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Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Zane Lancaster, Are You a Kid?

Lynn Winslow leaned on the edge of the pool, a wet strand of hair clinging to her fair cheek. She glanced up at the surprised Chloe Clayton, the corners of her eyes lifting.

”Yes,” she admitted openly.

Chloe Clayton didn’t quite understand. She frowned in confusion and asked, ”But why?”

”Why what?”

”I mean, if it’s because Mia Rhodes was slandering you, you could have totally gotten revenge on her in a different way. Why did you have to use your own body?”

Lynn Winslow chuckled. ’I thought Chloe would ask why I was plotting against Mia Rhodes. She’s smarter than I gave her credit for.’

”Because—” Lynn Winslow slowly climbed out of the pool, grabbed a bathrobe, and draped it over herself. She smiled and said, ”I wanted to show weakness.”

”Huh?” Both Chloe Clayton and Flora Fairfax, who had been listening in silence, were completely baffled.

”Ian Sterling was there that day.”

”...”

Well, Chloe Clayton and Flora Fairfax didn’t know what to say. They changed into the new swimsuits Lynn Winslow gave them, sat by the edge of the pool to play in the water, and enjoyed the exquisite fruit platter and red wine brought by a servant.

Flora Fairfax looked around again and again, sighing in admiration. ”This design is amazing! You can even see the stars at night. I’m going to do this when I renovate my villa.”

Chloe Clayton chimed in from the side, ”When I get back, I’m going to have my brother change the one in our backyard too.”

Although the pool was on the basement level, its ceiling was the backyard of Lynn Winslow’s villa. The main part of the ceiling was a layer of one-way glass, perfect for enjoying the moon at night, the snow in winter, and the rain on rainy days. It was the absolute peak of enjoyment.

Lynn Winslow picked up her phone and shared the design team’s contact with them directly. ”Mention my name, and you can cut the line,” she said softly. ”But they’re usually running all over the world, so book them early.”

The two of them looked down at their phones and saw that the contact was a woman. The profile picture was likely a photo of her—bright and bold, with fiery red lips.

”What a gorgeous woman. Lynn, are you close with her?”

Lynn Winslow tilted her head, pretending to think. Seeing the gossipy expressions on both their faces, she burst out laughing.

”Of course. You could say I grew up following her around.” Lynn Winslow placed her wineglass on the round table. ”Her family is also a Chinese family in Morelia. She’s a few years older than me. When I was little, I didn’t like the way foreigners looked, so I always tagged along behind her. She found me so annoying at first, but eventually she had no choice but to let me play with her.”

”But now she just runs all over the world. It’s really hard to see her.” Lynn Winslow sounded a little regretful. ’It’s been a while since I called her. I’ll definitely give her a call tomorrow.’

Chloe Clayton propped her chin on her hand and sighed. ”Why don’t I have a childhood friend like that? All I have around me are people like Flora Fairfax, who don’t know anything except how to have fun and chase celebrities.”

”Hey!” Flora Fairfax reached out to pinch her cheek, annoyed. ”You’re complaining about me? I’m the one who should be complaining about you!”

As the two of them horsed around, they both fell into the water. Lynn Winslow stood at the edge of the pool and reached her hands out to them, looking as if she was about to pull them out.

The two exchanged a secret glance. Their minds, perfectly in sync from a lifetime of growing up together, connected once again. They grabbed Lynn Winslow’s hands in unison and yanked her into the water.

Lynn Winslow fell into the water without warning. Luckily, her quick reflexes allowed her to hold her breath, or she really would have choked.

When she surfaced, she started coughing wildly. Chloe Clayton and Flora Fairfax panicked, patting her back while apologizing guiltily.

”Lynn, are you okay? We’re so sorry, so sorry! It’s all our fault for being so reckless.”

”I’ll go get a doctor.”

Seeing their eyes turning red, Lynn Winslow stopped coughing and gave each of them a light flick on the forehead. She said with a laugh, ”I’m just messing with you.”

