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Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Just You Wait Until I’m Better

”I know.” Jasper Jennings had just nodded in agreement when Lynn Winslow returned.

The four men quickly composed themselves and looked at Lynn with smiles. Lynn felt something was strange, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

”Why don’t you all stay for lunch? I had the chef make extra.”

”Sounds good.”

”No!”

The two voices spoke at the same time. Lynn Winslow blinked, looking from Ian Sterling to the other three men.

”Hey, Finn, we can let it slide when you’re usually stingy with us, but what does Miss Winslow inviting us to lunch have to do with you?” Kenneth Keller raised an eyebrow at the stone-faced man.

Ian Sterling ignored him. He frowned at the three of them, his words dripping with ice.

”Don’t you three have to work? Should I call your fathers and ask?”

Zachary Quincy shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. ”Go ahead. We can tell them about your back injury while we’re at it.”

He pointedly emphasized the word ”back.” As expected, Ian Sterling’s expression darkened even more.

Kiki seemed to sense Ian Sterling’s mood and was about to bare its teeth in a warning growl. Lynn Winslow stepped forward, scooped Kiki into her arms, and took Ian’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

”What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together, remaining silent. He could only watch as the three of them shamelessly stayed, then wiped their mouths and scurried off after finishing the meal.

Lynn Winslow managed to get Ian Sterling settled and lying on his stomach again. She crouched beside him and asked, ”Why were you acting like that toward them? Did they bully you?”

Ian Sterling rubbed his face against the pillow and said plaintively, ”Mhm, they made fun of me.”

”There, there.” Lynn Winslow caressed his face and said gently, ”Get some sleep. You haven’t slept much since we went to the hospital in the middle of the night.”

”Then come lie down with me.” Ian Sterling held onto Lynn Winslow’s hand, refusing to let go. ”I want to sleep holding your hand.”

Lynn Winslow leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth, trying to negotiate. ”I’m a restless sleeper. I’m afraid I’ll kick your back.”

Ian Sterling lifted an arm, wrapped it around Lynn Winslow’s neck, and shook his head. ”I’m not afraid.”

”Okay, then.” Lynn Winslow went around to the other side of the bed and got in. She snuggled close, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The medicinal scent from the plaster on his back was surprisingly hypnotic.

Her eyes half-closed, she rubbed the back of Ian Sterling’s neck. Face to face with him, she coaxed softly, ”Go to sleep now. Tell me if it hurts.”

Ian Sterling hummed a low ”mhm.” His long lashes fluttered before he closed his eyes.

Lynn Winslow watched him. Ian Sterling didn’t have a ”good boy” face. He looked a bit cold, always giving off the impression that he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Although he always acted pitiful, innocent, or well-behaved in front of her, it was a stark contrast to his actual appearance.

Now, lying there obediently with his eyes closed, Lynn Winslow’s heart softened. She leaned in and kissed his thin eyelids.

Ian Sterling wasn’t deeply asleep yet. Feeling her soft lips against his skin, he let out a soft chuckle. Without even opening his eyes, he said lazily, ”Stealing a kiss?”

”You caught me,” Lynn Winslow laughed softly. She closed her eyes and whispered, ”Go to sleep.”

Ian Sterling finally opened his eyes. ”How am I supposed to sleep now that you’ve stirred me up and left me hanging?” he asked in a husky voice.

Lynn Winslow ignored him, turning over to lie properly on her back, their hands still intertwined.

”Fine. Just you wait until I’m better,” Ian Sterling huffed helplessly and closed his eyes again.

After Jasper Jennings’s birthday banquet ended, another party started at Nys.

With no elders present, the crowd was much wilder. Men and women clung to each other on the dance floor. Ian Sterling leaned against the railing of the second-floor corridor, bored, his gaze drifting down at the writhing mass of people. He swirled the wine glass in his hand, the clinking of ice cubes drowned out by the music.

Jasper Jennings, his cheeks flushed from being forced to drink, was heading out to relieve himself when he ran into a listless-looking Ian Sterling.

He walked over, draped an arm over Ian Sterling’s shoulder, and slurred, ”It’s my birthday. How come you’re not the least bit happy for me?”

”Happy about what?” Ian Sterling took a sip from his glass and said flatly, ”That you’re another year older?”

