Chapter 195: Quite Fated

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Quite Fated

A flicker of joy sparked in Henry Sterling’s chest.

He propped himself up, trying to sit, and said, "Eleanor Rhodes, you—"

"Henry."

Surprisingly, before Eleanor could even open her mouth, Mrs. Sterling spoke up first. She looked at Henry, sighed, and said, "I was the one who called Eleanor over. Don’t overthink it."

Henry froze, looking at his mother.

Mrs. Sterling saw his reaction and explained further, "When you got into the car accident, someone called Eleanor, asking her to figure out a way to find a doctor for you.

"Tsk, who knows what that person’s motives were. Eleanor ignored her and contacted me directly. I invited her over because I wanted to thank her.

"Henry, Eleanor didn’t come to see you. The fruit basket she brought is for me."

Henry glanced at the fruit basket at the foot of his bed. The fruits were all fresh, but nestled among them were cherry tomatoes—something he strongly disliked.

It really wasn’t for him.

Henry knew that Eleanor, at the very least, was well aware of his distaste for cherry tomatoes.

"Right."

Henry leaned back against his pillows. His gaze lingered on Eleanor, and he couldn’t help but ask, "How have you been lately?"

"Very well."

Eleanor was incredibly calm. As she looked at Henry, she tried her best not to let any emotional ripples show. "It’s getting late. I’ll be leaving now," she said. "Mr. Sterling, Ms. Sterling, goodbye."

"Take care, sweet girl," Mrs. Sterling said, making a point to stand up and walk Eleanor out.

Vivian Lowell also cast a final glance at Henry. He had already withdrawn his gaze and was no longer staring at Eleanor as if he had been completely spellbound.

That was for the best.

Vivian breathed a sigh of relief.

At the door, Mrs. Sterling closed the hospital room door behind them. She took Eleanor’s hand and, with heartfelt earnestness, suddenly asked, "Eleanor, are you really unwilling to give Henry another chance?"

Eleanor was taken aback, and even Vivian was surprised.

Did Mrs. Sterling actually know about Eleanor’s feelings for Henry?

"Ms. Sterling, I..." Eleanor was momentarily at a loss for words. "But he and Wendy Wynn, they... I..." she stammered.

Seeing Eleanor so flustered, Vivian knew her friend’s emotions must be incredibly complicated right now. She decided to help explain what had happened earlier.

"Ms. Sterling," Vivian said calmly. "When it came down to it, Henry chose Wendy. Eleanor doesn’t blame him; after all, they had been together for a long time.

"Furthermore, it took Eleanor a tremendous amount of effort to move on from this. It hasn’t been easy for her. If Henry continues to be so wishy-washy, I don’t think I’d support him and Eleanor being together, either."

Mrs. Sterling looked at Vivian with a hint of sorrow. After pondering for a long moment, she finally said, "Henry has only ever been in that one relationship his whole life. He lacks experience and gets easily muddled.

"He might not be able to see his own heart clearly right now, but I know for a fact that he doesn’t like Wendy anymore!

"Let’s do this. Eleanor, I’ll work on talking some sense into Henry. Once he completely cuts ties with Wendy, I’ll have him come find you.

"Otherwise, he won’t be getting past me in the first place."

Eleanor felt a bit helpless. Truthfully, she had never expected things to develop in this direction.

It seemed Mrs. Sterling had heard Henry mention her before. When Henry visited home, he would occasionally bring up things happening at school in passing. That was how Mrs. Sterling learned there was a girl at Aethelburg University who loved catching stray cats—a kind, adorable girl who was passionate about charity work.

Even Henry himself hadn’t realized that when this girl nearly dismantled his lab for the sake of a kitten, he had been limitlessly forgiving.

Mrs. Sterling knew exactly how much Henry cared about his lab. Because of this, she had long since realized that Eleanor held a special place in his heart. It was just that Henry remained utterly oblivious.

She had originally thought that since Henry was so clueless about relationships, it would be good to let him discover his love bit by bit and slowly learn to cherish it. But she never expected this...

"Ms. Sterling," Eleanor said softly, watching the older woman worry over her son. "If that day really comes, I’ll think about it."

She would just think about it. Who knew what things would be like by then?

"Alright." Overjoyed, Mrs. Sterling gently patted the back of Eleanor’s hand. With a hint of reluctance in her eyes, she finally let the girl go.

