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‘Maybe it was because Ian Sterling was always clinging to me, even biting me?’

The scenes were a chaotic jumble, as if multiple layers were stacked together. The only things that remained clear were Ian Sterling’s face and her own.

Hugging, kissing… scenes like that.

Lynn Winslow bit her lip and cried out in pain. Ian Sterling frantically threw his arms around her. The scene from their engagement day suddenly flashed through his mind, and his legs gave out, causing him to drop to his knees. “Lynn, Lynn, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice trembling. “Where does it hurt?”

He placed his hand over Lynn Winslow’s heart, feeling it pound rapidly. He was so frantic his eyes grew bloodshot.

The headache gradually subsided. Lynn Winslow slowly looked toward Ian Sterling and shook her head, lips pressed together, as tears dripped onto the back of his hand.

She smiled through her tears, her fingers caressing the side of Ian Sterling’s face. “It’s so funny,” she said. “I can’t believe one sentence from you was all it took for me to remember everything.”

Ian Sterling looked up, dazed, and stared into Lynn Winslow’s eyes, unable to process what was happening.

Lynn Winslow chuckled softly. She leaned down, cupped Ian Sterling’s face in her hands, and kissed him. The salty taste of tears spread between their lips. Ian Sterling finally understood, and muffled, broken sobs escaped him.

“I thought… you’d never remember.”

Although he’d been disappointed, just having her back was enough to satisfy him. He never expected Lynn Winslow would actually remember.

“Did you go beat up Jared Sterling?” Lynn Winslow asked with a smile, wiping away his tears.

Ian Sterling nodded and said viciously, “If I wasn’t giving my uncle some face, I would have beaten him to death.”

It no longer bothered Lynn Winslow. Instead, she comforted Ian Sterling, chuckling softly. “Just think of it as being given two lifetimes. Besides, in this life, we weren’t separated for three years.”

“But if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have suffered so much. We wouldn’t have even broken up. We’d probably be married by now.”

Lynn Winslow asked, amused, “Why are you so fixated on getting married?”

“I just… I want us to have an official status.”

Lynn Winslow hadn’t expected him to be so fixated on having an official title—more so than anyone else.

“Do I make you feel insecure? Or is it something I did?” Lynn Winslow asked seriously.

Ian Sterling shook his head, looking a bit confused. “Why would you ask that?”

“Then why are you always going on about an official status? Isn’t ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ a status too?”

“Ah…” Ian Sterling turned his face away, avoiding Lynn Winslow’s gaze.

‘That wasn’t the reason at all. He just wanted an official excuse to be clingy with Lynn Winslow. He wanted to be able to introduce her as his wife, not his girlfriend or fiancée. The word ‘wife’ just sounded so much more intimate than ‘girlfriend’ or ‘fiancée’.’

Lynn Winslow poked him on the forehead, then picked up her laptop and headed upstairs. Turning back, she said to Ian Sterling, “I have to work. Don’t bother me. I won’t be out until dinner.”

Ian Sterling opened his mouth, but before he could protest, Lynn Winslow was already out of sight.

He pouted but didn’t actually intend to keep clinging to Lynn Winslow. He leaned back into the sofa, propped up his legs, and started messaging Jasper Jennings and their friends to brag.

Meanwhile, after returning to her study, Lynn Winslow leaned against the door for a long time, composing herself.

It was still a little overwhelming to suddenly have such a long stretch of memories return. The memories themselves were simple, though—it was either time spent with Ian Sterling or the agony she suffered before her death.

She pressed a hand to her chest, her lips tightening. The memory of that pain was still vivid, and it felt as if her heart was throbbing with a phantom ache in time with the returning memories.

And yet, the corners of Lynn Winslow’s mouth were turned up in a smile.

The pain faded, replaced by an endless joy. Like Ian Sterling, she had felt lost when she learned she was missing memories. But now that she had them back, she truly understood just how precious they were to them both.

*

For some reason, Lynn Winslow found herself frowning as she watched a rather agitated Joel Winslow stand before her.

“I don’t know how it happened, but all the senior executives at his company have been poached with high-paying offers. The ones who haven’t been poached are only there because they were forced to stay after trying to leave.”

Lynn Winslow said, “To pull something like that… Who do you think did it?”

“I can’t trace it, but I have a feeling it might be Ian Sterling.”

“Who else?” The office door behind them suddenly opened, and both of them turned to look. It was Zane Lancaster, whom they hadn’t seen in ages.

He sauntered in, saying, “He didn’t just poach his senior execs. A few of the companies that were close with that idiot cousin of yours—I don’t know what he did, but they all canceled their partnerships. I even managed to pick up a couple of them on the cheap.”

Lynn Winslow was amused. “The Sterling Family is known for being upright and honorable. This doesn’t seem like their style…”

Zane Lancaster crossed his arms and sat on the sofa, casually propping his leg on the table. “Do you really think the Sterling Family could have gotten where they are by being as clean as they look?” he said languidly. “Besides, he grew up at Master Sterling’s side. He might act like nothing fazes him, but when it comes to you, there’s no way he’d actually let it go.”

He turned to Lynn Winslow and chuckled. “So, getting married this soon?”

Lynn Winslow nodded, a rare bashfulness in her expression. Resting her chin in her hand, she said, “Yep. We love each other, so we’re getting married.”

Joel Winslow blinked, his expression unreadable, but Zane Lancaster said, “Right on. That’s great.”

“So, Lynn,” Joel Winslow finally said, his gaze fixed intently on her, “after the wedding, are you planning to live here in Morelia, or will you go back to Veridia with Ian Sterling?” Lynn thought for a moment, then answered casually, “Either is fine. We’ll probably just split our time. Now that Winslow Corp has you, it doesn’t really matter whether I’m around or not. We can do a month here, a month there.”

Joel Winslow just said, “Oh,” and dropped his gaze to her hand on the mouse.

Lynn Winslow watched him for a moment, then chuckled. “What’s with the long face? Are you upset because I’ll be splitting my time, or because I’m dumping all of Winslow Corp on you?”

Zane Lancaster, who could sympathize with Joel Winslow’s position, understood perfectly and spoke up first. “It’s a huge company, Winslow Corp. Having it all dumped on his shoulders is a lot of pressure. Who would be happy about that?”

At Zane’s words, Joel Winslow could no longer contain his emotions. He quickly made an excuse and left Lynn Winslow’s office.

Zane Lancaster watched his crestfallen figure retreat and pressed his lips together.

Lynn Winslow was confused, but only slightly. She stood, pulled a bottle of cold water from a nearby mini-fridge, and took a few sips before tossing another one to Zane Lancaster.

“What brings you here today? Got some free time?”

“Came to deliver your gift,” Zane Lancaster said, jutting his chin out.

“So where’s the gift?” He had clearly arrived empty-handed.

Zane Lancaster shot her a sidelong glance, looking exasperated. “It was sent to Winslow Manor, obviously. You think I’d bring it here? Has falling in love made you an idiot?”

Lynn Winslow glared at him, but then she remembered what Ian Sterling had told her—that Zane Lancaster had played a part in them getting back to where they were now.

“Zane, thank you.”

“…” The sincerity in her voice gave Zane Lancaster goosebumps. He frowned. “Have you lost your mind?”

“…Get out of here. Don’t bother me while I’m working.”