My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 107: I Will Forever Be Your Brother

Kian Sterling had a safe in his study.

Celia Sterling found a place to sit in the study. Before long, Kian Sterling retrieved a photo album from the safe.

"Kade, why do you keep a photo album in the safe?" Celia chuckled as she reached for it. "At the Sterling Villa, all our photos are just lying around everywhere. I’ve seen you leave them in the study, the bedroom, the living room, the media room... everywhere."

Kian Sterling explained casually, "Metropia is where we live long-term. Port Sovereign is different. I only come here a few times a year. If things are left out, there’s a high chance they could get lost or damaged."

Celia hummed in agreement and lowered her head to look at the photos.

There were about a hundred photos, almost all of which were solo pictures of her as a young child. They spanned from her birth to when she was three or four, looking adorably chubby and cute. Celia searched for a long time before finding two photos of her with Kian Sterling—

An adorable little girl, three or four years old, was nestled in Kian Sterling’s arms, beaming at the camera. Her features already bore a strong resemblance to how Celia looked now. Kian himself was only eleven at the time, still a very green and youthful boy, yet his features already showed the makings of his future refinement. Even then, there was a hint of the cold, commanding aura he had today.

The other photo was the one the butler had mentioned, of the two of them at the piano.

The little girl, wearing a princess dress, had a delicate and tender expression as she sat obediently beside a young Kian Sterling. The boy was playing the piano elegantly, but her pale little paws were playfully covering his slender fingers, deliberately causing a ruckus. His expression seemed to hold a hint of exasperation, but the look he gave her was exceptionally gentle.

Celia flipped through a few more pages, muttering, "No wonder I couldn’t find a single photo of myself from before I was four in Metropia. They were all here in Port Sovereign! Kade, can I take some back with me when I return to Metropia this time?"

Kian Sterling nodded, but his tone was quite serious. "You can, but Cece, you can only look at them by yourself. And when you’re not looking at them, you must keep them in a safe."

Celia was confused. "Why?"

But Kian Sterling didn’t explain. "Stop asking so many questions."

Celia knew Kian Sterling’s temper. When he was in a good mood, he’d give her the moon and the stars. When he wasn’t, his word was law for the entire Sterling Family. Since he was unwilling to explain, Celia thoughtfully refrained from asking more questions. She simply closed the album as if it were a precious treasure.

"Okay, then I’ll keep them for myself."

She paused. "Kade, back then... did Mom ever come here?"

Kian Sterling’s voice was indifferent. "She came for two days. Why do you ask?"

He really didn’t want to bring up June Coleman right now.

He had been too young to sign contracts independently at the time. She had made a brief appearance, signed some agreements on his behalf, and then rushed back to Metropia. Kian Sterling didn’t bother explaining this in detail to Celia, whose focus wasn’t there anyway. She said softly,

"Just now, in that abandoned perfume lab, a very blurry image suddenly popped into my head. In the image, there was a woman in a white lab coat, holding me and teaching me how to smell fragrances..."

Kian Sterling froze.

Celia continued, "I couldn’t see her face, but she called me Cece in a very gentle voice and said she was my mom. Kade, so Mom used to be that gentle with me when I was little. She’s so different now."

She tilted her head, thinking. "Now, whenever we meet, she still speaks to me gently, but it feels very fake."

The air around Kian Sterling grew a little colder. He didn’t speak.

Seeing that he was silent, Celia stopped talking and quietly went back to flipping through the album.

They stayed that way until the butler knocked softly on the study door. "Sir, Miss, lunch is ready."

Only then did Celia close the album. After a moment’s thought, she pulled out a few photos and handed them to Kian Sterling. "Kade, you should keep a few of my pictures here in Port Sovereign, too. That way, if I come back in the future, I can look at them here."

Kian Sterling teased lightly, "You like looking at yourself that much?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"It’s a novelty! This is the first time I’ve ever seen photos of myself this young. All the ones at the Sterling Family estate are from after I was four. I once searched every corner of the house and couldn’t find a single picture of me from before then. I almost started to suspect I’d just fallen from the sky at age four."

Kian Sterling was silent for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.

He took the photos, stood up, and opened the safe again.

Celia waited to the side, hugging the album. She glanced casually into the safe and saw what looked like another album, thicker than the one she was holding.

There was also something with a red border and gold-gilded pages.

She asked curiously, "Kade, what’s that red-bordered, gold-paged thing inside?"

Kian Sterling’s expression was unperturbed. "What, trying to pry into my secrets?"

Celia had only asked out of idle curiosity. Since it involved Kian Sterling’s privacy, she promptly shut her mouth. She stopped trying to peek into the safe, shuffled to the side, and waited obediently by the door.

Kian Sterling placed the photos inside. His hand gently clasped the gold-gilded item, his eyes darkening as he pushed it to the very bottom. Then, he calmly closed the safe door.

His fingertips were cool as he methodically turned the lock.

It was as if he had locked away a piece of his heart along with it, never to see the light of day.

After lunch, Kian Sterling and his entourage set off for the airport.

Flanked by bodyguards, the two of them walked out side by side.

As they stepped out of the gate of the Blackwater Creek villa, Celia glanced back one more time at the garden that had left such a deep impression on her. Suddenly, Kian Sterling spoke.

"Cece."

"Hm? I’m here," Celia answered reflexively, her attention still lingering on the garden’s irises, the glass laboratory, and the little cat swaying on the swing.

Kian Sterling looked at her profile and said casually,

"If you ever get tired of being Celia Sterling and want a different identity, just tell me."

He paused for two seconds. "From this moment on, I will always be your brother."

Celia looked up at him. "Kade, you haven’t been drinking, have you? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Of course, she knew Kian Sterling was her brother.

Her own brother, who doted on her and would give his life for her.

She just didn’t know what kind of magic the Blackwater Creek villa held to make her usually cold and domineering brother act so out of character.

It was as if... he’d completed some kind of ritual at this villa. Her mind couldn’t help but drift back to the strange thing he’d said while playing the piano: ’What started between Cece and me with the fireflies should also find its closure here with the fireflies.’

’Closing the loop? They were siblings, destined to be bound for life. What loop needed closing?’

’She just couldn’t figure it out.’

But his interruption pulled her thoughts away from the garden, and she continued walking out with him.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

Celia let out a small "oh?" and answered, "President Lowell?"

On the other end, Adeline Lowell’s voice was warm. "I heard you’re returning to Metropia this afternoon. I’ve prepared some small gifts, some Port Sovereign specialties. Should I have someone send them to your hotel?"

Celia was very polite. "Thank you, President Lowell! We’re not at the hotel anymore. Would it be convenient to send them directly to the Blackwater Creek villa? I can send you the directions."

The person on the other end paused. "No need for directions. I know the place."

After hanging up, Celia tugged on Kian Sterling’s sleeve. "Kade, let’s wait another half hour before we leave. President Lowell is sending over some local specialties. I’m going to go play with the cat for a bit."