My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 122: He Came, and It’s as if He Didn’t

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: He Came, and It’s as if He Didn’t

Celia Sterling blinked, her curiosity palpable. "A file? Can I..."

"No, you can’t," Kian Sterling interrupted languidly.

"Oh." Celia didn’t press the issue and thoughtfully stepped back. "Then I won’t disturb you. I’m going to go wash up and get some rest."

"Wait." Kian Sterling beckoned to her. "Come here."

Celia obediently murmured an "oh" and sat down next to Kian Sterling.

Kian Sterling’s gaze fell on her hair, his voice flat. "You went out on a date and didn’t even bother to fix your hair. Don’t start letting yourself go just because you’re comfortable with Silas Norwood."

With that, he casually reached out and tidied her long, loose hair.

"Kian, be gentle. That hurts," Celia winced.

Kian Sterling casually tied her hair back with a silk ribbon. "There. Now go to sleep."

"Don’t forget to eat the barbecue," Celia said as she stood up. "Assistant Rhodes, you should have some too."

With a wave, she left, pulling the study door closed behind her.

The study fell silent.

Evan Rhodes kept his head down, clutching his teacup, looking ill at ease.

Kian Sterling took a sterile bag from a drawer. He placed the few long strands of hair wrapped around his fingers inside it, then set the bag in front of Evan Rhodes without a word.

Evan Rhodes silently took the bag. He took the initiative to pour Kian Sterling another cup of tea before standing to take his leave. "I’ll be on my way now."

Soon, Kian Sterling was alone in the study.

He had lost his appetite for tea. He slowly lit a cigarette, his cold, bewitching features gradually blurring in the smoke.

「The Regent’s Residence.」

Celia Sterling arrived half an hour before the appointed time.

Inside Private Room 1, fruit and snacks were already laid out. Celia Sterling was trying to figure out how to brew tea when Silas Norwood, who was sitting beside her, watched her clumsy attempts for a moment before taking over.

"It seems like you know how to do everything, Silas." Celia sighed, watching his slender fingers elegantly warm the cups and add the tea leaves. "I even took classes on the art of tea, but I’m too impatient. I was never any good at it."

"You don’t have to be good at everything. Everyone has their specialty. Your skill in perfumery, Cece, is something I could never hope to match," Silas Norwood said, handing her the first cup of tea he’d brewed.

Celia took a delicate sip. "You have so many fine teas. It’s nothing like my brother’s place. He only collects rare wines; his tea selection is pitiful."

"Kade has a sharp personality; wine suits him better than tea." Silas noticed she kept raising the cup to her lips but would only take the barest of sips. He seemed to have a realization. "Cece, are you... a little nervous?"

Celia nodded. "Rivermoon isn’t like a regular client. We’ve never met, and I have zero information on him. It feels like meeting an online friend for the first time—like opening a mystery box."

Silas lowered his gaze, asking thoughtfully, "What kind of person are you hoping to find in that box, Cece?"

He asked, as if nonchalantly, "Would someone like me be okay?"

His question broke through her anxiety, and she laughed. "Of course not!" she joked. "You’re a one-of-a-kind Moonlight. There’s only one Silas in all of Metropia. Any more and you wouldn’t be so precious."

Silas toyed with the thumb ring on his finger, saying nothing.

"I’m just kidding," Celia sighed. "I’ve known this person online for about ten years, but it’s always been a very platonic friendship. Even someone as persistent as Eldest Young Master Warren couldn’t manage to see him. I was actually surprised I was able to schedule this meeting, which is why I’m a little on edge."

"What are you on edge about?"

"You know the saying—some things die when they’re brought into the light. If I weren’t so set on discussing the base with him, a part of me would have preferred we stay online friends forever, maintaining a pure friendship from behind a screen." Celia couldn’t tell if she was regretful or something else. "What was a simple online friendship has now become tainted by profit and business. It feels a bit spoiled. Silas, am I being too materialistic?"

"This is business. How is that materialistic?" Silas said dismissively. "I just didn’t realize that you’d prefer he remain a stranger you’ve never met rather than take things to the next level in the real world."

"It was just a moment of weakness, me rambling on to you." Celia rallied her spirits. She checked the time on her phone and her usual confidence and composure returned. "Delia Caine has grown and thrived under my leadership. My petty, sentimental feelings are nothing in comparison."

She pulled out a stack of contracts. "See? I’ve prepared multiple versions. I came here determined to close this deal."

Silas hummed gently in agreement and refilled her cup, his gaze deepening slightly. "My Cece always gets what she wants."

「Seven o’clock sharp.」

The door to Private Room 1 was pushed open by the club manager himself. "Boss, your guest has arrived."

Silas Norwood gave a faint nod. He didn’t look toward the door, simply lowering his head to leisurely refill his girlfriend’s tea.

Miles Trenton’s figure appeared in the doorway. He paused for a fraction of a second before entering at the manager’s "Please." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The manager withdrew.

Celia watched the door close, seeing Miles Trenton enter by himself. She felt a pang of disappointment, but also a strange sense of relief.

"Miss Sterling, we meet again." Miles Trenton was very polite, greeting Celia first before ’casually’ glancing at the man beside her.

"This is Silas Norwood, my boyfriend," Celia introduced him. "Your boss is known for being discreet and is very devoted to his wife. I brought my boyfriend along to avoid any potential rumors, should word of our meeting get out. I wouldn’t want to affect his private life."

"That’s very thoughtful of you, Miss Sterling." Miles Trenton glanced at Silas Norwood again before taking a seat across from Celia.

"So..." Celia said softly, "your boss isn’t here?"

Miles Trenton’s gaze landed on Silas Norwood.

According to the plan, this was supposed to be the big reveal. His boss was supposed to take the lead and tell her something like, "As it happens, I’m Rivermoon," then magnificently present the prepared contracts for the base’s ownership transfer and make a heartfelt confession.

But Silas Norwood just sat there calmly, as still as a mountain.

Not only was he still as a mountain, but he also had a detached air, as if Miles were a complete stranger.

He even leaned slightly toward Celia, right in front of Miles, listening with a straight face as she made her introductions.

Miles Trenton stared at him for a good while. He opened his mouth, about to give a subtle hint, when Silas Norwood’s cool, oppressive gaze fell upon him. Silas’s voice was utterly distant and unfamiliar as he spoke:

"So, your boss isn’t here?"

He repeated his girlfriend’s question.

Miles Trenton nearly had a stroke!

’What on earth made him change the plan at the last second? And why is he deliberately acting like we don’t know each other, turning me from his ally into the opposition, questioning me right alongside his girl?’

Miles Trenton suppressed his internal screaming and forced a perfectly pleasant smile.

"He is here."

A subtle, yet palpable pressure emanated from Silas Norwood.

Miles Trenton’s smile became even more impeccable. "And yet, it seems he is not."

Celia was baffled. "So, which is it? Is he here or not?"