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Chapter 157: Chapter 157: How Likable Your Son Is

Whenever Lynn praised him afterward, telling him how good he was, Ian would be like a dog wagging its tail furiously, happy to have pleased its master.

The rain had stopped long ago. Lynn Winslow rubbed his wrist, noticing it wasn’t as sore anymore, and got up to change his clothes.

He had already promised to visit his grandpa at the Powell family’s home, and the sooner, the better.

Cecilia Powell was also early. She arrived at the Powell residence before Mr. Powell was even awake. The butler, who was directing the staff with the cleaning, was stunned to see her arrive so early.

”Miss, what would you like for breakfast?”

Cecilia Powell shook her head, looking restless. The butler saw this and sighed helplessly.

”Mr. Lynn will be coming, but he’ll certainly eat breakfast first. Besides, he doesn’t usually wake up very early. Please, don’t be so anxious. You should eat something.”

Mr. Powell stood on the stairs. He glanced at his youngest daughter, who was normally so sharp but could be incredibly dense about certain things. ”Leave her be,” he said coldly.

The butler looked up at him, then simply nodded and left.

Cecilia Powell bit her lip. ”Dad, I know I was wrong.”

”What good is knowing you were wrong? Will that magically make Lynn close to you?” Mr. Powell shot her down without hesitation. ”You and Wyatt Winslow are both selfish. All you thought about was your freedom. Did you ever stop to think how hard it must have been for that son of yours, growing up without his parents around?”

Cecilia Powell lowered her head, shame and guilt churning within her. Her father’s words made her feel so ashamed she could have died.

Mr. Powell snorted coldly, descended the stairs, and went straight to the dining room for breakfast.

Just as Lynn Winslow was about to get in the car, he discovered that Nina Norton had stuffed the trunk full. It was packed with all sorts of health supplements and gifts.

Nina Norton stood to the side, smiling. ”You can’t very well show up empty-handed. I had the butler prepare a few things. It’s not much, but it’s a small token of our goodwill.”

”Thank you, Ms. Norton. You really didn’t have to,” Lynn Winslow said, a little embarrassed.

Ian Sterling placed a hand on Lynn Winslow’s head, spun him around, and opened the passenger door, ushering Lynn inside.

”We’re off, Mom. Don’t wait up for us for dinner.”

Nina Norton laughed. ”You’re pretty confident. What if Mr. Powell doesn’t want to keep you for dinner?”

Ian Sterling chuckled. ”Don’t you know how charming your son is?”

Holding back a laugh, Nina Norton said to Lynn Winslow, ”Pinch his cheek hard for me. I need to see if I gave him his older brother and sister’s share of thick skin, too.”

Lynn Winslow agreed that he was thick-skinned, but he couldn’t bear to leave a mark on the face he loved so much. He just reached out and gave it a gentle squeeze. Smiling at Nina Norton, he said, ”It is a little thick.”

”Right?” Nina Norton saw Lynn’s incredibly gentle gesture and knew right away that Lynn was just like her—a sucker for a pretty face.

She took a step back and waved at Lynn Winslow, then said to Ian Sterling, ”Drive carefully.”

Aerie Garden wasn’t exactly close to the Powell residence. Lynn Winslow scrolled through his phone while flexing his still-sore wrist.

Ian Sterling glanced over whenever he had a moment. ”Does it still hurt?” he asked, worried. ”It’s still early. Let’s stop by the hospital first.”

The family doctor had actually already taken a look, but Ian Sterling felt the equipment at home wasn’t as comprehensive as a hospital’s and kept insisting they go. Lynn found the whole idea mortifying. ’Going to the hospital for a wrist I sprained while helping Ian? How bizarre is that!’

”I’m not going. It’s just a little sore. It’ll be fine soon.” Lynn turned to glare at him, adding a threat. ”Don’t you dare mention this in front of my grandpa! Or you’ll be sorry.”

