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Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Men Are All the Same

"I don’t know."

Lynn Winslow sighed. "Figures. Men are all the same."

Sheila Lowell couldn’t agree more. She remembered a tutorial she’d once seen online about how to train your man to understand women, and immediately shared it with Lynn Winslow.

After looking it over, Lynn Winslow praised, "Wow, this is incredible. Everything this girl says is pure gold."

Ethan Powell: "..."

He lowered his head and sent Ian Sterling a message, demanding: [How did you turn my cousin into this!]

Ian Sterling replied: [Don’t you dare say a bad word about my Lynn.]

Ethan Powell’s vision went dark. He took a deep breath before saying, "You two have fun. I’m heading back to the office."

Lynn Winslow winked at him. Ethan Powell’s pace quickened until he was almost jogging away. Once his retreating figure had vanished, the two who remained turned to face each other, each seeing the other’s barely suppressed smile.

Ian Sterling’s car was parked in the shade on a small road near the Powell family’s estate. Leaning back in his seat, his brow remained deeply furrowed. Even though Lynn Winslow had messaged him, the worry in his eyes refused to dissipate.

Ian Sterling had no idea how Ethan Powell had found him. He was staring at his phone, his forehead propped in his hand, when someone knocked twice on the passenger-side window. Ethan Powell climbed in.

"Worried we’d bully Lynn? Is that why you’re keeping watch out here?"

Ian Sterling snorted, his tone hostile. "Don’t think I don’t know about the crap Aiden Powell pulled."

A faint smile touched Ethan Powell’s lips. "Relax. He won’t dare to again."

He reached for his cigarettes, but then remembered who he was with and thought better of it. With a sigh, he said, "You weren’t this clingy three years ago. What, are you scared Lynn will run off?"

Ian Sterling shot him a sideways glance and, in a flat tone, calmly replied with a simple "Mm."

Ethan Powell froze, turning to look at him. His mind drifted back to the day the two of them had broken up.

It had been Christmas Day—Lynn Winslow and Ian Sterling’s two-year anniversary.

—

"Is all this pageantry really necessary?"

Jasper Jennings grumbled as he helped set up the room.

Ian Sterling directed them with a lift of his chin, taking a moment to shoot back, "You’re single. What would you know?"

"Fine, I don’t get it. I’m leaving, then. You can blow up the balloons yourself," Jasper Jennings said with a fake smile, making a show of getting up to leave.

"Hey, wait." Ian Sterling grabbed him and, after clearing his throat twice, said, "Bro, come on... you get it. You get it more than anyone."

Jasper Jennings scoffed but sat back down anyway. It wasn’t until he had finished helping and was standing to the side, taking a few sips from a water bottle, that the words finally clicked.

’What the hell does he mean, "you get it, you get it more than anyone"? I’ve been single since the day I was born!’

Jasper Jennings strode over to Ian Sterling, wrapped an arm around his neck from behind, and yanked him back. "You were messing with me, weren’t you?" he said through gritted teeth.

Ian Sterling coughed, choked by the rough hold, and slapped his arm, pleading, "Bro, no, I wasn’t!"

Back then, Ian Sterling wasn’t quite so... shameless.

While the two of them were horsing around, the others finished the final touches. They dragged the still-grumbling Jasper Jennings out of the suite, leaving a nervous Ian Sterling all by himself.

Lynn Winslow entered the room. Only then did the others tiptoe to the door to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Ian Sterling clutched a bouquet of red roses, nervously pressing his lips together. His cheeks were slightly flushed. After clearing his throat, he began, "Lynn, I—"

"Ian Sterling, let’s break up."

Lynn Winslow gazed at him calmly, watching as the color drained from his face and his pupils trembled. She felt nothing.

The eavesdroppers, however, burst into the room. They stared at Ian Sterling, who could barely stay on his feet, and then at Lynn Winslow’s cold expression.

