Chapter 202: Jumping Off a Building
Henry Sterling’s ringing phone didn’t bother Vivian Lowell.
Vivian opened WhatsApp. She hadn’t even reached out to Julian Faulkner yet, but he had already sent her two messages.
"Have you finished eating? Did you pick up the cat?
"I’m still in a meeting. Just reply when you see this."
Two rather businesslike texts.
Vivian smiled and typed her reply: "Just finished! Eleanor and I are heading back to pick up the cat now. Barring any surprises, I should be home in half an hour.
"Have you eaten yet? If not, remember to grab something as soon as your meeting is over. Don’t starve yourself~"
She attached a cute sticker.
Julian didn’t reply immediately; he was probably still busy.
After messaging Julian, Vivian got ready to pack up, thank the Sterlings, and leave with Eleanor Rhodes.
She had just picked up her purse when Henry’s phone rang again.
Hmm?
Looking up, Vivian realized that Henry hadn’t answered his phone earlier—he had sent it straight to voicemail. Whoever it was must have had something urgent to discuss, because they were calling back.
The persistent ringing visibly annoyed Mrs. Sterling. She glanced over and asked, "Henry, who is that?"
Henry fell silent. He rejected the call again, ignoring his mother’s question, and instead looked up at Eleanor.
Eleanor was wiping her mouth. Perhaps catching his fleeting gaze from the corner of her eye, she noticed him looking at her. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she lowered her head.
Vivian didn’t want any more unexpected drama. Gathering her things, she said to Mrs. Sterling, "Thank you so much for your hospitality tonight.
"It’s getting late, and Eleanor and I should head home. You two should get some rest early, too."
Ever polite, Vivian reached for the bill, ready to go pay.
"Oh, Vivian, you’re too polite! I adore you two girls and I had a wonderful time having dinner with you. I’m treating!"
Mrs. Sterling lunged for the check, but Vivian quickly hid it behind her back. Seeing this, Mrs. Sterling chased after her. The two of them kept up this little tug-of-war all the way to the cashier. Ultimately, Vivian couldn’t win against Mrs. Sterling’s enthusiasm and let her pay.
After the bill was settled, Vivian walked back with Mrs. Sterling.
She noticed Eleanor standing by their table, staring toward the entrance of the courtyard.
Huh?
Finding it odd, Vivian was just about to call out to her when she heard Mrs. Sterling ask, "Honey, did Henry go to the restroom?"
"No." Mr. Sterling shook his head, looking troubled. "You know how his phone was ringing? Well, a message came through after that. I don’t know what it said, but he looked at it and hurried off."
Anxious, Mrs. Sterling glared at her husband and scolded, "Why didn’t you ask him what was going on? It’s so late—where could he be going?"
Mrs. Sterling didn’t believe for a second that it was a work emergency at the university research institute. If it truly had been work, Henry wouldn’t have hung up earlier. He was a workaholic who always took business calls, even during meals.
There was only one possibility.
As the thought surfaced in her mind, Mrs. Sterling quickly glanced at Eleanor. Perhaps noticing Eleanor’s pale complexion, she hastily added, "Eleanor, I’m sure it’s not her!"
"Her," of course, referred to Wendy Wynn.
Wendy’s hypocritical mask had already been ripped off by Mrs. Sterling! She refused to believe that Henry—knowing full well that Wendy had been using and deceiving him—would still willingly walk right into her trap!
If he was really that stupid, she didn’t even want him as a son anymore!
But Vivian felt the truth would likely disappoint Mrs. Sterling. She could see the solemn expression on Eleanor’s face. Eleanor had obviously guessed that Wendy was the one calling; otherwise, Henry wouldn’t have bolted so suddenly.
"Vivian." After taking one last lingering look at the entrance, Eleanor turned to her without any further hesitation. "Let’s go. We’re heading back. Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling."
Eleanor’s tone was eerily calm. Hearing her sound like that made Vivian’s heart skip a beat. Knowing Eleanor was probably in a terrible mood, she agreed, "Alright, let’s go."
Eleanor nodded, and the two of them left together.
Over at Eleanor’s Pet Hospital.
When Vivian returned there, the clinic assistant had already settled the kitten into a carrier. Eleanor had prepared everything meticulously. She had even packed starter kibble, cat litter, and a small toy the kitten liked for Vivian to take home.
"Here, this is everything. I’ve prepared a hefty care package for the little kitty. You have to treat my baby well~"
After saying that, Eleanor pulled out a contract. It was standard protocol at the hospital; anyone adopting a cat had to sign this agreement—even Vivian herself. The document didn’t hold any real legal weight; it was just a formality. Whether the adopters would actually treat the cats well ultimately depended on their own conscience.
Vivian quickly signed the agreement. Since it was so late, the two of them had to part ways and head home.
"I’m off, Eleanor. Get home early, too~"
Bidding her friend goodbye, Vivian took the kitten and began the drive back. Feeling bored on the road, she turned on the city radio.
The city radio was similar to a rolling news broadcast. At various times throughout the day, it aired updates on local city events, traffic, and weather forecasts. Vivian listened occasionally, treating it as a way to stay connected to the city she lived in.
The male host’s voice coming through the speakers was incredibly gentle and magnetic—so resonant it was practically electric. It sent a pleasant tingle down Vivian’s spine. She liked voices like that, so she listened more closely.
The host first gave a traffic update, noting which roads in Aethelburg were currently heavily congested. Then, he cut to breaking news.
He reported that a heartbroken woman was threatening to jump off a certain building. Firefighters had already rushed to the scene, and he was about to connect with a frontline reporter to find out what was going on.
This piece of news caught Vivian’s attention.
Vivian thought, "It’s past nine o’clock at night. Are you kidding me? Selfish people will really hog public resources even when they’re committing suicide."
