Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling is Multifaceted!-Chapter 268: Don’t Let Him Return to the Country

Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Don’t Let Him Return to the Country

The Presidential Palace was magnificent and imposing, situated at the very center of Z City. Along the riverside outside the building stood century-old trees, symbolizing the nobility of its owner.

"Bang!"

The office door was forcefully pushed open from the outside.

Miles Harrington, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was sitting at his desk. He looked up to see Nathan Ayers, drenched in sweat, burst in.

The butler and security guards followed closely behind, looking somewhat apprehensive. "Sorry, Mr. President, we couldn’t stop him."

"You may leave now."

Miles Harrington waved them off.

The door was closed again. Nathan Ayers walked up to Miles Harrington and gazed down at him, speaking directly, "The person backing Miss Redgrave is Young Master Sterling. I hope you can release Miss Redgrave immediately. If you find this hard to explain, you could follow the regular procedure, but under no circumstances should Miss Redgrave be detained at The Directorate."

The Directorate was a place that devoured people without leaving a trace.

From what he knew, once someone entered The Directorate, it was nearly impossible to come out unscathed.

If Young Master Sterling found out that Miss Redgrave was detained at The Directorate right under his nose, even a suicide in front of Young Master Sterling would not suffice as atonement.

"Does Ethan Sterling know about this?"

Miles Harrington adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his expression no longer as composed as before, a furrow appearing between his brows.

Nathan Ayers glanced at the clock on the side. "There’s an important meeting on Young Master Sterling’s side, and all signals are blocked. It should end in about fifteen minutes."

As long as Young Master Sterling hadn’t left that meeting room, he couldn’t receive any messages.

The fact that Young Master Sterling hadn’t called back yet indicated he was still unaware.

"Alright."

Miles Harrington straightened up, elegantly twirling an upscale fountain pen between his fingers, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions. "Nathan, I need to clarify one thing—what do you think Ethan Sterling’s attitude is towards Seraphina Redgrave?"

Ever since receiving that anonymous report letter, he had been pondering this question.

A fugitive from Veridian Isle had infiltrated The Law Council, and now had intricate ties with Ethan Sterling. If this wasn’t handled properly, Y Nation could end up in enormous trouble.

Upon hearing this, Nathan Ayers took a moment before responding carefully, "Mr. President, please forgive the offence in my forthcoming words."

"..."

Miles Harrington waited for him to continue.

"If Miss Seraphina Redgrave does not make it out of The Directorate, your position as President might not be secure."

Each word was powerful and resonant.

"..."

Miles Harrington’s face froze upon hearing this, then he gave a bitter smile. "Has it escalated to this extent already?"

He suddenly recalled playing golf with Ethan Sterling back then. He had praised Seraphina Redgrave more than once and mentioned wanting to make her fall for him, and at that, Ethan’s face had increasingly soured.

So it was out of jealousy.

The door opened again, and the butler entered with coffee.

Miles Harrington took a sip of the rich coffee, pondered for a moment, then spoke, "Butler, go and negotiate with Y Nation to temporarily cut off all of Ethan Sterling’s routes back to the country."

This statement caused Nathan Ayers’ expression to change drastically. He thought he had heard wrong, staring at Miles Harrington in disbelief. "Is the President planning to abandon Young Master Sterling abroad? Are you sure? I hope you haven’t forgotten the enormous support Young Master Sterling provided that enabled you to successfully ascend to the presidency!"

"No need for you to remind me."

Miles Harrington now felt his head throb with complexity. He stood up, walked around the desk, and confronted Nathan Ayers, "I am well aware of the influence Sterling Group wields. If Ethan Sterling decides to return, all it would take is a little maneuvering on your part, and no one could stop him."

"..."

Yet he dared to do this?

Nathan Ayers felt a mix of bitterness, anger, and panic.

Young Master Sterling was miles away, and Seraphina had been taken into The Directorate. At this moment, only he could take the helm.

"That’s why I want to have a good discussion with you. Ethan Sterling trusts you the most. Ever since he left, most of the power has been in your hands. If you are willing to cooperate with us, he won’t be able to return."

Miles Harrington continued, "As long as we can smoothly resolve the issue with Seraphina Redgrave, we can ceremoniously welcome Ethan Sterling back. Isn’t that a win-win?"

Nathan Ayers laughed aloud at that, his eyes filled with mockery. "You’re suggesting I betray Young Master Sterling?"

Even if he had to die, he would never betray Young Master Sterling.

"Betrayal?"

Miles Harrington felt a twinge of bitterness. "Do you really think what I’m doing now is a betrayal of Ethan Sterling? You are loyal to him, but do you think that I don’t regard him as a brother? Do you need me to remind you again of the struggles he has endured?"

Nathan Ayers was stuck momentarily.

He, Ethan Sterling, and Miles Harrington had known one another since they were young. He was only six years old then, and Miles was slightly older.

He had no background, no status, just an ordinary civilian living about five kilometers from Hibiscus Garden in a small alley. By some stroke of luck, he encountered two young masters despised by their families—Ethan Sterling and Miles Harrington—shunned so much that these two sons of eminent families attended school with someone like him.

Initially, they didn’t know each other until one day, when a group of older students gathered to trouble Miles Harrington. By coincidence, he and Ethan Sterling passed by, only to be taken as accomplices and beaten.

At the time, he had nearly been scared witless, having never seen such a scene at six years old.

It was Ethan Sterling who first stood up to resist, and Miles Harrington soon followed. The three little boys fought their way through a group of tall and strong students.

In fact, this incident wasn’t anything of great significance and would have been forgotten in time.

Afterward, they went their separate ways, still not really knowing each other.

But for some reason, perhaps because young boys often harbor a hero’s dream,

From witnessing Ethan Sterling’s fighting spirit onward, Nathan Ayers would secretly follow Ethan around, until he learned he lived in Hibiscus Garden. He’d sneak over, hoping to talk, but lacking courage.

The main reason was that young Ethan Sterling already exuded an aura of "stay away if you’re not kin."

Later on, he encountered Miles Harrington, who was also sneaking around attempting to meet Ethan Sterling.

Miles Harrington also wanted to befriend Ethan Sterling.

The two boys immediately connected, agreeing to help each other and climbing the wall of Hibiscus Garden. There, they witnessed a little boy in thin autumn clothes lying in the cold yard, hit with a cane by a servant during the month of January.

The boy lay there, without tears, without cries of pain, his eyes utterly vacant.

All that could be heard was the sound of the cane cutting through the air and the servant’s curses.

Next to him was a delicate-looking older sister, desperately trying to protect him.

It was then that Nathan Ayers realized not every young master and miss of prestigious families enjoyed infinite pampering or love; some were covered in bruises and fared worse than ordinary civilians.