My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 6: A Kept Beauty in Port Sovereign

After a moment’s hesitation, Celia Sterling answered. "Declan Norwood."

The background on his end was a noisy, chaotic mining site. Declan Norwood still had that roguish, devil-may-care look, but his flamboyant, dark brown, slightly layered hair was as messy as a bird’s nest. He wore a rock-and-roll style T-shirt with a wool coat thrown crookedly over it.

It was the height of a scorching summer in Metropia, but the scene on the screen looked like the dead of winter.

"Baby, you haven’t seen me in days. You’re not answering my texts or my video calls." Declan’s tone was clearly agitated, yet also obviously trying to curry favor. "If you keep ignoring me, I’m just going to fly back and camp out at your villa’s front gate to wait for you."

Celia Sterling’s tone was distant. "Where are you?"

"Solisia." Declan panned the camera around, revealing several tall, burly, dark-skinned men. "One of our family’s mines here ran into a little trouble. I don’t know what got into my dad, but he sent me here to oversee things." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

At this, Declan started playing the victim. "A twenty-hour flight, I’m about to lose my mind. Then I get here and there’s a huge mess waiting for me. I can’t get used to the food, and I’ve already lost two pounds in less than a day."

Nagging and clingy, just like he used to be.

’But how could things between them possibly be the same as before?’

Celia Sterling gently cut him off. "Declan, there’s something... I’m not sure if the Norwood Family has informed you."

Declan leaned lazily against a large rock, casually fiddling with the skull necklace around his neck. "Go ahead, baby. I’m listening."

Celia Sterling: "We’ve already called off—"

BEEP— The video call abruptly ended.

Celia Sterling: "..."

’He hung up so quickly.’

’Does that mean he knew, or he didn’t?’

「Night fell. Port Sovereign.」

The highly exclusive Wyvern Bay Villa.

Kian Sterling had changed into a vibrant, imperial purple shirt with a subtle pattern. A stylish tie at the collar was entwined with an ostentatious and luxurious amethyst-gold snake-bone necklace. Under the deliberately dimmed crystal chandelier, he exuded an aura that was both devilish and domineering.

He sat elegantly on the living room sofa, flipping through a stack of documents.

Beside him, his assistant, Evan Rhodes, was brewing tea.

"Ninth Master, according to the files we’ve investigated, Miss Sutton was being frequently tailed by men working for Brian Sutton, the second young master of the Sutton Family, during the time of her scandal with Eldest Young Master Norwood."

The files were extensive, so Evan Rhodes concisely summarized the key points for his boss. "However, there seems to be something suspicious regarding Young Master Declan as well. Before he gave Miss Sutton the necklace, a group of hedonistic heirs from Port Sovereign slipped a small amount of an aphrodisiac into his drink."

Kian Sterling’s long, jade-like fingers toyed with the documents. "Who was behind it?"

"It was also the Sutton Family of Port Sovereign—the Crown Prince, Wyatt Sutton." Evan Rhodes said softly. "As the long-lost legitimate eldest daughter of the Sutton Family, Miss Summer Sutton received a significant portion of the shares back then, making her a threat to the inheritance rights of the other young masters and misses, who are illegitimate. With you backing her, they wanted to use this to ruin her reputation and make her lose you, her powerful supporter."

Kian Sterling sneered. "Just what you’d expect from children born of a nanny. The whole lot of them only know these kinds of dirty, underhanded tricks."

Evan Rhodes hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.

Kian Sterling shot him a glance. "Speak."

Evan Rhodes hesitated. "But Miss Summer Sutton checked the high-profile client reservation list for that club in advance. You couldn’t say she ’accidentally’ walked into Eldest Young Master Norwood’s private room. Her drink was also drugged, but it seems she knew and never touched it."

Kian Sterling: "Hmph."

Evan Rhodes respectfully handed him a gilded cup of tea and continued, "Furthermore, Miss Sutton was the one who bought the trending topic about Young Master Declan. It’s just that Young Master Declan discovered it in time and had it taken down quickly. It was only up for about ten minutes."

