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Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Small-time Diva

When the pack of adult wolves saw Lynn Winslow, they first issued low growls as a warning. But upon seeing Ian Sterling, they crowded over like puppies, whining affectionately through the bars of the enclosure.

Lynn was still a little scared of them at first. It wasn’t until Ian held the Wolf King’s snout and encouraged her to pet it that she began to relax.

She left Ian to play with the wolves he had raised and followed the keeper to the wolf pups’ enclosure.

The little pups didn’t quite know how to be fierce yet. They were about the same size as Kiki, and Lynn took an instant liking to them, petting them one by one.

The keeper said with a smile, ”If you like them, you’re welcome to come visit often. After a while, they’ll be as affectionate with you as the adult wolves are with him.”

Lynn nodded and petted each of them again.

Ian walked over just then and asked the keeper, ”They’re all healthy?”

”Perfectly healthy,” the keeper replied. ”We’ll give them their vaccinations in a few days, once they’ve settled in a bit more.”

Ian nodded. He squatted down next to Lynn to pet a pup’s head and instructed the keeper, ”Take good care of them. Contact me immediately if any issues come up, and let me know if you’re short-staffed. I’ll arrange for more help right away.”

The keeper readily agreed. In reality, working here was countless times better than any other job. The boss was low-maintenance, only stopping by occasionally. The wolves he raised were quite affectionate once you got to know them. He treated both the wolves and his employees well. The pay was high, the environment was excellent, they lived in a villa built near the enclosures, and he even provided them with a chef. There was even a dedicated cleaning crew for the enclosures.

After playing for a while, Lynn had wanted to stroll around the estate, but she changed her mind when she saw the heat shimmering up from the ground.

”Let’s go back. Let’s go home.” ’On a day like this, there’s no better place than home.’

Ian touched her forehead and said in a low voice, ”I know a good place to escape the heat. Want to go?”

”Is it far?”

”A little.”

”Then no. Let’s go home. To your place.” ’Whichever is closer.’

She never aspired to have a tan, cherishing her fair skin—and Ian’s—so she was eager to get home. Lying on the couch was better than anything else.

Ian watched her. ’It’s been a while since I’ve seen this childish side of Lynn,’ he thought, feeling a bit nostalgic.

They returned to Calyx Hall with remarkable speed. Lynn took a quick shower, changed into one of Ian’s T-shirts to lounge in, and settled onto the couch, turning on the TV with no intention of getting up.

They leaned against each other, each on their own phone, when Lynn casually remarked, ”I wish Kiki were here.”

The moment he heard that, Ian got up, changed his clothes, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door. Lynn stared blankly at his seamless movements, her mouth open but no words coming out. Looking through the glass wall, she saw his car was already pulling out of the underground garage and driving away.

Ian first stopped at a nearby pet store to buy a pile of necessities for Kiki, along with countless treats and cat food, stuffing it all into the trunk. Then he got back in the car and headed for Amberly Bay.

Kiki was currently in his room enjoying the air conditioning, sprawled out and drowsy, when Ian scooped him up and carried him to the car.

Ian sent a message to Mrs. Sterling, telling her that Lynn and Kiki would be staying with him for a while and that she should take a few days off. Then he started the car and drove toward Calyx Hall.

Kiki, buckled into the passenger seat, had a dazed expression, his limbs splayed out awkwardly.

Ian said, ”Dad’s taking you to our other home. Your mom misses you. She’s waiting for you there.”

Kiki didn’t understand most of it, only recognizing a phrase Lynn often said: ”Mom misses you.”

When the car entered the underground garage, Ian first brought Kiki upstairs, telling Lynn to stay put while he made trip after trip to carry up all of Kiki’s supplies.

Although it wasn’t hot in the garage, he still worked up a sweat after a few trips. Lynn stood by the elevator, holding Kiki and watching him with a pang of sympathy, but Ian waved it off with a single sentence.

”It’s not a big deal.”

”...” Lynn resignedly went back to the couch. She watched him unpack and wash Kiki’s new things, setting them up in the first-floor living room before he finally went to the bathroom to shower and change.

The moment he came back downstairs and sat on the couch, Lynn plopped Kiki onto the sofa and threw herself into Ian’s arms.

She murmured softly, ”Why are you so good to me?”

Ian held her tightly, replying calmly, ”This is nothing. Don’t get emotional over such a small thing.”

Lynn gave a muffled ”mhm” and snuggled deeper into his embrace, shifting into a comfortable position. Seeing this, Kiki immediately padded over and curled up in Lynn’s lap, like a set of nesting dolls.

Chloe Clayton and Flora Fairfax had created a group chat for the three of them yesterday, and now the two were tagging her in it.

Ian glanced down at her phone screen as Lynn opened the group chat to take a look.

[Mia Rhodes is at it again @Lynn Winslow]

[I don’t get it, how does she still have fans? The accusations were basically confirmed.]

Lynn was a little confused, so she searched the entertainment news. It turned out a young woman working on a film set had posted a cryptic Weibo message.

[Silas: Small-time star, big-time diva.]

Some people, smelling gossip, flocked to the post. When a random user asked what was going on, she replied.

[She’s late every day, making the entire crew wait for her. She bullies her assistant from time to time. When another actor bought coffee for the whole crew, she stood to the side looking disgusted and said she would never drink such garbage coffee. Of course, I only overheard that last part by chance as I was walking past.]

Someone dug through Silas’s previous Weibo posts, guessed she was on the same set as Mia Rhodes, and asked if the post was about MR.

Silas only liked that comment.

The internet immediately erupted. Mia Rhodes’s studio hired an army of paid posters to bombard Silas’s Weibo, but Silas fought back hard, firing back at every single person who insulted her.

Mia Rhodes’s studio had no choice but to issue a counter-statement on Weibo: [It’s true what they say: spreading a rumor is easy, but refuting it is an uphill battle. Our Mia is famous for her good temper; she would never say something like that. As for being late, Mia was late only once, and she had already requested leave from the director’s team in advance. Afterward, she treated the entire crew to afternoon tea to apologize. Some people will just open their mouths and lie. If you want to get famous, don’t do it by dragging our Mia’s name through the mud. The public knows the truth. If you continue to spread these fabrications, we will not be so courteous. We demand that you delete the post and apologize today, or this matter won’t end so simply.]

Lynn read the post and couldn’t help but laugh. She asked Ian for his take on the counter-statement, and he offered just three words: ”A childish argument.”

”Sigh. I have a feeling this crew member won’t dare to keep fighting. Should we give her a push?” Lynn was conflicted.

Ian picked up his own phone and called his assistant.

”That Silas person on Weibo. Contact them.”

The assistant agreed and immediately searched for her on Weibo. After a moment of catching up on the drama, he understood what his boss wanted.

He had someone find Silas’s phone number and gave her a call.

At first, Silas thought it was a scam call. After hearing what the assistant had to say, she hung up and blocked the number. The assistant had to borrow another employee’s phone to call her back.

”Don’t hang up, don’t hang up! I’m not a scammer. You can look up FR Holdings, then you’ll know.”