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Chapter 147: Chapter 147: I Never Knew You Had This Talent

Lynn Winslow’s heart skipped a beat. "What did you hear?"

"I heard you say okay." Ian Sterling bent down, scratching Lynn Winslow’s chin like he was teasing a kitten.

Lynn Winslow, relieved, nuzzled against Ian Sterling’s fingers and said softly, "It’s Zane Lancaster. He said it’s been a while and wants to treat us to dinner."

Ian Sterling asked nonchalantly, "Is that so?"

Lynn Winslow nodded, silently apologizing to Zane Lancaster. Ian Sterling narrowed his eyes and scoffed. ’He wasn’t falling for that. Who was she trying to fool? He’d have to be an idiot to believe that.’

Zane Lancaster would be more likely to curse him out than treat him to dinner.

He pulled Lynn Winslow up by the arm, carried her to the table like a child, and pressed the chopsticks into her hand.

"Eat."

Lynn Winslow didn’t really have an appetite, but Ian Sterling, worried she would go hungry later while out with Esther Abbott, kept trying to put meat and vegetables into her mouth.

"I’m not eating anymore." Lynn Winslow shook her head, her mouth shut tight.

Ian Sterling frowned, but in the end, he didn’t force her.

Lynn Winslow wiped her mouth, then went to change and put on makeup. Ian Sterling stood beside her. "Let me go with you."

"No."

Ian Sterling pursed his lips, a little annoyed.

After finishing her makeup, Lynn Winslow smiled and left a lipstick mark on Ian Sterling’s cheek, then walked around him and left without a backward glance.

She took the supercar Ian Sterling usually drove. Ian Sterling only went outside after its low-pitched roar faded into the distance. A discreet SUV was waiting for him beyond the villa’s main gate.

After he got into the back seat, the driver said in a low voice, "Finn, I’ve sent you the file on Miss Abbott’s recent activity."

Ian Sterling gave a faint "mm" and ordered, "To Sheridan."

The driver started the car in silence.

Sheridan didn’t have private rooms. By the time Lynn Winslow arrived, Esther Abbott had already been at a window seat for a while, touching up her makeup with a compact mirror.

Seeing Lynn Winslow arrive, she chuckled lightly. "I was out with Zachary Quincy during the day and came straight here. I didn’t even go home to freshen up, so don’t mind me."

"There’s nothing to mind." Lynn Winslow sat down opposite her as a waiter walked over with a menu.

Esther Abbott lifted her chin, signaling the waiter to hand the menu to Lynn Winslow. Lynn Winslow took it and casually ordered a couple of desserts.

"Not ordering anything else?" Esther Abbott raised an eyebrow. "Their food is pretty good."

Lynn Winslow’s lips twitched. "I’ve already eaten."

"Alright then, I’ll just order what I like."

Once Esther Abbott finished ordering, Lynn Winslow, seeing her friend’s still-casual demeanor, frowned. "Just say it. Why?"

Esther Abbott said, "Don’t be in such a hurry. Let’s talk after we eat. I’m starving right now."

"If you don’t want to talk, then goodbye." Lynn Winslow gave a short laugh. She couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time, so she stood up, ready to leave.

Seeing that Lynn Winslow was really leaving, Esther Abbott suddenly grew anxious and grabbed her. "I was just kidding."

Lynn Winslow looked back at her, her eyes cold and calm, without a hint of curiosity. Because of this attitude, Esther Abbott, who had seemed to be in control of the situation, now found herself at a disadvantage.

When Lynn Winslow sat down again, Esther Abbott laughed. "I was trying to pique your curiosity, but now it feels like I’m begging to tell you."

"Actually, I’ve thought about it. It has nothing to do with me, so I don’t really care what happens to Mia Rhodes." Lynn Winslow adjusted her posture, leaning back casually into the sofa. Esther Abbott was struck by the thought that, in that moment, Lynn Winslow was starting to resemble Ian Sterling.

She marveled, "They say when a couple is together, they start to rub off on each other. I guess this is what they call ’couple’s resemblance’?"

Lynn Winslow lowered her gaze and didn’t respond.

Esther Abbott sighed in resignation. "Alright, fine. Let me tell you everything."

Esther Abbott didn’t hide anything, starting her story from after Lynn Winslow was reborn.

Lynn Winslow stared blankly at Esther Abbott until she had finished speaking.

"You mean, you all have been changing the plot based on my actions?"

Esther Abbott threw up her hands. Only after the waiters had finished bringing out all the dishes did she say, "Not me. Someone else. I’m just an assistant, at most."

Lynn Winslow shook her head in disbelief, taking deep breaths. She didn’t stay a moment longer. Grabbing her phone and bag, she stood up and strode out, her steps hurried and unsteady.

Esther Abbott watched her retreating figure until it disappeared from sight. Only then did she look away, startled to find that a figure had appeared beside her at some point.

She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise, at Ian Sterling, who stood before her. He was dressed in loose, casual clothes, yet his every move drew the gazes of the other female patrons in Sheridan.

"Esther Abbott, I never knew you had it in you."

Esther Abbott gulped. Her hand, hidden beneath the table, trembled slightly. Ian Sterling’s gaze was as sharp as a frozen blade. ’If I wasn’t with Zachary Quincy now,’ Esther Abbott thought, ’Ian Sterling would never let me get away with this.’

She felt a pang of regret. She shouldn’t have told Lynn Winslow just out of curiosity. She could have played dumb and pretended not to know anything. Without proof, Lynn Winslow couldn’t have done anything to her.

But she had gotten carried away and ignored the biggest hidden danger: Ian Sterling.

Ian Sterling bent down, leaning his hand on the corner of the table, and said softly, "Does Zachary Quincy know? Or are you with him just because you’re afraid of being found out?"

Esther Abbott opened her mouth, unable to explain and even more unable to deny the truth in what Ian Sterling had said.

Clearly, Ian Sterling had seen through her. He curled his lip into a smile and said calmly, "Don’t let this happen again. Otherwise, even if Zachary Quincy were standing right here protecting you, it would be useless. Understand?"

He had no interest in seeing Esther Abbott’s reaction. He straightened up, gave her a quiet, downward glance, then turned and walked slowly out of Sheridan.

In the nearby parking lot, his black supercar was still parked where it had been left. Ian Sterling’s fingers twitched, but he suppressed the urge to go and find Lynn Winslow.

He turned and got into the SUV parked by the roadside, instructing the driver to return to Calyx Hall.

Afraid that Lynn Winslow would find out he had followed her, he had specifically asked a company driver to pick him up in an unfamiliar car.

Ian Sterling rested his forehead on his hand, his expression blank.

At first, when Lynn Winslow told him there was a reason for their breakup, that she had been forced, he hadn’t really believed her. That was why he had said so many harsh words and done so many heartless things.

Later, he gradually sensed that something was off. Before he could figure it out, however, Lynn Winslow had promised to stop pestering him. That made him let go of the past completely, wanting only to build a real future with her.

During that time, he’d had many suspicions, but it wasn’t until today that he finally understood. It was all because of some damned plot device.

Ian Sterling couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. He raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, then quickly looked away and focused on driving.

After returning home, Ian Sterling called Lynn Winslow and asked when she would be back.

Lynn Winslow’s tone was perfectly normal; she was even able to laugh and joke with him. "What’s up? Miss me already?"

"Yeah." Ian Sterling’s well-defined hand rested on Kiki’s head. There was a smile in his eyes, but it was a little strange.

"Alright, alright, I’ll be home soon."

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