Chapter 153 Struggle

"Mr. Sterling..."

Mars' hesitant demeanor was getting on Philip's nerves.

"What is it?"

"There's nothing going on with Edward."

'Nothing going on?' Philip sneered, fully aware of the current situation.

Edward remained unscathed only because Douglas spared him after his provocation.

Why would Douglas let him off?

Simply because Edward still had value.

Douglas wouldn't openly interfere in the Sterling family's affairs, but he certainly wanted to see Philip and Edward fight to the death, while he quietly reaped the benefits.

So, he chose to let Edward go.

To let Edward come back and continue fighting with Philip.

Both Philip and Edward knew Douglas' intentions, but what could they do?

From the day Philip officially returned to the Sterling family, they had been at odds.

Philip would never forget the first day he was brought back to the Sterling family. Edward and his mother were sitting in the living room. His mother looked at Philip condescendingly and said, as if bestowing a favor, "Since your father decided to bring you back, you need to behave yourself in this house. Be obedient and don't have any wild ideas. Everything in this house will belong to Edward in the future. Let me give you a piece of advice: don't end up like your dead mother, wanting everything and getting nothing in the end."

That woman, whom they despised and looked down upon, was actually a stunning presence.

Philip's mother, Grace Anderson, was a very popular stage actress of her time. She was elegant, poised, and charming, capable of captivating anyone with her every move.

William was infatuated with her, spending nearly every night of the year by her side.

Grace met William when she was twenty, but after two years of being devoted to him, she got nothing in return.

Until one day, William suddenly told her that he had been married all along.

His wife was the daughter of a wealthy family in the elite circles of Oriant City.

Grace was heartbroken and, in a fit of anger, wanted to break up with William. But how could William let her go?

Even after two years together, he was still infatuated with her.

Grace, proud and stubborn, refused to be William's mistress. During that time, she argued with him, fought with him, and even threatened him with hunger strikes and suicide, but William remained unmoved, using everything Grace cared about to force her.

It was during this tumultuous period that Grace discovered she was pregnant.

This was William's long-planned scheme.

He was certain that Grace wouldn't give up the child.

After all, during their two years together, she had often longed to be pregnant.

Now, he tried to use the child to trap her, to bind her.

But he was wrong.

When Grace loved William, the child was everything to her.

When she no longer loved him, the child became a shackle she would do anything to get rid of.

In the end, William's power prevailed. He forced Grace to give birth to the child and then confined her to a villa in the suburbs.

Their relationship became very strained.

Until Philip was five, he lived with Grace in that place.

In Philip's childhood memories, Grace rarely smiled.

He knew that Grace didn't like him.

When Philip was five, Grace passed away, and Philip was brought back to the Sterling family. Just as he anticipated a new beginning and the fatherly love he'd never known, he faced an even more oppressive life.

William would always favor Edward.

If it were just favoritism, it would be one thing.

But he was also cruel.

He was cruel enough to try to put Philip in deadly situations repeatedly.

Both he and Grace, as parents, did not love Philip.

Philip closed his eyes in bitter irony.

Mars glanced at Philip in the back seat through the rearview mirror, easily seeing the weariness in Philip's eyes.

"Actually, even if Edward wanted to back down now, he couldn't," Mars said, worried. "After this incident, Edward is severely weakened. With his personality, he's definitely terrified. If he had a choice, he would surely want to take his wife and kids and stay away from all this, seeking a peaceful life for the rest of his days. But Douglas won't let him make that choice."

Douglas just wanted to see Edward and Philip tear each other apart, to see them both destroyed.

"If I'm not mistaken, Douglas will continue to dangle benefits in front of Edward, giving him hope of regaining power from you."

Mars' grip on the steering wheel tightened involuntarily. "Douglas is ruthless."

'Ruthless? This is just the beginning.'

Listening to Mars, Philip let out a cold laugh and said nothing more.

Mars wisely fell silent. He drove to the Peace Club. Although Philip was a regular, he hadn't been there in a long time.

