My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 164: Wet and Wild Fun

Seraphine wasn’t just famous for its plump crabs; the fish were also exquisite.

Silas Norwood had booked a private, secluded section of the lake, which the manager had intentionally cordoned off. The lakeside scenery was beautiful, and there was a designated cooking area.

As soon as they arrived, the renowned chef who had followed them from Metropia began setting up a simple cooking station with the help of the bodyguards.

Under the personal guidance of the manager, Celia Sterling and Silas Norwood found the best spot for crabbing. The manager produced a can of fresh bait and some fishing rods for the two of them.

"Chairman Norwood, Ma’am, this is fresh pork liver we just bought from the market, already cut into small pieces. There are plenty of crabs in this spot. Don’t be hasty after you cast your line. Wait about ten seconds after a crab bites the bait before you pull it up."

He then took out two pairs of special gloves. "The crabs in this part of the lake are all very large, and their claws are extremely sharp. If you and your wife wish to catch them by hand, Chairman Norwood, you must wear these gloves to avoid getting pinched."

He proceeded to explain some crabbing techniques in detail and even assigned two professional catchers to be on standby nearby.

Silas Norwood set down the fishing rods one by one, then beckoned to Celia Sterling. "Darling, come sit on my lap."

"Won’t that be awkward?" Celia Sterling was already fiddling with the gloves. She seemed more interested in catching crabs by hand than by fishing for them.

"We’re a married couple. What’s awkward about it?" Silas Norwood pulled her into his embrace, taking her hands to show her how to use the rod. "If you want to catch them by hand, I’ll go with you later. Let’s fish for now and get a feel for their habits; it’ll make them easier to catch later. Remember how I taught you to fish last time? The fish here are good, too. We can catch a couple to make soup."

Their plan sounded wonderful.

However, two hours later, they had only caught one small crab.

In a clearing nearby, the chef stared at an empty pot, then at the large pile of prepped ingredients, and fell silent.

Celia Sterling was starting to get hungry. She looked at Silas Norwood and said, "The crabs and fish here seem a bit shy. Let’s just catch them by hand."

She handed her phone to an assistant standing by. "Take lots of pictures and videos of me and your boss."

「As dusk fell.」

Kian Sterling’s phone was flooded with photos and videos of the crabbing trip.

It was past closing time at the Sterling Group. The building was empty, but the lights were still on in the chairman’s office. Kian Sterling sat casually in his office chair, the fatigue from a long day vanishing the moment he saw the photos. He scrolled through them one by one, saving every single picture of Celia Sterling catching crabs to his phone’s gallery. After a moment of silence, he finally tapped on a video.

The video showed Celia Sterling and Silas Norwood catching crabs. After a great deal of effort, Celia held a massive crab in her hands, grinning at the camera, her eyes crinkled into crescents.

"Brother, this is the biggest one we’ve caught today! I’m going to keep it and bring it back for the chef to steam for you."

Then, she waved to Silas Norwood. "Silas, keep an eye on this one for me. I’m going to catch a few more. One isn’t enough for my brother."

Silas Norwood hummed in agreement and appeared on camera, cooperatively taking the crab from her. His gaze fell on her soaking wet sleeves, and he added worriedly, "Tuck your sleeves into your gloves, and don’t let the claws touch you when you’re grabbing them. On second thought, I’ll go with you. Just a moment, darling."

The crab was passed to a bodyguard. Silas Norwood elegantly pulled on a pair of gloves, protectively staying by Celia Sterling’s side as they tackled the crabs in the water together, holding a trapping basket.

The scene was a chaotic blur, punctuated by Celia Sterling’s excited shrieks and Silas Norwood’s gentle, low laughter. It was clear they were both completely absorbed in the moment.

Kian Sterling played it again and again, watching it three times.

Then he quietly exited the video. With a calm expression, he invited Evan Rhodes, who was organizing documents nearby, "Cece will be back in a few days. Come over to my place and try the crabs she caught."

Evan Rhodes’s hands paused mid-motion. He readily agreed, "Thank you, Boss."

His work phone rang.