Kian Sterling swirled the iridescent teacup, saying nothing. His gaze was cold, making the already conspicuous beauty mark near the corner of his eye seem two shades more striking.

The villa’s housekeeper personally brought over a plate of exquisite pastries.

"Ninth Master." The housekeeper was solicitous and cautious. "Miss Sutton made these herself this morning. You have a sweet tooth, so she found the best pastry chef in Port Sovereign and learned to make dozens of different desserts. She didn’t know you were coming; she makes a fresh plate every morning, hoping you’ll be able to eat them the moment you arrive."

Kian Sterling said nothing.

The housekeeper continued, rambling on, "Ninth Master, you haven’t been to Port Sovereign to see the young miss in three months. She misses you terribly. She’s had a whole collection of custom clothes and jewelry made, all with your and her initials on them. Several times, I’ve seen her pick up her phone to text you, only to put it down, afraid of bothering you. She gets so conflicted her eyes turn red."

"I know." Kian Sterling’s voice was faint, completely unmoved. "You may leave."

The housekeeper answered, "Yes," arranged the colorful pastries, and withdrew, looking as if she wanted to say more.

Kian Sterling flipped through the documents in his hand and slowly asked Evan Rhodes, "When did Butler Coleman start working here?"

"When Miss Sutton was six, you personally chose her," Evan Rhodes said. "She’s been working at the villa for sixteen years now."

Kian Sterling hummed. "So she’s been with Summer Sutton for that long."

Evan Rhodes knew his boss must have more to say, so he remained silent.

Kian Sterling continued, "Her heart is completely on Summer Sutton’s side. She’s forgotten who signs her paychecks. Replace her."

Evan Rhodes knew that the housekeeper’s speech, intentionally or not paving the way for Summer Sutton, had annoyed the mercurial master before him.

He nodded. "Within three days, I will arrange for a new housekeeper to take Butler Coleman’s place."

Kian Sterling bent his finger and tapped the armrest. "And arrange for four bodyguards to watch Summer Sutton around the clock. Don’t let those rats from the Sutton Family find any openings."

Evan Rhodes couldn’t figure out if this master of his actually cared about Summer Sutton or not. He only felt that his boss was even more unpredictable than the weather in Port Sovereign. "Yes, Ninth Master."

He remembered something else. "An hour ago, the Norwood Group sent over the latest marriage alliance proposal. The digital version is in your email. But given the hidden circumstances of Young Master Declan being set up, is it still necessary to change the marriage partner?"

"Change it. Of course, we’re changing it." Kian Sterling scoffed. "He can’t even avoid such a cheap trick. Declan can’t give my Cece a sense of security."

’Silas Norwood, on the other hand... given his status, he’s encountered countless honey traps over the years, yet not a single messy affair has ever stuck to him.’

’Cece would undoubtedly have a much easier time with him.’

’It’s just that for a multi-hundred-billionaire "flower on a high mountain" to offer himself up in marriage for the sake of mere family benefits doesn’t quite add up.’

"Those dozen or so major projects that Justin Norwood brokered back then—with Silas Norwood’s cautious nature, he didn’t put a hold on them?"

"No hold." Evan Rhodes didn’t know why Kian Sterling was suddenly asking about this, but he answered truthfully. "They went through the normal process. It’s just that, possibly because they were related to Young Master Declan’s marriage, they got green-lit all the way. The approval speed was much faster than the Norwood Group’s other major projects."

’That fast approval speed is already out of character for Silas Norwood.’

Kian Sterling seemed lost in thought but didn’t discuss the topic with his assistant any further.

There was plenty of time. What was unclear now would eventually become clear.

「The sky turned completely dark.」

A car slowly approached the villa’s main gate. A moment later, the elegant sound of high heels echoed in the foyer.

His assistant, Evan Rhodes, had already discreetly withdrawn. The understated luxury of the wall sconces cast a faint glow. On the sofa, Kian Sterling’s long legs were casually crossed, his handsome face half-hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.