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Chapter 178: Chapter 178: I Want a Title

Following behind, Lynn Winslow saw Zane Lancaster say something to Ian Sterling, but couldn’t make it out clearly because of her angle.

Seeing how furious Ian Sterling was, she walked over to him with Elder Winslow and asked softly, ”What’s wrong? What did he say to you?”

Ian Sterling pursed his lips, refusing to tell her. ’Getting chewed out and not being able to retort is so humiliating.’

Lynn Winslow gave him a suspicious glance. Elder Winslow nudged her arm, a silent warning not to press the issue. Lynn finally relented and pulled Ian Sterling into the living room.

They hadn’t been sitting for long when a commotion erupted outside.

Elder Winslow’s and Mr. Powell’s butlers, being unfamiliar with the estate, simply exchanged a look and stayed put. Only Ian Sterling’s butler went out to receive the guests.

Ian Sterling knew instantly—it had to be his childhood friends.

Sure enough, a whole crowd of people swarmed in, all talking at once. The villa, with its cool, minimalist decor, was suddenly filled with life.

Jasper Jennings and Kenneth Keller were smooth talkers. They sat with the two elders, showing no favoritism and effortlessly keeping the conversation lively and heated without a hint of fatigue. Ian Sterling shot them a speechless look before getting up to pour them tea himself, so quickly that the butler didn’t even have a chance to intervene.

As Ian Sterling refilled Jasper Jennings’ and Kenneth Keller’s cups, he whispered, ”What are you guys doing? Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you?”

Jasper Jennings picked up his teacup, a wide grin on his face, and whispered back, ”What’s wrong? We’re just being respectful to our elders. You’re jealous of that, too?”

Ian Sterling’s lips twitched into a forced smile as he returned to his seat. Lynn Winslow took his hand and whispered a few comforting words to him.

’It’s like *we’re* the outsiders here,’ she thought.

Lynn Winslow glanced up at Ian Sterling. As her gaze returned, it met the eyes of Zachary Quincy, who was sitting nearby.

There was something off about his expression. Lynn found it strange but pretended she hadn’t noticed, though her mind was racing.

Zachary Quincy hadn’t been fond of her before, because of what had happened. But now, his gaze was clearly apologetic. ’He must know something,’ she couldn’t help but suspect.

Ian Sterling saw it all. Leaning back against the sofa, he watched Lynn from over his shoulder, her brow furrowed in thought. A complicated feeling washed over him.

’Lynn is so smart. She’ll figure it out soon enough.’ He was most worried about how she would react when she did.

”They’re all busy talking. Let’s take Kiki and Humphrey out to the yard to play,”

Lynn Winslow suggested in a whisper. Ian Sterling nodded, and the two of them rose silently, scooping up one cat each and heading into the yard.

Ian Sterling was truly the ultimate cat dad, worthy of the title Lynn had bestowed on him for Kiki long ago. After expanding the yard, he’d even built a playground for the two cats. Worried that bugs might bite his furry children, he had it professionally cleaned every single day.

Lynn Winslow and Ian Sterling sat on a bench under a large patio umbrella. Lynn swung her legs leisurely. Whether inside or out, she loved and yearned for these warm, peaceful moments.

”Should we... have our families meet?” Ian Sterling proposed cautiously.

Lynn Winslow scoffed lightly. ”No,” she said, her voice lazy. ”They’ve all met. Why make it so formal?”

”This would be different,” Ian Sterling said, clearing his throat. He mumbled, ”I want to make it official.”

Lynn didn’t quite hear him. ”What did you say you want?” she asked, confused.

”To be official.” Another sound, as low and muffled as a fly buzzing past. Ian Sterling hadn’t even opened his mouth, the two words purely a hum from his nasal cavity.

”Speak up! Why are you being so timid all of a sudden?” Lynn Winslow frowned, chiding him in annoyance.

Ian Sterling didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Feeling awkward and frustrated, he whipped his head around to face away from Lynn. ”If you didn’t hear it, you didn’t hear it! I’m not saying it again,” he said quickly.

”So petty,” Lynn Winslow mumbled. She flopped onto Ian Sterling’s lap with a sigh. ”Do you think these peaceful days will ever end?”

Ian Sterling reached out to support her head, crossing his legs so she could lie more comfortably. ”They won’t,” he said softly. ”Just leave everything to me.”

”But what if you can’t handle it?”

”Then I still have my parents, my brother, and my sister, don’t I? And if all else fails, there’s Jasper Jennings, Kenneth Keller, Nigel Abbott, and Zachary Quincy. They might look like they’re just messing around all day, but in all of Veridia, there are only a handful of truly capable people, and they’re among them.”

Lynn Winslow’s lips curved into a smile. She was amused by Ian Sterling’s shamelessness, but his words warmed her heart.

She believed in Ian Sterling.

Ian Sterling’s butler must have just noticed they were gone, because he came out looking for them. Seeing the two chatting leisurely on the bench, the butler smiled. ”Finn, Miss, Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell are looking for you.”

Lynn Winslow pushed herself up from Ian’s lap and hopped in place a couple of times. Ian took her hand and led her back toward the villa.

The villa wasn’t quite as boisterous as when they’d left, but the conversation was still flowing. The moment they returned, Zane Lancaster chimed in mockingly, ”What’s this? Did you run outside because you felt like outsiders?”

Jasper Jennings and the others snickered. If any of them had said that to Ian Sterling, he would have held a grudge for sure. But Zane Lancaster was a different story. Ian wouldn’t bother holding a grudge over a petty remark like that, mainly because he was already so jealous of Zane that he’d filled half a notebook with grudges against him.

Ian Sterling narrowed his eyes at him. ”I wonder who the *real* outsider is here,” he said menacingly.

”Well, it’s not me. I’ve spent more time at the Winslow estate growing up than you’ve spent with Lynn,” Zane Lancaster said, leaning back against the sofa. He propped his chin on his hand, twisting the knife with casual indifference.

Rage completely consumed Ian Sterling’s reason. He took several steps forward, his narrow eyes turning crimson.

Lynn Winslow grabbed Ian’s hand and pulled it into a tight hug against her chest. She shot back at Zane Lancaster, ”Why do you always have to bully him?”

Zane Lancaster shrugged and shifted his position. Lynn shot him a venomous glare before turning to whisper comfortingly to Ian, ”Baby, don’t listen to him. He barely ever came to my house when we were kids.”

Ian Sterling’s chest heaved. Whether it was her words that got through to him, or the soft warmth he could feel against the hand she held to her chest, it was hard to say. In any case, by the time he sat back down, his anger had subsided.

Watching the scene, Elder Winslow chuckled and sighed. ”You youngsters.”

”Mr. Winslow, Finn might have a bit of a temper sometimes, but his heart’s in the right place,” Nigel Abbott, his future brother-in-law, chimed in to defend him.

”Young people. Aren’t they all like that? Forget you lot, my own son is about to become a grandfather himself, and even he gets stubborn and storms off sometimes.”

Nigel Abbott smiled. And just like that, the incident sparked by Zane Lancaster’s few words was smoothly glossed over.

Perhaps it was over. Perhaps not.

Ian Sterling wrapped an arm around Lynn Winslow, pulling her into his embrace as he shot a defiant look at Zane Lancaster.