CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 23: CELEBRATING THE NEW YEAR TOGETHER

Crestwood.

Isaac Sutton had lost contact with Clara Sterling for more than a month.

This past month, he had almost turned Crestwood upside down, yet he couldn’t find Clara Sterling no matter what.

He was blacklisted on all platforms, even the messages he sent using friends’ numbers were blocked one by one.

Isaac Sutton used his connections to find Clara Sterling’s family address.

But when he went to the Sterling home, he was informed by Clara’s neighbor that Mrs. Sterling had stomach cancer, and Clara had taken her mother out of town for treatment.

As for where they went specifically, the neighbor didn’t know.

They only said that before going out of town, Mrs. Sterling had been staying at the City Center Hospital.

Isaac Sutton went to the City Center Hospital to investigate, but found nothing.

Learning that Clara Sterling’s mother had stomach cancer, and recalling how Clara had asked him for money, while he pretended to be poor, Isaac Sutton was filled with regret.

He angrily cursed himself, "Isaac Sutton, you are such a beast, look at what you’ve done to her!"

In the past few days, Isaac Sutton drowned his sorrows in alcohol, feeling utterly desolate. Every time he thought of Clara Sterling, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

...

In a few days, it would be New Year’s Eve.

With the New Year approaching, Quinn Hughes’ uncle, Harrison Shaw, the deputy director at City Center Hospital, got into trouble.

Harrison Shaw was anonymously reported for obtaining his deputy director position through bribery. Moreover, during his tenure, he had been involved in corruption and bribery, using his position to engage in illegal organ trafficking with the black market.

As soon as the news broke, it was reported by major media outlets. X and short video platforms were all buzzing with Harrison Shaw’s hot search.

The incident received widespread attention from the public, and public opinion couldn’t be suppressed.

Harrison Shaw was quickly detained by public security organs, and those he bribed were also investigated, which implicated both the Shaw and Hughes families.

The Shaw family had some influence in Crestwood, and in the past, such matters could be resolved with money.

But for some unknown reason, this time, no amount of money could settle it. Removed hot searches quickly resurfaced, and purchased-off news reports were released again, as if someone was deliberately opposing them.

No matter how they investigated, they couldn’t find out who was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

Even with the joint efforts of the Shaw and Hughes families, they couldn’t settle it, and in desperation, they sought help from the Sutton Family.

The Sutton and Hughes families had a long-standing friendship.

Graham Sutton, Isaac’s father, had received a favor from Master Hughes in his early years and owed a debt to the Hughes Family. To repay the favor, Graham Sutton extended a helping hand.

Graham Sutton was a major entrepreneur in Veridian, and in recent years, his business expanded into Crestwood, where he also had some connections.

He arranged a banquet and prepared lavish gifts to invite people for a meal.

However, he was informed that behind Harrison Shaw’s incident, there were big shots stirring the waters, and they were powerless.

As for who these big shots were, no one dared to say.

The Sutton Family living room.

The Sutton, Shaw, and Hughes families gathered together.

Jasmine Hughes, Quinn Hughes’ aunt, was crying with red, swollen eyes, "What? Sutton couldn’t do anything either? Who on earth is behind all this?"

Graham Sutton’s expression was solemn, "Even with our three families united, we are no match. I think the person behind this might not be simple. In Crestwood, only the Sheffield Family has such influence."

"The Sheffield Family?" Jasmine Hughes widened her eyes in disbelief, "We haven’t offended the Sheffield Family."

Graham Sutton asked, "Could it be that you’ve offended someone related to the Sheffield Family?"

Jasmine Hughes thought long and hard, finally shaking her head, "No."

"Then it’s strange." Graham Sutton looked puzzled, "If it’s not the Sheffield Family, then who could it be?"

Master Shaw, leaning on his cane, spoke gravely, "Over the years, we’ve spent tens of millions annually to keep our connections. Harrison has always been very cautious, never taking action himself. This time, it’s really bizarre. Everything he did was thoroughly investigated, and the report went directly to the provincial level, without going through the city at all. It caught us off guard."

"Who could it possibly be..." Master Shaw furrowed his brows.

The Shaw and Hughes families were connected by marriage, and Harrison Shaw’s trouble implicated the Hughes Family, affecting the Hughes Company as well.

Soon after, Mr. Hughes was arrested for suspected bribery and disrupting bidding processes.

The Hughes Family was in imminent danger.

If Mr. Hughes ended up in prison, the collapse of Hughes Company wouldn’t be far off.