Ian Sterling had to give in for now. He decided that if Lynn was still in pain that afternoon, he would just make a detour straight to the hospital on their way home.

Lynn hummed along softly to the song playing in the car, bobbing his head as he played on his phone. Ian Sterling glanced at him several times, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel.

’He’s so damn cute, for no reason at all.’

When they arrived at the Powell residence, Mr. Powell was already waiting for them in a shady spot in the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back. The moment he saw Lynn, his stern expression instantly melted into a kindly one, as if he’d switched masks. Lynn rolled down the window, stuck his head out, and waved enthusiastically at his grandfather. ”Whoa there!” Mr. Powell exclaimed, taking a step forward. ”Get back in, get back in! Wait until the car stops.”

Lynn obediently sat back. The car came to a stop in the courtyard’s parking area, and Lynn couldn’t wait to jump out. He immediately linked his arm with Mr. Powell’s, doting on him affectionately.

Ian Sterling got out more slowly. He first greeted Mr. Powell before opening the trunk.

The butler, who had been standing behind Mr. Powell, tactfully stepped forward to help Ian with the gifts.

Lynn explained to Mr. Powell, ”These are from Ms. Norton. She asked me to send you her regards.”

”We’re practically family already, what’s with all the formality?” Mr. Powell said, casting a meaningful glance at Ian Sterling. He then started walking into the villa with Lynn. ”So, you’ve moved in with the Sterling family? When are you planning to have our two families meet?”

Lynn glanced back at Ian, who was being exceptionally well-behaved at the Powell residence, and gave a playful huff. ”He hasn’t even proposed yet. If we’re going to have a family meeting, it’ll have to wait until after he proposes to me.”

”Sounds like you think his proposal is overdue.”

”Of course not,” Lynn denied. Once inside the villa, he glanced around but didn’t see the person he’d half-expected to be there. Mr. Powell noticed him looking and said with a smile, ”I sent her home. If you don’t mind, I can call her back for lunch.”

Lynn just said, ”Oh,” and feigned nonchalance. ”I don’t mind.”

”So magnanimous of you,” Mr. Powell said, his eyes wide in mock surprise. Lynn frowned, his face flushing with annoyance. ”Grandpa, if you keep this up, I’m leaving!”

Mr. Powell quickly relented. ”Alright, alright, I’ll stop.”

Lynn huffed, kicked off his slippers, and plopped down on the sofa, sitting cross-legged. Mr. Powell watched him with an incredibly fond expression.

A moment later, Ian Sterling came in with the butler. Before he could even sit down, Lynn suddenly cried out, ”Ah!” and clapped his hands together, startling Ian.

”What is it? What’s wrong?”

Lynn asked, ”The separate gift I prepared for Grandpa, did we forget to bring it in?”

Ian sighed in resignation. He got up, walked over to where they’d placed the gifts, and picked up a specific box. ”We brought it. I was afraid you’d forget, so I put it in the car ahead of time.”

”Oh, good.” Lynn breathed a sigh of relief. As for Mr. Powell, the look he gave Ian finally softened a little.

Lynn took the box and opened it for Mr. Powell to see. ”I bought this a few days ago. I just had a feeling you’d love it.”

It was an inkstone.

Mr. Powell loved calligraphy. A few days ago, Lynn had seen the inkstone in a magazine at Aerie Garden. He had someone look into it and found out it had been purchased by a collector. After going through several intermediaries, he finally managed to buy it.

When the collector sold it, he heard that Lynn was buying it not for a collection but for actual use. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

”It’s a collector’s item!”

Lynn simply said, ”Oh,” and transferred the money to the collector’s account with a gentle smile.

Upon seeing it, Mr. Powell was so enamored he couldn’t put it down. After praising Lynn endlessly, he personally carried the box back to his study.

Seeing him leave, Ian Sterling finally got up from his seat a short distance away and moved over to sit next to Lynn.