You're not leaving this time.

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: It’s Too Late to Play Dumb

”Zachary hasn’t been right since he got back.”

Ian Sterling pulled out a chair. He sat down with a languid posture and asked, ”He’s with the person he loves. What could possibly be wrong?”

”I’m not kidding,” Jasper Jennings said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, which was sore from constant frowning.

Kenneth Keller added, ”We called your butler and were about to head to your place to find you, but when we learned Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow were there, we decided to wait for you here instead.”

Ian Sterling’s expression gradually grew serious. He listened as Jasper Jennings continued, ”They probably broke up. And knowing Zachary, he’s not going to be like you were back then.”

”We’re talking about Zachary, so let’s stick to Zachary. Why bring me into it?” Ian Sterling muttered, looking vexed.

Kenneth Keller said, ”He’s shut himself in and won’t see anyone, but the Quincy family says Zachary just spends a lot of time in his study and there’s nothing else out of the ordinary.”

Ian Sterling lowered his gaze, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop a few times. He had a good idea of the reason.

”It’s fine. I’m heading back first. We can talk about it later if anything comes up.” Ian Sterling wasn’t sure what kind of trouble might arise if he told them about this, so he decided to keep it from them for now.

After he left, Kenneth Keller and Jasper Jennings exchanged a look. Kenneth whispered, ”I have a feeling Finn knows something.”

Jasper Jennings took a sip of his tea and leaned back in his chair. ”He definitely knows something,” he said lazily, ”but he’s not willing to tell us.”

”This is so frustrating, all of them.” Kenneth Keller ran a hand through his already messy hair and sighed in annoyance.

Jasper Jennings put down his teacup and stood up. ”Let’s go. I’m sick of this place.”

”Let’s go to your place, then. We can just have the manager whip something up.” Kenneth Keller followed behind him, and the two of them walked out together.

As they passed the private room Ian Sterling was in, Kenneth Keller paused and asked Jasper Jennings, ”Should we go in and say hello to Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow? I haven’t met Elder Winslow yet.”

”Let’s pay a formal visit to Calyx Hall tomorrow. It’s not a good time now; we haven’t prepared anything.”

”Alright, then.”

When Ian Sterling returned to the room, Lynn Winslow asked quizzically, ”What was that about?”

”It was nothing. Jasper Jennings and Kenneth Keller were here, so we chatted about some company matters.”

Lynn Winslow just said, ”Oh,” and went back to eating.

After they got home, Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow wanted them to accompany them for a walk in the botanical park behind Calyx Hall. Still tired from the afternoon, Lynn Winslow refused and pushed Ian Sterling forward to go with them instead.

Ian Sterling really wanted to cuddle with her, but with both elders looking at him, he had the strange feeling that he was being eagerly anticipated.

So he had no choice but to go with them. When he returned, he saw there was already kibble in Kiki and Hummy’s bowls, so he opened a can of food for them as a treat.

By the time he got back to their room, Lynn Winslow was fast asleep.

Ian Sterling stood by the bed with his hands on his hips, hesitating for a long while before deciding to take a shower first.

He stood before the sink, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror for a moment. His mind was a mess.

First came Esther Abbott and Zachary Quincy, then Mia Rhodes. In the end, it all coalesced into one firm resolve: he had to be with Lynn Winslow for the rest of his life. No matter who tried to interfere or cause trouble, he had to nip their intentions in the bud.

He picked up the phone he had set aside and sent a message to Zachary Quincy.

”See you at your office tomorrow morning.”

Zachary Quincy only replied after Ian Sterling had finished his shower. It was a single word: ”Okay.”

Ian Sterling gazed down at his phone screen but didn’t reply. He put his phone on silent and went back to the bedroom, phone in hand.

Lynn Winslow was currently splayed out on the bed, limbs spread-eagled in a star shape in the very center. A smile touched Ian Sterling’s lips. He bent down, setting his phone aside as he sought out Lynn’s lips for a kiss.

It wasn’t too late yet, and Ian Sterling was willing to let Lynn Winslow catch up on sleep first. So, he climbed onto the bed and masterfully gathered her limbs, tucking her legs between his and bending her arms to rest against his chest. It was an intimate, cuddling position.

Ian Sterling didn’t sleep. Instead, he simply held her, listening to her soft, steady breaths, which was a pleasure in itself.

But this pleasure didn’t last long. After maintaining the cuddling position for no more than half an hour, Lynn Winslow began to flail about again.

When Lynn Winslow’s knee dug into him, Ian Sterling almost coughed up a lung.

He glared fiercely at Lynn Winslow, finally deciding he wasn’t going to take it anymore. He reached out and started pulling at her pajamas.

Lynn Winslow was woken by the roughhousing. She groggily opened her eyes and, in the next second, found herself staring right into Ian Sterling’s.

His eyes were as dark as ink, like swirling vortexes. In an instant, Lynn Winslow felt as if she were being dragged into a swamp.

By the time Ian Sterling carried her, covered in a hot sweat, to the bathroom, Lynn Winslow finally had enough energy to protest.

”Why did you have to wake me up!” Her voice was hoarse, clear evidence that it had just been overused.

Ian Sterling laughed. He pulled over a towel, laid it on the bathroom counter, and set her down on it before turning to fill the bathtub.

”Didn’t you promise me? That you’d compensate me properly tonight.”

Lynn Winslow leaned wearily against the mirror. Hearing this, she said in disbelief, ”When did I ever say that?”

Ian Sterling didn’t care whether she was playing dumb or had genuinely forgotten. In any case, he had already gotten what he wanted; it was too late for her to feign ignorance.

”Jerk,” Lynn Winslow cursed softly. Ian Sterling had already reached out to pick her up and put her in the tub, but hearing her curse him in that tone inexplicably struck a chord with him, stirring up a feeling he couldn’t quite describe.

His fingers started to wander. Lynn Winslow, who hadn’t recovered yet, widened her eyes to try and stop him, but he caught her by the wrist.

It was already the middle of the night by the time they emerged from the bathroom again. Lynn Winslow was now more out of breath than in, with no strength left to curse him. Besides, she didn’t want to curse him with a voice like this, afraid it wouldn’t faze him and might even have the opposite effect.

The moment she hit the covers, Lynn Winslow fell asleep. Ian Sterling took the initiative to clean up the mess in the bathroom and took another quick shower before returning to the bedroom to hold her as he slept.

Lynn Winslow was still asleep in the morning. Afraid of waking her, Ian Sterling went to the living room’s washroom to get ready.

After he finished, he glanced at his phone, then went straight to the underground garage, got in his car, and headed for the Quincy Group’s corporate headquarters.

Zachary Quincy was waiting for him in his executive suite, looking utterly dejected as he leaned back on the sofa.

This was the scene that greeted Ian Sterling when he arrived. He asked lightly, ”Broke up?”

Zachary Quincy grunted in acknowledgment. He moved the arm covering his eyes to look at Ian Sterling. Seeing the scrutiny and pressure in his friend’s gaze, Zachary gave a slight, humorless laugh.

”Looks like you’ve known about this for a while.”

”Yeah. I overheard,” he said. Since Zachary already knew that he knew, Ian Sterling didn’t bother hiding it and admitted it frankly.

Zachary Quincy rested his elbows on his knees and hunched over, as if something was weighing him down from behind.

Ian Sterling sat down across from him, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, a stark contrast to Zachary’s current demeanor.

”I found out by accident,” Zachary said. ”I always knew Esther Abbott was hiding some things from me, but I never expected it would be something like this.”