My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 45: Kiss of the Dark Night

His tone was detached, making it sound as if they barely knew each other.

He was standing right behind her, leaning down slightly. His thin shirt brushed almost imperceptibly against her spine, and as he spoke, his cool breath ghosted over the side of her ear. He enunciated the word "Norwood" with a slight emphasis. While no one else noticed anything unusual, Celia Sterling clearly detected the faint trace of annoyance beneath his calm voice.

Celia Sterling’s heart, which had just settled, was now in turmoil. She never would have imagined that Silas Norwood was here too, among this crowd of self-proclaimed "brothers."

She had come here to have fun and relax. Now that her fiancé had caught her in the act, her feeling of ease had turned into guilt. She cleared her throat a few times, forcing herself to sound composed.

"Silas, what are you doing here?"

"I’ve been here for over an hour, but it seems my dear little sister didn’t notice." Silas Norwood continued to tease her with the "brother-sister" dynamic, his eyes faintly glancing at the tips of her crimson ears. "So many pretty flowers to look at, it’s easy to get distracted."

Celia Sterling glanced at the surrounding crowd of rich and powerful "flowers" and decided to keep her mouth shut.

Silas Norwood stopped teasing her. He reached out to press the automatic shuffler button, still leaning over her from behind as he gave her some earnest guidance. "A pure suit. Do you know how to build that hand?"

Celia Sterling was terrible at mahjong, but not completely inexperienced.

But with Silas Norwood maintaining that intimate posture, her mind was no longer on the game. The little she did know completely evaporated. She shook her head. "Not really."

"Don’t worry, Norwood will teach you." With a perfectly refined and reserved expression, Silas Norwood casually pointed to a tile. "Discard this one."

In a daze, Celia Sterling discarded a nine-dot tile.

With Silas Norwood’s participation, the game truly began.

Celia Sterling had heard from Theo Chambers that his boss loved to play mahjong.

He’d also mentioned that Silas had poor table etiquette, but Celia Sterling was about to get a very clear demonstration of what that meant on this thrilling night.

Whether it was the Marsh family’s Crown Prince or the Lowell family’s, they had all been bantering crudely and chatting enthusiastically with Celia Sterling. But in front of Silas Norwood, they grew hesitant and cautious. The earlier casual atmosphere vanished completely. They played their tiles in silence; as long as Silas Norwood didn’t speak, they too observed that silence was golden.

After a few rounds, Celia was still lost. The Crown Prince of the Marsh family, sitting opposite her, drew a replacement tile after a kong and completed his hand.

"My apologies. A pure suit, winning off the supplement tile. I have a mahjong."

But before he could even celebrate, Silas Norwood’s indifferent gaze swept over to him. As if making small talk, Silas said, "The Marsh family still has two projects held up on my end."

The Marsh family’s Crown Prince froze, his hands hovering over the tiles he’d been about to reveal. He quietly broke up his winning hand and discarded a tile that Celia Sterling needed.

Celia Sterling looked at him, her expression complicated. "Didn’t you just get a mahjong?"

"Misread my hand." The Marsh family’s Crown Prince was quick to adapt. He had already deciphered Silas Norwood’s intentions at the table. His own win was no longer important; what mattered was that Celia Sterling had to win.

The Lowell family’s Crown Prince was just as sharp. He exchanged a look with his counterpart from the Marsh family and began subtly feeding tiles to Celia Sterling as well. Behind them, the other onlooking Crown Princes watched with amusement as the two men repeatedly drew winning tiles for themselves, only to calmly discard them. They all looked ready for a good show.

「A dozen or so minutes later.」

Celia Sterling stared at the tiles in her hand, silent.

Silas Norwood said gently, "See? You’ve built your pure suit, haven’t you?"

Of course, Celia Sterling knew her hand was complete. She had started with a terrible set of tiles, and it was only finished because the other three players were intentionally feeding her what she needed. Even then, her luck was so abysmal that she didn’t draw the winning tile until only a few were left in the wall.