As she mused over this, the on-scene reporter began explaining the situation.
"I am currently on the roof of the building, where we can see a young woman sitting on the ledge, communicating with our firefighters.
"According to what we’ve just learned, the woman is threatening suicide because she discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her. She claims her boyfriend is a professor at Aethelburg University!
"This professor is apparently very young. It is said that he graduated with a Ph.D. from an Ivy League university abroad in his early twenties and returned to Aethelburg University to conduct research and teach.
"She is highly agitated. One of her legs is dangling off the side of the building—just a little further and she will fall. Firefighters have already deployed a rescue cushion at the base of the building and are still attempting a rescue."
After the on-scene reporter finished the update, the feed cut back to the studio host.
Listening to the report, the host couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "If what that lady on the ledge is saying is completely true, then this Aethelburg University professor’s character is truly deplorable.
"In my opinion, if you lose that spark in a relationship and fall out of love, you should just be honest so the two of you can part amicably. There’s no need to resort to cheating. When the other person finds out while they’re still in love with you, how could they not be devastated?"
The host’s words were incredibly persuasive. As he spoke, Vivian could easily imagine how any woman listening to the broadcast right now would deeply empathize.
It was true. To be pushed to the brink of jumping off a building over a cheating boyfriend—she must have loved him very much. But what about him? He had clearly fallen out of love but never made it clear. Without even a buffer period, she just suddenly discovered he was cheating. How could she not be heartbroken?
Except...
Vivian’s scalp tingled.
She realized things might not be so simple. After all, it was highly unlikely that there was a second Henry Sterling in the world who had graduated with a Ph.D. from an Ivy League university in his early twenties and returned to teach at Aethelburg University.
And this so-called suicidal woman with a "cheating boyfriend" sounded exactly like Wendy Wynn. Wendy was absolutely the type to pull a stunt like this.
Vivian recalled what had just happened back at the courtyard restaurant while they were eating hot pot.
Henry’s phone had been ringing. It must have been Wendy calling. Having finally seen Wendy’s true colors, Henry had likely decided to cut ties with her. That was why he had rejected her calls. But Wendy must have found another way to tell him she was going to jump off a building, which was what prompted Henry to leave so abruptly to find her.
Eleanor’s guess was right. The only person who could make Henry leave without a word was Wendy.
Vivian couldn’t help but feel infuriated. This woman was way too dramatic. Mrs. Sterling had already made it abundantly clear that she disliked her, and even Henry himself wasn’t exactly treating her like she was the only woman in the world. Yet she insisted on clinging to him like a lingering ghost. It was downright detestable.
Vivian thought it over. With something this huge happening, she ought to give Eleanor a heads-up. It would be much harder for Eleanor to accept if she only found out when things escalated for the worse!
With that in mind, Vivian dialed her friend’s number.
Eleanor picked up quickly, sounding a bit confused. "Vivian, what’s wrong? Are you home already?"
"Not yet." Vivian sighed and relayed the news she had just heard on the city radio, along with her own theories. "We don’t know the full situation yet," she added.
"But I’m willing to give Professor Sterling the benefit of the doubt this time. Since he’s finally thought things through, there’s no way he went to see her because he still loves her.
"He just doesn’t want someone dying because of him. If I look at it from another angle, if Mason Grant were threatening suicide in front of me, I’d still go check on him."
Otherwise, if the person really did die, the guilt would be unbearable. Who asked them to be "good people" deep down? No matter how strong they were, they were still susceptible to moral blackmail.
On the other end of the line, Eleanor remained silent for a long moment. Vivian heard the blare of a car horn in the background.
Perhaps Eleanor had been so distracted thinking about all this that she hadn’t noticed the light turn green, and the impatient driver behind her had honked.
Then, Eleanor’s voice drifted through the receiver. She paused before saying, "Vivian. In a terrible stroke of bad luck, the building she’s threatening to jump off is right near my house.
"I’ll definitely pass by it on my way home. Do you think I should take a detour? After all, this doesn’t really have anything to do with me, I..."
Eleanor trailed off mid-sentence. Vivian heard a rhythmic BEEP-BEEP—it sounded like call waiting. Eleanor didn’t switch over immediately, and the beeping persisted until she finally blurted out, "Vivian, Henry is calling me!
"Did something happen with Wendy? But why would he be calling *me*?"
Eleanor sounded deeply distressed.
Vivian frowned instinctively. To be honest, if she hadn’t just heard that radio broadcast and suspected it was about Wendy and Henry, she would have advised Eleanor to hang up on him right then and there.
But...
Vivian thought it over and said, "I don’t know either. Eleanor, think about what you want to do. But I still believe this has nothing to do with you.
"If they insist on dragging you into this, things might not end well."
Through the phone, Eleanor gave a soft "Mm." After a long silence, she finally said, "Vivian. I understand. I won’t answer his call then."
"Vivian, AH—"
Eleanor suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream.
Vivian was scared half to death, her heart nearly stopping. Terrified that Eleanor had gotten into a car accident because she was distracted, she hurriedly cried out, "Eleanor! Eleanor?"
A good while passed before Eleanor’s voice came through again.
She sounded as if she had just experienced a massive shock, her words stuttering and disjointed. "Vivian. I just drove past the area. I didn’t take a detour...
"I had just hung up on Henry, and then I saw someone jump from the building over there! I don’t know if it was Wendy! But it was so close, and the firefighters are already rushing over.
"Vivian, do you think... did Wendy actually jump? Is she insane? Even without Henry, she could figure out another way to pay back her debts. Did she really have to jump off a building?
"Vivian, she’s right in front of me. Should I... should I go look?"
Eleanor was utterly panicking.
Vivian pulled her car over to the side of the road, a throbbing headache setting in.