"What’s going on? Did you two fight?" Zachary Quincy said with a frown. "Lynn Winslow, you can’t just say you want to break up over a simple argument."

Lynn Winslow lowered her gaze and said flatly, "We didn’t fight. I just don’t want to be with him anymore."

She turned to leave without giving Ian Sterling another glance, but as she reached the doorway, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"Lynn, Lynn, please, let’s not break up, okay? Whatever I did wrong, just tell me. I can change, I’ll change anything. Lynn, I’m begging you."

Lynn Winslow glanced at the wrist he was gripping so tightly, annoyance plain on her face. "Ian Sterling," she said coldly, "you didn’t do anything wrong. I just don’t want to be with you anymore."

"That can’t be it. Is there something you can’t tell me? I can help you. Just don’t leave me. We were fine just yesterday."

Ian Sterling shook his head, his long, narrow eyes glistening with moisture. His gaze, fixed on Lynn Winslow, was full of pleading. His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Don’t break up with me," he choked out. "Please, don’t break up."

Zachary Quincy strode forward to block the doorway. "Lynn Winslow," he said in a low voice, "if you’re going to break up with him, at least give him a reason. You were the one who pursued him in the first place. Now you’re dumping him without a word of explanation? What’s your problem?"

Lynn Winslow’s gaze shifted to him. Her lips twisted into a sarcastic smile. "I only like things I can’t have. Someone who comes running at the slightest crook of my finger... I’m not interested. Is that a good enough reason for you?"

Jasper Jennings warned, "Lynn Winslow, you’ve gone too far."

"Have I?" She looked directly into Ian Sterling’s eyes and suddenly let out a soft, cruel laugh. "Isn’t it the truth?"

"..." The dam broke. Tears streamed down his face. He bit his lip hard, but sobs still spilled out. "I’m not breaking up with you," he choked out between gasps.

"Stop clinging to me. You throwing yourself at me like this... it’s frankly disgusting."

Lynn Winslow shook his hand off and turned toward the door. Zachary Quincy was still blocking the way. Lynn Winslow gave him a cold look, shoved him aside, and walked out resolutely.

All the strength drained out of Ian Sterling. He collapsed to his knees, his eyes burning with hatred as he yelled hoarsely, "You’ll regret this, Lynn Winslow! You’ll regret this! Even if you come crawling back to me, I’ll never take you back!"

Lynn Winslow, feeling nothing at all, quickly vanished from sight. Jasper Jennings knelt and comforted him softly, "Finn, a woman like that isn’t worth this. Come on, let me help you up."

Ian Sterling’s gaze fell on the red roses scattered on the floor. He dazedly pulled the ring he’d prepared for Lynn Winslow out of his pocket. "I wanted to be with her forever," he mumbled. "If she doesn’t like a clingy boyfriend, why didn’t she tell me sooner? I could’ve changed... Why would she do this to me?"

"Get up! Have some damn self-respect!" Zachary Quincy, ever the hothead, couldn’t stand seeing him grovel like this. He strode forward, yanked him to his feet, and snarled, "Are you going to die without her or something?"

—

Ethan Powell had been there that day. He’d even chased after Lynn Winslow when she left, and she had firmly instructed him to pass a message to Ian Sterling.

"Tell him for me: I won’t regret this."

He had never told Ian Sterling those words. Now, hearing Ian’s frank admission, he took a deep breath, opened the car door, and got out. Leaning against the car, he finally lit himself a cigarette.

Ian Sterling found his reaction a bit odd, but he wasn’t curious enough about anyone else right now. His gaze dropped back to his phone as he sent a message to Lynn Winslow.

Another cloying message.

[Lynn, when will you be done? I’ll come pick you up.]

Lynn Winslow sent back a finger-heart sticker.

[Grandpa is making me stay for dinner.]

Ian Sterling bit his lip, then pushed open the car door and walked over to Ethan Powell’s side, covering his nose and mouth with one hand.

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