My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 85: Changing for Her Boyfriend

He gestured for her to drink the milk first.

As she held the glass and took a sip of milk, Kian Sterling explained casually,

"Over the years, I’ve bought her a villa, given her plenty of resources in the entertainment industry, and sorted out a fair bit of trouble for her, but I’ve never once spent the night at her place."

"That scandal with Summer Sutton a few months ago... I always thought you two were..."

"She orchestrated that scandal herself." Kian Sterling’s tone was laden with meaning. "She’s fond of using such tactics. If she weren’t holding onto the ’Summer Sutton’ identity, I would have stopped tolerating her long ago."

’What does he mean, "holding onto the ’Summer Sutton’ identity"?’

Celia Sterling found his choice of words strange, but she didn’t press the issue, focusing instead on his explanation. He had spoken nonchalantly, but Celia could hazard a guess at the full picture. Kian Sterling was indifferent, but that Summer Sutton was deeply infatuated with her brother. She had deliberately manufactured a media storm, hoping to leverage it to become the next Mrs. Sterling. The tactic wasn’t vicious, but it was certainly distasteful.

She nodded obediently, no longer dwelling on the connection between Summer Sutton and Sylvia Lowell. "I’ll keep my distance from her."

After finishing her late-night snack, Celia Sterling returned to her bedroom and made her nightly video call to Silas Norwood.

Silas Norwood was dressed in loungewear, fishing by the lake at Jade Orchid Manor.

"Cece." His voice was gentle, yet held a hint of teasing. "Finally remembered you have a boyfriend?"

Celia Sterling was a little sheepish. "I had too many social functions today. Every time we started chatting, Silas, something else would interrupt us."

Silas Norwood didn’t tease her further. His entire evening had felt bland and uninteresting, but now, upon receiving his girlfriend’s video call, the world seemed to burst into vivid color. His eyes fixed on the girl on the screen, he took the initiative to ask,

"So, what did you get up to?"

Celia Sterling recounted some of the more interesting parts of her day, eventually bringing up the Eldest Young Master Warren. "That Young Master Warren from the cruise ship, do you remember him, Silas? He saw me with my brother today and mistook us for a couple. I bet his mind was reeling. If you had shown up then too, he probably would have invented a whole dramatic saga in his head."

A deep and subtle amusement danced in Silas Norwood’s pale gold eyes. "As your official boyfriend, perhaps it’s time I found an opportunity to assert my sovereignty."

Celia Sterling’s almond-shaped eyes twinkled. "I have to go again tomorrow. Silas, would you like to help me pick out a dress to wear?"

Helping a girlfriend choose her clothes was, in a way, another expression of a boyfriend’s sovereignty.

An inexplicable tickle arose in Silas Norwood’s throat. He paused for a moment before replying in a low voice, "Alright."

Celia Sterling propped up her phone and enthusiastically began trying on several dresses in a variety of styles. On the delicate girl’s frame, each one presented a completely different, yet equally alluring, effect: one made her an innocent flower, another a bewitching vixen, a third a sensual bombshell, and a fourth a dignified debutante.

Finally, seeing that Silas Norwood’s gaze had never left her, her stunningly beautiful amber eyes darkened slightly as she asked softly, "Silas Norwood, tell me, which one do I look prettiest in?"

It was the first time she had ever called him by his full name.

Though it was a more formal, distant way to address him, her voice was laced with a playful coyness that ignited a strange fire within him.

Silas Norwood steadied himself and let out a soft hum, his voice sinking even lower. "Cece, you look beautiful in anything. But personally, I prefer the yellow one."

Celia Sterling glanced at the pile of low-cut, backless dresses, and then at the only one that wasn’t: a pale yellow, vintage-style floral cheongsam. It had an exquisite mandarin collar paired with a small pearl charm, giving it the air of a classic beauty from the Republican era, yet the high slit hinted at a subtle sexiness...

