My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 63: A Night of Three People
Before Celia Sterling could say a word, a large hand reached out and gently took the phone from her. Silas Norwood looked perfectly calm, showing no embarrassment at being caught in the act. His voice was level.
"Is there something you need this late, Kade?"
Kian Sterling’s sharp gaze swept over his slightly damp hair and loose bathrobe.
Every man knew what it implied to be taking a shower in a girl’s room. But Silas Norwood was not Declan Norwood; intimidation was useless against him. Kian Sterling skipped the interrogation, casually picked up a new document, and spoke in an unruffled tone:
"There’s an issue with the implementation of the project we discussed last time at Sterling Manor."
Silas Norwood lowered his gaze, gave a noncommittal hum, and sat right down on the sofa. He knew he was in for a long talk; he just didn’t know how long it would last.
"Go on."
"There are issues with the supply chain, the data provided by the contractor is unreliable, and the geological monitoring report for that plot of land has oversights..."
These were matters for CEOs and various department heads, hardly something the two top bosses needed to discuss personally.
But Kian Sterling had raised the subject, so Silas Norwood played along. They both knew exactly what the other was up to.
The night was still and quiet.
The two conglomerate heads, under the guise of discussing business, settled in for a long video call. Celia Sterling was tense at first, but when she realized she had no part to play, she gradually relaxed. She brought Silas Norwood some tea, then took a relaxing shower herself and climbed into bed.
Silas Norwood’s voice was cool and gentle, while Kian Sterling’s was deep and magnetic. Both were incredibly soothing to listen to.
At three in the morning, the rustling from Celia Sterling’s side of the room ceased completely, replaced by the faint sound of her even breathing.
The two men, still discussing the project, fell silent in unison.
The atmosphere grew heavy in the silence.
A few seconds later, Silas Norwood glanced at the slight bulge under the covers. "She’s asleep," he said, his voice extremely low.
Kian Sterling’s stern face was hidden in the backlight, his expression unreadable. "Silas Norwood, remember what you promised."
"I have no intention of having our wedding night early." Silas Norwood wasn’t intimidated by him, his gentle voice laced with an authority that couldn’t be defied. "But it’s normal for an engaged couple to be affectionate. Kade, you need to respect some boundaries."
Kian Sterling met his gaze for a long moment before scoffing. His tone softened as he added lazily, "She kicks off her covers. Make sure she doesn’t catch a cold."
The video call finally ended.
Silas Norwood plugged the phone in to charge, then leaned over and gazed at Celia Sterling’s face for a moment. She was sleeping right on the edge of the bed, half the blanket having already slipped off. Her breathing was faint, and she was fast asleep.
Silas Norwood gently lifted her to the center of the bed and pulled the blanket back over her. He then poured himself a glass of wine and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the tide all night.
「Metropia, The Majestic.」
In the middle of the night, Justin Norwood and Mrs. Norwood, from the senior branch of the Norwood family, burst into Declan Norwood’s villa. They had received a late-night call from the butler, who told them the young master had brought several internet celebrities home and was dead drunk. Given Declan Norwood’s defiant personality, the old butler hadn’t dared to say much, but he was worried something terrible might happen from all the drinking, so he had anxiously reported the situation to Justin Norwood.
Justin Norwood was filled with rage just thinking about his rebellious son.
It had been hard enough to convince him to go to Solisia to cool his head, but he had just ended up turning the place upside down. The senior executives there had even complained to Silas Norwood on several occasions. After half a month of finally calming down, he had used a long weekend to sneak back on a private jet and look for trouble at Sterling Manor. He didn’t find any, but after seeing that Sterling girl, something in him must have snapped, and he started his self-destructive spiral all over again...
If Declan weren’t his only son, Justin Norwood would have kicked him out of the family long ago.
The villa’s sunroom reeked of alcohol. The moment Justin Norwood and Mrs. Norwood stepped into the main hall, they saw Declan Norwood in a state of utter debauchery. He was sprawled drunkenly on the sunroom carpet with a woman on either side of him. The women had long, wavy hair and wore vibrant, sexy outfits, and both of their faces bore a striking resemblance to Celia Sterling.
"Cece, give your big brother a kiss." Declan Norwood lazily eyed the woman on his left with his seductive eyes.
The woman leaned over sexily and gave his neck a provocative bite. But Declan Norwood’s face suddenly turned cold, and he disgustedly wiped the lipstick from his neck. "Get lost!"
’His Cece would never kiss him so forwardly.’
Then he turned to the woman on his right and poured half a glass of red wine down her front. "You. Get angry for me. Let me see it."
The woman on the right froze, but she didn’t dare show a hint of anger, managing only a sycophantic, gentle smile. Declan Norwood’s gaze turned frigid, and he violently smashed his glass on the floor. "You get lost too! All of you, get out! You can’t even manage a pale imitation! What right do you have to copy Cece’s face?!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Mrs. Norwood’s heart pounded. "Declan, what do you think you’re doing!"
Declan Norwood glanced over dazedly but said nothing.
The old butler explained in a low voice, "They’re two very popular streamers who do look-alike makeup tutorials. The young master summoned them here and had them do their makeup to look like Miss Sterling..."
Mrs. Norwood looked at the two garish women, her face pale with rage. "Go! Get them out of my sight! Think about Declan’s position! From now on, block any of these trashy women at the door. Don’t let a single one in!"
The two women were quickly shown out.
Mrs. Norwood looked at the pathetic state of her son, a mixture of anger and heartache welling up inside her as tears streamed down her face. "Our Dec... what did we do to deserve this..."
"Quiet," Justin Norwood said, closing his eyes. "Arrange a flight. Send him away tomorrow. And assign him a few bodyguards. Have them watch him around the clock in Solisia. He is not to return to Metropia without permission again."
Mrs. Norwood looked at the dazed Declan, wiping away her tears. "Help him to bed. And call a doctor. I don’t know how much he’s had to drink..."
"Don’t touch me! I want to find Cece!" Declan Norwood took out his phone and dialed a number from muscle memory.
After a long moment, someone on the other end picked up but said nothing.
"Baby..." Declan called out several times, his voice thick with tears and pleading. "Baby, please come back to me, okay?"
「Seraphina.」
By the floor-to-ceiling window of the yacht, Silas Norwood quietly held Celia Sterling’s phone, listening to the desperate cries of "Baby" coming from the other end, his expression impassive.
He wasn’t supposed to be the one to answer this call.
It was past four in the morning. The girl on the bed was sleeping soundly, but the phone was ringing off the hook. He glanced at the caller ID—it was family—so Silas Norwood went ahead and answered it.
The incessant cries of ’Baby’ were sickeningly sweet.
Silas Norwood remained silent.
Declan’s tone became even more slurred, his thoughts chaotic, and he started spewing all sorts of nonsense:
"He’s over thirty! What’s so great about an old man? At his age, who knows how many women he’s been through? Baby, come back. If you come back, I’ll stick to you like glue. I’ll do anything you say..."
Silas Norwood’s patience ran out.
A clear, cold voice with an icy edge exploded in Declan’s ear:
"This is Silas Norwood."
