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His mind raced, and he finally recalled who she was.

“Mrs. Sterling, hello. Welcome to our shop.”

Nina Norton stood up, proactively extended her hand for a light shake with the owner, and said gently, “It’s like this—my youngest son is looking for a show-quality Maine Coon. He’s in Morelia right now, so he asked me to come and inquire about your purchasing channels.”

The owner took a moment to process this before hurriedly saying, “Yes, of course, of course.”

Nina Norton had no intention of denying the owner his cut, so she gestured for the butler beside her to scan the QR code for payment at the front desk. ℴ

“No, no, there’s no need. It’s just a small thing, I—” Before he could finish, the sound of a successful transaction notification echoed through the shop.

The crisp sound of money hitting the bank, followed by the announced transaction amount, stunned both him and his employee.

He stared blankly at his phone. Nina Norton smiled and said, “How about this: I’ll give your contact information to my son, and you can discuss the details with him then.”

The owner snapped back to reality and nodded quickly.

Her task completed, Nina Norton walked out of the shop and let out a breath.

The butler said with an amused chuckle, “You really didn’t have to come all this way yourself, Ma’am. I could have handled it.”

“It’s hard for me to just sit at home. I’m always worried about Finn, so I figured I might as well get out for a walk.” Nina Norton glanced at a nearby shopping mall, her shoulders slumping. She, a woman who adored shopping, had absolutely no desire for it at the moment.

The butler followed behind her and made a gentle suggestion. “Many brands have been sending you invitations for their fashion shows in Quartos recently. Would you care to grace one with your presence? If you don’t go, I imagine the other ladies won’t either.”

Nina Norton was quite hesitant. The butler, getting to the heart of the matter, added with a smile, “I hear many of these brands have a young, fashionable style. You’ve met Miss Lynn Winslow. Why not go take a look, pick out a few nice pieces to send to Finn, and let him use them to win Miss Winslow’s favor?”

As expected of the Sterling Family’s head butler, every word hit the mark. Nina Norton glanced back, giving the butler an appreciative look. He offered a slight smile, sighing in relief internally.

Meanwhile, Ian Sterling got the pet shop owner’s contact information.

After adding him as a contact, he got straight to the point: [Hello, please send me the contact info for your sources.]

The owner sent it over quickly. Ian Sterling didn’t hesitate to call. After a brief chat, he hung up, and the other party sent him numerous photos of cats.

Ian Sterling examined each one, his brow furrowing tightly.

‘If the timeline is correct, then Huhu probably hasn’t even been born yet. His parents might still be in some unknown corner of the world.’

A wave of disappointment washed over Ian Sterling. He sighed, leaning back in his lounge chair, his hand resting on his phone screen, tapping it unconsciously. When he picked up his phone again, he realized he had accidentally opened the pet shop owner’s social media feed.

‘Well, since I’m already here…’ He propped his forehead on his hand and listlessly scrolled through the various pictures of cats and dogs on the screen.

Cute pets could always lift one’s spirits, at least a little. So, Ian Sterling kept scrolling down, all the way back to a post from several months ago.

His eyes widened as he slowly sat up, staring in shock at the cat in the photo, the very familiar hand, and the partial view of a face in the second picture.

[A super gorgeous woman came into the shop today and picked our treasure, the show-quality Maine Coon. As expected, it’s always beautiful women who love handsome cats!]

The caption wasn’t important; it was mostly just boilerplate praise. What mattered were the two photos.

Lynn Winslow was etched into his very heart, the person who still appeared in his dreams night after night. How could he not recognize her? The hand in the photo, that partial side profile—it was all Lynn.

Ian Sterling looked at the date, and a violent tremor ran through him.

‘So, Huhu existed all along, even before Kiki? After we broke up, after Lynn went back to Morelia, she came back again and bought Huhu?’

‘What on earth is going on?!’ Ian Sterling gasped for air, his head pounding as if it were about to split open.

Lynn Winslow, the object of his endless thoughts and longing, let out a sharp sneeze the moment she stepped out of the bathroom.

She frowned, glancing at the two cats in their bed nearby.

Kiki had been nearly a year old when she brought him home, while Huhu was only a few months. Huhu, who should have been the big brother, became the little brother with Kiki’s arrival, but he didn’t mind in the slightest. He was even clingier to Kiki than he was to her.

Lynn Winslow walked over to the cat bed and crouched down, smiling softly as she stroked their fluffy heads.

They were sound asleep, and Lynn didn’t want to disturb them. She picked up a pack of cigarettes, walked out onto the balcony, closed the door behind her, and lit one by the window.

The balcony overlooked the lake on the villa’s grounds, and the surrounding lights had just turned on.

Lynn propped her forehead on her hand, gently exhaling a cloud of smoke. A touch of melancholy colored her features.

Ian Sterling’s sudden arrival had caught her completely off guard, forcing her to confront the guilt and deep love she held within.

She was the one who had initiated the breakup. As for why, Lynn couldn’t even clearly remember anymore. All she knew was that she had hurt Ian Sterling deeply.

When Ethan Powell told her Ian Sterling had been hospitalized for alcohol abuse, Lynn was so distraught she fainted. But held back by her damned pride, she refused to lower her head and reconcile with him.

Later, she went to Veridia, hoping to catch a secret glimpse of Ian Sterling. But the Sterling Family kept his hospital floor under such tight watch that she couldn’t see him at all. She had to stay for several days, waiting until he was discharged to steal a glance from a distance.

Only after confirming he was safe did she return to Morelia. Before leaving, she stopped by the pet shop and brought Huhu home.

Lynn turned and leaned against the balcony railing. She gazed through the glass door at the two sleeping cats in their bed and sighed, her voice trembling.

She didn’t know what she should do.

The cigarette burned down to its end. Lynn stubbed it out and went back into the bedroom, where she tossed and turned until the sky began to lighten before finally falling asleep.

She woke up to find it was already one in the afternoon. Lynn was so hungry her stomach was growling loudly. With Mrs. Sterling at Winslow Manor, Lynn had no choice but to go out and find food on her own.

Just as she stepped out of the villa, someone came running toward her from the opposite direction, dressed in athletic wear and drenched in sweat.

The person stopped in front of her and, feigning nonchalance, said, “Hey.”

Lynn couldn’t deny that he had startled her. She stood stunned for a long moment before asking, “What are you doing here?”

“Ah… running. Getting some exercise.”

It was currently the hottest part of the day. Lynn glanced up at the blazing sun directly overhead, then at his sun-flushed face, and couldn’t help but let out an exasperated laugh.

“You… are running… for exercise… in front of my house… at this time of day?”

Ian Sterling coughed twice, bit his lip in embarrassment, and started spouting nonsense. “The scenery here is nice. And the strong sun… it gets rid of dampness.”

‘Gets rid of dampness, huh.’

Lynn’s lips twisted into a smirk. With a cold sneer, she turned and walked away.

Ian Sterling quickly caught up to her, asking placatingly, “Where are you going? I’m not very familiar with this area and haven’t had lunch yet. Why don’t you take me with you?”

“Not familiar?” Lynn glanced at him sideways, enunciating each word, “If you’re not familiar with the area, how did you manage to run right to my front door?”