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Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Forget It, I Won’t Bother With a Puppy

Mrs. Sterling asked over the phone, "What would Lynn like to eat tonight? And Finn? I’ll let the chef know what to prepare."

Lynn glanced at Ian Sterling, who was still kneeling, and huffed. "Just make my favorites. Don’t worry about him."

Before she could hang up, Ian Sterling pounced, clamping a hand over Lynn’s mouth to resume what they had been on the verge of doing.

Lynn’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’How can he be so shameless?’ she wondered, utterly baffled.

Thankfully, Mrs. Sterling hung up, leaving only the BEEP-BEEP-BEEP of the dial tone. Ian Sterling let go and bent down to bite at Lynn’s lips. His fingers slid down her slender, fair arm, took the phone, and placed it back on its cradle.

Lynn frowned and bit back hard. A bead of blood immediately welled up on his lip.

"You’re so heartless," Ian Sterling said, licking the wound with a look of feigned grievance.

"I’m the only one who gets to initiate things, we agreed on that. You’re going back on your word now. I can use this as a reason to refuse to continue... this kind of relationship with you," Lynn said, panting. Her eyes were red-rimmed and moist. Seeing him look even more hurt than she felt only made her feel worse.

Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears. "At first, you refused to get back together with me. Then you took the chance to sleep with me, and suddenly you changed your mind and wanted to reconcile. Was it just for... this?"

Ian Sterling slowly released her. He backed away slightly and straightened his torso, which, given his position, made it look even more like he was kneeling before her.

"Lynn, I want to be with you because I love you and can’t forget you. Wanting to do... this... with you is part of that, too." His expression was earnest and tinged with disappointment. "If you don’t like it, I’ll restrain myself in the future. I won’t be like this anymore."

"As long as you’re willing to give me a little treat every now and then," he added another condition.

Lynn fought the urge to roll her eyes and kick him. She pulled the shoulder strap that had slipped onto her arm back into place, pursed her lips, and mumbled her assent.

She pushed him away and went into the bathroom alone. When she saw the obvious hickey on her chin, she wanted to march right out and strangle that two-faced, manipulative jerk who only knew how to act pitiful and innocent.

’How does he manage to act so prim and proper all the time, only to turn into a dog with a bone at moments like this?’

With a helpless sigh, she washed off the sticky sweat from their earlier tussle. She went to the walk-in closet, changed into a conservative set of pajamas, and then sat down at her vanity to cover the mark with concealer.

"You’re covering it up even though we’re at home?"

Ian Sterling was sitting nearby, his legs spread and his hands braced on the chair between them. Lynn glanced at him in the mirror. ’He really is like a puppy.’

She averted her gaze, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Not everyone is as shameless as you."

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together, a vexed feeling rising in his chest. He wanted to lose his temper but was afraid Lynn would use it as an excuse to dump him. He had no choice but to get up and leave the room. Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area on that floor, he couldn’t resist kicking the rocking chair Lynn had put there.

’Lynn said *he’d* changed, but hadn’t she? One moment she was gentle, the next she was cold—and she had the nerve to say *he* was the one who was moody.’

He pressed his lips together, deeply frustrated.

Born into the Sterling Family, at the very pinnacle of the elite, his life had always been smooth sailing, and he was more than capable on his own. Yet, where Lynn was concerned, he stumbled again and again. He just couldn’t let her go. He’d be frustrated one moment, then find the suffering sweet as honey the next.

Mrs. Sterling came upstairs, intending to take Kiki down to play. When she saw him sitting in the rocking chair with a sullen look on his face, she asked, puzzled, "Finn, what are you doing here?"

Ian Sterling sat up straight. This was the woman who had cared for Lynn since childhood; he couldn’t be rude to her, no matter how foul his mood was. He forced the corners of his lips up. "It’s nothing."

Mrs. Sterling didn’t press the issue. She crossed the living room to Kiki’s room, picked up the cat, and started to head downstairs.

Kiki had been well-behaved, tail wagging, but it suddenly started to struggle upon seeing Ian Sterling, so Mrs. Sterling set the cat down.

Kiki ran over to Ian Sterling and jumped right into his lap, demanding to be held. Seeing this, Mrs. Sterling laughed. "Kiki isn’t very affectionate with anyone besides Lynn. Even I only get a little attention now and then, after all this time. I’m surprised it likes you so much."

"Is that so?" Ian Sterling gently took one of Kiki’s paws and gave it a little shake.

"Yes," Mrs. Sterling said with a nod. She glanced at the time. "Finn, I need to go down and see how the chef is doing with dinner. Kiki doesn’t really like stairs, so would you mind carrying him down in a bit?"

Ian Sterling hummed in agreement, rocking the chair as he held Kiki.

Lynn saw this scene the moment she stepped out of her room.

The evening sun cast a warm glow on him as he sat there, a faint smile on his face. Kiki was nestled in his lap, eyes closed in bliss, enjoying a gentle petting.

She froze for a moment. Ever since her rebirth and awakening, she had often dreamt of this very scene.

’Oh, whatever,’ Lynn told herself. ’No point getting worked up over a puppy.’

She called Kiki’s name. The cat instantly leaped from Ian Sterling’s lap, scampered over to Lynn, and stretched up, begging to be held.

Lynn scooped Kiki up and started down the stairs. Ian Sterling silently gritted his teeth. ’Traitor.’

Once dinner was ready, Mrs. Sterling and the chef returned to the house next door, leaving the two of them and the cat alone in the dining room.

Ian Sterling remembered what Lynn had said over tea that afternoon. "Did you unblock Zane Lancaster?" he asked as they ate.

Lynn blinked. "Of course I did."

"Can’t you just... not talk to him?" Ian Sterling’s grip on his chopsticks tightened. He lowered his gaze to the perfectly prepared dishes on the table, avoiding Lynn’s eyes.

"Are you jealous?" Lynn’s lips curved into a smile. "It’s no use. Zane Lancaster and I grew up together. No matter how much I like you, I’m not going to cut off contact with him for your sake."

Ian Sterling asked through gritted teeth, "Even if he likes you?"

"Since when does he like me?" Lynn frowned, thinking he was being overly sensitive. She explained earnestly, "He doesn’t like me. We’re just like you and your friends, like Jasper Jennings."

"But we’re all guys. I’ve never had any women around me, aside from family members. Not even during these last three years."

At that, Lynn put down her chopsticks and asked calmly, "In these past three years, you and Mia Rhodes were rumored to be together many times. It never blew up online, but the rumors spread all through your elite circles in Quartos."

"Those were all lies." Seeing Lynn’s serious expression, Ian Sterling stood up and walked over to her. He crouched down by her side, just as he had before, and looked up at her, his eyes filled with an emotion she couldn’t decipher.

"They were just spreading baseless rumors. I warned them all after I found out."

"But the photos aren’t fake. You two often showed up at the same parties, surrounded by your childhood buddies and best friends." Lynn took out her phone and showed Ian Sterling a photo she had saved a long, long time ago.

It did, in fact, show him and Mia Rhodes standing very close together. Ian Sterling couldn’t remember it at all. He had no recollection of that scene.

Over the past three years, he’d lost count of how many parties he’d attended with Jasper Jennings and the others; there were many times he’d even drunk himself into a blackout. Mia Rhodes would sometimes tag along to large gatherings with Ethan Powell, but he and Mia had never interacted.

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