”...” Jasper Jennings’s lips twitched. ’As expected, an Ian Sterling with a healed back wasn’t so easy to bully anymore.’

He didn’t reply. Ian Sterling let out a breath and said in a heavy tone, ”Lynn Winslow went back to Morelia.”

”???”

Jasper Jennings was baffled and utterly floored by Ian Sterling’s clinginess. ”Dude, Morelia isn’t the next town over. She went back to see her grandfather. Do you have to be like this?”

”She should be back by now. It’s not like it was anything major. Does she really need to stay that long?”

”Bro, a direct flight to Morelia takes over ten hours. Is that really ’long’?”

”Isn’t it?” Ian Sterling frowned, finding Jasper Jennings completely unreasonable. ”What would a single guy like you know?”

Jasper Jennings threw up his hands in surrender. ”Fine, fine, I don’t know anything,” he said perfunctorily.

He moved to pass him and head to the restroom, but after a couple of steps, he suddenly turned back. ”Aren’t you afraid she’ll find you annoying for being so clingy? Besides, your biggest threat is right here in Quartos, under your very nose. It’s not like he can be in two places at once. He can’t steal your treasure, so relax.”

Ian Sterling’s hand, which had been swirling his glass, paused. He felt that something was off about Jasper Jennings’s words, but at the same time, they made some sense.

He didn’t answer. Jasper Jennings shrugged and said as he walked away, ”See? Even a single guy like me understands more than you do.”

”...” Ian Sterling watched his retreating back, speechless, then looked away in disdain.

He still felt uneasy, so he took out his phone to check the time. Seeing that it was morning in Morelia, he gave Lynn Winslow a call.

At that moment, Lynn Winslow was in the garden, having breakfast with Joel Winslow and Elder Winslow.

Behind the castle at Winslow Manor was a vast garden, which was in full bloom. The butler had set up a long white table on the central lawn so that the three masters of the house could enjoy a picturesque breakfast.

Elder Winslow glanced up at his granddaughter and asked with feigned casualness, ”Are you happy in Veridia? Are they taking good care of you?”

Lynn Winslow gripped her knife and fork, struggling to cut her fried egg. She had been in Morelia for two full days now but still hadn’t adjusted to the time zone. Being woken up early in the morning for breakfast was torture for her.

”Mhm, I’m happy,” she said, letting out a sleepy yawn. ”They’re taking great care of me. See? I’ve even gained some weight.”

Hearing this, Elder Winslow carefully studied his precious granddaughter. She did indeed look a tiny bit chubbier than before, which set his mind at ease.

Joel Winslow saw Lynn Winslow still struggling with her fried egg. He smiled gently, got up, walked over to her side, and swapped his own perfectly cut egg for hers.

”Thanks.” Lynn Winslow looked up at him and smiled.

Elder Winslow watched the siblings discreetly. When Joel Winslow returned to his seat, he gave him a look of approval.

The most important and precious treasure of the Winslow family was his granddaughter. For the younger brother to know to take care of his older sister—such awareness was enough to make Elder Winslow feel gratified.

”What about that Zane Lancaster kid? He didn’t come back?”

At the mention of Zane Lancaster, Elder Winslow frowned in displeasure. ”His father came to see me a few days ago, looking terribly distressed. He told me that rascal Zane plans to stay in Veridia.”

”Uncle Cruz suspended him from his position. It’s understandable that Zane would want to stay in Veridia.” Lynn Winslow propped her head on her hand, listlessly poking at the food on her plate with her fork.

Elder Winslow snorted. ”No matter how a father treats his son, the son should endure it. He shouldn’t defy his father just because he was treated a little poorly.”

Lynn Winslow looked up at the grandfather who had doted on her since she was a child. Her grandfather had never shown a pleasant face to others; even her own father often had to endure his cold indifference at home, let alone anyone else. But in Lynn’s mind, that had nothing to do with her. As long as her grandfather was kind to her, that was all that mattered.

But Elder Winslow’s words made her feel a little uncomfortable.

”Grandfather, by that logic, are you saying a child should unconditionally accept whatever their father does, right or wrong? In that case, should I have accepted being abandoned by my mother and father, who left me at Winslow Manor all those years, without holding any grudge at all?”