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Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Would They Dare?

”Wait here. I’ll go downstairs and get some ointment for you.”

Ian Sterling grunted sullenly. He didn’t dare lean against the back of the sofa, so he just hunched over.

When Connor Sterling returned, Ian was lying facedown on the bed, letting Connor apply the ointment. His face was buried in his arms, and soft sobs reached Connor’s ears.

”What are you crying for? You brought this on yourself. You’re a grown man, crying just because you got hit.”

Ian Sterling said, ”I’m not crying because I got hit.”

”So you’re proud of crying over a relationship?” Connor Sterling gave Ian’s waist a sharp smack, avoiding his injuries.

After he left, Ian Sterling sat up and grabbed his phone. Seeing no new messages from Lynn Winslow, he was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of self-pity, and his nose began to sting.

He called Lynn Winslow. The phone rang for a long time before she picked up.

Lynn Winslow asked calmly, ”What’s wrong?”

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together. ”Where are you?”

Lynn Winslow was taking a walk with the two old gentlemen near the Powell family’s villa complex. The early autumn night air was cool and refreshing. Aiden Powell and Sheila Lowell were with them.

As for Ethan Powell, he had been ruthlessly left behind at the villa because he hadn’t finished his work.

”I’m taking a walk with my grandfathers.” Lynn Winslow could tell something was wrong from the sound of his voice, but she didn’t ask about it.

Ian Sterling’s sense of grievance intensified. He whined, ”My dad hit me.”

”???” Lynn Winslow was utterly baffled. She stopped in her tracks, stunned, and asked, ”What did you say?”

Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow looked back at her. Lynn Winslow gestured for them to go on ahead. She walked over to a small, shaded pavilion and sat down, listening to Ian Sterling’s complaint: ”It’s because I threw a tantrum at you and made you leave in anger.”

Lynn Winslow was speechless, but she still asked, ”Does it hurt? Is it bad?”

”It hurts. It’s really bad. He hit me twice with such a thick stick.”

”...” Lynn Winslow sighed deeply. In the end, she still felt sorry for him. Her voice softened, becoming gentle. ”Alright, how about I come see you tomorrow?”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Ian Sterling’s eyes. He had thought Lynn Winslow would come to see him right away, or at least change her mind and let him stay at the Powell family’s house. After all, he was having such a miserable time at home. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

”Okay.” He didn’t push his luck, mainly because he was afraid Lynn Winslow wouldn’t come see him at all.

After hanging up, Lynn Winslow caught up with Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow.

Elder Winslow asked her, ”What’s wrong?”

Lynn Winslow shook her head and didn’t elaborate, just saying casually, ”It’s nothing.”

Neither of them had the type of personality to pry, so when they saw Lynn wasn’t talking, they dropped the subject.

Sheila Lowell, however, glanced at Lynn Winslow with a smile in her eyes. When Mr. Powell spotted someone he knew fishing by the lake and took Elder Winslow over to have a look, Sheila sidled up to Lynn and shot a glare at Aiden Powell, who was trying to eavesdrop.

”Get lost. Go find Grandpa and Mr. Winslow.”

Aiden Powell looked aggrieved. ”Fine.”

Once Aiden Powell was out of earshot, Sheila Lowell asked softly, ”Was that Ian Sterling on the phone just now?”

Lynn Winslow grunted in affirmation and rubbed her forehead.

”If he wants to come stay, just let him. It’s not a big deal. I stay at the Powell house all the time.”

”You and my cousin are engaged. We’re just a couple. Even though we’ve met each other’s parents, we’re still not engaged,” Lynn Winslow explained quietly.

Sheila Lowell was surprised by her conservative stance on this. ”You still care about that?”

”I don’t, but my maternal grandfather definitely wouldn’t approve. My paternal grandfather wouldn’t mind—he can just turn around and go back to Quartos, and it won’t matter. But my maternal grandfather has to keep living here.”

Lynn Winslow pressed her lips together, but Sheila said, ”Grandpa won’t care about that stuff either. Besides, he’s a Sterling. Are you saying people would dare to gossip about Finn, the most doted-on young master in all of Quartos? Would they dare?”

”That may be true, but...”

”Enough with the ’buts’. He’s a really good guy. He was pampered his whole life, yet he still flew back and forth to Morelia with you. He’s considerate of you and your family.”

Sheila Lowell’s words seemed to snap her out of it. Lynn Winslow was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Sheila, her eyes full of gratitude.

”I’ll go find him tomorrow.”

Sheila Lowell smiled, her lips curving. She patted Lynn’s shoulder, and then they went to find Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow by the lake.

Lynn Winslow walked ahead while Sheila followed, pulling out her phone to send a message to Samuel Shaw.

[Mission accomplished. Tell Elias and Tanner to get ready to treat me to dinner.]

Samuel Shaw handed the phone to Elias Sterling. Elias chuckled and said to Connor Sterling, ”Are there any older brothers in the world who worry more than we do?”

Connor Sterling, holding a wine glass, leaned his arm against the bar behind him. He said helplessly, ”Can’t be helped. Who else has such a worrisome little brother?”

Meanwhile, Nina Norton went to the study to ask Spencer Sterling how hard he’d actually hit their son. After her other son and daughter-in-law, who had been by the bar downstairs, went back to their room, she took some ointment and entered Ian Sterling’s room.

Ian Sterling propped himself up to glance at her. Seeing it was his own mother, he lost his strength and flopped back down.

”Does it hurt?”

Ian Sterling grunted. ”It hurts.”

Nina Norton sat on the edge of the bed and applied another layer of ointment for him. As she gently rubbed it in, she said in a soft voice, ”You were the one who insisted on winning Lynn back. At first, the family didn’t want you to get hurt again. No matter how we tried to stop you, you wouldn’t listen, so we let it be. After you got together, you matured so much, and we were all very pleased. But then you turn around, throw a tantrum, and make Lynn angry. I really don’t understand what you’re trying to do.”

Ian Sterling rested his head on his arms, his clear eyes staring at a point in the empty air. He said softly, ”I think I’m still a little scared. Scared that she’ll leave me. That’s why I want to be with her every single moment. I know our breakup back then wasn’t her fault, but... once bitten, twice shy. I’m always scared.”

Nina Norton sighed. ”Then why weren’t you scared when you went to your second uncle’s place?”

”I don’t know.” Ian Sterling shook his head, unsure of the reason himself.

”Finn, it’s actually my fault. I shouldn’t have spoiled you into having this kind of temper. Ever since you were little, whenever you fought with your brothers and sisters, you’d get angry if they didn’t give in to you. You had to have whatever you wanted, and if you didn’t get it, you’d throw an endless fit. And I always took your side.” Nina Norton knew her youngest son had a terrible temper; she always had. ”But you need to understand something. Lynn was also pampered and doted on growing up. You can’t just throw tantrums at her whenever you feel like it now that you’re dating. That’s not okay. As a man, the one thing you must never do is make the person you love feel wronged.”

Ian Sterling lowered his gaze, feeling a mix of guilt and regret.

Nina Norton continued, ”Of course, throwing a little tantrum now and then is fine. We can chalk it up to you being needy. But you can’t be as unreasonable as you were today, understand?”

”I know.” Ian Sterling turned his head to look at his mother and said earnestly, ”Thank you.”

Nina Norton deliberately shivered, saying with mock disgust, ”Don’t you start with that stuff. If you really scare my daughter-in-law away, I won’t care if your father beats you to death. And I won’t let your brothers interfere, either.”