Chapter 987

The Sterling Estate

Maeve arrived at the house in the red Ferrari, accompanied by the two bodyguards. She instructed Layne's men to wait outside the gates. When the butler saw the unfamiliar car approach, he walked over to open the gate, but his gaze froze the second it landed on Maeve's face. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

She walked right up to him. "Is my dad home? Tell him I'm back."

"Miss... Maeve?"

The butler finally recognized her. Maeve let out a cold scoff.

"Drop the 'Miss' act. Didn't you all just call me Maeve before?"

The red Ferrari was obnoxiously flashy. Staff working in households like this were always shrewd, and the butler managed an awkward, forced laugh.

"A Miss is a Miss. Please wait in the sunroom, I'll go inform Mr. Sterling."

Maeve stepped into the grand foyer. The decor hadn't changed a bit in the two years she had been gone.

She completely ignored the butler's instruction to wait in the sunroom, marching straight up the stairs toward her old second-floor bedroom.

It had been two years. She wondered if they had kept her room exactly as she left it, preserving all her favorite things.

Even though Layne had showered her with expensive gifts over the last two years, she hadn't accepted them. Her ultimate goal wasn't Layne's wealth; it was Alastair's validation.

Just as she reached the landing, a girl draped in an elegant designer gown gracefully descended from the upper floor.

They crossed paths right in the middle of the staircase. When Maeve finally got a clear look at the girl's face, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Delilah. She had actually moved into her house. Delilah looked just as shocked to see Maeve standing there.

But a second later, a sickly sweet smile spread across Delilah's face. Her acting was even more flawless, gentle, and innocent than Maeve's own facade.

"What the hell are you doing in my house? Have you got no shame, Delilah?"

Delilah looked incredibly hurt.

"How could you say that? You're the one who invited me to stay over back then. When you disappeared Mom and Dad missed you so much they took me mas them foster daughter. If you don't believe me, go ask them yourself."

Delilah played the victim perfectly, as if absolutely none of this was her fault. Just then, Mrs. Sterling hurried out of a room. Seeing Maeve was like a tectonic shock to her system.

Spotting her, Delilah quickly moved to Mrs. Sterling's side. "Mom is right here. If you don't believe me, ask her if it was Dad who told me to stay."

Mrs. Sterling had absolutely zero power in the household. Out in a shopping mall, she could chat freely with Maeve, but inside these walls, she barely dared to breathe too loudly around her own daughter.

Reading her mother's terrified expression, Maeve instantly

understood everything. Mrs. Sterling had no voice here. Delilah was clearly backed by Alastairs authority, giving her the confidence

to act so entitled.

But Maeve hadn't come back to play nice.

"Even if my parents let you stay, what about Quinn? What's this bullshit about you being engaged to him?"

At the mention of Quinn, Delilah's innocent act intensified.

"You can't blame me for that. You've been missing for two years. Did you expect Quinn to just wait around forever? When you vanished, he went out of his mind looking for you.

I was the one who stayed by his side the whole time, giving him a reason to keep living. Maeve, I'm sure you've found someone else out there by now Why cant you just come back and give us your blessing? After all, were only together because you left."