Evan Rhodes glanced at the caller ID and respectfully handed the phone to Kian Sterling. "Boss, it’s a call from Mrs. Coleman."

Kian Sterling hummed softly. "You may leave."

Evan Rhodes acknowledged, then turned and left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Only then did Kian Sterling answer. Before he could speak, June Coleman’s nervous voice came from the other end. "Kian, why did you block me on your personal number? I haven’t been able to reach you at all lately. I tried your work number today, and I’m glad you’re at least willing to talk to your mother."

Kian Sterling’s tone was flat. "State your business."

June Coleman was silent for two seconds. "Your Uncle Shepherd and I are going abroad for a trip, and we were hoping you could look after Nia for a few days."

"No." Kian Sterling refused without a second thought.

June Coleman said softly, "She has classes during the day, so she’d only be staying at your place at night. I’ll arrange for her to be picked up and dropped off. You won’t have to do anything, just keep an eye on her. You have so much experience from raising Cece all those years."

Kian Sterling remained unmoved. "No."

"Why not?" June Coleman’s tone turned strained, but she maintained a soft voice. "Kian, Nia is your sister, too. You used to dislike her bothering you and Cece, but now Cece has moved in with Silas Norwood, and Nia likes you so much..."

Kian Sterling coldly hung up the phone.

「In Silverwood.」

Celia Sterling and Silas Norwood didn’t return until after nightfall.

The manager had deliberately chosen the most professional trapping basket and gestured for the two experts to assist from the side, who then "accidentally" herded one crab after another toward Celia Sterling. In less than an hour, she had caught more than a dozen, with the largest weighing nearly a pound. Taking the large basket of crabs, the young chef—so hungry he could have chewed on grass—couldn’t help but exclaim:

"We can finally eat! With so many, how about I prepare them in a few different styles? Besides my master Elder Gable’s exclusive spicy mala recipe, would you two also like to try the typhoon shelter-style fried crab and the crab-stuffed oranges?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Celia Sterling’s eyes sparkled. Looking at their massive haul, she picked out a few of the largest male crabs and the female crabs with the most roe, having a bodyguard set them aside to be taken back to the villa and kept alive. She handed all the rest to the chef. "The manager also gave us fish, shellfish, and a lot of other local aquatic specialties. Cook it all, and we’ll all eat together."

"Then I’ll add a congee-base seafood hot pot, along with our Gable-style secret recipe charcoal-grilled garlic seafood platter..." The chef quickly listed several options and called over anyone who was free to help. In less than an hour, a sumptuous seafood feast was laid out under the stars.

After everyone had eaten to their heart’s content, they slowly made their way back.

It was almost midnight by the time they got back to the villa.

After washing up, Celia Sterling lay in bed, casually scrolling through her social media feed, when she saw a new post from her friend, Rivermoon.

She tapped on it immediately. A new, real-time post had appeared on Rivermoon’s feed:

The picture showed a brilliant night scene that looked somewhat familiar, though she couldn’t immediately place where she’d seen it. By a dimly lit lake under the night sky, the shadows of trees danced. In the lamplight were two figures, one tall and straight, the other petite, nestled closely together. The caption read: [My wife and I, enjoying some wet and wild fun.]

’Outdoor fun... and getting wet...’

Celia Sterling’s mind reflexively flashed back to Silas Norwood’s "wet" temptation in the bathroom, and the wild night that followed. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Her face flushed, and she quickly pulled back her finger before she could ’like’ the post. ’A private post like this probably shouldn’t be liked.’ But just as she had that thought, she noticed it already had over a hundred likes in a matter of minutes. Judging by the profile pictures, they were almost all members of a perfume-making group chat. The Eldest Young Master Warren was particularly enthusiastic, having left more than ten comments full of lavish praise.

"What are you looking at?" Silas Norwood emerged from the bathroom in a robe. Seeing Celia Sterling engrossed in her phone, he lifted the covers and moved closer.

"I guess I’m just too thin-skinned." Celia Sterling went ahead and liked the post, then zoomed in on the picture, examining it from left to right. "Silas Norwood, come take a look. Doesn’t the setting in this picture look a little familiar?"