My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 50: Feeding Boyfriend

"I ran into Eldest Young Master Norwood today," Summer Sutton said, trying to break the silence. She reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm. "He might be extending his reach into Oakhaven. The Norwood Family controls most of the entertainment industry. Ninth Master, I can’t handle him on my own."

Kian Sterling remained noncommittal. "Weren’t you afraid when you provoked him that night?"

"Ninth Master..." Summer Sutton’s eyes suddenly welled up as she gazed at him. "I know I was wrong."

Kian Sterling slowly pushed her hand off his arm. "Just stay put in Oakhaven and stop meeting people you shouldn’t. I’ll deal with Declan Norwood."

Summer Sutton nodded gently. "The last time with Second Young Master Sutton... he just burst in. I had no idea he was coming. He was deliberately trying to drive a wedge between you and me, Ninth Master. I ended up having to throw him out."

Kian Sterling said nothing.

"Ninth Master, when did you get so close to Wyatt Sutton?" Summer Sutton pressed on. "He doesn’t seem like a pushover, either."

Kian Sterling shot her a cold glance. "What are you trying to fish for?"

"Nothing at all. I trust you completely, Ninth Master. Why would I be testing you?" Summer Sutton said sweetly, holding out a container of cut strawberries to Kian Sterling. He didn’t take it. An image of Celia Sterling intimately feeding Kian Sterling in the banquet hall flashed through her mind. Swallowing the bitter feeling in her heart, she took a bite herself, though she couldn’t taste a thing.

"The studio is off to a great start," she said, standing beside him and watching the lights of the city as if making small talk. "I’ve already signed several promising new talents, and we’ve accepted a lot of scripts, so we’re about to get very busy. When are you coming to Oakhaven, Ninth Master? I’ve designed a room just for you, planted with all your favorite flowers. You’ll love it."

Kian Sterling remained silent, but a flicker of impatience crossed his face.

Summer Sutton pretended not to notice his impatience, forcing a lighthearted smile. "It’s fine if you don’t come. I have plenty of gigs here in Metropia, so I’ll just come see you whenever I’m in town. Still... Metropia is full of powerful and influential people, and my studio is still too small to make an impression. I want to grow, but I don’t have enough capital..."

"How much?"

Summer Sutton’s eyes grew redder. "Ninth Master, is there really nothing left for us to talk about besides money?"

Kian Sterling looked down and lit a cigarette. "Two hundred million. Is that enough?"

"I don’t want your money, Ninth Master." Summer Sutton’s voice trembled, a tear finally escaping and rolling down her cheek. "The eight percent of the Sutton Family shares that my mother entrusted to your care..."

Kian Sterling looked at her. His wickedly handsome face was hard to read through the swirling smoke, and his eyes turned chillingly dangerous. His tone, however, was one of light mockery. "You want the shares back?"

He didn’t say no, but his refusal was firm, obvious, and utterly undisguised.

Having known him for years, Summer Sutton understood his stance in an instant. ’He won’t give them to me.’

’So, is he really planning to split the shares my mother entrusted to him with Wyatt Sutton?’

Her palms grew sweaty with tension. Summer Sutton tried to push back the chill in her heart with a piteous, tearful expression. "I didn’t say I wanted the shares back. I was just going to say... for the two hundred million, you can just deduct it from my dividends. There’s no need for you to go out of pocket, Ninth Master."

Kian Sterling watched her. He had seen every kind of ghoul and goblin imaginable and saw through her petty little scheme in an instant.

He remained silent, but an invisible pressure, like a rising tide, seemed to constrict Summer Sutton, making it hard for her to breathe.

After a long moment, he spoke.

"Don’t mention the shares again." He left her standing there and turned back toward the banquet hall, his voice devoid of warmth. "Metropia is a dangerous place. Have the bodyguards take you back to Oakhaven early."

The Terrace.

Compared to the glittering, high-society affair just beyond, this place was a small world unto itself.

