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Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Made to Cry by Lynn’s Bite

Alright, then. There was nothing more Selene Sterling could say.

One was dishing it out, and the other was taking it. It was all because Lynn was happy to coddle him.

Selene dragged her sister into the bar. After a few steps, Zoe Sterling turned back to call out to Nigel Abbott, who was still standing by the couple, enjoying the show and even inching closer.

”What are you doing? Let’s go. You getting hooked on the drama?”

Her shout snapped Ian Sterling out of it. He glared at Nigel Abbott, who simply rubbed his nose, turned, and followed the Sterling sisters inside.

Lynn noticed the patrons coming and going were all staring at them, so she led Ian Sterling a short distance to the side.

”Don’t cry. I shouldn’t have bitten you like that.” Lynn stood on her tiptoes to cup Ian Sterling’s face, coaxing him softly. ”I won’t tease you like this again.”

With his eyes slightly red, Ian Sterling met Lynn’s aggrieved gaze and asked seriously, ”Are you sure?”

Hearing this, Lynn sensed an opening and nodded quickly.

Ian Sterling immediately pressed his advantage, deciding to take a mile for the inch he was given.

”Then if I tease you in the future, you can’t get mad at me or hold it against me, and you can’t find other excuses to tease me back.”

”???”

Lynn was utterly confused. When it dawned on her, she narrowed her eyes at Ian Sterling. Catching the hint of a smile that flashed in his eyes, she laughed in exasperation.

”You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Her tone was one of absolute certainty.

Ian Sterling took a step back, moving just out of her reach. ”I’m not,” he said quietly. ”It really hurts.”

Lynn held out her hand. ”Let me see.”

Ian Sterling hesitated for a moment before placing his hand in hers. The next second, Lynn brought his hand to her mouth, pretending she was about to bite it again.

Ian Sterling yelped. Lynn held the pose and looked up at him. Seeing that he was genuinely a little scared, she finally snorted with laughter, flung his hand away, and turned to walk into the bar ahead of him.

Once Zoe and the others were in the private room, Jasper Jennings asked, ”You’re all here. How come Finn and Lynn haven’t arrived yet?”

”...” Nigel Abbott said, holding back a laugh. ”He cried. Lynn bit him and made him cry. The two of them are squabbling outside.”

”Huh?” The others in the room all stood up in shock, ready to go watch the spectacle. Just as they reached the hallway, preparing to head downstairs, they ran right into Lynn and Ian Sterling.

”Where are you all going?” Ian Sterling frowned, confused.

Kenneth Keller asked mischievously, ”We heard you were crying. We were just on our way to comfort you.”

Ian Sterling snapped, ”Who said that? I did not cry!”

Zachary Quincy jerked his chin toward the private room, and Ian Sterling understood instantly. Jasper Jennings said bluntly, ”Your brother-in-law, of course.”

”What brother-in-law? If I don’t acknowledge him, then he’s not my brother-in-law.” Ian Sterling smiled, but it was a faint smile, dripping with sarcasm.

Seeing the look on Ian Sterling’s face, they didn’t dare to tease him anymore and quietly returned to the private room together.

Upon entering, Ian Sterling headed straight for Nigel Abbott. Nigel was lounging on the sofa, watching him with a leisurely, unworried expression. But before Ian could get close, Zoe Sterling stepped in to block him.

”What are you doing?”

”Settling a score.”

”What score is there to settle?” Zoe Sterling arched an eyebrow. ”You cried, but your brother-in-law isn’t allowed to say so?”

Ian Sterling looked at her in disbelief. Zoe had never once admitted that Nigel Abbott was her boyfriend.

Zoe’s lips curved. ”What, is there a problem? I’m planning on making things official with him. I let it slide when you used to be a tyrant and pick on him, but you are not allowed to bully your brother-in-law from now on.”

Ian Sterling was deeply hurt. He turned on his heel and walked away, seeking comfort from Lynn.

A little squabble between a couple was, in his eyes, a momentary grievance. But the ’betrayal’ from his own sister felt particularly serious.

Lynn had been talking with the others. When she saw him return, she blinked and asked, ”What happened?”

Ian Sterling opened his mouth, but he didn’t want the others to know. He just shook his head, sat down beside Lynn, and leaned against her, sighing incessantly.

Lynn reached up and stroked his face but didn’t press the issue.

Since Ian Sterling was in a bad mood, Lynn drank for the both of them. By the time the party broke up, she was so woozy she could barely see straight.

With an arm around her, Ian Sterling said to the others, ”We’re heading out. We’ll be accompanying Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell to Griermount for the next couple of days. Help keep an eye on Quartos, and on Zane Lancaster’s side of things.”

Jasper Jennings gave a small wave, signaling for him not to worry.

Ian Sterling managed to half-carry Lynn for a few steps, but then she refused to lift her feet at all. He had no choice but to bend down and sweep her up into his arms.

The driver was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing them emerge, he hurried to open the car door.

Once in the car, Lynn seemed to wake up. She reached for Ian Sterling’s earlobe, but she was so drunk she kept missing. She was seeing double—several Ians, and just as many earlobes.

She whined pitifully, ”Why are you dodging me? I just want to pinch your earlobe.”

Upon hearing this, the driver quickly raised the privacy partition.

Ian grabbed Lynn’s hand and guided it to his ear, letting her finally pinch his earlobe. Seeing her giggle happily, he patted her on the back with a resigned sigh, as if pacifying a small child.

”Happy now?”

Lynn gave a cheerful ”Mhm.” ’Happy. So happy.’

Ian held her, letting her hands roam freely, stoking a fire in him. And just as he was thoroughly aroused, she fell asleep.

He arrived home still burning with pent-up desire. He carried Lynn to their room, gave her a quick bath, changed her into pajamas, and put her in bed. By the time he finished, Ian Sterling was panting from exhaustion.

Drunk people were just so difficult to handle. A moment ago, Lynn had wanted to play with bubbles, then with the water from the faucet. She got upset when the bubbles popped. She was unhappy when the water flow was too slow, and even unhappier when it was too fast. Ian even suspected she was deliberately getting revenge for how he’d pushed his luck earlier.

He was at his wit’s end. Only after watching Lynn fall into a deep sleep did he finally go back to the bathroom to shower.

He had just finished showering and hadn’t even had time to dry off when someone started pounding on the bathroom door, shouting, ”Ian Sterling! Ian Sterling!”

Resigned, Ian didn’t bother with anything else and just opened the door. Lynn, her eyes half-closed, immediately threw herself into his arms. Her silk pajamas were instantly soaked by the water droplets still clinging to his body.

She didn’t seem to mind or find it uncomfortable in the slightest. With a little hop, she latched onto him and whined, ”Why didn’t you come put me to bed?”

”I was showering. I smell like alcohol and was afraid I’d overwhelm you,” Ian Sterling said softly, rubbing her back. ”Can you wait for me for just a minute? I’ll change into my pajamas and then come put you to sleep.”

Lynn shook her head. ”I’ll go with you.”

He was out of options. Ian had to carry her to change his clothes, and while he was at it, he changed her out of her damp pajamas into a dry set.

By the time all the fuss was over, it was already past midnight. Ian lay flat on his back, utterly spent, staring at the ceiling, the corners of his eyes red with strain.

Meanwhile, the hand of the culprit, Lynn, was currently making mischief all over his body.