For the first time in her life, she felt this was a completely shameless way to win at mahjong.

Silas Norwood had already straightened up. Feigning ignorance, he casually asked:

"So, what was the bet you all made?"

Celia Sterling’s hand, which had been fiddling with a mahjong tile, froze.

The Marsh family’s Crown Prince’s voice rang out, loud and clear, carrying the unspoken encouragement men share in these situations. "If she wins, she has to kiss Chairman Norwood."

’Kiss Silas Norwood?’

’So the other man who was sitting next to Kian Sterling, the one everyone was gathered around, was Silas Norwood?’

’And they want me to kiss him in front of all these people?’

"I can’t." Celia Sterling stammered, glancing at Silas Norwood. "I have a fiancé."

"What’s there to be afraid of, little sister? This is a private game." The Crown Prince of the Sterling family gave a meaningful smile. "On behalf of all the ’brothers’ here, I, Brother Sterling, personally guarantee that not a single word of what happens in this club today will get out. Your fiancé will never hear a whisper." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Celia Sterling steeled herself and kept trying to find excuses. "Someone like Silas is... pure and unblemished. How could I possibly desecra—"

Silas Norwood was once again the center of a crowd. He hadn’t said a word after asking about the bet. Aloof and distinguished, he leaned against the archway of the gilded hall, his pale gold eyes resting nonchalantly on Celia Sterling, dark as the night itself.

Men are the best at understanding another man’s silence.

"It’s no big deal," the Lowell family’s Crown Prince said, glancing at Silas Norwood. "A bet’s a bet. I’m sure Chairman Norwood can handle it."

Pressured by the crowd, Celia Sterling was caught in a dilemma. She rushed over to Kian Sterling on the sofa and pitifully tugged on the corner of his sleeve, hoping he would sort out this mess for her.

Kian Sterling’s gaze fixed on Silas Norwood for a few seconds. He slowly set down his wine glass and drawled lazily:

"Alright, everyone, break it up."

Once Kian Sterling had spoken, the crowd stopped their ruckus. Knowing that some scenes weren’t meant for their eyes, they all began to take their leave.

The parking lot in front of the club was filled with luxury cars worth tens of millions. The Crown Princes ambled out, chatting and laughing as they located their respective fleets, and in a flash, the place was empty.

The club fell silent.

"I’ll wait for you in the car." Kian Sterling left the two of them alone, his dazzling, glamorous figure heading out the door.

The parking lot was now mostly empty, with only a few cars remaining.

Kian Sterling pinched the bridge of his nose and tossed his car keys to his assistant, Evan Rhodes, who was waiting outside. "I’ll be taking Cece’s car."

He leaned against the passenger-side door of the "Lizard," his back to the light casting a long shadow. He casually lit a cigarette, his handsome face tilted slightly toward the night sky, his expression unreadable.

Inside the club, only Celia Sterling and Silas Norwood remained.

"Silas..." With the crowd of gawkers gone, Celia Sterling felt much more relaxed. "About that bet... they were just joking."

Silas Norwood walked toward her, stopping just inches away.

"It doesn’t matter." He hummed softly, his expression unreadable as he gently reached out to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Let’s go. Your brother is waiting."

Celia Sterling walked out with him. He still looked as refined and gentle as ever, but it felt as if a layer of mist now separated them. The man who had unbuttoned his shirt and invited her to check his scent was hidden away, replaced by the unapproachable aura of the man who controlled the Norwood Conglomerate.

It wasn’t directed at her.

But he seemed to be in a bad mood, and despite his efforts to suppress it, the shift in his demeanor was unavoidable.

"Silas," Celia Sterling said suddenly, explaining in a low voice, "I wasn’t unwilling."

Silas Norwood paused for a moment. "Mm."

The two of them had reached a long, dim corridor, away from the light.

The darkest part of it.

The next moment, a pair of soft arms wrapped around Silas Norwood’s neck. The young woman stood on her tiptoes and pressed her soft lips against his cheek.

A fleeting touch, and then she pulled away.