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Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Suffering a Loss is a Blessing

"Saving face won’t bring you any happiness."

Lynn Winslow knew instantly what kind of "happiness" he meant. Her cheeks flushed as she glared at Ian Sterling.

"What? You’re the one who said that if I won a round, you’d grant me one request. This isn’t too much to ask, is it?"

Ian Sterling chuckled, tossing the playing cards scattered across the bed onto the floor one by one. He smirked, "Backing out on a bet will make you gain twenty pounds, you know."

Lynn Winslow pulled her legs back to let him gather the cards pinned beneath them, saying through gritted teeth, "You’ll pay for this someday."

"’Sometimes a loss is a gain, baby.’" Ian Sterling winked, then pounced on her like a starving wolf.

"Baby, shall we start now?"

"I get to make requests, too," Lynn Winslow said urgently, her arm pressed against his chest. "I’ll use one of my requests to get you to stop messing with me."

"Too late," Ian Sterling said, shaking his head. He pulled her hands and pinned them by her sides. "I made my request first. You have to fulfill mine before you can make yours."

"..." Lynn Winslow’s eyes went wide. "You’re being completely unreasonable!" she yelled.

"I’m not."

With that, he buried his face in her chest and said in a husky voice, "Baby, I have to go to my second uncle’s place with him in a few days. You won’t be able to see me for a long time."

Lynn Winslow, who had been struggling, stopped. Hearing this, she slowly wrapped her arms around Ian Sterling, hugging him back as she quietly asked, "How long will you be gone?"

’She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.’

"I don’t know." Ian Sterling wasn’t sure how long his second uncle planned on tormenting him and his brothers either. He sighed and pulled Lynn Winslow into his arms.

The next day, after Lynn Winslow woke up, they lay in bed together, making small talk.

This gave Lynn Winslow a chance to ask him seriously, "Are you the only one going?"

"No way. I roped my older and second brothers into it, along with my cousin." Ian Sterling chuckled at the thought. "They wanted to sit back and watch the show, but they never expected I’d drag them down with me."

Amused, Lynn Winslow tugged at the ends of his hair and pouted. "I’m definitely not going to be used to you not being around."

"There’s nothing I can do, baby. My second uncle is even more stubborn than my dad."

"So, can you bring your phone?" Lynn Winslow snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and looking up at him seriously.

Ian Sterling kissed her forehead. He thought about his last time at his uncle’s place and frowned. "Probably not. We’ll only be able to use our phones at night, and we have to stay in dorms with bunk beds."

’The thought alone made it feel like his world was ending. His brothers might be fine, but he’d been pampered since birth. How could he possibly endure something like this?’

Lynn Winslow’s heart ached for him. She gently smoothed his brow. "Do you really have to go?"

"Yeah." Ian Sterling nuzzled her with his chin. "If I don’t go, there’s no telling what my second uncle will do."

He suddenly remembered something. His hair wasn’t exactly suitable for a place like that.

"Baby, will you come with me to get a haircut? I should probably get a buzz cut. Otherwise, if I get it done at my uncle’s place... their hairdressing skills are..." Ian Sterling trailed off, unable to find the words.

Lynn Winslow studied his face, even more intently than she had in the car yesterday. She tried to picture Ian Sterling with a buzz cut and felt her fantasy shatter a little.

’They say a man’s hair is the shared property of a couple. The very thought made it so Lynn Winslow could barely look at him.’

But there was no helping it. As Lynn Winslow and Ian Sterling headed out, she gave him a serious warning in the car. "If it looks bad, don’t you dare video call me while you’re gone. I’m worried I won’t be able to stop myself from judging you for it."

"..."

Ian Sterling felt a little hurt. It wasn’t like he had a choice. He had to get it cut whether it looked good or not.

Fortunately, his face was handsome enough to withstand any trial. Lynn Winslow’s eyes widened as she stared at Ian Sterling in the mirror. "It’s... actually so good-looking," she murmured.

"Does it look good?" Ian Sterling ran a hand over his hair, still not used to it. He frowned. "It’s a little prickly."

"It looks great. Baby, maybe you should just keep this hairstyle from now on."

Lynn Winslow wasn’t sure if she’d get tired of it in a few days, but she could guarantee that in this very moment, she loved it.

Before, Ian Sterling had looked more rebellious, but now he looked more ruthless, almost fierce. With his upturned eyes and his thin lips pressed together—already the features of a heartbreaker—he now looked even more like a total player.

"Fine by me." Ian Sterling wasn’t picky; her preference was all that mattered.

They walked out together, Lynn Winslow on his arm. She kept glancing up at him, finding the new look thrillingly fresh.

Back home, after Ian Sterling pulled her into the bedroom, that thrilling freshness became even more intense.

It actually made Lynn Winslow feel as if she were with someone else—

"Your hair is poking me!"

Hearing Lynn Winslow’s voice, Ian Sterling let out a muffled laugh. He gently parted his lips and sucked, earning a much louder cry from her.

"You bastard, you’re the worst."

Lynn Winslow punched Ian Sterling’s shoulder, then got up to take a shower. Ian Sterling leaned against the headboard, staring silently at the ceiling.

When Lynn Winslow came out, Ian Sterling pulled her into his arms and said softly, "Baby, even if you’re investing in Zane Lancaster, you can’t be hanging out with him all the time."

"I thought you weren’t jealous anymore." Lynn Winslow shifted her legs and asked lazily, "And here I thought you’d actually become that magnanimous."

"I won’t get jealous over things I shouldn’t, but when I should be jealous, you bet I will be."

"Oh, please. You’re jealousy incarnate."

Lynn Winslow’s fingers curled, and she lightly scratched him with her nails.

He flipped her over and pinned her down. "I knew it!" Lynn Winslow said, exasperated. "You’re an expert at taking what you want and then playing innocent."

"Well, you shouldn’t have tempted me," Ian Sterling said, biting her as if he had every right.

Furious, Lynn Winslow bit him back. Ian Sterling let her, and when she finally let go, he stopped teasing her and said seriously, "When I get back, will you come home with me to meet my family?"

Lynn Winslow paused. "But haven’t I already met your parents, your sister-in-law, and your sister?"

"But you haven’t met my two older brothers, and my second uncle and aunt want to meet you, too." Ian Sterling said seriously, "We can’t just date forever. We have to settle down at some point."

Lynn Winslow wasn’t against the idea of marriage or engagement. She lowered her gaze, considered it for a moment, and then agreed.

"Okay, let’s meet them."

Ian Sterling hugged her tightly, overjoyed. It dawned on him that even though he hadn’t left yet, he already missed Lynn Winslow terribly.

When he said as much with a mopey tone, Lynn Winslow pursed her lips and comforted him, "It’s okay. You can video call me at night. Or maybe I can find a chance to come see you? If that’s allowed."

"You’re the one who said it. Don’t make me beg my second uncle only for you to bail on me."

Lynn Winslow gave him a speechless look and said, enunciating every word, "I. Said. It. Don’t. Worry."

"Nope, not good enough." Ian Sterling shook his head, still not convinced. He recalled the dozen or so requests Lynn Winslow owed him from their card game yesterday and decided to cash one in without hesitation. He would use it to make her promise to be on call while he was at his uncle’s, ready to come at a moment’s notice whenever he could get away or she was permitted to visit.

Exasperated, Lynn Winslow shot him a glare, then rolled over, pointedly ignoring him.

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