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Chapter 195: Chapter 195: I Just Want to Hug You

”Kids can’t do homework forever. Why don’t you take a break? You can work on it again when the tutor gets here. Go find your grandfather in the back garden for now.”

Aiden Powell was already fidgeting. He nodded, shot up, and darted off.

Ian Sterling let out a sigh of relief. Gazing quietly at the scenery outside the window, he felt that this, finally, was a moment of peace.

The task of tutoring a child had managed to drive a free-spirited, wild, and untamable young master to the brink of insanity.

He got up, his legs feeling like jelly, and dragged himself to the elevator. He was completely drained and couldn’t even think about climbing a single stair. All he wanted was to get back to his room and recover the brain cells he’d just tragically lost.

Aiden Powell reached the backyard and saw his sister, Lynn, sitting between their two grandfathers. He trotted over, squatting by the pond. ”Whoa, there are actually edible fish in here.”

Lynn Winslow asked him, ”Is your homework done?”

”Nope. Ian said he was getting me a tutor. I’ll do it when the tutor gets here,” Aiden Powell said nonchalantly.

Lynn Winslow pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh and turned her face toward the fish. Elder Winslow gave her a gentle, exasperated pat, silently warning her not to wound the boy’s pride.

’What pride? The last two people who tried to teach him both went on strike. Pride is the last thing he has left.’

The butler was efficient. Before long, a woman with glasses and a rather serious expression walked over. Lynn Winslow, who always held a subconscious respect for teachers, stood up and smiled.

”Hello. Thank you for coming.”

The serious-looking teacher returned a gentle smile. ’She’d thought that in a family of this stature, few would show her much respect. At least, that had been her experience at other homes, where the young masters and misses were all arrogant, spoiled, and unruly.’

Lynn Winslow felt a pang of guilt toward this teacher who looked so serious but had such a gentle smile. She cleared her throat and said awkwardly, ”Um, about my cousin... If it gets to be too much, please don’t force yourself.”

The teacher glanced at Aiden Powell. ’He looks pretty well-behaved. It shouldn’t be that bad.’

She was wrong. Soon, the teacher could no longer keep her composure. She fell silent for a long moment, struggling to collect herself and suppress her anger before continuing with the lesson.

Lynn Winslow watched from behind for a little while before turning to the butler with a helpless sigh. ”If the tutor wants to leave, pay her five times the agreed-upon rate.”

The butler nodded. Lynn turned and headed upstairs. She couldn’t watch anymore; if she stayed, she was afraid she’d be tempted to smack the kid herself.

Ian Sterling was in their suite. Lynn Winslow pushed the door open, but when she didn’t find him in the sitting area, she headed toward the bedroom.

Seeing him lying face-down and motionless on the bed, Lynn found it a little funny. She walked to the edge of the bed, flopped down beside him in the same position, and turned her head to look at him. ”What’s wrong?”

Ian Sterling didn’t lift his head, just shaking it slightly. His voice was muffled when he spoke. ”It’s nothing. Just let me recover.”

Lynn couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle the hair on the back of his head. ”Are you frustrated because you couldn’t teach Aiden, or are you just mad at him?”

Ian Sterling finally lifted his face to look at her and said pitifully, ”Both.”

”Hey, it’s not just you. Zane Lancaster couldn’t teach him either, remember?” Lynn Winslow said, trying to console him.

But he wasn’t having it. He huffed softly. ”Zane Lancaster couldn’t teach him because Zane’s not good enough.”

”...”

’Right. He’s not good enough, but you are.’

Lynn Winslow wisely kept her mouth shut. Instead, she gently stroked his cheek, trying to soothe him. Ian Sterling scooted closer, draping an arm over Lynn’s back and sighing dramatically.

”We’re going to Griermount tomorrow. Did you tell your mom and dad?”

Ian Sterling had forgotten too. Lost in a haze of love, he wasn’t keeping track of such minor details. ”My dad definitely knows,” he said. ”I mean, I had a plane arranged. Besides, I mentioned it at the bar that day. My sister and the others were there, so I’m sure they told my mom.”

Lynn Winslow frowned. ”You should go see them. Whether they know or not, we’ll be gone for a while on the Griermount trip.”

Ian Sterling stared into her eyes for a moment, then pursed his lips and obediently agreed.

He got up to change. As he adjusted his collar in front of the mirror, he sighed. Lynn, standing behind him, asked, ”What’s wrong?”

”Nothing,” Ian Sterling said, shaking his head.

’He was plotting something he couldn’t let Lynn know about just yet. The uncertainty left him feeling unsettled, his heart fluttering with anxiety.’

Lynn stepped forward to straighten his collar, patted his shoulder, and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.

Ian Sterling suddenly didn’t want to go. He reached out. ”I...”

”Go on, don’t dawdle.” With a quick flick of her wrist, Lynn Winslow slapped his hand away and took a step back.

”I just want a hug.”

”Nope. With you, a hug is never-ending.” Lynn Winslow turned and walked away, giving Ian Sterling no chance to argue. ℯ

Ian Sterling let out a cry of protest but didn’t manage to stop her. He just heard Lynn say, ”Hurry up, it’s almost dark. Go have dinner with your parents, stay the night, and come back tomorrow.”

’In Ian Sterling’s eyes, her motive was crystal clear. She thought he was being clingy and was trying to get rid of him for the night.’

Ian Sterling caught up to her, grabbing Lynn Winslow’s arm and refusing to let go. He pursed his lips, asking unhappily, ”Are you getting tired of me?”

”Just listen to yourself. Does that make any sense?” Lynn Winslow shot him a look. ’Fine, if he wasn’t going to let go, then she’d just drag Ian Sterling downstairs with her.’

”But that’s what you mean.”

When he got relentless like this, he could be a real handful. Lynn Winslow sighed and had no choice but to explain, ”I really don’t mean that. Please don’t overthink it, okay?”

Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell walked in just in time to hear their confusing back-and-forth. ”What’s all this about ’what you mean’?” Elder Winslow asked, puzzled.

”Nothing.”

Just then, Aiden Powell called out to Ian Sterling. Ian instantly dropped Lynn’s hand as if he were being chased by a monster, quickly greeted the two older men, and strode out the door.

Aiden Powell walked over, looking at the three people who were trying to suppress their laughter. He was confused. ”Why did Ian leave?”

Lynn Winslow pursed her lips and said with a smile, ”It’s nothing. He was just in a hurry to get home.”

”Oh, okay. I was going to ask Ian about that one problem,” Aiden Powell sighed. He turned back to the table, chewing on his pen and staring blankly.

’Looks like the tutor left in a huff.’

Mr. Powell gritted his teeth and said to Lynn Winslow, ”I’m seriously going to have to ask your aunt and uncle if they accidentally brought home the wrong baby from the hospital. There’s no one this dense in the entire Powell family.”

Elder Winslow, enjoying the drama and happy to stir the pot, grinned. ”Impossible. One look at Aiden’s face and you know he’s a Powell. He probably takes after you. Why don’t you do some self-reflecting?”

Seeing that the two were about to start bickering again, Lynn Winslow quickly changed the subject.

”After Griermount, we can travel with you to some other provinces and cities in Veridia.”

”Sounds good. You two can handle the planning.” Elder Winslow had no objections. He was mainly set on going to Griermount; as for where they went after that, he would leave it up to his granddaughter.

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something.