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Chapter 148: Chapter 148: I’ll Never Find Someone Who Understands Me Like You

Lynn Winslow hung up and called Zane Lancaster back.

”Did you hear that? What Esther Abbott said.”

Zane Lancaster grunted in acknowledgment, his tone unusually serious. ”She won’t name the mastermind. Lynn, you want me to go and squeeze it out of her?”

Lynn refused. ”No. Let’s just lay low for now. We’ll see how things play out before deciding whether to make a move.”

She let out a cold laugh and said flatly, ”If she really knows me like she claims, then she should know what kind of person I am. If she pushes me too far, I’m perfectly willing to burn everything to the ground.”

”Don’t talk like that,” Zane Lancaster said, his tone sharp. ”How long has it been since you just got Ian Sterling back? Are you really willing to throw that away?”

But Lynn just laughed. ”Of course not. That’s why if it really comes to that, I’ll just take him with me. We can continue our love story in the next life.”

Zane Lancaster cursed under his breath and hung up in disgust.

Lynn pulled a cigarette case from her bag, rolled down the car window, and lit a cigarette for herself. The sun was slowly sinking behind the skyscrapers. Lynn watched with a bored expression as the ember at her fingertips steadily burned down.

She had already figured out most of it before she even arrived, so after Esther Abbott finished speaking, she actually felt nothing at all.

But she was considerate. To satisfy Esther Abbott’s desire for drama, she had put on a great performance.

’I don’t know if Esther bought it, but I honestly think I should get into showbiz and become an actress. Otherwise, my talent for acting would be a real waste.’

The cigarette had burned down to the filter. Lynn drove home.

When she saw Ian Sterling waiting by the elevator in the underground garage, she jogged over and leaped into his arms.

”Babe, did you miss me a lot?” Lynn pressed her forehead against his, blinking as she asked, ”Tell me the truth.”

Ian Sterling’s lips curved into a smile. ”I missed you. That’s the truth.”

Lynn wrinkled her nose, her heart softening as she hugged him tighter. ”You’re the absolute best.”

”I know. So from now on, don’t go out to dinner with other people without me.” Ian Sterling raised a hand to stroke her long hair as he guided her into the elevator and up to their floor.

Ian didn’t let go of her when they got home. Instead, he carried her all the way to the living room sofa before setting her down.

Lynn looked at him, puzzled. A familiar aroma wafted into her nose, and she glanced down.

The table was covered with all her favorite meat snacks, along with a few bottles of alcohol.

”Wow, you’re really something else.” Lynn stared at Ian Sterling in amazement. ”When did you prepare all this?”

”Just now. I noticed you haven’t been eating properly, so I got a few things.” Ian Sterling pulled her down to sit on the rug with him and handed her a can of beer he’d just opened.

Lynn took an excited sip and praised him, ”Babe, what would I ever do without you? I don’t think I could ever find anyone else who understands me like you do.”

’This only strengthened the dark thought in her mind. If that day ever came, she had to take Ian Sterling with her.’

This thought also made her feel a little guilty toward the Sterling family, so she asked,

”Should we go stay at Aerie Garden for a few days starting tomorrow?”

”Why? No way.” Ian Sterling frowned. He remembered how Nina Norton was always on his case, as if guarding against him, and refused outright.

”Come on, please? I want to hang out with your mom too.” Lynn grabbed his hand and swung it back and forth, pleading pitifully, ”Pleeease? Can we?”

Ian Sterling narrowed his eyes at her, unable to quite figure out her intentions, but Lynn knew exactly how to handle him. The moment she started pleading, there was no way he could refuse.

The next day, Lynn held their two cats while Ian Sterling loaded a pair of suitcases into the car. The luggage contained their clothes for the next few days.

Kiki and Hmph were already used to car rides and settled down quietly on the back seat after getting in.

Nina Norton had no idea they were coming back. At that moment, she was at home entertaining guests.

These were the various ladies who had attended the charity gala. Because the event was co-hosted by the matriarchs of the Sterling and Jennings families, they had all graciously donated numerous items. Unwilling to be the sort of person who only uses people when she needs them, Nina Norton had invited them to her home as guests.

Aerie Garden was a sprawling estate. Besides the main villa and the front and back gardens, it also featured Nina Norton’s enormous sunroom.

The ladies were seated in the sunroom, chatting and laughing about the latest gossip in Quartos. Nina Norton sat in the host’s seat, conversing quietly with Mrs. Jennings.

Although it was a thank-you reception, Nina Norton’s status was such that she wouldn’t casually mingle and chat with just anyone.

Inside the villa, only Sophia Shaw was around. She was in the living room, sipping freshly squeezed juice the butler had made for her, nibbling on shelled nuts, and watching a trashy soap opera.

Seeing Lynn and Ian return, she stood up in pleasant surprise and walked over to Lynn, reaching out to take the cat in her arms.

Both cats had undergone thorough check-ups to confirm there was no risk of them harming Sophia Shaw in any way. Lynn confidently handed over Hmph, who was the smaller of the two. As for Kiki, Lynn was still a bit worried. After all, he was big and heavy—what if he decided to misbehave?

”Hmph, did you miss your Aunt Sophia?”

’She was treating Hmph as Ian Sterling’s biological son, and according to the family hierarchy, wouldn’t that make her his aunt?’

The scene was a little strange, and the butler attending to Sophia Shaw covered his mouth to hide a chuckle.

Ian Sterling went upstairs with a maid to drop off the suitcases and hang up Lynn’s clothes. Meanwhile, Lynn sat on the sofa with Sophia Shaw, linking her arm and saying sweetly, ”I missed you and Auntie, so I thought I’d come stay for a few days.”

”Well, Mom and I are thrilled to have you.” Sophia Shaw beamed. ”You have no idea. Ever since you two left, Mom has been mentioning you constantly. She wants to visit you but is afraid Finn will find her annoying.”

Lynn recalled the look on Ian Sterling’s face when Nina Norton had visited them and told them not to be such homebodies. She couldn’t help but laugh.

”Where’s Auntie?” Lynn glanced around but didn’t see Nina Norton. Even the Aerie Garden butler was gone, and there were fewer maids than usual.

Sophia Shaw said, ”Those ladies from Quartos are here. Mom’s with them in the sunroom out back.”

Lynn then remembered Nina Norton mentioning this when she was chatting with Mrs. Jennings. ”In that case, I’ll go out back and say hello to Auntie.”

Sophia Shaw nodded. ”You go on ahead. I’ll stay here.”

Lynn gave Sophia Shaw’s belly a gentle pat with a smile, then went through the back door and down the glass corridor to the sunroom.

From where Nina Norton was sitting, Lynn was out of view, but a few of the other ladies spotted her first.

”And who is this?”

Lynn had arrived late to the gala and left early because of Wyatt Winslow and Cecilia Powell. Since not all these ladies had been in the same coffee area, only the few who were closer to Nina Norton had actually met her before.

Nina Norton turned around, puzzled. The moment she saw Lynn, her usual composed demeanor vanished.

She rose to her feet happily just as Lynn reached her side. ”Auntie,” Lynn said affectionately, ”did you miss me?”

She was just so beautiful, and with that sweet, pleading tone, Nina Norton’s heart completely melted. Mrs. Jennings, sitting beside her, couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

”I did. I missed you so, so much.”