Seeing how calmly he faced Mr. Harrington's pressure, it seemed like he didn't consider it a challenging issue. Cecilia suspected that he might have his own plans for having a child.
The Harrington Family, like this kind of family, could gain a lot of wealth with an additional child. Mr. Harrington possesses countless assets but is currently in poor health. In order to avoid future turmoil within the group, he is slowly transferring the shares he holds to the younger generation. It is said that the second and third branches are actively expanding their families, even Tristan, his paternal half-brother who is three years younger, had a daughter last year. In this situation, Tristan wants to have a child to please Mr. Harrington and legitimately acquire more wealth, which is nothing out of the ordinary.
However, Mr. Harrington attaches great importance to the union between the Harrington and Sterling families. Tristan certainly wouldn't dare to bring back an illegitimate child for Mr. Harrington to acknowledge. So, if he wants a child, he can only do it with someone who is willing to cooperate, like Cecilia.
At this thought, Cecilia's stomach tightened, and she instinctively touched her belly.
"Tristan, do you also want a child?"
Tristan smiled and instead posed a counter-question, "Do you want to have one?"
Cecilia's heart skipped a beat, and she hugged her arms tightly, clearing her throat, "I don't want to have a child, and nothing has happened between us. I hope we can continue to maintain this pure relationship in the future. I believe that the union between the Harrington and Sterling Families brings you much more than just a child. Of course, if you want a child, we can discuss it in advance and end this cooperation." In other words, end their marriage.
Tristan's eyelashes flickered, and after a moment of silence, he said, "You're overthinking."
Cecilia saw his noble and unapproachable appearance, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It's good that he didn't want one.
When she returned home, it was already getting dark. Amelia wasn't there, and there was no one to cook. Thinking about the breakfast that Tristan had made, Cecilia couldn't help but have an appetite and wanted to eat his cooking. She had originally wanted to ask him what they were having for dinner and hint that he should cook, but as soon as he came back, he went straight to the study on the second floor, not even sparing her an extra glance, treating her, his wife, as if she were invisible.
Cecilia stood in the living room, staring at his back as he ascended the stairs, feeling a chilled aura emanating from him. She vaguely sensed a dark cloud looming over his head. Now she realized that he had hardly spoken on the way back home.
He probably visited the ancestral mansion where Mr. Harrington urged him to conceive and was reminded of his father's illegitimate children outside, as well as the desperate act of the illegitimate children fighting for the Harrington Family's inheritance. His mood must not be high.
The Harrington Family, including Cecilia, had interactions with them. Even if Mr. Harrington didn't hand over the reigns of the family to Tristan, Tristan's two uncles who only knew how to cause trouble wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility, not to mention Tristan's father who spent his days in revelry.
Thinking about these things, Cecilia didn't pay any attention to Tristan treating her like air.
Since he didn't cook, she could only order takeout.
She took out her phone and ordered from the nearby hotel she often ate from. While waiting for the delivery, she removed her makeup and leaned against the head of the bed, scrolling on her phone.
Half an hour ago, Lucy Preston shared a video with her titled "The Top Boss in the Novels I've Read Now Has a Real-Life Face." The cover image showed the front row table from last night's charity event, and without looking, Cecilia could guess who the person in the video was. Parts of the charity event were live-streamed online, and several times the camera had focused on Tristan.
She opened the video, and the first scene was a shot from an overhead angle, capturing Tristan's profile. He wore a black suit, chin slightly lifted, warm yellow light casting a shadow on the right half of his body. His eyebrows were sharp, his eyes sharp, his features three-dimensional as the light and shadows danced. In the bustling banquet hall, he sat among the crowd, exuding dignity and refined elegance, emanating an air of deep mystery.
The rest of the video showed his face from various angles. The whole video was less than half a minute long, and the editor added an English instrumental background music, reminiscent of a 20th-century tycoon attending negotiations.
After watching the video, Cecilia naturally scrolled down to read the comments.
[Wow, I stumbled upon a handsome guy in the middle of the night. I've been watching him over and over again and can't sleep. I'm going crazy.]
[I can't help but feel like I'm sitting on top of him.]
[Is this guy new in the industry? I've never heard of him before. With such a high level of attractiveness, it's unfair that he's not popular.]
[Give me three minutes, and I'll find out everything about this man.]
[Are you guys so out of touch? This is Tristan, the CEO of NexaGlobal Group. He's known for his handsome looks and immense wealth. He's worth billions. Even though he's not part of the entertainment industry and keeps a low profile, his high level of attractiveness can't be hidden! I'm drooling over him.]
[That's right, this is Tristan, the CEO of NexaGlobal Group. I read about him in a financial magazine. He's like a real-life domineering CEO. And he's already married, so whoever was imagining sitting on top of him can stop now. He's taken. Laughing emoji.] [What? He got married at such a young age? Please tell me who Mrs. Harrington is and let me give up.] [The woman is the princess of Starlight Entertainment, she's been well protected by her family. Even the media hasn't been able to dig out her name. It's a merger of two powerful families. As soon as she graduated, they got married. But rumor has it that the two of them don't have much of a relationship. Internal sources say that Tristan and his wife live separate lives and rarely see each other.] [Huh, that's how it usually goes with marriages between powerful families! The rich have a different reality than us. They join forces to maximize their benefits.]
[I have a friend who works at NexaGlobal Group. They say Tristan hasn't taken a continuous vacation for over a year. It shows that they didn't go on a honeymoon after their marriage. And Mrs. Harrington has never even been to the company. Their alliance was for the sake of business. This couple will probably split up sooner or later.] The comments shifted from praising Tristan's appearance to discussing his marriage with her. It's unclear where all the gossip came from, but one insider after another described things as if they'd witnessed it themselves. Noble family gossip always arouses interest. Although Tristan himself doesn't engage in social media like Weibo, ever since he took charge of NexaGlobal Group, he has unavoidably appeared in public gatherings and his photos have spread across various websites. Due to his handsome looks and prestigious background, these photos have become material for edits, attracting many girls who idolize him and refer to him as their husband. With everyone's interest in Mrs. Harrington, who has never been exposed to the public, the comments under this video have accumulated over ten thousand. Cecilia scrolled through the comments for a while, and Lucy sent over a screenshot of a particular comment. Among the many comments doubting her marriage to Tristan and predicting their imminent divorce, there was one unique comment.