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Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Blocking Zane Lancaster

Lynn Winslow looked up at the two suitcases Ian Sterling had brought with him.

"You?"

She frowned, a little confused.

"Don’t worry. I’m not moving in," Ian Sterling said, his lips curving into a gentle smile. "Just a few changes of clothes in case of an emergency." He pushed the suitcases aside, crouched beside Lynn Winslow, and took her hand, noticing the purple bruise on the back of it from her IV.

"It’s bruised. Does it hurt?" He lowered his head to kiss the spot, then looked up, his jet-black eyes fixed quietly on her.

Lynn Winslow pursed her lips and shook her head, withdrawing her hand. "I need to go take my medicine," she said softly.

She moved past Ian Sterling to get her medicine. He remained silent for a moment before slowly standing up, his eyes following her as she walked away.

He watched as she unhurriedly swallowed her pills with a few sips of water, then silently made her way up the stairs. An indescribable emotion welled up inside him.

He strode after her, catching her hand. "Why are you being so cold to me?" he demanded, his voice low.

"Am I?" Lynn Winslow blinked. "I’m just not feeling well," she explained. "I want to get to sleep early."

His disappointment was palpable. Lynn Winslow reached up to stroke his cheek, placating him softly. "Mrs. Sterling and the others are staying next door. It’s usually just Kiki and me here, so I wasn’t used to you being around. I’ll be more mindful next time."

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together. "You’d better keep that promise."

Lynn Winslow chuckled lightly. "Okay."

Ian Sterling dutifully went to the guest room, and when Lynn Winslow went back to her own room, she intentionally left the door unlocked.

She still hadn’t fully recovered from her cold and quickly drifted off to sleep once she was under the covers. Ian Sterling, however, sat on the sofa in the guest room until midnight.

Suddenly, the master bedroom door opened. He stepped inside soundlessly. Lynn Winslow was completely oblivious, not even stirring when he slipped into bed and wrapped his arms around her.

She hadn’t turned off the bedside lamp. Despite her cold, she was wearing a flimsy slip dress with a deep V-neck. Under the dim, warm light, every little movement she made caused the hem to ride up slightly.

Ian Sterling lowered his eyes and buried his face in the crook of Lynn Winslow’s neck, inhaling her faint, sweet scent. His eyes narrowed, a look of sheer contentment on his face that he couldn’t hide.

But he hadn’t been savoring the blissful moment for long before Lynn Winslow’s phone, lying beside her pillow, started to buzz. Fearing it would wake her, Ian Sterling grabbed it.

Zane Lancaster.

His annoyance at being interrupted turned to ice when he saw the caller ID. Ian Sterling decisively hung up. The thought of blocking Zane Lancaster’s number had just crossed his mind when the phone rang again.

Hearing the unfamiliar sound, Lynn Winslow furrowed her brow slightly in her sleep. Ian Sterling silenced the screen, stopping the vibrations. He waited until she was sleeping soundly again before carefully getting out of bed and leaving the room.

Back in the guest room, he saw that Zane Lancaster hadn’t hung up. Ian Sterling stood in the darkness, gazing at the phone screen as a derisive glint appeared in his eyes.

He answered the call. The voice on the other end was casual, almost lazy.

"You always used to pick up my late-night calls. Why the long delay tonight?"

Ian Sterling’s lips curled into a smirk. He lowered his voice. "She’s exhausted. Fast asleep. I can’t wake her no matter what I do. Mr. Lancaster, if there’s something you need, you can tell me. I’ll be happy to relay the message."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a soft chuckle. "I see. No problem. I’ll just call Lynn another time, when you’re not there."

"Then you may be out of luck. I’m going to be with her forever and ever." Ian Sterling’s tone was laced with false pity for Zane Lancaster, and he heavily emphasized the last three words.

Zane Lancaster parried the jab with ease. "There’s no rush for Lynn and me. Since you’re keeping her company, Finn, I’ll have to ask you to take good care of her for me."

He didn’t wait for Ian Sterling’s response, hanging up immediately.

Ian Sterling hurled the phone onto the sofa, his icy glare sharp enough to pierce it.

He stood motionless for a long while before finally walking over, bending down, and picking up the phone. He deleted Zane Lancaster’s call from the log, then blocked the number and deleted the contact in one smooth, practiced motion.

Ian Sterling couldn’t care less how childish he was being. All that mattered was that he was satisfied.

He turned to head back to Lynn Winslow’s room, intending to hold her while she slept. But as he did, two points of light shone directly at him.

Already on edge with guilt, the sudden fright made Ian Sterling stumble back two steps. He heard a soft meow and saw Kiki striding forward, hooking a claw into his pant leg and rising up, demanding to be held.

"How did you get in?" Ian Sterling frowned down at the cat. In the darkness, Kiki flicked its tail and let out another meow by way of an answer.

Ian Sterling had no choice but to scoop up the cat and put it out of the room, shutting the door mercilessly behind him to prevent any more nocturnal wanderings.

When he returned to Lynn Winslow’s room, she glanced at him with bleary eyes, mumbled something unintelligible, and rolled over, falling back to sleep.

Ian Sterling stood in the doorway. His heart, which had been steeped in the acid of jealousy, now melted completely.

He slipped back into bed and wrapped his arms around Lynn Winslow once more. His arms and fingers trembled slightly with the effort of not holding her too tightly. With a soft sigh, he nuzzled his head against the pale skin of her chest, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, far away in Morelia, Zane Lancaster stood with a wine glass pinched between his fingers, his other hand gripping a railing. Jealousy made his fingers tighten relentlessly. For a man who rarely showed his emotions, his face was now a dark mask, his narrowed eyes unable to conceal a simmering hostility.

The phone he had furiously thrown to the floor after the call suddenly rang. He walked over, wine glass still in hand, and stared down at the caller ID displayed on the cracked screen.

It was an unknown number from Veridia.

Zane Lancaster bent to pick it up and answered. The voice on the other end was sycophantic and eager to please.

"Mr. Lancaster, it’s me."

Zane Lancaster raised an eyebrow, humming in acknowledgment.

The man on the other end chuckled, his voice filled with excitement. "I got pictures of a woman going into Mr. Sterling’s private residence early yesterday morning. I only managed to get one shot. You can’t see her face clearly, but you can tell she’s absolutely gorgeous."

Zane Lancaster let out a soft snort, a small smile playing on his lips. "And how did you manage that?"

"Hah," the man sighed. "It’s damn hard to sneak into Calyx Hall. It’s not your average gated community. I had to bribe a guard at the gate just to get inside for a little while in the middle of the night."

He told the guard he’d been hired by a rich man’s wife to see if her husband was having an affair. The guard bought it completely. After all, PIs like him are a dime a dozen in the wealthy circles of Quartos.

"The woman was dropped off at Mr. Sterling’s villa by a man and another woman. They left, and Mr. Sterling himself returned not long after."

"The guard’s rules said I couldn’t stay long, and when Mr. Sterling returned, his bodyguards were patrolling the area. I had no choice but to spend the whole night squatting in the rain outside Calyx Hall. The same car didn’t come to pick the woman up until the next morning."

"Mr. Lancaster, do you think you could add a little bonus to my fee? I risked my neck getting photos of a Sterling. If the Sterling family finds out about this... I mean, would I even be able to stay in Veridia anymore?"

A corner of Zane Lancaster’s mouth twitched. "Fine," he said calmly.

"Send me the license plate number along with the photo."

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