Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 305: Forming an Alliance

Chapter 305: Forming an Alliance

"You guys head back. I’ll go check on her," Damien Sterling said coldly.

"How are you going to get in?" Ryan Garcia asked.

"I have a key," Damien replied, pulling out the study key he had taken from the bedroom.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?" Ryan fumed, tempted to slap Damien. Did he not realize how cold it was outside or how dangerous climbing that tree had been?

"I was going to, but you ran off before I could," Damien replied icily.

"Alright, Ryan, let’s go," Brianna Baker interjected.

"Aunt Brianna, it’s late. You both should stay the night. We have plenty of spare rooms," Damien suggested.

Brianna nodded, leading Ryan to the guest rooms.

Meanwhile, in Sophia Greenwood’s car, silence stretched uncomfortably. Harper Clark finally broke, "What exactly do you want?"

Sophia didn’t reply, merely giving a sly, seductive smile.

At midnight, Sophia’s limited edition Jeep raced down the wide-open highway, Harper Clark sitting beside her, looking as pristine as a white lotus. The Jeep pulled into the underground garage of a high-end apartment complex near the Sterling Group headquarters.

"We’re here," Sophia said, grabbing her red Chanel handbag.

"Where is this?" Harper asked, confusion clouding her mind.

"My place," Sophia replied.

Harper was puzzled. Why would this heiress leave her family’s mansion to live in a place like this? She must be crazy.

"Get out of the car, or I’ll lock you in," Sophia said with a wicked smile.

Harper quickly exited, trailing after Sophia’s swift strides. Despite wearing ten-centimeter heels, Sophia moved with the grace of an athlete. Harper couldn’t help but admire her; she had struggled to walk in five-centimeter heels when she first learned.

The elevator shot up to the eighteenth floor, where Sophia’s apartment was located. Inside, Harper was surprised to find that makeup and designer clothes only occupied a tenth of the space. The rest was stacked with piles of documents.

"Do you know why?" Sophia asked, noticing Harper’s astonishment. The girl was still so naive.

"Mr. Sterling doesn’t like women who only look good.," Sophia said smugly, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.

Harper Clark unapologetically walked over to the red sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window and sat down. "You say you can help me?" she asked.

Sophia Greenwood poured two glasses of cold water, walked over to the sofa, and handed one to Harper. "That’s right."

Harper, intrigued, asked, "Why would you want to help me?"

Sophia sat down calmly, swirling the water in her glass. "Next week, I’m being sent back to Country A. Do you know why Damien Sterling is exiling me?"

Harper smiled smugly. "I know, you caused a huge mess!"

She eagerly awaited Sophia’s reaction, hoping to see her flustered, but Sophia merely smiled serenely. "You’re well-informed, aren’t you? Since you know, let’s get straight to the point."

Sophia’s gaze turned icy. "Emma Hart took everything that should have been mine. I can’t stand seeing her cling to Damien. If I can’t have him, neither can she."

Harper was taken aback by Sophia’s intensity. She tried to keep her tone calm. "So, you’re willing to give Damien Sterling to me?"

She found it hard to believe that someone as shrewd and capable as Sophia would willingly hand over the man she desired.

"Of course, you can choose not to believe me. But why not sit down, have some water, and listen to my plan?" Sophia’s confidence was palpable. She had convinced countless clients and was an excellent persuader.

"Alright," Harper agreed.

"Your current position is quite precarious. You’re Ryan Garcia’s supposed fiancée, Emma Hart’s business partner, and you’re favored by Mr. Sterling Senior. On the surface, this seems advantageous for getting close to Damien Sterling. But if handled poorly, you could easily earn Damien’s disdain and ruin your reputation," Sophia said, each word hitting Harper’s weak spots.

Harper sipped her water, gesturing for Sophia to continue. "You’ll find it hard to shake off the label of the other woman unless Emma Hart cheats first. Then, you can step in and take Damien Sterling."

"What? Get Emma Hart to cheat?" Harper frowned. This seemed nearly impossible. Damien barely let Emma out of his sight, and even when he did, she was rarely alone.

Sophia’s smile turned conspiratorial. "Exactly. It won’t be easy, but with the right strategy, it’s doable."

"Emma Hart does have a few admirers. All we need to do is set up a situation where she unwittingly falls into a trap. She’s not particularly sharp," Sophia Greenwood’s voice grew softer.

"But what about Damien Sterling?" Harper Clark asked.

"Don’t worry about Damien, darling. I have my own ways to keep him occupied," Sophia replied confidently.

"Interesting. Alright, I’ll give it a shot," Harper Clark said, feeling a surge of anticipation. If things went south, she could always blame Sophia Greenwood.

"Great, here’s to our successful partnership!" Sophia raised her glass, clinking it with Harper’s.

Back at the Sterling Group villa, everyone had gone to bed. Damien Sterling quietly unlocked the study door, careful not to wake Emma Hart. The room was cold; she hadn’t closed the window or turned on the heater. Damien saw her curled up in the corner, occasionally coughing, her forehead burning with fever. He sighed deeply, his heart aching, and gently carried her back to the bedroom.

In the warmth of the bedroom, Damien quickly grabbed a thermometer from the medical kit to check Emma’s temperature. She was delirious with fever.

"Damien Sterling..." she mumbled softly in her sleep.

He turned, looking at the small woman lying there.

"Damien Sterling... you big devil," Emma muttered in her dream.

"Hmph! Who’s the devil?" Damien whispered, gently tracing her nose with his finger. Who was the real tormentor here? He, the mighty president of Sterling Group, was up in the middle of the night tending to a delirious woman.

100.4 degrees Fahrenheit—she had a fever!

Since Emma had just finished her postpartum period, Damien didn’t want to give her medication too soon. He opted for physical methods to reduce her fever.

He applied a cooling gel pad to her forehead and brought some warm water for her to drink. But Emma, in her feverish state, kept turning her head away from the cup, her small mouth refusing the water.

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