Vivian and Eleanor headed downstairs together, with Julian Faulkner following closely beside them.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Eleanor needed to head back to the pet hospital. She had driven herself today, so she just needed to get her car.

"Are you two heading back to the company now?" Eleanor asked, looking between Vivian and Julian, then at the gradually increasing traffic on the street. "You should hurry back, too. It’s almost the morning rush hour."

"Yeah. Drive safely, Eleanor. Also, if anything else comes up recently, remember to tell me. We’re best friends; I’ll definitely help you shoulder the burden."

"Okay."

The two friends parted ways after chatting. Vivian and Julian got into their car and left.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Vivian rolled down her window and watched the weaving streams of traffic outside.

Could Mrs. Sterling really pull it off?

If she could, then Eleanor would most likely choose to be with Henry, wouldn’t she? After all, she had loved Henry for so many years. It wasn’t something she could let go of simply because she said she would!

While mulling over these frustrating matters, Vivian couldn’t help but let out a sigh, looking somewhat melancholic.

Julian switched the music to a more upbeat song and asked, "What’s wrong? Still thinking about what just happened?"

"Yeah..." Vivian didn’t hide her thoughts. Seeing Julian’s serious and calm demeanor, she remembered how meticulous and earnest he always was. "Do you have any thoughts on this matter?"

"Me?" Julian’s eyes remained tranquil as he spoke mildly. "If it were me, I would advise Eleanor Rhodes not to agree to the Sterling Family’s proposal and never to choose Henry Sterling again.

"Henry is a genius, but only in the realm of scientific research. When it comes to relationships, he’s indecisive. Since he doesn’t like someone, he shouldn’t keep dragging things out.

"And if he does like someone, he should pursue them boldly and confidently. There might be millions of obstacles in this world, but you can’t just give up without even trying."

There weren’t that many impossibilities in this world.

It was just like when Julian had taken over the mess of the Faulkner Family from Felix Faulkner. Everyone thought it was impossible for a teenager to turn the Faulkner Group around.

But Julian did it.

He had even done it exceptionally well.

Being someone who could create miracles himself, he naturally believed in the phrase, "Where there’s a will, there’s a way."

Vivian saw the pure confidence in Julian’s eyes and suddenly smiled.

That was true.

She had almost forgotten that the man sitting beside her was the omnipotent Julian Faulkner.

"Easier said than done," Vivian couldn’t help but mutter. She added softly, "Didn’t we study a poem in literature class back then? How did it go? ’A man in love can easily step away, but a woman in love is hopelessly trapped.’

"Eleanor is a deeply sentimental person. She’s liked Henry for so long, so she might not be able to think as clearly as you do. Still, I’ll be there for her."

Julian glanced over, giving Vivian a rather complex look. Suddenly, he said earnestly, "That poem isn’t entirely correct."

Because Julian spoke so softly, Vivian didn’t quite catch it. She tilted her head and asked, "What? I didn’t hear you."

"It’s nothing." Julian shook his head, seemingly lacking the intention to explain. Vivian didn’t pry further, simply returning her gaze to the window.

Meanwhile, Julian secretly watched Vivian as she looked outside.

He had left something unsaid.

He had wanted to say that it wasn’t only women who could become hopelessly trapped in love. Men could be just as helplessly entangled. Just like...

Having made his own feelings crystal clear to himself, Julian proactively rolled Vivian’s window up a bit and said softly, "Too much wind will give you a headache. Why don’t you sit back?

"It’ll still be a while before we reach the company. You woke up so early today; you should take this chance to rest."

"YAWN~"

Vivian hadn’t felt sleepy at first, but hearing Julian’s words made her realize she really was a bit tired!

It was past eight by the time they reached the company. After Vivian held her morning meeting, Vance Wyatt came downstairs.

From inside her office, Vivian received a WhatsApp message from the receptionist girl: "Boss~ Special Assistant Wyatt is here to drop off your evening gown. He said it’s for the Drake Family’s banquet in a few days, prepared by President Faulkner.

"He even said he’s treating us to milk tea! Boss, what do you want? Cheesy Mango? Succulent Grape? Or the usual Succulent Peach?"

Vance came down to treat them to milk tea?

