Chapter 035: Fear of Silas Sterling

The fury in Silas Pierce and Sylvia Foster’s hearts was becoming nearly impossible to contain, yet to prevent Seraphina and Leo from seeing it, they forced it down.

Their faces turned a deep, flushed red from the effort.

Silas’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles cracked audibly. Sylvia fared no better; her hand resting on the car window dug a visible scratch into the interior, yet she seemed not to feel the pain in her fingernails.

If they couldn't see by now that the siblings were doing this on purpose, they would be far too stupid. To be so young and yet able to mock others with such a straight face while flaunting their own status—what deep calculating minds!

Before returning to the country, they thought they only needed to focus on dealing with Xenia and Sheldon, while keeping a slight eye on Leo. They hadn't expected Seraphina to be such a formidable opponent as well!

Sylvia forced a stiff smile. "No need. If you had said this last night, your uncle and I might have gone, but today really won't work. Work is already scheduled; changing plans last minute would cause too much trouble. Go ahead without us, have a good time."

She said this through gritted teeth. Her emotional control was excellent, and an ordinary person might not have noticed, but standing there were Seraphina and Leo—how could they not see that Sylvia was already on the verge of an explosion?

The siblings were both in high spirits. Even the usually cold Leo had a subtle smile tugging at his lips. "Hearing that, Auntie Sylvia’s words indeed make sense. In that case, Sister and I will go on our own."

Sheldon truly was going; they hadn't lied about that. However, there was a matter at the Pierce Group he had to handle first. He would depart directly from the company to the school once it was settled. Both Seraphina and Leo were aware of this.

After Leo finished speaking, as Silas and Sylvia said "We’re leaving" with frozen faces, he added as if in passing: "Sis, it’s a good thing we asked. Otherwise, I would have thought Uncle and Auntie Sylvia weren't going because they hadn't received an invitation. After all, Sea City First High is the best school in the city, and a centennial anniversary is a major event. Any student who receives an invitation would generally go unless they had something extremely important they couldn't get away from."

The car had already started. At the moment it pulled away, Seraphina clearly saw their faces darken, looking absolutely livid.

Seraphina pursed her lips and chuckled softly. Leo really was... she hadn't realized he had such a mischievous side.

She added a final blow: "Uncle and Auntie Sylvia truly just can't get away. With their reputations as a 'genius venture capitalist' and a 'genius designer,' how could they not be invited? The centennial anniversary is a huge deal for First High."

The car sped away. The driver had clearly floored the accelerator.

Watching the car exit the Pierce estate gates, the siblings looked at each other and smiled. They didn't say more, but each understood the other's meaning.

Those two were definitely exploding with rage!

Going to the anniversary had already put them in a good mood—regardless of the reason—and seeing those two leave in such a stifled manner made it even better. With smiles on their faces, they stepped into the car that Auntie Du had already prepared.

"I am furious! They did that on purpose! They must know we weren't invited and deliberately mocked us!" Inside the car speeding away from the Pierce mansion, Sylvia’s face was distorted with rage. "Silas, I can't swallow this!"

Silas’s expression was no better. His face was grim and somber. "I won't let them be smug for long!"

Perhaps because it had been a long time since she had seen him look so terrifying, Sylvia felt a flicker of fear. Her angry movements—she had been kicking at the car—subsided somewhat. "Silas, what should we do next? We agreed to wait until my studio is stable and you've secured your footing at the new company before acting, but now... I can't wait that long!"

Silas glanced at her, his gaze sinister and agreeing. "We'll give them a lesson first!"

"My niece has sought to make us miserable time and time again. Based on what I know, she isn't normally such an impulsive person. Perhaps she really has sensed something. The fact that she hasn't spoken out yet is likely because she lacks evidence. To avoid complications, she can no longer be kept!"

Hearing Silas say this, Sylvia wasn't shocked or afraid at all; instead, her eyes lit up. She strongly agreed. Whether it was because Seraphina’s constant antagonism made her intolerable, or the inexplicable dread she felt toward the girl, it all meant Seraphina... could no longer be kept!

