Chapter 103\u00a0<\/p>\n
Missy-when they were kids, Julian called her that all the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney had not spent long in the orphanage or at the Sterling estate, barely a year or two of torment, so her spoiled, pampered temper had not yet been worn away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Julian showed her even a little kindness, her old habits would resurface quickly. She had been 7 then-sincere yet spoiled, kind yet willful, her heart and her temper equally unrestrained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One summer night, during a thunderstorm, she had crept into his room barefoot, clutching her doll. Julian, already 13 and deep into puberty, had begun to understand that boys and girls were different. He had frowned and told her to go back to her own\u00a0<\/p>\n
room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But little Sydney, spoiled rotten by his care, had darted under his blanket, pulled the thin quilt over her head, and pouted, her voice righteous and firm. \u201cBut, Jules, your Precious is scared of thunder! If the thunder strikes, I will die!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, Julian had not told her that only scumbags got struck by lightning. Instead, he had rubbed his aching temples and muttered, \u201cMissy, I really don\u2019t know what to do with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had been young, but not dumb. She had heard the indulgence and resignation in his tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, after he cast her aside and she stubbornly decided to marry Caleb, every \u201cMissy\u201d from his lips carried mockery. As if to laugh at her-did she really still think she was the little girl he once cradled in his arms? Did she not know her own worth?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But tonight, maybe it was the alcohol, maybe something else. Somehow, she heard a trace of that old warmth in his voice again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney was pinned against the car door, and his touch burned against her inner wrist. Every nerve in her body strung taut. His scent filled her nose, the faint sandalwood from his cologne. It was the same fragrance she had given him on his 18th birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian had liked it. After that, his shelf held only that one bottle of cologne. Whenever it ran low, she\u2019d quietly replace it with a new one. He could be loyal to a bottle of cologne. Yet, when it came to her, he discarded her without a second thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s rationality snapped back. She tugged her wrist free and said, half-mocking, half-calm, \u201cMr. Sterling, you\u2019re overthinking. I\u2019m not the type to trip over the same stone twice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She opened the door and stepped out. The cold wind slammed into her and blew away the last of her drunken haze. She sniffed, straightened her back, and shifted to her official, businesslike tone. \u201cMr. Sterling, that concludes my progress report. I\u2019ll be heading home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTake care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney thought that after the last fiasco, Penelope would not dare show her face at the clinic again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, two days later, Penelope appeared with bags of imported fruit and snacks as if oblivious to the stares that followed her. What\u2019s more, she was smiling as she handed them out to the staff in Sydney\u2019s department.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On her lunch break, Sydney stepped out to use the restroom, only to be met with a crowd of desperate, pleading gazes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penelope turned with a gracious smile. \u201cDr. Wilson, you wouldn\u2019t be so petty, would you? Surely you won\u2019t forbid everyone from accepting a few snacks?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney had not planned to interfere. But when Penelope tried to seize the upper hand, she cut in flatly, \u201cYou\u2019re here to work today?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m off today,\u201d Penelope smiled, shameless as ever, not the least embarrassed about being the mistress. \u201cI just happened to be passing by, so I thought I\u2019d drop something off for everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, so this is your personal time.\u201d Sydney slipped her hands into the pockets of her white coat, her tone mild, her gaze steady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then next time you\u2019re here in a personal capacity, you\u2019d better call me Mrs. Hampton. Don\u2019t you think so, homewrecker?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room went still. Then a few people choked back laughter, disguising it with coughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney was savage. Who knew she could bite like this? She was quiet most of the time, but when she struck, it was deadly. The\u00a0<\/p>\n
release was almost cathartic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penelope\u2019s face twisted, but she drew in a deep breath and forced herself to keep her poise. \u201cYou really think you\u2019ll always be Mrs. Hampton?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 103 Chapter 103\u00a0 Missy-when they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}