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Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Even at the Risk of Repeating the Same Mistake

The male manager was now furious. ’If something happens to Mr. Wyatt here, my boss will definitely hold me accountable. I’ll lose my job for sure.’

”You two, go tie them up! When Mr. Jennings gets here, he can deal with them. Move it!” the male manager ordered the security.

The bodyguards took a defensive stance. Seeing the two men’s rippling muscles and imposing builds, the security guards were instantly cowed.

”What are you waiting for? Why are you cowering? Useless fools! If something happens to Mr. Wyatt and Mr. Jennings decides to hold someone accountable, don’t think you’ll get away!” Seeing them hesitate, the male manager berated them, exasperated. Hearing this, the security guards had no choice but to advance.

Manager Sawyer had been at Nyx longer than the male manager and knew their boss better, which was why she had dared to threaten Mr. Wyatt earlier. Seeing what was happening, she stepped in to stop them. ”Don’t you dare lay a hand on them! When Mr. Jennings arrives, I’ll explain everything. It was Mr. Wyatt who couldn’t keep his hands to himself and assaulted the customer first.”

The male manager, who already looked down on women, frowned at her words. ”What do you know? You think Mr. Jennings is going to turn on the Wyatt family for some woman?”

”You—!” Just as Manager Sawyer was about to retort, several people appeared at the end of the hallway.

The man at the front of the group asked faintly, ”What’s all the commotion?”

All heads turned to look. The man at the very front was none other than Jasper Jennings, the owner of Nyx.

Ian Sterling followed lazily behind him. He lifted his gaze to the messy scene, then expressionlessly averted his eyes.

With Lynn Winslow hidden behind her two mountain-like bodyguards, Ian Sterling hadn’t seen her at all.

”Sir.” The male manager stepped forward, pointing at the two bodyguards. ”These two men beat up Mr. Wyatt.”

Jasper Jennings’s brow furrowed slightly. His gaze swept over Mr. Wyatt, who was on the floor clutching his mouth and whimpering, unable to speak. He then turned to the two bodyguards and asked coldly, ”Whose men are you?”

Manager Sawyer took a step forward and explained, ”Sir, Mr. Wyatt was trying to forcibly drag a customer into a private room. That’s why her bodyguards hit him.”

Jasper Jennings was very familiar with the rich-kid heirs who were regulars at his club, so he knew exactly what kind of person Mr. Wyatt was. He ordered the security guards to help Mr. Wyatt up. Mr. Wyatt said with difficulty, ”Jennings, you have to stand up for me.”

Jasper Jennings couldn’t hide his disgust at the sight of him. He glanced sideways at the woman, whose face was half-hidden by her bodyguards, and thought she looked vaguely familiar.

Just then, Lynn Winslow seemed to lose her footing. She leaned against a bodyguard and retched dryly. As she swayed, her face was revealed to everyone.

Jasper Jennings was slightly stunned. ”Lynn Winslow?”

Ian Sterling’s head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Lynn Winslow. Zachary Quincy was also taken aback.

Manager Sawyer had gotten to her current position not just by being eloquent, but also by being exceptionally good at reading a room. Noticing the change in the young masters’ expressions, she continued, ”This is the customer in question. I couldn’t stop Mr. Wyatt. It’s a good thing she had bodyguards, or something terrible would have happened for sure.”

Lynn Winslow slowly raised her eyes and saw Ian Sterling watching her from not far away. A wave of sorrow washed over her, and the tears she had held back all night suddenly slid down her cheeks.

She pushed past her bodyguards, stumbled forward, and threw herself into Ian Sterling’s arms. Ian instinctively caught her by the waist and heard her murmur, ”How could you stand me up?”

Manager Sawyer lowered her gaze, understanding that this beautiful young lady would be fine now. She breathed a sigh of relief. The male manager, in contrast, felt his heart leap into his throat. Anyone could tell this customer’s relationship with Mr. Sterling was anything but ordinary.

Lynn Winslow clutched Ian Sterling’s clothes, sobbing pitifully.

Ian Sterling’s lips thinned, but he pulled her into his embrace anyway, apologizing in a low voice. ”I’m sorry.”

The air seemed to freeze. The onlookers stared dumbfounded at Mr. Sterling, who was acting completely out of character. Even Jasper Jennings and Zachary Quincy were a bit stunned.

Jasper Jennings gave Manager Sawyer a meaningful look, then said to Ian Sterling, ”Let Manager Sawyer take her somewhere to sober up.”

Manager Sawyer stepped forward to support Lynn Winslow. Lynn slowly released Ian Sterling’s shirt, looked up at him one last time, and bit her lip, aggrieved, before allowing Manager Sawyer to lead her away.

The two bodyguards saw this and followed them. ’This is an unfamiliar place. Who knows if this Manager Sawyer will try to do something to our young lady.’

Only when Lynn Winslow’s figure had vanished from sight did Ian Sterling slowly pull back his gaze and turn to look at Mr. Wyatt, who was being supported by the security guards.

He clenched his fists. His mind involuntarily began to imagine what Lynn Winslow would have suffered if that man had actually managed to drag her away.

Before anyone could react, Ian Sterling had already strode forward and punched Mr. Wyatt in the face. Knocking him to the ground wasn’t enough; he began kicking him viciously, one foot after another.

Ian Sterling had rarely fought anyone growing up; he never had to. His sudden outburst of violence stunned the onlookers.

Jasper Jennings didn’t intervene, knowing it was useless to try and stop Ian Sterling in this state. Only when Mr. Wyatt’s agonized cries started to grow faint did Jasper and Zachary Quincy pull Ian away.

Ian Sterling’s expression was frighteningly dark, his narrow eyes filled with savage hostility. He struggled against their hold.

”Any more and you’ll kill him,” Jasper Jennings warned in a low voice.

Zachary Quincy chimed in as well, ”Don’t actually kill him. Cleaning up the mess would be a pain. Wait for him to recover, then you can take it out on his family.”

Ian Sterling clenched his jaw, suppressing the surging violence inside him, and shook his throbbing hand.

Seeing that he had calmed down, Jasper Jennings ordered the security guards, ”Take Mr. Wyatt to the hospital. If the Wyatt family comes asking, tell them to talk to me.”

”Yes, sir.” The security guards lifted Mr. Wyatt and scurried away.

At that moment, Manager Sawyer returned alone. ”The young lady said she didn’t want to stay here any longer,” she reported. ”She’s already left.”

Ian Sterling was quiet now. He stood silently in place for a moment, but just as he was about to leave, Zachary Quincy grabbed him.

”Where are you going?”

Ian Sterling didn’t know.

So he let himself be dragged into a private room. Jasper Jennings closed the door, and the space was instantly quiet.

Ian Sterling closed his eyes in exhaustion, leaning his head back against the sofa. His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times before he spoke, his voice hoarse with self-blame. ”She only came here because she was upset that I stood her up.”

”That’s not your fault,” Zachary Quincy comforted him.

But Ian Sterling insisted, ”If I hadn’t stood her up, or if I had just been more straightforward with her, she might not have been so upset. She wouldn’t have gotten so drunk, and she wouldn’t have run into that animal.”

Jasper Jennings stood beside him, his expression indifferent as he looked down at him.

”Finn, you still can’t let her go, can you? Even if it means making the same mistakes all over again, even if it means reliving the pain you once found unbearable... you still can’t let go, can you?”