"What do you want to do?" Sylvia asked impatiently. She wished Seraphina would disappear this instant.

"Wasn't there talk that the CEO of JH Entertainment, Silas Sterling, was on a blind date with Seraphina? Have they been in contact lately?" Silas asked, as Sylvia had been in charge of this matter.

Regarding Silas Sterling—a man who had started from scratch in high school and occupied half of the industry's territory in just a few years—Silas Pierce was actually quite wary. When he learned that Sheldon intended to recruit Silas Sterling as a son-in-law, Silas Pierce hadn't been idle.

The entertainment industry never lacked beauties, yet Silas Sterling, the head of the industry's leading enterprise, remained untouched by any scandal! He knew this so clearly not because the public knew Silas Sterling’s character, but because he had sent people to seduce him—more than once.

Not only did they all fail, but the people he sent had vanished without a trace. They weren't just blacklisted or ruined; they disappeared entirely!

Silas Pierce was no saint; he had seen blood before. He could guess how those people had vanished. No matter how talented someone is, it's impossible to secure a foothold in the entertainment industry at such a young age without having some ruthless methods. It’s not a simple circle.

Because of this, Silas Pierce was wary of Silas Sterling, even if Sterling was just a kid without a background. If Silas Sterling and Seraphina were to end up together, it would undoubtedly be a massive boost to Sheldon and increase the difficulty of seizing the Pierce family. Silas Pierce did not want to see that happen.

"Probably not." Sylvia frowned slightly. Like Silas Pierce, she didn't want the Pierces to have Silas Sterling as an ally.

"CEO Sterling hasn't been in Sea City lately; he’s on a business trip to the capital and probably won't be back for a month or two. Seraphina rarely goes out. I’ve secretly asked the Pierce family servants; she seemed very bothered by that blind date. After she came back, she sulked in her room and wouldn't come out. It doesn't look at all like they hit it off, as the rumors suggested."

"CEO Sterling is quite young and successful. Such outstanding young men are usually at their most arrogant. Many women like him; being rejected on a blind date probably didn't sit well with him. He likely has a silent grudge against the Pierce family by now."

Silas Pierce looked at her skeptically. He clearly didn't believe her unfounded words.

"If that weren't the case, he would have had occasional contact with Sheldon before. Why is it that after one blind date, they’ve never appeared in the same place again? And don't say he’s too busy on his business trip; there were several days between the end of the date and his departure."

"Could they not have contacted each other privately?" Silas Pierce obviously didn't trust Sylvia’s baseless rhetoric, and his gaze turned somewhat unkind.

"No," Sylvia said firmly. "In all the days since we returned to the Pierce house, have you heard anyone mention Silas Sterling? If they were still in contact privately, it’s impossible they wouldn't have breathed a word of his name."

"I also got news from inside JH. It’s said an executive was curious about the blind date and asked Silas Sterling about it; Sterling’s face darkened on the spot, and that executive was fired immediately. Does that sound like someone who is still on good terms with the Pierce family?"

"That happened?" Silas Pierce looked at her gloomily. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sylvia stammered: "...Wasn't it because you were busy with your new job? I didn't want to bother you. Small matters I can handle, I resolve myself."

That wasn't the truth, of course. She had been so enraged by Seraphina lately and busy preparing her fashion show to establish her name in Sea City that she had completely forgotten about it.

However, Sylvia understood Silas Pierce well enough to know what words would work. Silas Pierce liked women who depended on him but could also resolve minor troubles. He dealt with major affairs; if every little thing bothered him, he wouldn't have enough time.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Silas Pierce looked at Sylvia suspiciously again: "You say the rumors about them hitting it off are false. Doesn't that mean that female star lied to us?"

"I remember her saying that Seraphina had stated in public that she was interested in Silas Sterling, and she was even speaking with the air of the future 'Lady of JH Entertainment.'"