he used in communicating with us.” Li smiled proudly.

She rolled her eyes. Whatever that language was, she didn’t understand and she didn’t want to understand.

What was even to be proud of in that, maybe because he was Sterling Hawthorn. She scoffed inside.

[A hectic day]

That day was such a tiring one for Sterling. First, the drama from Isabella. And then the visit of Marcus to the company. Not to even talk of the meetings he had.

The only thing that cooled his mind was the meal he ate from Isabella. He wouldn’t lie, that meal was superb.

But he didn’t compliment her, he wasn’t the one that told her to make it for him. But assistant Li didn’t stop complimenting the food from the start to the end.

He was even the one that ate everything on that table. Sterling only ate a little out of it so he wouldn’t over feed as he was on a diet.

He also noticed the new dress she was putting on that night but he didn’t care. That was none of his business.

Focusing on the company now, he dint see assistant Mike in the company that day which was so unlike him.

Assistant Mike has never been absent from the company before ever since he started working there.

Maybe something happened to him that prevented him from going to the company. But he should have at least called him to inform him he would be absent from work or better still, text him a message.

If not that assistant Li was present, then things wouldn’t have been easy in the company that day and he would have noticed he was absent from work since morning.

Sterling wanted to give him a call to know what stopped him from going to the company but it was already late in the night. So, he dropped the phone to call him the next day.

And Marcus visit too, if there was a way he would stop him from going to his company, Sterling would do it.

It isn’t by force to sponsor someone. He knew he was the one that said he will sponsor her but she didn’t win the vote and there was no way he was going to sponsor her.

If only she had won the vote, he would have been the most happiest person. But she didn’t win the vote. That shows no one want her back in the company. They only want Sabrina who has been there and is bringing them good things.

Those fools! Sterling hissed loudly. He closed his eyes to sleep but couldn’t. The only thing coming to his head is Vivienne and Marcus.

The next day, Sterling was awoken from the sleep by Isabella. He frowned at her as soon as he opened his eyes and saw her standing beside him smiling.

He didn’t remember telling her to wake him up in the morning. Beside, it hasn’t even been long that he managed to fall asleep.

“What do you want?” he asked her, sitting upright. Isabella scoffed. Must he tell her to wake him first before she does that?

“Breakfast is ready, darling.” she smiled at him.

But he doesn’t want to eat breakfast, he doesn’t even like that. And why was she suddenly cooking for him? He wondered what she was up to. Sterling didn’t say anything to her.

He got up from the bed and made his way inside the bathroom. She didn’t mind, she k new he would come down and she would force him to eat if assistant Li didn’t force him.

She left the room to the living room to wait for him.

After Sterling was done taking his bath and had dressed up, he left the rook buttoning his sleeve.

Just as he had thought, assistant Li was in the dining area eating. Isabella wasn’t there with him. She might be in the kitchen or in her room.

He signaled to assistant Li and he quickly wiped his mouth and hurried after Sterling who was already out of the apartment.

Sterling was praying in his mind that Isabella shouldn’t come out of wherever she was until he left the house.

And that was what happened. Immediately they left, Isabella came hurrying down the stairs but found the house empty.

“What da!” she stamped her feet on the floor. She looked at the dining area and clenched her feet.

She knew it was assistant Li that ate that not Sterling. How dare him touch the meal she spent so much time in cooking for Sterling.

Sterling didn’t go straight to the company, he was so tired and needed time to sleep before going to the company to start his daily work.

He went to the usual hotel he always go to take a rest. As soon as he stepped inside the hotel, the memories of the mysterious woman he saved back then came flooding in his mind.

Sterling has already forgotten about her. But going to that hotel that day made him remembered.

He went straight to the room already preserved for him but he warned assistant Li not to let anyone know he was in that place. And he shouldn’t allow anyone to go in to the room

Assistant Li stood outside, playing games in his phone.

Sterling wanted to sleep immediately he lay down on the bed but the noise coming from the room next to his wouldn’t allow him.

He tried to ignore that noise but their voices were raising as they spoke and laughed.

Out of nowhere, he heard one of them mentioned his name and the rest started laughing.

