My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 108: I Won’t Compete with You

The Lowell Family Main Residence.

Adeline Lowell instructed her assistant, "Take this to the villa in Blackwater Creek and deliver it personally into Miss Sterling’s hands."

The assistant accepted the order and left. Adeline Lowell clutched her phone, motionless for a long time, lost in thought.

Beside her, the old madam lifted her eyelids. "The villa in Blackwater Creek?"

"Yes, my eldest sister’s villa," Adeline Lowell said slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. "That’s where she lived after she moved out of the Sutton Family’s home. When she entrusted Summer to Kian Sterling, she also entrusted the villa to his care. I just don’t understand why Kian would rather spend more money to buy Summer a villa in Wyvern Bay than return this one in Blackwater Creek to her."

"Kian Sterling is immensely powerful; he wouldn’t covet a mere villa. He must have other plans," the old madam said, taking a light sip of her tea. "Let the young people handle their own affairs."

「Evening. Metropia International Airport.」

A group of people emerged from a special access corridor.

Celia Sterling was chatting and laughing with Kian Sterling. As they approached the exit, she seemed to sense something and looked toward the end of the walkway, where she saw Silas Norwood waiting.

"What are you doing here?" Surprise and delight showed on her face. "I told you my brother and I were going straight home. You didn’t have to make a special trip, Silas."

Silas Norwood leisurely watched Kian Sterling and Celia Sterling approach, his expression gentle.

"As your boyfriend, there are some things I have to do, even if my girlfriend says I don’t have to."

He reached out, taking the pinkish-purple suitcase from the bodyguard behind her, and extended his other hand to her. "Come on. I’ll personally escort you both back."

Celia Sterling obediently placed her hand in his, their fingers intertwining.

Kian Sterling watched them, his eyelids lowering slightly. The movement seemed to darken the beauty mark by the corner of his eye. His tone, however, was light. "Is everything taken care of at the company?"

"It was never a big deal," Silas Norwood replied casually. "Kade, can you handle spicy food? I’ve ordered a spicy seafood set for tonight. Last time, Cece wanted you to try Elder Gable’s cooking. No time like the present. Want to join us?"

"I don’t really eat spicy food," Kian Sterling said. "You can just take Cece. But girls have delicate stomachs, so make sure to have some cooling tea ready for her."

"Of course."

"You’ve been leaving everything in Port Sovereign to others. Here in Metropia, you should follow up on those projects we discussed at Sterling Manor. Let me have a few days off."

"Easy enough," Silas Norwood nodded. "The weather’s supposed to be nice tomorrow. I’ve scheduled a game of golf with a few corporate chairmen. Interested in joining, Kade?"

"Not interested. I’ve made plans to go racing," Kian Sterling scoffed. "Cece likes racing too. Why don’t you give it a try? Maybe you can take over the job of accompanying her to races in the future?"

"I can give it a try. Send me the location tomorrow."

... 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Walking between the two men, Celia Sterling listened to their back-and-forth chatter. Their tone seemed familiar and harmonious, yet it was laced with a sense of superficiality and deliberateness. There was an indescribable barrier in the air between them.

For a moment, she actually felt like she was the third wheel.

"You know, you two..." She looked from one to the other and suggested tactfully, "Ever since the cruise, I’ve noticed you two can really talk. You talk all day, you talk all night. Now you can’t stop talking even on this short walk. Why don’t the three of us just live together so you can talk to your hearts’ content, day and night?"

Both men fell into a strange, simultaneous silence.

The group continued walking. Ahead was the airport’s VIP parking lot.

The sports car that Evan Rhodes had someone drive over from Sterling Villa was parked beside Silas Norwood’s Guster.

Celia Sterling was agonizing over which car to take and wasn’t watching where she was going. She missed a step and stumbled.

The next moment, two hands, one from the left and one from the right, reflexively caught her by the waist.

Kian Sterling and Silas Norwood each looked at the other’s hand and fell silent. Then, their eyes met impassively.

Beneath their calm gaze, an undercurrent flowed that others couldn’t perceive.

One second.

Two seconds.

After a few seconds, Kian Sterling let out a short laugh and said in a joking tone, "I won’t fight you for her."

He slowly withdrew his hand.

It was as if he were cryptically transferring some kind of authority.

The full weight of Celia Sterling’s body fell into Silas Norwood’s hands.

She was unaware that the two men had completed some sort of handover in just a few seconds. She frowned slightly. "I think I sprained my ankle."

"Take Silas Norwood’s car. He’ll take you home." Kian Sterling loosened his collar, his gaze falling on Celia Sterling’s face with undisguised affection. "I’m heading straight to the office."

After speaking, he habitually reached up to pat her head, but then, just as he raised his hand, he casually lowered it again and turned to leave.

Watching his retreating back, Celia Sterling felt that Kian Sterling had been acting strangely ever since their time at the villa in Blackwater Creek, Port Sovereign.

"What are you thinking about, Cece?" Silas Norwood signaled for the bodyguard to put the suitcase in the trunk. The arm around her waist tightened slightly, pulling her protectively into his embrace.

"I’m thinking about my brother," Celia Sterling said, completely puzzled. "He seems... different."

’Other than still letting me grab his arm, he’s suddenly holding back on all other affectionate gestures. Just patting my head, for example—he went to do it habitually several times on the private jet, but then he’d raise his hand only to restrain himself and put it back down. It’s so weird.’

Silas Norwood looked at the bewildered Celia Sterling, his reserved and cool expression softening slightly. "Don’t overthink it. Come on, I’ll take you home."

In the car, the partition rose.

Silas Norwood rested her foot flat on his lap and gently removed her high heel. "Where did you twist it?"

Celia Sterling pointed to her heel. "It’s not serious, just a little sore."

The next moment, Silas Norwood’s fingers covered the spot, gently massaging it.

"Silas, you don’t have to do this." Celia Sterling tried to pull her foot back slightly, but it wouldn’t budge. Beneath the man’s seemingly gentle touch was a sense of absolute control. He continued to massage her foot. With her fair, delicate foot held in his large hand, the air in the cramped car seemed to grow hotter with his movements.

Silas Norwood casually brought up a new topic to ease her discomfort. "Before you boarded the plane, Cece, you messaged me saying you’d gotten some new treasures. What are they?"

"That President Lowell brought me some specialty pastries from Port Sovereign before I left, and she also gave me a perfume formula from a world-class master perfumer."

"Those are certainly great gifts."

"I also went shopping with my brother and found a lot of cool things. When we get to the villa, you can pick whatever you like, Silas."

"Mm, I’ll definitely have to choose a few of Cece’s carefully selected treasures as keepsakes."

With the conversation flowing, the atmosphere in the car relaxed. Silas Norwood didn’t stop massaging her foot while they talked. Celia Sterling went from being uncomfortable at first to completely at ease within just ten-odd minutes. She let him thoughtfully tend to her for the better part of an hour until the car arrived at Sterling Villa.

"Does it still hurt?" Silas Norwood asked. "I’ll carry you inside."

"It doesn’t hurt anymore. I can walk on my own." Celia Sterling tried to pull her foot away, but it remained firmly in his grasp.

She looked at Silas Norwood.

Her eyes met his—gentle, yet dark and deep.

"Cece," Silas Norwood’s voice was a little low, his fingers tightening around her foot, "I want to carry you."