The decor was luxurious yet tasteful. Exquisite refreshments were laid out on a white jade coffee table. On a comfortable loveseat, Silas Norwood sat in an elegant, relaxed posture, the top button of his shirt undone. He was paging through a French-language finance textbook.

Lush, vibrant flowers adorned the terrace railing. The bright moonlight and the soft, dimmed lights of the terrace complemented each other perfectly. In the distance, the hazy glow of the city shimmered. The scene was beautiful.

But not nearly as captivating as the man on the sofa.

Celia Sterling approached quietly. "Silas."

Silas Norwood had spotted her the moment she appeared by the terrace screen. With a subtle gesture, the bodyguards on the terrace respectfully withdrew, positioning themselves outside to keep away any loiterers.

"Cece, come here." Silas Norwood’s gaze fixed on her and didn’t waver. "Do you want something to eat?"

"I already ate until I was stuffed while you guys were in your meeting." Celia Sterling sat down next to him, scanned the table, and picked up one of the more delicate-looking morsels, offering it to him. "Silas, you have some."

Silas Norwood gestured with the book in his hand. "My hands are turning the pages. It’s not sanitary."

Celia silently brought the morsel to his lips.

"I’ve been so busy here today, I haven’t had a proper chance to be with you," Silas Norwood said, gently taking the food from her fingers with his lips. "It’s the weekend tomorrow. Do you want to go sailing with me?"

"Sailing?" Celia Sterling asked, her curiosity piqued. "What’s the plan?"

"It’s a very private cruise party," Silas Norwood said after a pause. "We’ll depart from Seraphina Port and be at sea for three days."

Celia Sterling had heard Theo Chambers mention some of Silas Norwood’s eclectic hobbies, and cruises were one of them. She thought for a moment. "You like deep-sea fishing?"

"Fishing, watching the tides, whatever. The main thing is that it’s a relaxing environment," Silas Norwood said softly. "It’s all strangers. None of us know each other. We’re all from the same online cruise lovers’ club. This trip was organized by some second-generation heir from Seraphina."

Going out to sea with a group of online strangers...

"I never would’ve guessed you were such a wild one, Silas," Celia Sterling said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "A group of strangers from all over, gathering together without knowing each other’s identities... That actually sounds like a lot of fun."

"So, does that mean you’ll come?"

Celia Sterling nodded. "I’m in. The social scene in Metropia is so small. I’m tired of it."

Seeing that she had agreed, Silas Norwood dropped the subject, his eyes falling to the pastry still in her hand. Celia reflexively continued to feed him. Silas kept his eyes on his book, but several times, as if he wasn’t paying attention to the pressure of his bite, he nipped her fingertip along with the pastry. The sensation of the gentle nibble made Celia’s cheeks flush.

The terrace faced the estate’s Moonview Terrace.

It was late, and the atmosphere on the terrace was perfectly intimate. Neither of them mentioned going to the Moonview Terrace to look at the moon. But someone was already sitting there.

Half-hidden by the trees, Declan Norwood was slouched at the highest point of the Moonview Terrace, the very picture of nonchalance. From his vantage point, he had a perfect view of the man and woman on the other terrace.

The couple sat close together on the terrace sofa. The man, usually so aloof and aristocratically distant, had his head bowed over a book, though he would occasionally reach out a gentle hand to stroke Celia Sterling’s long, flowing hair. Celia, for her part, kept feeding him while chatting happily. The lamplight played across their faces, clearly illuminating her radiant smile and his rare, quiet gentleness.

’It was a world he could never be a part of again.’

Behind him, the Crown Prince of the Sterling Family saw his best friend looking like a kicked puppy and couldn’t resist giving him a nudge with his foot.

"Why don’t you go back to the main hall and have some fun? That feng shui master from Port Sovereign is supposed to be the real deal. He’s surrounded by a bunch of crazy girls getting their fortunes told right now. You should go get a reading, my man. See if you can’t ask for a new love life."