Chapter 14: He Saw
Henry Sterling sat down across from Vivian Lowell.
He was elegant and composed, with a gentle, refined aura about him. He was noble in his own right, but different from Julian Faulkner’s brand of cold, unapproachable aloofness.
"It’s fine."
Vivian Lowell smiled, reminiscing about her days studying under Henry Sterling. "It’s nice just to chat with Professor Sterling," she said. "Who knows, I might learn something or even get inspired."
Henry Sterling chuckled at that and nodded. "You haven’t changed a bit."
Vivian blinked.
’Haven’t changed?’
’After being reborn, how could she ever be as innocent and happy as she was back on campus?’
They exchanged a few more words, and before long, Eleanor Rhodes returned from picking out a sunny day doll. As boisterous as ever, she immediately presented the doll to Henry Sterling.
"Professor Sterling!"
Eleanor looked a little shy, but she summoned her courage, scratched the back of her ear, and said, "I saw the doll on your bag is getting a little old!"
"So I bought you a new one! Um! I don’t mean you should replace your old one, it’s just... I thought you might like these dolls, so I wanted to get it for you!"
Eleanor was so careful with her words.
She was afraid Henry Sterling wouldn’t accept it.
As soon as Eleanor finished speaking, Henry’s gaze shifted to the sunny day doll. His previously gentle expression seemed to dim, as if veiled by a layer of frost.
"Thank you."
Henry forced a polite smile. He looked up at Eleanor and said, "This doll is very cute. I think it’s probably more suited for a girl."
"..."
Eleanor fell silent for a moment.
’The doll hanging on Henry’s bag is also very cute,’ she thought. ’It looks like the kind a girl would like, too.’
She really thought he would accept hers.
’But now...’
’Maybe he doesn’t want to accept it because he doesn’t want to replace the old one,’ Eleanor thought, glancing again at the doll on Henry Sterling’s bag.
In that instant, a flash of pain stung Eleanor’s eyes.
She recognized the logo on that sunny day doll. It was a foreign brand, not sold in the country.
’It was brought back from abroad.’
Eleanor understood at once.
’Professor Sterling’s doll must be connected to his ex-girlfriend!’
’I’m such an idiot. Of all the things I could have picked, why did I have to give him a sunny day doll?’
"It’s okay!" Eleanor gave a foolish-looking smile, appearing as carefree as ever. She took back the sunny day doll and put it in her own bag.
"I really like this doll! It’s great for me to keep it for myself!"
"Mm," Henry agreed softly. A hint of apology flickered in his eyes, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Eleanor’s heartbroken expression. He might have noticed, but he didn’t say anything more.
The meal came to an end.
When Vivian came back from paying the bill, Eleanor was talking to Henry. It seemed they were discussing an academic concept that Eleanor didn’t quite understand, and she was asking him for help.
Henry was very patient, explaining it point by point. Seeing Vivian return, he added, "Vivian Lowell has a deep understanding of this topic. If you still don’t get it, you can ask her."
"Or, you can message me. I’ll find some materials for you later, and you can take your time reading them."
"Okay!" Eleanor nodded like a roly-poly doll. Just moments ago she had been dejected, but now she was full of energy again, as if she’d had a shot of adrenaline.
Watching her, Vivian couldn’t help but shake her head and chuckle.
She was completely at a loss when it came to Eleanor.
She had tried to talk her out of it, but Eleanor was relentlessly persistent. In Eleanor’s eyes, Henry Sterling refusing her gift was proof that he wasn’t a "scumbag"!
’Some scumbags, even with an old flame in their hearts, will still accept favors from others. They don’t love you, but they give you false hope just to enjoy the attention!’
’That’s a classic scumbag!’
Vivian thought Eleanor’s "scumbag detection" skills were fine; she just wasn’t sure if her feelings for Henry were right for her.
’Henry and his ex-girlfriend broke off contact three years ago.’
’Eleanor has been pursuing him for over a year. They...’
"Sigh."
Vivian sighed. In the blink of an eye, she was getting into the car with Eleanor, ready to head back to the Faulkner estate.
"Vivian, even though Professor Sterling is sending me materials, you should teach me too when you have time! I want to improve so the gap between me and Professor Sterling isn’t so huge!"
Eleanor looked dead serious.
She was determined not to be so flaky this time!
Vivian glanced sideways at Eleanor, not believing a word of it.
Vivian hadn’t forgotten that just earlier, in the lecture hall, Eleanor had fallen asleep during class.
"Okay, I’ll send them to you." Vivian didn’t call her out, not wanting to crush her newfound enthusiasm. She pointed at the GPS and said, "We’re almost there. You can just drop me off up ahead."
"Okay!"
Eleanor agreed, stepped on the gas, and headed toward the Faulkner villa.
After Vivian got out of the car and walked to the entrance, the gate to the Faulkner villa automatically recognized the face of its "mistress" and swung open.
As Vivian walked in, the Faulkner family’s big Shiba Inu immediately ran over. With its ears pinned back and its tail wagging, it circled around her.
"Hello there, Shiba."
Vivian stroked the Shiba’s head, and the dog immediately squinted its eyes, looking like it was in pure bliss.
After playing with the Shiba for a bit, Vivian walked through the garden and went straight into the kitchen.
The kitchen light was on. When Vivian entered with her bag of ingredients, she was surprised to find Julian Faulkner busy inside. From the looks of it, he seemed to be cooking noodles?
’Huh?’
Vivian subconsciously glanced at her watch.
’It’s not even nine o’clock. Hasn’t Julian had dinner yet?’
’His hand is injured, how can he possibly be cooking?’
As these thoughts ran through her head, Julian heard the door open behind him and turned around.
The moment he saw Vivian, a flicker of surprise crossed Julian’s eyes, as if he hadn’t expected her back at this hour.
Or perhaps—
For some reason, Julian might have thought Vivian wasn’t coming back, but there she was.
"Where have you been."
Julian asked slowly.
Vivian walked in with her bag, closing the kitchen door behind her. "I had dinner with a friend, then bought some ingredients and came over."
"You haven’t had dinner yet? Do you want me to help?"
Vivian was worried about Julian’s injured hand.
It wasn’t serious, but it was best not to get it wet.
Vivian walked over to Julian’s side, reaching for the spatula in his hand, but just as she got close, he sidestepped to avoid her.
It was as if he didn’t want her help.
"A friend?" Julian turned, putting some distance between them. He looked at her and said coolly, "Seven o’clock, West Aethelburg Restaurant. I just happened to be passing by."