In the past, Philip would spend his days and nights here under the guise of being a playboy, but in reality, it was just a facade to make William think he had no ambitions.

As Philip and Mars were heading to their private room, they saw a commotion at the door of another room. A group of people was surrounding a disheveled, scantily clad woman.

The club manager, who was leading the way for Philip, glanced at Philip's face out of the corner of his eye. He respectfully and cautiously said, "Mr. Sterling, I apologize for the disturbance over such a trivial matter."

Philip frowned in annoyance, not even glancing in that direction.

But the woman, who was being tormented to the brink of death, recognized Philip at a glance. Suddenly, she screamed as if she had seen her savior, "Philip, save me, save me!"

Philip couldn't place the voice and had no impression of the woman in front of him.

Mars thought to himself that any woman calling Philip's name was likely one of his former mistresses.

Seeing Philip walk straight to the private room without looking back, Mars paused and looked at the woman.

After a few moments of careful observation, Mars suddenly remembered that this woman was a celebrity who had had a brief fling with Philip last year.

During the time Philip was in a "relationship" with Regina, there had been news of him spending the night with this celebrity.

As Philip's personal assistant, Mars knew they had indeed gone to a hotel together.

After all, Mars had booked the hotel for them.

Mars didn't know whether they had a sexual relationship. After all, it wasn't the first time Philip had kicked someone out after they had stripped in front of him.

"Philip! Philip!" The woman cried out tearfully and desperately, but Philip had no intention of stopping for her.

Watching the door to Philip's private room close, the woman lowered her head in despair, her eyes lifeless.

Mars casually asked the manager, "What's going on with that woman?"

"Oh, she offended someone powerful," the manager replied.

Since Philip hadn't given any orders, Mars had no intention of meddling.

But suddenly, the woman seemed to go mad. She broke free from the crowd and stumbled towards Philip's private room. She raised her hand and knocked heavily on the door, making a final desperate plea.

"Philip, please help me just this once! I'm begging you!" She pounded on the door. "For the sake of the time I helped you, please help me this once!"

Mars found her words puzzling and frowned.

He had been by Philip's side for so long and couldn't recall a time when this woman had done Philip any favors.

The sound of a glass shattering came from inside the private room.

It was clear that the noise had angered Philip.

Without thinking, Mars had the manager call security to drag the woman away.

Philip was already in a foul mood. If this woman wanted to die, he wouldn't stop her, but she couldn't do it in front of Philip. Otherwise, if Philip's anger spilled over to him, his own life would be miserable.

Mars took a deep breath and walked into the private room, only to hear Philip ask irritably, "What was she yelling about outside?"

Mars replied honestly, "She offended someone powerful and was being harassed. She hoped you would help her."

Philip clearly had no recollection of the woman.

Mars took out his phone, searched for the news from last year about Philip and the celebrity spending the night together, and showed it to Philip. Only then did Philip vaguely remember.

Mars was puzzled. "That woman kept saying you should help her because she once helped you. Mr. Sterling..."

Mars hesitated but then asked, "Did something else happen between you and that celebrity?"

Philip's eyes darkened. He picked up a glass of strong vodka from the table and took a swig.

Memories flooded back.

Last year, William had planned for him to marry into the Brook family.

At the time, Philip was unwilling.

Although he recognized the inevitability of marriage, William aimed to manipulate him through it.

Later, news of Philip having a long-term girlfriend somehow reached William.

William thought Philip was reluctant to marry because he was attached to that woman, so he ordered her to be found.

To divert attention, Philip randomly picked a woman to act as a cover.

Because she was a celebrity with some influence, the news would spread widely and reach William. So, he pretended to be involved with her for a while.

Eventually, William did go after that woman.

"What does she mean she helped me?" Philip sneered. "It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Didn't she take that $50 million check quite readily?"

Mars fell silent.

Mars thought he knew Philip well after all these years.

But it seemed there was still much he didn't understand.

For instance, he could never quite grasp how much Philip had liked Regina all those years.