A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

"Grandpa, I just finished my college entrance exams! Come September, I’ll be a college student! No more high school for me!" Seraphina Sterling was in a great mood, too. She deeply respected the old man who always had her best interests at heart.

"So soon? Shouldn’t you be a high school sophomore this year?" Walter Sterling was quite surprised. He remembered that his eldest granddaughter was wonderful in every way—except for her grades! How did she end up taking the college entrance exams?

"I skipped a grade. I had just finished my exams when Mr. Turner came to pick us up. Grandpa, you don’t need to worry about my studies!" ’Her past grades were truly embarrassing. After every exam, Faye Sterling would flaunt her report card. Whenever that happened, she could only stand off to the side in silence, with nothing to say.’

"Seraphina, major in business administration. The future of The Sterling Group will depend on you!" Walter Sterling urged her with earnest gravity.

"Grandpa, don’t say that. The company still has Second Uncle and Faye! Isn’t Second Uncle managing the company well right now?" ’A question had always lingered in Seraphina Sterling’s heart. Why was Grandpa so adamant, going against all opposition, about entrusting The Sterling Group to her, and not to Second Uncle or Faye? They were Sterlings too. It would be perfectly reasonable for them to inherit the family business!’

"The Sterling Family is indeed doing alright for now, but that’s only because I’m still around to hold down the fort. The other powerful families still give this old man some face, so they haven’t used their most vicious tactics in the business world yet! The day I kick the bucket, the Sterling Family will become a juicy piece of meat that everyone wants a bite of. Your Second Uncle isn’t capable enough. He can’t protect The Sterling Group."

The Sterling Family was currently facing a succession gap. The older generation was fading, while the younger one had yet to be groomed. For the once-illustrious Sterling Family to face such an awkward predicament after the death of its eldest son... If outsiders were to find out, they couldn’t help but sigh in lament.

’Second Uncle isn’t capable enough? Seraphina didn’t agree. In her memory, Second Uncle had always been a very ambitious man. How could a man like that lack ability? And taking a step back, even if Second Uncle wasn’t capable, what about Faye Sterling? Faye’s grades were a little better than her own. Why didn’t Grandpa place his hopes in Faye, instead entrusting everything to his granddaughter with the bad grades?’

’None of it made sense! Grandpa was lying. There had to be another reason! But she wasn’t in a hurry. She was back in Aethelgard now and had all the time in the world. She would figure it all out, bit by bit.’

Seraphina Sterling didn’t meet Owen Sterling’s family until the day after she returned to the Sterling estate.

It was a rule in the Sterling Family that everyone ate breakfast together; lunch and dinner were optional. This was why Owen Sterling’s family hadn’t been present at lunch the day she and her mother returned.

"I’ve had the eldest son’s family brought back now. From now on, we are all one family, and you will get along peacefully. If anything like this happens again, I will not be lenient! I’m not dead yet. I still call the shots in the Sterling Family!"

Once Walter Sterling had spoken, even though Owen Sterling’s family couldn’t stand Kimberly Jennings and her daughter, there was nothing they could do. While Owen might be making the decisions at The Sterling Group now, at the end of the day, it was Walter who held the real power.

"Dad, rest assured, I’ll take good care of my sister-in-law. Even when Big Brother was alive, she never liked to appear in high-society circles. That’s a habit you’ll have to change. You are the matriarch of the main branch of the Sterling Family, after all. You need to get out and show your face!"

Jasmine Faulkner’s smile was gentle and appropriate; she put on a better front than anyone. ’She’s just a country bumpkin who will never be presentable! I thought driving her out of the Sterling Family would solve everything, that I would finally be the mistress of this house! I never thought she’d actually have a day to come back!’

Facing Jasmine Faulkner’s challenge, Kimberly Jennings maintained a placid and unruffled expression. "I’ll pass on all that excitement. You’re so good at socializing, so I’ll leave those matters to you. I’ll be fine just staying home and taking care of Dad!"

Good at socializing! For a daughter-in-law of a powerful family, this was not a compliment. Socializing was typically a man’s job. Only restless, indecent women would mix in crowds of men!

"Eldest Sister-in-law has a point. With your background, I can’t imagine what good deeds you must have done in your past life to marry into our Sterling Family! The only thing you’re good for is staying home and taking care of the elderly. Looking like you do, I’d be too embarrassed to take you into the circle of high-society ladies! I’m afraid you’d disgrace our family name! People from small places are just so unpresentable!"

Jasmine Faulkner shot a glance at Kimberly Jennings. She had looked down on Kimberly from the very beginning, back when Orson Sterling was still alive. But with Orson around, no matter how dissatisfied Jasmine was, she would at most mutter a few complaints in private. She was never as brazen as she was now.

Now that Orson Sterling was dead, her husband was the only person in the Sterling Family capable of taking over The Sterling Group. She was destined to become the mistress of the family, so she no longer had to put up with Kimberly Jennings!

"Second Aunt, with such a noble background, surely you know the saying about not speaking while you eat? Or are you planning on making us all eat your spit?"

Seraphina Sterling sipped her milk elegantly, holding a sandwich, without even sparing Jasmine Faulkner a glance. ’To deal with someone so arrogant and condescending, the best and most effective method is to be even more aloof and imperious than them.’

Only then did Jasmine Faulkner notice Seraphina Sterling, who had been eating quietly. This person she had never paid any mind to... had grown up without her noticing! She was old enough to argue back now!

She wanted to establish her authority as the future mistress of the Sterling Family in front of Seraphina, to make the mother and daughter learn their place. But when she remembered what Seraphina had just said, Jasmine swallowed the words that were already on the tip of her tongue.

At that moment, Faye Sterling put down her chopsticks. "Sister, you rarely socialized with people in our circle before, and you attended even fewer parties! Now that you’ve been away for a year, you must be even less familiar with high society. As it happens, we’re having a small get-together tonight. Summer break has started, so everyone’s celebrating. Seraphina, you should come along. You’re a young lady of the Sterling Family, after all. It’s about time you got to know these people!"

"Maple is right. Seraphina, you should get to know the people in your circle. Go out with Maple tonight for the gathering. Don’t work yourself too hard. This is the age for you to have fun and be a little wild. You should get out more, don’t always be cooped up at home!"

Walter Sterling was quite pleased with Faye’s suggestion. "Maple, you have to take good care of your sister tonight. You’re familiar with everyone in the circle. Seraphina has been away from Aethelgard for so long, she’s probably forgotten most of them."

"Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’ll be sure to take good care of Sister!" Faye Sterling’s smile was incredibly sweet, but Seraphina knew all too well what a venomous heart lay hidden behind that sweet facade.