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Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Grand Birthday Gift

A knock sounded at the door. Lynn Winslow quickly hung up the phone and went to open it.

"Miss, we should leave now."

Lynn Winslow noticed the bruises on the bodyguard’s face and frowned. "What happened to your face?"

"Mr. Sterling’s bodyguards caught up to us. We almost lost the fight."

When she was in Morelia, Lynn had looked into it. Ian Sterling only had two bodyguards with him now, which was why she had specifically brought six this time!

And yet, her six men were no match for them.

Lynn frowned, having no choice but to leave with them.

Lynn holed herself up in the study and searched for a name on her computer.

[New Starlet Mia Rhodes Reveals She’s Had a Crush Since College on an Upperclassman Who Defended Her From Bullies; Claims He Comes From a Prestigious Family and Is Worth Over a Hundred Billion]

[Contest: Who is Starlet Mia Rhodes’s Mystery Crush? Guess Correctly and Win a Full Set of the Latest Apple Products!]

’Still playing the innocent girl and throwing herself at him, as always.’ A sarcastic smile touched Lynn’s lips.

’If I hadn’t been reborn, Mia Rhodes probably would have become the most envied person in all of Quartos, just like in the book.’

’But I *was* reborn. Mia’s lies are full of holes, but her protagonist halo makes people blindly believe them. Sooner or later, they’ll all be exposed for everyone to see.’

She shut down the computer, returned to her room to shower, and stood before the mirror. Lynn’s fingers gently traced the scattered red marks on her collarbone. She pursed her lips and softly uttered his name, "Ian Sterling."

Six months after they got together, it was Ian Sterling’s twenty-second birthday. Besides the gift she had already prepared, Lynn had another special present just for him—herself.

After the birthday banquet came the party, which was undoubtedly the liveliest part. Ian’s childhood friends were a wild bunch, each one more outrageous than the last, and they partied until the early hours of the morning.

She had told him to come find her in her room, saying she had another big gift for him besides the one from the party.

Back then, he wasn’t as shameless as he would later become. When he saw what she was wearing in the room, his cheeks flushed bright red, and his eyes darted everywhere but at her.

"Why are you afraid to look at me?"

Ian Sterling kept his lips pressed together, hiding his trembling hands behind his back.

Lynn gracefully walked up to him. She lifted her slender, pale arms to embrace him and whispered in his ear, "Have you never seen *those kinds* of videos before?"

’Of course he had. He wasn’t some truly innocent little kid.’

"I have."

Lynn’s eyes curved into crescents as she moved closer to him. Blinking, she said softly, "I don’t believe that you haven’t had... other thoughts... during our time together."

Although she was of Veridian descent, she had been born and raised in Morelia, so her style of dress was much bolder. Whenever they went on a date, if her skirt was too short or her top too revealing, he would get this expression that said he wanted to look but didn’t want anyone else to.

But there’s a world of difference between having thoughts and acting on them. The tips of Ian’s ears were so red they looked like they were steaming. But Lynn just had to add fuel to the fire, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist.

That little bit of provocation was all it took. His shyness vanished, all pretenses of dignity gone. He pulled a box of condoms he’d brought with him from his pocket. As Lynn’s eyes widened in surprise, his own dark eyes were tinged with red as he pinned her wrists and began to torment her relentlessly.

Her tearful pleas for mercy were useless.

Lynn walked out to the balcony and stared blankly into the endless night.

In Morelia, she had lived a life of unrestrained freedom, surrounded by a rowdy group of friends. Whatever trouble she got into, there was always someone to clean up her mess. But for Ian Sterling, she had been willing to give all that up, to suppress the rebellious, hostile energy in her heart and just be by his side.

If Ian hadn’t been so good to her, if she hadn’t known that their love for each other was equal, she never would have come back here to be wronged like this.

Over the next few days, Lynn ordered her bodyguards to stake out Ian Sterling’s home and office. The moment he stepped out, no matter where he was going, they were to report to her so she could "casually" run into him.

But as fate would have it, Ian didn’t leave his house for three straight days. Lynn started to suspect he knew she had people watching him and had snuck out the back door.

The bodyguard reported, "There is no back door. Mr. Sterling really hasn’t left the house."

Lynn frowned at the news.

On the evening of the fourth day, a bodyguard finally sent Lynn a location. When she looked, she saw it was Nyx, the most famous bar in Quartos.

With seduction on her mind, she changed into a dark, tight-fitting minidress. The exquisite tailoring perfectly outlined her figure, and her voluminous, curly brown hair cascaded down her back, making her look even more like a cunning vixen.

Lynn twirled a lock of curly hair around her slender, pale finger, admiring her reflection in the mirror with satisfaction.

The night grew darker, blanketing Quartos. The driver dropped her off at the entrance and then went to wait in the parking lot.

Standing at the entrance of Nyx, Lynn looked around curiously. The place certainly lived up to its reputation in Quartos.

Inside the bar, the lights were dim and hazy, and heavy metal music blasted through the air. On the dance floor, bodies pressed close together, and the smell of alcohol was pervasive.

The arrival of such a radiant and flamboyant beauty quickly drew many eyes. Some of the bolder men even tried to hit on her, only to be intercepted and threatened by several men in black who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Her bodyguards had already told her which private room Ian Sterling was in. With a clear destination in mind, she made her way down the corridor and finally found the room at the very end.

Ian Sterling was acting off tonight. Jasper Jennings glanced at him several times before shooting a look at Zachary Quincy, who was drinking with a coquettish girl in his arms. Jasper then shut off the room’s sound system, and the two of them walked over to Ian.

Zachary teased, "What’s wrong? You upset that Mia Rhodes announced she has a crush a few days ago?"

Ian frowned at him, confused. "What does Mia Rhodes having a crush have to do with me?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you pretty good to her? You even gave her industry resources."

"That was just payment for her services," Ian explained casually.

Jasper and Zachary exchanged a look. Zachary asked again, "Then what’s up with you? You look like you’ve lost your soul."

Ian pressed his lips together, not wanting to say. He was about to shrug them off when they both grabbed his arms and pulled him back.

"You’re not leaving until you tell us."

Ian finally gave up and slumped back against the sofa. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "I saw Lynn Winslow."

"..."

Zachary’s eyes went wide with shock. "You saw who?"

Ian shot him a glare. It had been hard enough for him to say it the first time; there was no way he was going to repeat himself. He retorted, "If you’re deaf, go get it treated. I’ll lend you the money if you’re broke."

"Didn’t she go back to Morelia to fight for her inheritance? Why is she suddenly back? When did you see her?" Jasper’s expression changed as he asked with a frown.

"Don’t tell me your heart’s wavering again. Are you thinking of getting back together?" Zachary draped an arm over Ian’s shoulder and said earnestly, "Finn, you can’t be lovesick. Be careful she doesn’t play you again..."

Ian swatted his hand away, his expression filled with annoyance.

"I have no idea."

Seeing his reaction, the two of them exchanged a few glances, preparing to press him further.

Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open. Everyone inside looked over, stunned for a moment.

"Lynn Winslow?"

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