Quinn Hughes and her mother were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

They searched through all their connections, but couldn’t find a way to free Mr. Hughes.

This New Year, they were destined not to have a peaceful celebration.

...

On New Year’s Eve, Clara Sterling wanted to thank Silas Sheffield by personally cooking a New Year’s Eve dinner for him.

The employees of the Hughes Company were on holiday for the New Year, but their boss, Silas, was still very busy.

Although Silas was at home these past few days, he was busy every day replying to emails, reviewing contracts, and approving project proposals.

Sophie Sheffield, on the other hand, had some free time and accompanied Clara every day.

In the afternoon, Clara knocked on the door of Silas’s study.

"Come in." The man inside said.

Clara pushed the door open and entered. Silas was standing by the window with his back to her, on the phone, "There’s no room for negotiation. He should have thought about today when he committed crimes; no one can plead for him."

Silas spoke coldly, "Tell them if they dare interfere with justice, I don’t mind taking them down altogether. How many of them can withstand an investigation?"

After speaking, the man hung up the phone and turned around.

Clara, having seen him on the phone, did not disturb him. After Silas finished the call, she finally spoke, "Silas, it’s New Year’s Eve today, and I want to cook a meal to thank you. Is there anything you particularly like or dislike?"

Silas paused, seemingly surprised that she would say she wanted to cook for him.

Thinking for a moment, Silas said, "I like cilantro stir-fried beef, steamed sea bass, boiled shrimp, winter melon pork rib soup, and cucumber salad. I don’t eat lamb and choi sum."

Clara was slightly taken aback, not expecting Silas’s taste to be similar to hers. She also liked these dishes and didn’t eat lamb either.

Clara nodded and said, "Okay."

"Any restrictions on seafood?" Clara asked again.

"No."

"Okay."

After saying this, Clara exited the study and asked Ms. Cheney, the housekeeper, to buy the ingredients needed for cooking.

In the afternoon, some guests brought some exquisite seafood, including king crab and Australian lobster, which Clara had never eaten before and didn’t know how to cook, so she handed them over to Ms. Cheney to handle.

Clara made some homemade dishes, packed two boxes of bland and easy-to-digest food with one box of nutritious porridge for her mom, and personally took them to the hospital.

"Mom, I’ll stay for dinner with you and then head back to have New Year’s Eve dinner. I’ll come back later to stay with you for the night."

Yvonne Sterling nodded, "Okay."

Yvonne’s recent chemotherapy had been quite successful, with no severe adverse reactions. The doctor said that if everything goes well, she could have surgery in about a month after the New Year.

In the evening, Clara called Silas and Sophie down for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Ms. Cheney’s son, daughter-in-law, and grandson had emigrated to Freedonia, leaving her alone at home.

Ms. Cheney had spent the past few New Year’s alone.

Learning about her situation, Clara proactively invited Ms. Cheney to stay with them for the New Year.

After Silas and Sophie sat down, Clara invited Ms. Cheney to join them at the table.

"It’s not right, madam..." Ms. Cheney almost called her "madam", but quickly corrected herself, remembering Silas’s instruction that while Sophie was around, she should refer to Clara as "Miss Sterling", saying, "It’s too improper."

Clara smiled, "It’s okay, Ms. Cheney. There’s no need for formalities. The more, the merrier."

Sophie also spoke up, "Yes, Ms. Cheney, we’re all family. No need to be polite. Come and sit down to eat with us."

Ms. Cheney looked towards Silas and, seeing him nod slightly, sat down at the table.

After dinner, Clara and Sophie played with sparklers in the yard.

Veridian prohibits fireworks, but sparklers in their own yard were allowed.

Silas stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of the room on the second floor, looking down at the girl whose smile was as bright as a fairy stick.

It had been a long time since he had seen her smile so happily.

Clara held a slender sparkler, waving it lightly. The sparkler sent out spurts of sparks, like stars falling to the earth, bursting into brilliant light.

The light illuminated Clara’s face.

Her eyes shone with excitement and innocence.

Her smile was as bright as a spring breeze brushing across a frozen lake, bringing vitality and life, enough to drive away all coldness and gloom.

Silas stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his silhouette stretched by the warm indoor lights.

His gaze cut through the interlacing of the cold wind and shadows, landing on that figure.

The man took out his phone, opened the camera, and aimed it at Clara.

"Click," capturing that beautiful moment in time.

Silas lowered his eyes to look at the candid shot.

In the photo, Clara was holding a sparkler, smiling sweetly. The man gently curved his lips into a smile and put away his phone.