Vivian thought for a moment before replying, "Succulent Grape! I’ve been drinking Succulent Peach all the time lately. It’s nice to switch up the flavors!"

Well... it was mainly because Julian liked that flavor.

Vivian figured it was a good idea to change her taste occasionally and try what Julian liked. Why not?

About half an hour later.

Vance arrived at Vivian’s office carrying the milk tea and the evening gown. He seemed to be in a fantastic mood, beaming as he walked into the room.

Question marks practically floated above Vivian’s head. She thought Vance was acting very strangely!

As someone who worked closely with Julian, Vance usually mimicked his boss’s grave, serious demeanor. Coming down to deliver an evening gown and treating her entire staff to milk tea was already highly unusual.

And now he was smiling!

"Vance?" Vivian called out to him.

Snapping out of his own little world, Vance straightened his back and placed the evening gown on the side table. "Yes, Madam?"

"Nothing. I just noticed you’re in a really good mood. Did the company land a big project recently?" Vivian honestly couldn’t think of anything besides work that could make Vance this happy.

Vance shook his head, his expression turning a fraction more serious. "No, Madam. Um... do you have any other instructions for me?

"If not, I’ll be taking my leave. Oh, right. At the end of the month, it seems the Drake Family is hosting a yacht party at the coast. President Faulkner received an invitation requesting him to bring his spouse!

"I’ve already looked into it. The coastal facilities there are very well-developed, and the hotel landscaping is beautifully done. Do you have time to attend?"

A yacht party at the coast.

Vivian was reminded of her trip to Tivar a few years ago—those blissful days spent enjoying the sea breeze and feasting on seafood on the shores of Tivar.

It had been her college graduation trip with Eleanor and their two other roommates.

They would go beachcombing before dawn, heading to the beaches of Solara to buy freshly caught seafood right from the fishermen. Then, they’d pay a local stall to cook it all up for a massive seafood feast.

It was an incredibly wonderful memory.

Back then, Eleanor had declared that she absolutely had to visit the sea with the person she loved one day. They would go snorkeling, admire the coral and little fishes underwater, and gorge themselves on a seafood feast.

Vivian hadn’t looked forward to that prospect at the time.

She knew back then that she was highly likely to marry Mason Grant. If it were Mason... well, he might try to manufacture some romance, but she wouldn’t necessarily enjoy it.

But things were different now.

To her own surprise, Vivian genuinely felt a glimmer of anticipation. She wanted to watch the sunset at the beach with Julian, to feel the sea breeze against her skin, and to listen to the waves crashing against the shore.

"Alright." Mentally reviewing her schedule, Vivian said, "I shouldn’t be too busy at the end of the month. Tell Julian that if he’s interested, we can go together.

"I learned how to snorkel a while ago. If he knows how to as well, we can even get in the water."

"Understood, Madam." Vance cheerfully agreed, then suddenly asked, "Will anyone from your company need to tag along? I recall the Drake Family also inviting some renowned domestic brands.

"If the opportunity arises, you might even be able to discuss some collaborations."

Discussing collaborations?

Vivian was stunned, nearly choking in sheer disbelief.

As expected of the workaholic Vance!

He had received an invitation to a leisure trip hosted by the Drake Family, yet the first thing on his mind was seizing the chance to talk business!

Such diligence could only belong to Vance Wyatt.

"That works too," Vivian said after a moment’s thought. "In that case, I’ll have Leo and Finn go with me!"

Finn was the receptionist girl at her company. As a graduate of Aethelburg University who had majored in advertising, she was skilled in graphic design and promotions. Making her work the front desk was honestly a waste of her talents.

Of course, Finn had only been interning at the company thus far.

Vivian felt that Finn was doing a stellar job and could be promoted to shadow Leo!

Whether it was handling promotions or writing ad copy in the future, Vivian believed Finn was fully capable.

Finn’s Veridian surname literally translated to "Fish"—a very ancient family name in Veridia. She was incredibly optimistic and outgoing; when she first joined the company, she told everyone they could just call her Finn, a playful nod to her name.

Come to think of it...

Vance Wyatt’s Veridian given name meant ’surplus,’ which in their native tongue sounded exactly like ’fish.’ As the old saying went, ’May you have surplus year after year,’ which doubled as a pun for ’May you have fish year after year.’ Looking at it that way, Vance and Finn seemed to share quite a serendipitous connection!