"I’ll wear the yellow one tomorrow, then." Celia Sterling placed the yellow cheongsam on her headboard. "My brother bought it for me. But he said it comes in a matching set for couples. Once I’m done with work in the next couple of days, I’ll go buy the other one for you, Silas."

Silas Norwood’s voice grew even more tender. "Alright."

The two chatted idly for a while longer, their conversation drifting from the flowers at the Fragrance Appreciation Banquet to some of the more eccentric Perfumers. Celia Sterling said whatever came to mind, her voice soft and sweet, the topics mundane and trivial. Yet Silas Norwood listened with rapt attention, responding earnestly to her every word. It wasn’t until she couldn’t stay awake any longer and ended the call to go to sleep that Silas finally broke away from the intimate, budding world they had created for just the two of them.

His expression turning cool and reserved, he gave the fishing rod a tug and glanced impassively to his side.

A long row of men stood as still as statues.

Over a dozen company executives, the CEO included, were sitting in a neat row, keeping him company while he fished. While Silas Norwood was on his video call, they had all stared at the ground, feigning ignorance and not daring to even breathe too loudly. Inwardly, they were both amazed by and in awe of the future chairman’s wife. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The chairman might seem mild-mannered, but he was in fact an autocrat who tolerated no dissent. He ran the group with an iron fist; even his own two older brothers had no say. When had anyone ever seen him so pliant, so gentle and accommodating, so infinitely patient?

This group had been keeping him company for four hours, and it was obvious the chairman had lost all interest. But no matter how listless he became, he refused to dismiss them, insisting that this large crowd stay with him to pass the cold, lonely hours of the night. Which of the executives present wasn’t in their forties or fifties? They had long since reached their limit, their suffering unspeakable.

Now that the video call was over, Silas Norwood became remarkably agreeable. "You may all go home."

Carrying their fishing gear, the executives departed from the lakeside one by one, bowing respectfully.

Theo Chambers looked at the empty bait container. "Boss, are we still fishing?"

Silas Norwood lowered his gaze and commanded, "No. Arrange a flight for me tomorrow evening. To Port Sovereign."

’Asserting sovereignty? Simply helping a girlfriend pick out a dress is hardly enough.’

After a moment of shock, Theo Chambers nodded in acknowledgment. ’Silas Norwood’s schedule has been packed with important matters recently. But ever since Miss Sterling came into the picture, the boss’s focus on work has steadily declined. He’s getting quite good at being a hands-off manager...’

’During the video call, he had been just another one of the props, standing closest to the boss. He had watched with his own eyes as the normally aloof and noble man tensed up, his eyes darkening with desire, all from Miss Sterling’s casual fashion show.’

’Who knew that the boss—that cold, ascetic, untouchable man—was into this sort of thing.’

「Port Sovereign, the Lowell Family Estate.」

Agarwood smoke curled from an incense burner. The Lowell family matriarch sat in a huanghuali wood chair, her eyes half-closed in drowsiness. Behind her, Summer Sutton massaged her shoulders with just the right amount of pressure.

Adeline Lowell sat across from them, holding a cup of tea. Her gaze rested on Summer Sutton’s face for a moment, her tone mild but distant. "I saw the Ninth Master today. He’s devastatingly handsome, even more so than in his photos online. No wonder you’ve stayed with him all these years, even without any official status."

Summer Sutton’s expression flickered. "Aunt Adeline, if you have something to say, just say it."

Adeline Lowell didn’t mince words. "You can tell just by looking at him that he’s a cold and ruthless man. He’s not right for you. You’re at the age where you should be thinking about marriage. It’s time to consider ending this one-sided affair."

"Thinking about marriage?" The old matriarch blearily lifted her eyelids, having only caught half the conversation. "It is time we found a good husband for our Summer. I’ll personally oversee the selection this time. I won’t let her make the same mistake her mother did and end up with the wrong man."