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Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Impatient and Stubborn

"No, he’s not that unreasonable." Lynn Winslow shook her head, propping her chin on her hand as she looked at him.

Ian Sterling leaned in to kiss her, but Lynn Winslow blocked his mouth, smiling as she pointed a short distance away.

"My grandfather is spying on us."

Ian Sterling shot upright, looking as if nothing had happened.

His swift, smooth movement made Lynn Winslow laugh. She stood up and thoroughly ruffled his hair, messing up the style he had so carefully blow-dried after waking up that afternoon. His hair was naturally a little curly, and combined with its color, it now looked like he had a bird’s nest on his head.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? My hair!" Ian Sterling raised a hand to stop her but found himself enjoying their intimate, unrestrained closeness. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

When Lynn Winslow had had her fill of fun, she gently ran her fingers through his hair to fix it.

She said goodbye to Elder Winslow, then headed to the concert hall with a few bodyguards.

Ian Sterling had also brought his usual bodyguards on this trip. As the two of them sat in the car, Lynn Winslow rested her chin on his shoulder and asked, "How are your bodyguards so incredible?"

"My grandfather arranged for them before he passed away." Ian Sterling crossed his legs, squeezing Lynn’s hand and chuckling lightly. "Are yours not?"

Lynn Winslow shook her head, deliberately poking him with her chin. "Not as incredible as yours."

"Want to trade, then?"

The driver was one of Lynn Winslow’s bodyguards, as was the man in the passenger seat. Hearing this, both of their hearts skipped a beat.

’My heart is pounding,’ they thought. ’It would be great to be with Finn, and Veridia’s strict controls make it countless times safer than Morelia. Plus, with the Sterling Family’s status in Veridia, you don’t have to worry about anyone daring to cause trouble. But the fear is that if you stay by Finn’s side for too long, you’ll get soft.’

The scales in their minds tipped back and forth. A second later, they heard the young lady say, "No trade. You’re with me every day anyway. If something really happened, they’d protect me too. Besides, the men by my side have been with me since I was a child. It’s not the same."

The two bodyguards’ faces flushed with shame.

’To think we’d have such thoughts just for a chance at a comfortable ’retirement’ by Finn’s side.’ The two of them wanted to slap each other.

Lynn Winslow shot the two of them a knowing, smiling glance, then looked away and playfully resumed poking Ian Sterling with her chin.

In truth, neither of them was particularly interested in the concert. It was only after they’d forced themselves to sit through it that Lynn Winslow found out Ian Sterling’s sister was also there tonight.

She shot Ian Sterling a glare before taking the initiative to go and greet Selene Sterling.

Selene Sterling shook Lynn Winslow’s hand as she sized her up, a smile finally gracing her lips. "No wonder my little brother insists it has to be you. It seems I was the shallow one back then."

Few people born into such families were free of arrogance, and Selene Sterling was no exception. But she saw none of it in Lynn Winslow. Though Lynn was dressed in haute couture, with every last detail exuding nobility, she carried herself without a hint of arrogance.

Ian Sterling wrapped an arm around Lynn Winslow’s shoulder, his chin lifted slightly. "As long as you admit it."

Selene Sterling rolled her eyes at him and started walking ahead with Lynn Winslow, dishing the dirt on all the mischievous things her little brother had done over the years.

"When he was little, he pulled up all the flowers my sister and I had planted and then framed our big brother’s dog for it. Even though we saw him do it with our own eyes, he still wouldn’t admit it. He insisted he was ’rescuing’ our flowers."

"My big brother’s dog had a litter of puppies, and he was thinking of giving a few to friends. Ian wouldn’t let him. He insisted on keeping them himself but got tired of them after two days. Still, he refused to let them be given away and made an endless fuss about it. In the end, my grandfather had to step in and make my big brother keep raising them."

"He’s had no patience since he was a child, and he’s so stubborn. That wolf cub he kept was an exception—the only thing he managed to raise properly. But I bet that was only because the wolf cub made him look good."

The two of them glanced back at Ian Sterling and saw him frowning in displeasure. Undaunted, Selene Sterling continued, "During summer vacation, he brought that wolf cub to my grandfather’s old estate. The Jennings family lived next door—Mr. Jennings’s house."

"Mr. Jennings enjoyed the pastoral life, growing fruits and vegetables in his garden and raising a few chickens. Ian’s wolf cub ate every single one of them. It even ruined the freshly laid eggs that were meant for hatching new chicks. But forget that—he had the gall to claim the chickens flew into my grandfather’s yard on their own and let the wolf cub eat them."

Lynn Winslow couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore and let out a snort. She linked her arm with Selene Sterling’s and said, "How could he make up such a crazy story? How old was he then?"

"Around six or seven, I think. Anyway, he was always full of it. Later, when that wolf cub died of old age, he started raising its pups. They’re still at his estate in the countryside to this day." Selene Sterling couldn’t help but laugh too, showing no shame at all for completely exposing her brother. Instead, her face was full of glee.

Lynn Winslow stopped walking, turned back to Ian Sterling, and held out her hand. Blinking, she asked, "So, when are you going to take me to see that pack of little wolves?"

Ian Sterling frowned, took her hand, and said in a low voice, "What little wolves? They’re all grown up now."

"Alright, alright, grown-up wolves." Lynn Winslow humored his childishness and pressed, "When are you taking me to see them?"

Selene Sterling was also watching him, clearly enjoying the show. Ian Sterling pressed his lips together. ’How can I clear everything out of the manor?’ he began to wonder, but was interrupted by Lynn Winslow’s questioning tone. "What’s wrong? Is there something you don’t want me to see?"

"Of course not. I’ll take you to see them as soon as we get back." There was no way Ian Sterling would admit to it.

Lynn Winslow nodded slowly and continued asking Selene Sterling about the mischievous things Ian Sterling did as a child.

As Selene Sterling spoke, she shot Ian Sterling a provocative glance.

’Go on, bicker with me over nothing like you used to,’ her look seemed to say. ’See if I don’t spill all your secrets.’

Ian Sterling shot her a look back, his brow tightly furrowed. ’Is that any way for a sister to act?’

Selene’s expression shot back, ’Is that any way for a brother to act?’

The two of them had a silent argument with their eyes for a moment, completely unnoticed by Lynn Winslow, whose gaze was fixed on something in the distance.

Suddenly, Lynn Winslow shouted, "Get down!"

Ian Sterling reacted in a flash, throwing himself over both women to shield Lynn Winslow and Selene Sterling. A second later, a loud BANG exploded by their ears.

Bodyguards rushed forward, forming a circle to protect the three of them, while another team that had been hidden in the shadows went to find the attacker.

Countless gunshots began to ring out from all around. Lynn Winslow paid them no mind, pushing away Ian Sterling, who was still shielding them, her eyes welling up with tears of panic.

"Are you hurt? Are you an idiot? Who uses their own body as a shield like that?"

Ian Sterling’s face was pale as he clutched his shoulder, his fair fingers stained red with blood. Even so, he actually had the nerve to smile. "I’m fast, right? Much faster than whoever took that shot."

Lynn Winslow gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to hit him. Selene Sterling’s expression had already darkened as she went to check her brother’s gunshot wound.

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