Chapter 46: She’s Here Again
Henry Sterling told a lie.
He had just stopped by a store to buy some mineral water. As he was checking out, he happened to see this chocolate bar at the counter.
He didn’t know why.
But he suddenly remembered seeing Eleanor Rhodes always eating this brand of chocolate, and he recalled that she would be coming today.
As if guided by some unseen force, Henry Sterling bought it.
It wasn’t until after he paid that he realized what he’d done.
At that moment, he looked at the chocolate, shook his head with a helpless sigh, and thought, ’Well, I’ve already bought it. I’ll just find a chance to give it to her later.’
He never expected it.
She got hurt.
Henry Sterling didn’t have time to overthink it; he just felt that Eleanor Rhodes could probably use something sweet.
But when she asked, he panicked and didn’t tell the truth.
An awkward silence fell between them.
Before long, Henry Sterling had finished disinfecting Eleanor Rhodes’s wound with iodine and had gently wrapped it with a layer of gauze.
"You should probably roll up your pant leg. The gauze is very breathable. Once the wound scabs over completely, you can take it off."
After saying this, Henry Sterling gathered the medical supplies, ready to head back to the lab.
"Okay."
Eleanor Rhodes agreed softly. Seeing Henry Sterling’s distant expression, she sighed inwardly and forced a smile. "Thank you, Professor Sterling."
"You’re welcome."
As Henry Sterling turned to leave, Vivian Lowell happened to return with two cat traps. When she saw the somewhat forced smile on Eleanor Rhodes’s face, her heart sank.
"Did something happen?"
Vivian Lowell walked over to Eleanor Rhodes and asked quietly.
Eleanor Rhodes shook her head, unwrapped the chocolate bar in her hand, and broke off half for Vivian Lowell. "Here, Professor Sterling gave it to me. You have some too."
"Wow, you’re actually willing to share something Professor Sterling gave you with me!"
Vivian Lowell teased, but she took the chocolate anyway.
Behind the lab was a short perimeter wall. It was old and in disrepair, covered in layers of moss and climbing ivy. The area was lush with flowers, plants, and trees.
For stray cats, it was a place to shelter from the elements.
Professor Sterling had also bought some weatherproof wooden boxes online to serve as nests for the cats and would feed them regularly.
He would also contact Eleanor Rhodes to have the cats here trapped and neutered.
But...
The number of strays seemed to be growing. Where there was food, cats would gather. Last winter, during the school break, a pregnant mother cat had made her way here.
Henry Sterling wasn’t at the university during that time.
By the time he returned, half of the kittens the mother cat had given birth to had already died.
Winter was incredibly harsh for stray cats, especially in Aethelburg, where the accumulated snow made everything bone-chillingly cold.
As the number of cats continued to grow, Henry Sterling had no choice but to contact Eleanor Rhodes to trap and neuter them. With spring approaching, he knew there would soon be new litters otherwise.
"Where are the cats?"
After following Eleanor Rhodes over, Vivian Lowell looked around but only saw a few chubby cats she recognized from before.
These had long since been neutered and were quite friendly. Seeing Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes, they all swarmed over, begging for food.
Eleanor Rhodes scanned the area and shook her head, indicating she didn’t know where the new ones were.
The two of them had no other choice but to search around the wall, checking to see if the cats were hidden behind some discarded lab equipment.
Just as they were searching...
From one end of the wall, Wendy Wynn walked over, holding a kitten that was just over a month old. She smiled and asked, "Are you here to catch cats?"
??
Hearing the voice, both Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes looked over.
The moment she saw Wendy Wynn, Vivian Lowell frowned, a flicker of discomfort passing through her.
’What is this woman doing here?’
’Is she looking for Henry Sterling?’
Vivian Lowell immediately became wary. Before she could even say anything, Eleanor Rhodes had already stepped forward, frowning. "This kitten is still quite young. Where’s its mother?"
But Wendy Wynn didn’t answer Eleanor Rhodes. Cradling the kitten, she took half a step back and continued to smile as she asked, "You want to take the cat? Did you ask my permission?"
?
Eleanor Rhodes felt that Wendy Wynn was being deliberately difficult, but seeing how scared the kitten looked in her arms, she spoke patiently out of concern for the animal.
"This kitten looks to be just over a month old; it hasn’t been fully weaned yet. Even if we were to take it, we’d need to take the mother cat along with it."
"Taking it by itself like this is bad for the kitten. Besides, wild stray cats often have fleas. Your clothes look expensive—it would be a shame if they got dirty."
Eleanor Rhodes reached out to take the kitten.
Her plan was to put the whole cat family in a cage, take them back to the pet hospital for deworming, spay the mother, and then put the kitten up for adoption.
"I don’t mind."
Wendy Wynn, however, was acting completely out of character today, nothing like she had been at the banquet hall last night. She was becoming unreasonable and argumentative.
She continued to back away, clutching the kitten protectively. With a smirk, she said, "And what can you do if I don’t give you the cat?"
"Wendy Wynn!"
Eleanor Rhodes was usually very good-tempered, but even she was starting to get angry. "What exactly do you want? The kitten is still young, and you’re—"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Wendy Wynn suddenly feigned a look of shock and threw herself backward. The kitten she was holding went flying.
She herself stumbled and fell backward.
It all happened too fast.
Vivian Lowell only heard Wendy Wynn’s shriek and the kitten’s cry. Eleanor Rhodes, concerned for the kitten, immediately lunged forward to catch it.
Vivian tried to catch Wendy Wynn, but it was too late.
Wendy Wynn fell to the ground. There was a shelf next to her, and her hand seemed to have hit it as she fell.
"MEOW~"
Just then, the kitten landed safely in Eleanor Rhodes’s arms.
However, the frightened kitten struggled in her embrace, its claws scratching at her.
Vivian Lowell didn’t have time to worry about anything else. She quickly opened the cage door, letting Eleanor Rhodes place the kitten inside, before turning to check on Wendy Wynn.
Wendy Wynn was lying on the ground.
She was covered in mud and looked a mess. Her eyes were red, perhaps because she had hit herself and it hurt.
The moment Eleanor Rhodes and Vivian Lowell approached, she flinched back in fear and accused them, "What are you doing? Why did you push me?"
??
Vivian Lowell froze on the spot.
Just then, she saw Henry Sterling come out of the lab and walk toward them, stopping right behind Wendy Wynn.