You're not leaving this time.

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: As Long as the Puppy Is Obedient, She’ll Allow It

”You wanted to know why I came to save you, didn’t you?” Lynn Winslow lifted her chin, motioning for Chloe Clayton to look at the USB drive.

”What’s this?” Chloe Clayton still hadn’t processed it, so Lynn Winslow had to be more blunt. ”It’s a recording. It has evidence of Mia Rhodes mentioning her plan to set you up. Understand now?”

Chloe Clayton’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Lynn to be so direct. Lynn Winslow chuckled softly. ”I knew she was planning to set you up, but I didn’t tell you. I waited until it was happening to come save you. Mostly because I didn’t see the point. We weren’t close, and you wouldn’t have believed me even if I had told you.”

”Huh? Then why are you telling me now?” Chloe Clayton, though still a bit dazed, understood what Lynn Winslow was saying. She clapped her hands, her eyes twinkling, and said excitedly, ”Because you want to be good friends with me and you don’t want any secrets between us, right?!”

”...” Lynn Winslow frowned slightly. ’I have no idea where she got that idea,’ she thought, but nodded anyway.

The bartender lowered his head, unable to stifle a laugh. After Lynn Winslow shot him a glare, he quickly turned and walked away.

Chloe Clayton put the USB drive in her bag and sighed before saying dejectedly, ”Actually, my brother already knows it was Mia Rhodes. But I’m worried that if he goes to settle the score with her, it’ll cause trouble with the Powell family. I mean, she’s still a young lady associated with their family, and Mr. Powell is quite fond of her.”

Lynn Winslow’s lips curved into a faint smile. ”How very considerate of you.”

”Are you complimenting me?” Chloe Clayton looked up at her and giggled. ”I think so, too. People used to say I was a spoiled princess, and I know I kind of was, but my brother is so exhausted these days. I don’t want to make things even harder for him.”

Flora Fairfax reached out and playfully ruffled Chloe Clayton’s meticulously styled hair. ”Look at you,” she said, pleased. ”Our Miss Clayton is finally growing up.”

An indignant Chloe Clayton tried to smack her, and the two dissolved into a playful tussle. Lynn Winslow watched them with a faint smile, drinking half of the cocktail in her glass.

The three of them chatted away the afternoon. Lynn Winslow’s phone remained in her bag, untouched. It wasn’t until Chloe Clayton suggested they all have dinner together that Lynn Winslow remembered Ian Sterling.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen, only then noticing a message from Ian Sterling that had arrived an hour ago.

”Lynn, I’m waiting for you in the parking lot.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t reply to the message. Declining Chloe Clayton and Flora Fairfax’s invitation, she walked over to the bar and told the bartender, ”Just put it on my tab.”

She turned and gave the two a wave before heading out.

Ian Sterling leaned back in the car seat, his gaze lowered as he toyed with the plain ring he’d recently taken to carrying everywhere. His thin lips were pressed into a line, his jet-black eyes deep and calm.

Lynn Winslow opened the passenger door and got in. ”I wasn’t looking at my phone, so I didn’t see your message,” she said calmly as she buckled her seatbelt. ”Didn’t I tell you I’d let you know when to pick me up? What are you doing here so early?”

”I didn’t have anything to do this afternoon.” Ian Sterling’s voice was soft. He didn’t look at her, but his long lashes fluttered.

Lynn Winslow suddenly leaned in close, studying him for a moment before saying with a smile, ”Are you angry?”

Ian Sterling shook his head. He wasn’t angry, just in a low mood.

Lynn Winslow reached out and pinched his chin, pretending to be displeased. ”You’ve been staying at my place for a few days. Isn’t it about time you went back to your own home?”

”Are you kicking me out?” Ian Sterling frowned at her, a flicker of hurt in his eyes, but he was met with the amusement in hers.

’She was serious, but she was also teasing him.’ Some outrageous ideas inexplicably surfaced in Ian Sterling’s mind, but he feared that if he acted on them, he would hurt Lynn Winslow.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in close, cupping Lynn Winslow’s pale, delicate face. ”I can go back to my place,” he said, his voice raspy, ”but you have to give me a little something sweet first.”

Lynn Winslow gripped his collar. ”Isn’t this a bad place for that?” she purred.

Without a word, Ian Sterling let her go and buckled his seatbelt. The car sped off. Grinning, Lynn Winslow adjusted her position in the seat. She didn’t ask where they were going. ’After all,’ she thought, ’he’d never have the heart to sell me.’

The car sped along the winding mountain road, with the boundless sea stretching out below. Lynn Winslow toyed with a strand of her hair, then rolled down the window, squinting as she let the sea breeze wash over her.

Ian Sterling was silent for the entire drive, the frustration pent up inside him about to explode. The sports car passed through layer after layer of security gates before finally reaching the summit. Ian Sterling stopped the car and asked in a low voice, ”Is here okay?”

Lynn Winslow glanced around. The area was deserted, but an observatory had been built there. More than half of the structure was suspended over the cliff edge, and its transparent glass walls made the interior design clearly visible even from the car. Even for someone like Lynn Winslow, who had no fear of heights, the sight was a little unnerving.

She swept her hair back over her shoulder and had just unbuckled her seatbelt to get out for a better look when Ian Sterling grabbed her arm and yanked her into his lap.

”I want to go take a look,” Lynn Winslow said without struggling, wrapping her arms gently around his neck.

Ian Sterling lowered his head and bit her lips, her neck, leaving a trail of love bites. Lynn Winslow endured the stinging pain and nestled into his embrace, her eyes half-closed but her mind perfectly clear.

’When you raise a dog, getting bitten a few times is normal. As long as the puppy is obedient, she can let him bite.’

”Can we go look later? Let’s stay in the car for a bit,” he murmured, his fingers already beginning to wander.

Lynn Winslow pressed herself against him, her arms tightening around him to accommodate his roaming hands. She only whispered, ”This dress was a gift. Don’t wrinkle it or get it dirty.”

Ian Sterling hummed a low note of assent. When he realized she was just as aroused as he was, he stopped holding back.

On the mountaintop, in the car... even though they were alone, there was an inexplicable, illicit thrill.

Ian Sterling obediently reined in his destructive urges, carefully maneuvering around her dress. When he heard Lynn Winslow tilt her chin back and let out a soft moan, his arm pressed down on her firmly.

Just as Lynn Winslow was on the verge of blacking out, Ian Sterling finally released her. He considerately straightened her clothes and smoothed out her dress.

He took Lynn Winslow’s hand, her body still feeling weak, and led her slowly toward the observatory. The setting sun hit the glass walls, reflecting a brilliant, dusky gold light. Afraid the glare would sting her eyes, Lynn Winslow shielded them with her hand. It was only when she was inside that Lynn Winslow discovered the section resting on the mountaintop actually contained a two-bedroom suite and a piano.

Lynn’s shock was impossible to hide. ”Why would you build an observatory here?” she murmured.

”This mountain was originally slated for development, for a series of villas circling the peak. But then a feng shui master was consulted, and he said the mountain wasn’t suited for heavy foot traffic, so the project was abandoned.” He started by explaining why the mountain was deserted.

”Before my grandfather passed away, he transferred ownership of this mountain to me. It was just sitting empty, so I had someone design it as an observatory.” He lowered his gaze to Lynn Winslow’s face, her cheeks still holding a faint flush from their passionate encounter. He spoke softly, ”It was first completed three years ago. I didn’t bring you then because its structural integrity hadn’t been confirmed. By the time I had it tested and confirmed it was safe... you had already left.”