They both froze for a second, then let out a sigh of relief. They threw their arms around Lynn Winslow, their voices muffled as they said, ”Thank god you’re okay.”

Lynn Winslow ruffled their hair. Mrs. Sterling emerged from the elevator and saw the three of them playing in the water. She smiled and said, ”Dinner is ready. You girls go take a shower first, then come and eat.”

The two had gotten quite a scare and still hadn’t fully recovered. They obediently followed Mrs. Sterling to go shower.

After getting out of the pool, Lynn Winslow lay down on a lounge chair, her eyes lowered to the messages on her phone.

Zane Lancaster knew she was back, but he hadn’t called or texted her at all since she returned to Morelia.

It seemed to have started when Ian Sterling got injured, and she stopped meeting him for breakfast.

Lynn Winslow frowned as she scrolled through their chat history, then decided to call Zane Lancaster. Other things might not matter, but Zane was the childhood friend she grew up with, a very important person in her heart. For that reason alone, Lynn was willing to reach out first and make up with him.

When Zane Lancaster answered, Lynn Winslow was met with a cacophony of noise from his end.

”Where are you? Why is it so noisy?”

Unlike the usual sounds of a bar or some other club, this noise was mixed with a regional dialect. Lynn Winslow couldn’t understand a word of what people were saying over there.

Zane Lancaster replied sarcastically, ”What’s it to you? If you’re not going to hang out with me, can’t I find my own fun?”

”That’s not it. Zane Lancaster, are you a child? Are you really going to throw a tantrum over this?” Lynn Winslow frowned and explained, ”I already told you, Ian Sterling was actually hurt. And after he got better, I went back to see my grandfather. How was I supposed to hang out with you?”

”I know,” Zane Lancaster said slowly. ”I also heard about what almost happened to you in Morelia.”

”Then why are you still acting like a child?” Even though Zane Lancaster wasn’t there to see it, Lynn Winslow still rolled her eyes.

”I’m not. I’m in Creston. I heard they have a lot of good food here, so I came to try it. We’ll talk when I get back.” The words had barely left his mouth before Zane Lancaster hung up.

Lynn Winslow gave a helpless tug at the corner of her lips and got up to take a shower.

When the three of them sat down to eat, Mrs. Sterling returned to the adjacent building. Lynn Winslow had wanted to ask her to stay, but she refused, insisting on the principle that servants could not eat at the same table as their masters.

A dedicated butler and a personal nanny are still servants.

And so, in the vast villa, only the three women and one cat remained—a cat that took one look at Chloe Clayton and Flora Fairfax and ran for its life.

Lynn Winslow didn’t hold back. After asking if they could drink, she opened a bottle of red wine for each of them, poured the contents into their respective decanters, and told them not to be shy.

”???” The two of them looked utterly astonished.

Lynn Winslow raised an eyebrow. ”What’s so surprising? Don’t tell me your tolerance is that bad.”

’Even if it’s not bad, you can’t drink like this...’

But the two still dutifully dragged their decanters in front of themselves.

By the end, both of them were drowsy from the drink. Lynn Winslow was still somewhat lucid, propping her chin up as she watched them nod off like little chicks pecking at grain.

The moment Ian Sterling walked in the door, he caught the faint scent of wine.

He frowned as he walked into the living room, and a turn of his head brought the three women sitting in the dining area into view.

His face instantly darkened. He strode forward and asked Lynn Winslow, ”What are they doing here? Tell them to leave.”

He was clearly disgusted. Lynn Winslow slowly stood up, walked over to Ian Sterling, and tucked herself into his embrace. ”I’m so sleepy,” she slurred drunkenly. ”Can you help me get them to the guest rooms for the night?”

Ian Sterling held her tight, glanced at the time, and made a call to the adjacent building. A few moments later, several servants arrived and carefully helped the two girls to their rooms.

Have Ian Sterling help them himself? In her dreams.