Sterling sat upright, that was a familiar voice. Not only hat, but the voices in that room were so familiar.

He stood up from the bed and went to stand near the wall to hear what they were saying and behold, they were talking about the vote.

“Poor Mr. Hawthorn. I feel so sad for him.” one of them said.

“No, I don’t. He was the one that was so desperate to see that the actress won the vote.” another one added.

“Yes, you are right. He think he can get his way in everything just by using his power.” another one chipped in and they laughed.

Sterling didn’t understand what they were saying clearly but he knew they were talking about the vote. He was confused and wondered what they meant by that.

Yes, he used his power to make them vote for Vivienne, they were right. But he gave them what they wanted even though she dint win the vote.

“I tell you, that girl won’t come back to the industry again, I promise you that.”

Unable to take what they were saying about him and Vivienne anymore, Sterling left the room.

They way he came out startled assistant Li who was speaking on the phone.

“Do you need anything, Mr. Hawthorn?” assistant Li asked, disconnecting the call. But Sterling didn’t answer him as he was trying to locate the room which the men were talking in.

And he found the room, the door was just by the left. Sterling stood in front of the room hearing their laughter.

He didn’t waste another time and he pushed the door startling all that were inside the room.

[Busted]

Sterling supported his forehead with his index finger, eyes closed and legs crossed sitting on the chair in the center of the room.

All the business men were on their knees pleading with Sterling to forgive them. They didn’t know he was inside the hotel if not, they wouldn’t have talked about what they did to him.

They confessed to have voted for Sabrina instead of Vivienne because Sabrina has been their girlfriends who was always ready to answer their calls whenever they needed her.

They wouldn’t want to betray the trust and the relationship between them that was why they voted for her instead of Vivienne...

“Mr. Hawthorn, please forgive us.” one of them pleaded. The others were so ashamed of themselves to even raise up their heads to look at Sterling.

Just when they got what they needed from him, they ruined it by themselves. If only they knew he would be in the hotel that same day and that same moment, they wouldn’t have gone there.

“Please Mr. Hawthorn, this is the devil’s work. Please do not punish us.” another one pleaded.

The devils work? Sterling scoffed inside. How was the devil behind that? Was he the one that sent them to vote for Sabrina or what?

He wouldn’t have even mind if they voted for Sabrina. But the fact that he went to see them in there company and offered to partner with them if they vote for Vivienne made him angry.

He couldn’t believe those people played with him even though he stooped so low to their level just to get what he wanted.

But one thing was sure, he wouldn’t partner with them anymore. And they had just earned themselves a place in his black list.

Sterling opened his eyes and glanced at assistant Li who was looking at the men as if he was going to kill them one after another if he was given the chance to do so.

“Get me the contract termination papers in the car.” he ordered.

Assistant Li bowed his head and jogged out of the room delightfully. Even with that judgement, he was happy. He wished assistant Mike was present to witness the betrayal from the business men.

Hearing him mentioned the contract termination papers, they all started pleading again. They didn’t want to lose that opportunity they have been praying for, for so long.

“Mr. Hawthorn, please pardon us. We will go back to the company and request for another vote again. And we promise to vote for Vivienne now.” they pleaded.

But it was too late, he wasn’t a member of that company anymore. Even if he was, he wouldn’t even agree to that.

And luckily, Sterling made assistant Li and Mike prepared the termination papers as soon as they were done with the contract papers.

That was the number one role in his company. Whenever a contract was being prepared, a contract termination was prepared to for situations such as that.

Assistant Li returned with all the papers bundled on his arms. He dropped them on the desk in that room and started calling out the names of the company.

As he called, the owner of the company would come out and take it away from him.

But they didn’t stop pleading with him to give them another chance which was already too late.

“Please sign the papers and hand it over to me.” assistant Li said respectfully.

But none of them want to sign the papers.

When Sterling looked at them and discovered they were still holding the papers, he glanced at assistant Li again and he cleared his throat.

“Sign it, you are wasting Mr. Hawthorn’s time.” he repeated but none of them were willing to do that.

Sterling was so upset with their attitude. How dare they do that in front of him.