You're not leaving this time.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Didn’t We Agree to Have Dinner Together?

A few days later, Lynn Winslow went to Ian Sterling’s company building after work to wait for him.

She had deliberately chosen an eye-catching, red, backless minidress. Her long, slightly curled brown hair cascaded down, half-hiding and half-revealing the fair skin of her back. In her arms, she held a bouquet of red roses wrapped in black paper. She leaned against a limited-edition blue and gold supercar just shipped in from Morelia, capturing the attention of countless office workers.

A glint appeared in Lynn Winslow’s eyes. ’This is exactly what I want. I want everyone to see.’

Ian Sterling stood at a floor-to-ceiling window, looking down. He had excellent eyesight and could clearly see the flamboyant figure of Lynn Winslow below. He pressed his lips together.

Jasper Jennings, standing beside him, let out a chuckle. ”She hasn’t changed a bit, has she?”

Ian lowered his gaze. ’The one and only daughter of the Winslows, a powerful Morelian family. She’d been spoiled since childhood, growing up uninhibited and flamboyant. To win me over back then, she’d pulled all sorts of outrageous stunts until the whole of Quartos knew her name. And wouldn’t you know it, I was a total sucker for it. Now she’s pulling the same moves, playing right into my tastes.’

Seeing the look on his face, Jasper Jennings clapped him on the shoulder and said lightly, ”If you want to go, then go. But let me remind you—no matter how much you groveled and begged her back then, she still broke up with you. She could do the same thing again.”

He had said his piece. Whether Ian Sterling would actually listen was anyone’s guess.

They had all grown up together in the same compound. Ian Sterling was the youngest of the group, so the others had always instinctively coddled him and let him have his way. With doting parents and a harmonious family, he had arguably never suffered a single grievance in his life. Yet, when it came to Lynn Winslow, he had stumbled and fallen hard.

Jasper Jennings sighed and left. He took the elevator straight to the parking garage, avoiding any chance of running into Lynn Winslow.

Lynn Winslow waited downstairs for a long time, but she remained in high spirits. It wasn’t until the last rays of dusk faded and the sky grew dim that she finally called Ian Sterling.

Ian Sterling answered, his voice cold. ”What is it?”

”I’m downstairs at your company, waiting for you,” Lynn Winslow said, a wheedling tone unconsciously creeping into her voice. ”Are you not off work yet?”

”I’m already home.”

At his words, Lynn Winslow’s shoulders slumped. She pressed her lips together, fighting to keep the hurt from her voice as she said softly, ”But didn’t we agree to have dinner?”

”Let’s not.” With that, Ian Sterling hung up.

Lynn Winslow stood frozen to the spot for a long time. Only when the night air grew chilly did she finally move her stiff limbs.

Biting her lip, she looked down at the red roses in her hands and sighed. She raised her head to look at the skyscraper looming before her, staring until her eyes ached. When she finally looked away, a blink sent the tears she’d been holding back spilling down her cheeks and onto the flower petals.

She walked a few steps, bouquet in hand, then bent down to place the flowers on a nearby bench. After staring blankly into space for a moment, she returned to her car and drove off.

Ian Sterling was still standing at the window, looking down, his dark eyes betraying no emotion. Only after Lynn Winslow’s car disappeared from view did he head downstairs.

A sanitation worker was about to walk away with the bouquet when Ian Sterling strode over to stop her. ”Ma’am,” he said calmly, ”I’d like to buy those flowers from you.”

The woman looked surprised. ”You don’t have to pay me. I just found them on that bench over there. Here.”

Ian Sterling took the bouquet. He noticed a few stray droplets of water on the petals, and his fingers twitched. He pulled his wallet from his suit jacket, took out two bills, and handed them to the woman. With a quick ”thank you,” he turned and left.

Lynn Winslow drove aimlessly until she passed a seaside park, where she found a spot and parked her car.

She ambled into the park and saw a girl standing on a path by the water, singing into a microphone with a backing track. Lynn Winslow sat on a bench opposite her, watching with a listless smile.

”My only little ploy is that I love you,

And without you, I can never forgive myself.”

Lynn Winslow pressed her lips together, covering her face with her hands as she took a deep breath. She’d never been one to cry, not even as a child. She still had a scar on her knee from a fall she took while playing, but she hadn’t cried then. In fact, she had been the one to smile and comfort her friend, who had burst into tears at the sight of the wound.

’She didn’t know what was wrong with her now, but she couldn’t seem to stop the tears.’

She listened in silence until the next song began. After composing herself, she stood up, walked over to the girl, and used her phone to scan the QR code to tip her. The girl said a quiet, ”Thank you.” Lynn Winslow’s eyes curved as she smiled and praised her.

”You have a beautiful voice.”

Lynn Winslow turned and left. As she sat in her car, her stomach suddenly rumbled, and she realized she needed to eat dinner.

”Hmph. That jerk, standing me up,” Lynn Winslow muttered, as if she weren’t the same person who had been so dejected moments ago.

She called Zane Lancaster. He must have cooled off from their last argument, because he answered quickly.

”What do you want?” Zane’s voice had its usual lazy drawl. A sharp CLICK followed, likely the flick of a lighter.

Lynn leaned over the steering wheel, her voice muffled. ”I don’t even have anyone to eat dinner with in Quartos.”

Zane scoffed. ”Well, you’re the one who insisted on going.”

”Why don’t you come to Quartos? At least then I’d have someone to eat with,” Lynn bargained. ”You’re just messing around in Morelia anyway. Veridia has plenty of fun places, you know.”

Zane slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. ”My kind of fun isn’t legal in Veridia,” he said nonchalantly.

’Oh, right,’ Lynn remembered. She rolled her eyes. ”Fine, have your fun,” she said disdainfully. ”Sooner or later you’re going to get yourself into real trouble.”

Zane shot back without missing a beat, ”And you just keep chasing Ian Sterling. Sooner or later your brain will turn to mush, and you’ll be pathetic enough to make a dog cringe.”

Lynn huffed. ”Just ship my cat son over to me tomorrow.”

Since she didn’t know how long she’d be staying in Veridia, she hadn’t brought him with her. Her grandfather liked cats but lacked the patience for them, and Joel Winslow was busy with family business. That left Zane, who was always lazing around with nothing better to do, so Lynn had left her ”cat son” in his care.

’After being stood up by Ian Sterling tonight, Lynn felt this was going to be a long campaign. It would be better to have Zane ship her cat son over. She’d feel more at ease with him by her side.’

”Fine, fine,” Zane said, his voice a long, drawn-out sigh of resignation. ”You’re the queen, and your cat son is the little prince. I get it.”

Lynn had no desire to listen to his complaining, so she simply hung up, started the car, and stepped on the gas to head home.

Meanwhile, Zane sauntered into the cat’s room. He found the ”stupid cat” sitting in its bed, grooming itself. He walked over, squatted down, and gave its head a couple of unceremonious pats. ”Your mom’s really something else, huh?” he gloated. ”She runs off to chase some guy and has to drag you along with her. You’ve got a solo plane ride tomorrow. Sucks to be you.”

The cat gave him a sidelong glance, then lashed out with a paw, leaving three long scratches on the back of Zane’s hand.

Zane swore, jumping to his feet and glaring at the cat. ”I treat you like royalty, and you attack me? You ungrateful furball! Just like your mother!”

The cat’s fur bristled as it hissed at him. ’That’s right, I hit you! Who do you think you are, insulting my mom!’