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Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Playing Hard to Get Is Useless

Lynn Winslow slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was white everywhere.

She turned her head slightly to see Mrs. Sterling sitting on the sofa beside the bed, her expression full of heartache.

"Mrs. Sterling," she said, her voice hoarse.

Mrs. Sterling answered, brushing Lynn Winslow’s hair aside. "If you keep running yourself into the ground like this," she said with a sigh, "Mr. Winslow will be furious and heartbroken when he finds out."

Lynn Winslow pursed her lips. She had just started to lift her hand when Mrs. Sterling gently pushed it back down.

"Don’t move. You’re still on a drip."

Lynn Winslow had no choice but to lie still. "I want to go back to Morelia," she whispered.

"Once you’re better, we’ll go back," Mrs. Sterling said gently, stroking Lynn Winslow’s forehead with a pained look.

Lynn Winslow murmured her assent and closed her eyes.

’She didn’t know what was wrong with her. How could she be so fragile, ready to give up completely over a single sentence?’

When she woke up, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Lynn Winslow slowly got out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains. The piercing light of the rising sun made her squint.

A night’s sleep had greatly improved her mood. At least she wasn’t sad anymore. She just felt calm and peaceful.

Mrs. Sterling said she couldn’t be discharged yet, so Lynn Winslow obediently remained in the hospital. When she was bored, she played games. When she wasn’t, she slept.

She would also go to the nurses’ station to listen to them gossip. Lynn Winslow’s head was now filled with tabloid-worthy news about the man in the room at the end of the hall and the messy family drama of the wealthy old woman two doors down.

Mrs. Sterling had been worried at first, but seeing Lynn pass her days in relatively good spirits, she finally felt relieved.

Ian Sterling hadn’t seen Lynn Winslow since that day. Filled with regret, he subconsciously held his tongue and stopped himself from taking potshots at his friends.

Jasper Jennings and the others were rather flattered by the special treatment. They almost felt an itch, not being on the receiving end of his usual jabs.

"Finn, had a personality transplant lately?"

Hearing this, Ian Sterling glanced up at him, his eyes as calm and ripple-free as a placid lake. He then looked away, gripping his knife and fork as he continued to eat.

Kenneth Keller, who knew the real story, covered his mouth with his hand to hide a snicker.

Zachary Quincy walked in, glanced at Ian Sterling, then said to the other two, "Guess who I just saw at the hospital?"

Zachary Quincy’s mother had undergone a minor surgery a few days ago and was currently staying in the most prestigious private hospital in Quartos, so it wasn’t surprising to run into an acquaintance.

But Kenneth Keller took the bait. "Who?"

Zachary Quincy sat down across from Ian Sterling, took a sip of his juice, and then said, "Lynn Winslow."

Ian Sterling’s head snapped up, his eyes instantly churning with turbulent emotions. He stared intently at Zachary Quincy, who pretended not to notice. "She was at the nurses’ station in the VIP wing, chatting with the nurses," Zachary continued, addressing the other two. "I saw her as I walked by. She was even wearing a hospital gown."

A roar went off in Ian Sterling’s head. By the time he came to his senses, he was already on his feet, his chair screeching as it scraped against the floor from the abrupt movement.

He pursed his lips and sat back down. "When are you going to the hospital to see your mom?" he asked Zachary Quincy. "I’ll go too."

A smile touched Zachary Quincy’s lips. "Sure. We’ll go right after we finish eating."

Jasper Jennings and Kenneth Keller exchanged a meaningful glance.

After finishing lunch in her room, Lynn Winslow brought the fruit platter Mrs. Sterling had prepared to the nurses’ station to share. Just outside, she encountered an elegant woman whose dignified air couldn’t be concealed by her hospital gown.

The woman sensed Lynn Winslow’s curious gaze and gave her a friendly nod.

Lynn Winslow smiled and offered her the fruit. "Ma’am," she said softly, "would you like some fruit?"

The elegant woman was taken aback for a moment. Seeing such a lovely young girl, her heart softened instinctively. She reached out and picked up a green grape.

