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Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Wouldn’t That Make Me a Fool?

"You think I’m going to tell you?" Elias Sterling glared at Ian Sterling.

Lynn Winslow covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with amusement as she stared at Ian Sterling. But Ian was shameless, continuing to eat at a leisurely pace without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

Sophia Shaw shot Elias Sterling a look, silently warning him not to embarrass his brother in front of Lynn Winslow.

Elias Sterling huffed, then lowered his gaze and went back to eating.

Lynn Winslow, however, turned to Spencer Sterling and Nina Norton with a serious expression. "Please, don’t worry."

It wasn’t until they were on the way back to Calyx Hall that Ian Sterling finally asked, "Were you serious about what you said just now?"

Lynn Winslow deliberately teased him. "What?"

"About how you said you’ve already made up your mind."

"Made up my mind about what?"

Lynn Winslow just wanted to see him get flustered, but Ian Sterling, having guessed her intentions, pulled the car over to the side of the road and watched her quietly.

"Are you mad?" Lynn Winslow leaned in closer, her eyes narrowed as she met his gaze.

A smile played on Ian Sterling’s lips. He gently nipped the corner of Lynn Winslow’s mouth and murmured, "Not mad. You’re going to marry me anyway."

Lynn Winslow yelped, pushing him away and covering her mouth. "When did I ever say I was going to marry you?"

"Just now." Ian Sterling raised an eyebrow, then turned and started the car again. As he drove, he added, "We’re leaving for Marlake the day after tomorrow."

Lynn Winslow rolled her eyes. "I said no such thing. Stop making stuff up."

Ian Sterling paid her no mind. The car moved along at a leisurely pace, and Lynn Winslow, bored, started looking up tourist attractions in Marlake, muttering to herself about which spots to visit once they got there.

Ian Sterling’s responses to everything were simple: "Mm," "Okay," "Sure," and "We can go."

Back at Calyx Hall, Lynn Winslow went to the bathroom to shower, tossing her phone onto a table in the living room. Downstairs, Ian Sterling was playing with Kiki.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Ian Sterling glanced down and saw the caller ID: Ethan Powell. He frowned, and though his first instinct was to decline the call, he answered it.

Just as Ian Sterling had expected, the caller wasn’t Ethan Powell at all, but Lynn’s mother, Cecilia Powell.

"Lynn."

Ian Sterling replied, "Hello, Ma’am. I’m Lynn Winslow’s boyfriend, Ian Sterling. You can call me Finn."

On the other end, Cecilia Powell paused for a moment. Recalling what Elder Winslow had told her, she replied in a gentle voice, "Hello, Finn."

"Ma’am, Lynn isn’t able to come to the phone right now. If there’s a message, you can tell me, and I’ll be sure to pass it along."

He tried to keep his tone respectful yet distant. He knew that while Lynn might act resentful toward her parents on the surface, deep down, she still loved them.

Given Lynn’s attitude, he couldn’t be overly eager to curry favor, but at the same time, he couldn’t risk offending his future parents-in-law.

Cecilia Powell was silent for a moment before saying, "It’s nothing, really. Her father and I just want to see her, but she absolutely refuses to meet with us."

She hesitated, then said with some difficulty, "Could you possibly help us? Maybe put in a good word for us with her, so she won’t be so opposed to seeing us."

"I know it’s a lot to ask, and it sounds like I’m trying to guilt-trip you, but Finn, we just want to apologize to her in person."

Ian Sterling lowered his gaze. He watched as Kiki leaped onto the sofa with elegant steps and climbed into his lap, wanting to be held. "Ma’am," he said calmly, "I understand what you and her father want, but I think Lynn has to figure this out for herself. I can’t make that decision for her, nor can I interfere with it."

Upon hearing this, Cecilia Powell felt a mix of relief and sorrow. She was relieved that her daughter had found someone who loved and respected her. But she was heartbroken that everyone knew about her daughter’s resentment, while she and her husband had been deceiving themselves, never once considering their daughter during all those years they were away.

"I understand, Finn." Cecilia Powell sighed softly. "We’ll be staying at the Powell family home for a while longer. If she decides she’s ready to see us, please give us a call."

Ian Sterling said softly, "Of course, Ma’am. We’re actually traveling out of town the day after tomorrow. When we get back, I think she’ll know what she wants to do."

Cecilia Powell agreed, then gave him her phone number to save.

Ian Sterling hung up the phone and got up to head upstairs. As he looked up, he saw Lynn Winslow standing on the staircase, her arms crossed as she watched him with a cold expression.

"When did you get out?"

Lynn Winslow ignored his question and asked one of her own. "Are you trying to convince me to forgive my parents?"

Ian Sterling smiled and shook his head. He set Kiki down, walked up the stairs, and wrapped Lynn Winslow in a hug. "I wouldn’t. I know you’ll make up your own mind. Why would I meddle?"

Lynn Winslow snorted. Ian Sterling continued to explain, "I was just trying to get on my future mother-in-law’s good side. What if I’d said, ’Stop calling my girlfriend. She’s not going to acknowledge you. From now on, I’m all she needs’? Wouldn’t that make me a complete idiot?"

"You already are an idiot." He had managed to make Lynn Winslow laugh. She pushed him away, turned, and headed upstairs. Seeing she wasn’t angry anymore, Ian Sterling let out a sigh of relief and followed her back to their room.

They didn’t do anything. Ian Sterling was unusually well-behaved that night. The two of them just leaned against each other as Lynn Winslow scrolled through videos.

Ever since Mia Rhodes’s recent scandal, video apps were flooded with compilations of her cringiest acting scenes and clips of her sour expressions. Lynn Winslow was thoroughly entertained, giggling whenever she came across a particularly good one. Ian Sterling, however, had a higher bar for humor and just didn’t get it. He started yawning after only a few minutes.

"Not funny?" Lynn Winslow shot him a sideways glance.

Ian Sterling shook his head and said honestly, "It’s awkward, sure, but I don’t see what’s funny about it."

Lynn Winslow pouted, pulled out of his embrace, and lay down on her side, facing away from him as she continued to watch videos.

Ian Sterling lay down too, snuggling up close behind her and inhaling her fresh, clean scent. Before long, his eyelids grew heavy.

He fell asleep quickly. His soft breaths tickled the nape of Lynn Winslow’s neck. She shifted, trying to move away from him, but every time she inched away, he would unconsciously follow, pushing her until she was nearly falling off the edge of the bed.

Lynn Winslow took a deep breath, shifted Ian Sterling’s arm, and sat up, rolling her eyes dramatically.

’He pushes me to the very edge of the bed,’ Lynn Winslow thought, gritting her teeth. ’There’s all this empty space behind him, but no, he has to squeeze right up against me.’ She snatched a pillow, stuffed it into Ian Sterling’s arms, and then moved to lie down in the space behind him.

Ian Sterling woke up once in the middle of the night. He instinctively tried to hug Lynn closer, but the texture felt strange. He blearily opened his eyes, only to discover he was cuddling a pillow.

His eyes shot open, and panic seized him. He sat bolt upright, about to get out of bed to find Lynn, when he felt a warm body press against his back.

His heart was still pounding in his chest. He glanced over his shoulder and finally let out a breath of relief.

Ian Sterling gathered Lynn into his arms, waiting for the slight discomfort from his racing heart to subside. He pressed his lips to her forehead, closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly.

When they woke up, Ian Sterling asked her, "Why were you on my right side when I fell asleep last night, but you’d moved to my left by the time I woke up?"

Lynn Winslow rolled her eyes viciously and said through gritted teeth, "Gee, I wonder why."

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