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Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Retract, Let Me Say It Myself

Nina Norton gave the couple a teasing glance, her smile widening as she looked away.

Nothing made her happier than seeing her son and future daughter-in-law getting along so well.

As for Spencer Sterling, he wasn’t too concerned with the romantic details. His main concern was always whether his children had found a good home—yes, a place where they truly belonged.

His eldest son had found him a wonderful daughter-in-law, and his second son had been single his entire life. As for his youngest, he might as well have been the one getting married off.

Nina Norton called Lynn Winslow to her side. As for Ian Sterling, he could sit wherever he liked.

Holding Lynn’s hand, she lavished praise on Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell. And what was she praising? It was all about how her Finn was nowhere near good enough for Lynn, how winning Lynn’s affection was the blessing of his lifetime, and how he was definitely the one marrying up.

Naturally, Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell returned the compliments, praising Ian Sterling in turn. But each time, Nina Norton and Spencer Sterling would casually deflect the praise, leaving the two old gentlemen at a loss for what to say.

Seeing his wife chatting away without getting to the main point, Spencer Sterling took the initiative to bring up the engagement.

”Mr. Winslow, Mr. Powell, we’re here today to talk about these two kids’ engagement.”

Elder Winslow smiled. ”Finn has already spoken with us. If they want to get engaged, I have no objections.”

Ian Sterling was perched on the armrest of Lynn’s chair, his arm draped over her shoulders. Hearing his grandfather-in-law’s words, he gave Lynn’s shoulder a little squeeze. When she glanced at him, he shot her a smug, triumphant eyebrow-raise.

Lynn scoffed. ’What’s he so smug about? If I don’t agree, none of this means anything.’

Lynn simply reached up and gave him a sharp pinch. Seeing him grimace and rub the sore spot, she turned back with a satisfied smirk, only to find everyone else staring at them. They all quickly averted their eyes the moment she looked.

”...”

Nina Norton pressed her lips together, hiding a smile, and gave Lynn’s palm a conspiratorial squeeze.

It seemed mother and son both favored that gesture. Lynn smiled and squeezed Nina’s palm in return.

Spencer Sterling handed the guest list to the two elders. Elder Winslow wasn’t deeply familiar with Veridia—or rather, aside from the Powell and Sterling families, he couldn’t be bothered to learn about anyone else. Mr. Powell, however, took the list and glanced over it.

The list included names of people on good terms with the Powell family, but not necessarily close to the Sterlings. Mr. Powell could tell at a glance that they had already taken the Powell family’s social ties and obligations into consideration.

Mr. Powell sighed. He set the list on the table and looked earnestly at Spencer and Nina.

”You’ve truly put a great deal of thought into this.”

”It’s only right.”

The conversation then turned to matters like seating arrangements, and Lynn’s head began to swim. She rested her forehead against Ian’s side, yawning repeatedly.

They had indeed overdone it last night. Ian stroked her hair and addressed the elders. ”Mr. Powell, Mr. Winslow, Mom, Dad, I’m going to take Lynn home to rest.”

Seeing that Lynn did look exhausted, the elders let them go. These were matters the older generation could decide on, after all; the young couple didn’t need to be present for every detail.

As soon as they were in the car, Lynn reclined her seat, yawning from exhaustion. ”Jerk,” she mumbled.

Ian started the car and pulled away from the Powell residence. Hearing her comment, a wry smile touched his lips. ’He’d gotten everything he wanted; a few curses weren’t going to hurt him.’

Back at Calyx Hall, Ian wanted Lynn to see his surprise first, but she couldn’t summon an ounce of energy. Head drooping, she walked straight into the elevator. Her two cats followed at her heels, riding up with her and leaving Ian standing alone, staring helplessly at the pile of boxes on the floor.

He had no choice but to follow. When he got to the bedroom, he found Lynn already lying down. Kiki and Hmph had claimed their spots: one was holding down the duvet at her side, and the other was curled up on his pillow, taking up most of what was supposed to be Ian’s side of the bed.

Ian went over, about to scold them, but he didn’t want to wake Lynn and upset her. So, he silently scooped up both cats and put them out of the room.

Those two always got clingy the moment they entered this bedroom. Besides, the world of adults wasn’t exactly suitable for cats.

Lynn wasn’t sleeping deeply. She woke for a moment when Ian was checking on her, mostly out of fear that he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Seeing that he was behaving and showing restraint, she relaxed and drifted back to sleep.

Ian, however, was too excited to sleep. They had just discussed the engagement date at the Powell residence. The auspicious date chosen by the master was less than a month away. Soon, he would officially wear the ”Property of Lynn Winslow” label. From then on, whether he was in front of Zane Lancaster or Joel Winslow, he could hold his head high with pride.

He leaned against the headboard, phone in hand, and started chatting with his childhood friends in their group chat, most of whom were slacking off at work.

Ian was feeling particularly generous today and sent a flurry of red packets into the chat. The amounts weren’t huge—everyone got maybe five bucks on average—but it was infinitely more than the usual ten or twenty cents he’d normally send.

Zachary Quincy popped up, first sending a shocked emoji, then a message: [Finn, what’s the good news? Why are you being so generous? Did you set the engagement date?]

A smug smile played on Ian’s lips. He was just about to type out a ”Yep,” but Nigel Abbott beat him to it.

[I think it’s next month. Mr. Sterling and Ms. Norton mentioned it yesterday.]

It wasn’t surprising that Nigel knew. He’d had dinner at the Sterling family home last night after work, along with Zoe Sterling, who had just rushed back to Quartos.

But having Nigel say it just wasn’t as satisfying as announcing it himself. Ian tagged Nigel in the chat: [@Nigel Abbott Retract that. Let me say it.]

Nigel retracted the message and said nothing more. The chat went silent.

Ian was about to type when Lynn rolled over to face him. She draped a hand over his thigh, her fingers twitching slightly. It was a subtle movement, but it was enough to instantly set Ian on fire.

He absolutely did not dare to touch her again. Gritting his teeth, he lay down and pulled Lynn into his arms. He held her, silently enduring the torment, and completely forgot about the good news he was supposed to be announcing in the group chat.

Meanwhile, the others in the chat waited for a long time, but Ian never reappeared. Kenneth Keller tentatively sent a couple of question marks. When Ian still didn’t show, he sent an insulting sticker.

*

Lynn slept for a long time, waking up in the evening to the sound of her stomach rumbling. She’d slept most of the day away and hadn’t eaten a proper meal since the night before. Of course she was hungry.

Ian sneezed several times as he stepped out of the bathroom after a cold shower. Worried about catching a cold and ruining their engagement ceremony a month away, he went downstairs to drink two packets of an instant cold remedy. As a result, he missed the moment Lynn woke up.

Lynn was still lying in bed, staring into space, when Ian pushed the door open. Seeing her with her eyes open, he said, ”I had a feeling you were about to wake up. Are you hungry? I had the chef make dinner. It’s ready now.”

Lynn nodded, still too groggy to fully process what was happening.

Seeing her like this, Ian chuckled. He gently pinched her cheek. ”What is it? You look like you’re a million miles away.”

”I’ve completely lost track of time,” Lynn said, blinking. She stared at him blankly. ”What time is it?”