"Oh, thank you."

Lynn Winslow shook her head and walked into the nurses’ station. She sat down on the little stool a nurse had set out for her and waited quietly while the nurse and the elegant woman discussed hospital matters.

Zachary Quincy wasn’t even finished with his meal before Ian Sterling was dragging him to his feet. Ian had told Eugene Chandler to prepare a gift and wait at the restaurant entrance. The moment they were in the car, the driver slammed on the gas and sped to the hospital.

Zachary Quincy complained the entire way.

"Are you really going to see my mom, or are you just going to see Lynn Winslow?"

"Whoever you’re going to see, you could have at least let me finish eating first, right?"

"Say something! Are you mute?"

Ian Sterling strode toward the elevator, ignoring him completely.

Eugene Chandler shot Zachary Quincy a helpless look, then trotted after Ian, carrying the gift.

When they reached the VIP floor, they spotted Mrs. Quincy standing at the nurses’ station talking with a nurse the moment they stepped out of the elevator.

Ian Sterling strode forward and called out, "Auntie."

Mrs. Quincy turned her head. Her face lit up when she saw Ian Sterling. "Oh, Finn, what brings you here?"

Lynn Winslow was hidden from view by the high counter of the nurses’ station. She was engrossed in a drama on her phone and hadn’t noticed the elegant woman’s visitor at all.

It wasn’t until Ian Sterling walked right up to the counter that Lynn Winslow looked up, in the middle of popping a grape into her mouth. She froze, stunned to see him.

Ian Sterling was still talking to Mrs. Quincy. "Auntie, I came to see you as soon as I heard you’d had surgery."

Mrs. Quincy smiled warmly. "Didn’t Zachary tell you I’m being discharged tomorrow? It was just a minor procedure. After a little observation, I can recover at home. You really didn’t need to make a special trip."

Standing a short distance away, Zachary Quincy rolled his eyes. "Of course I should," Ian Sterling said.

He subconsciously looked for Lynn Winslow, and with a slight turn of his head, he saw her sitting on the little stool, completely frozen.

His frown deepened when he saw her in a hospital gown, an IV patch taped to her hand.

When their eyes met, Lynn Winslow pursed her lips and quickly turned away. A dull ache spread through her chest, but she deliberately ignored it.

Ian Sterling felt a pang himself, but with Mrs. Quincy right in front of him, he had no choice but to look away.

After walking Mrs. Quincy back to her room, he made an excuse to leave and returned to the nurses’ station. "Sir, can I help you?" a nurse asked curiously.

Ian Sterling’s eyes were fixed on Lynn Winslow. He simply shook his head at the nurse’s question.

Lynn Winslow knew he was watching her. Not wanting to see him right now, she forced herself to keep her eyes calmly fixed on the drama playing on her phone.

But Ian Sterling, as if oblivious to her rejection, walked over to her side, crouched down, and asked in a low voice, "Are you sick?"

Lynn Winslow neither answered nor looked at him.

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together. "Since when?"

Still, Lynn Winslow ignored him.

"I know what I said the other day was harsh," Ian Sterling said, subconsciously trying to justify himself. "But Lynn, you lied to me, you played me. That’s why I got so angry."

Lynn Winslow finally looked at him. "Ian Sterling," she said quietly, "I’m going back as soon as I’m well. I do miss you, a lot. But I won’t bother you anymore, so you won’t have to be annoyed or angry with me ever again."

Ian Sterling felt a lump form in his throat, and his fingertips trembled. After a long moment, he said, "Alright then. Just focus on getting better."

He stood up and walked away. A long moment passed before Lynn Winslow ground out through clenched teeth, "That bastard. Even that didn’t move him."

She had been binging romance dramas and novels for the past few days and had picked up quite a few tricks. She just hadn’t expected her first gambit to fail so spectacularly.

In her mental notebook, Lynn Winslow drew a big ’X’ next to the first rule.

Playing hard to get: Useless.

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