My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 101: Marriage Contract

The Sutton family’s old residence was situated in the Mid-Levels of Port Sovereign. The area’s luxury estates were distinctive—nestled in forested mountains, yet just a stone’s throw from the core business district. One could enjoy the tranquility of being far from the urban clamor, yet plunge into a world of dazzling opulence in an instant.

Summer Sutton got out of the taxi and stood before the gates of the Sutton family home.

She was wearing her agent Anne Lowell’s clothes. Her long hair was styled into a slightly frumpy bun. The sun hat, sunglasses, and mask all matched Anne’s style, allowing her to slip away from the bodyguards Kian Sterling had assigned to her, right under their noses.

Second Young Master Sutton, Brian Sutton, came out to greet her himself.

He looked her up and down, then let out a soft chuckle. His sharp, mean-spirited face wore a knowing smile. "My dear sister Summer, you’re such a beauty. Why dress yourself up like this?"

"If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have even made it past the bodyguards." Summer Sutton’s tone was distant. "Where is it?"

"Sister, you’ve been away from home for so many years. Now that you’ve finally come all this way, you can’t just stand at the door. The item is inside. If you want to see it, then come in with your second brother."

"My mother only had one child. I don’t have a ’second brother.’" Summer Sutton stood her ground at the entrance. "And I don’t have time to exchange pleasantries with Second Young Master Sutton. If my agent doesn’t see me back within two hours, she will call the police immediately."

Second Young Master Sutton clicked his tongue. "No need to treat the Sutton family like a den of thieves, Sister. I’m still looking forward to the day you return in style to live here as the eldest daughter of the Sutton family."

Summer Sutton’s expression was icy. "The Ninth Master is in Port Sovereign right now. I snuck out disguised as my agent, but with how vigilant those bodyguards are, I won’t be able to fool them for long. You should be well aware of The Ninth Master’s methods, Second Young Master. For now, I’m still considered his person. If anything happens to me... you can weigh the consequences yourself."

Brian Sutton let out a sarcastic laugh. "What are you afraid of? That the Sutton family will eat you alive? You were the one who asked to see the marriage contract, and now you’re the one who refuses to come inside. You’re not being very sincere, are you, Sister? I’ll say it once: the document is inside. If you want to see it, you come in."

Summer Sutton’s gaze fell heavily upon the villa’s interior. After a long moment, she took a soft breath and walked inside.

In the villa’s grand hall.

A servant brought tea, but Summer Sutton didn’t touch it. She just sat primly on the sofa. Brian Sutton smiled and asked, "You lived here as a child, Sister. I wonder if you have any memories of it? We still have some of your old toys in the villa. Want to see them?"

"No, thank you. Who can remember things from when they were two or three?" Summer Sutton’s stance was clear. "I’m only here to see the marriage contract."

"Go, bring down the file folder from my desk in the study," Brian Sutton instructed the butler. He then sat with her on the sofa, studying her with a probing gaze.

Summer Sutton avoided his eyes, waiting in silence.

Elegant footsteps descended from upstairs.

Thinking it was the butler coming down with the file, Summer Sutton looked up, only to lock eyes with a middle-aged, aristocratic woman.

It was the second Mrs. Sutton, the former nanny who had risen through the ranks. Years of living a pampered life had completely erased any trace of her once-unrefined air. The only thing that remained was her gaunt, sharp-featured face, a trait she had passed down in full to the Sutton family’s younger generation of masters and misses who had since taken precedence.

"Mom," Brian Sutton greeted her.

Mrs. Sutton’s gaze fell on Summer Sutton, her eyes gentle. "Is this Summer? You’ve grown so big."

Summer Sutton did not respond.

Mrs. Sutton didn’t seem annoyed. She gently instructed her son, "Summer is a child of our Sutton family, and she has suffered so much out there all these years. Now that she’s found her way back, you, as her second brother, should look after her more in the future."

Summer Sutton cut her off abruptly. "I’m doing just fine. I don’t need the Sutton family’s false sentiment."

Mrs. Sutton pretended not to hear, adopting the attitude of an elder who wouldn’t stoop to bickering with a junior. She turned to Brian. "I’m heading to the hospital. You take good care of Summer."

"How has Dad’s condition been the last couple of days?" Brian Sutton asked.

"Same as always." Mrs. Sutton paused. "The doctor said it might just be another month or two... He’s been especially keen on seeing Summer lately. If..."

"There is no ’if’." Summer Sutton cut in again. "I will not go see him."

Mrs. Sutton gave her a deep look, then forced a magnanimous smile and left.

Brian Sutton looked down and replaced Summer Sutton’s cup with fresh, hot tea. "The old man doesn’t have much time left. If you ever come around, Sister, you might as well go see him off."

Summer Sutton only glanced at her phone. "I’ll give you ten more minutes, at most. In ten minutes, I’m leaving, with or without this so-called marriage contract."

Brian Sutton scoffed. "Relax, Sister. Your second brother genuinely wants to be on the same side as you. I won’t screw you over. And the marriage contract? Look, here it comes."

As he spoke, the butler approached with a document.

Brian Sutton handed the document directly to her. "See for yourself, Sister."

Summer Sutton’s heart tightened. She took the document and opened it.

It was a picture, not very high in resolution. The words "Marriage Contract" were clearly marked at the top of a page with red trim and gold foil. Thick, dark ink outlined the text of the agreement:

"A union of two families, a contract hereby made. A blessed match, eternally bound, a pairing of equals... Now, there is Summer Sutton, daughter of Sylvia Lowell, and Kian Sterling, eldest son of the Sterlings. Upon consultation of their birth charts, their fates are found to be in harmony and their union a suitable match... However, as both children are of a young age, their parents make this promise on their behalf: The two children are betrothed from this day forward and shall henceforth maintain close ties to solidify this marital bond! This document stands as proof." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

At the bottom were three signatures: Sylvia Lowell, June Coleman, and Kian Sterling, as well as two thumbprints.

One thumbprint was tiny, the pixels blurry, the ridges of the print impossible to make out, but its small, rounded shape suggested it belonged to a young Summer Sutton.

The other, slightly larger, was pressed over Kian Sterling’s signature.

Summer Sutton’s heart seized, torn between extreme cold and searing heat. She forced her voice to remain steady. "This isn’t the original document at all!"

"Of course it isn’t the original," Brian Sutton chuckled. "Back when you and your mother moved to the villa in Blackwater Creek District, you left in a hurry. She left some of her draft manuscripts behind at the Sutton house. Later, when the butler went to deliver them, he accidentally discovered this marriage contract and quickly took a picture. As for the original, that would naturally be in Kian Sterling’s hands."

He shook his head, his tone complicated. "With a personality as ruthless as Kian Sterling’s, who could possibly snatch something from his hands?"

"This document," Summer Sutton said, her palm slightly damp, "I want to take it with me. Name your price."

"We’re family, why name a price? If you like it, Sister, just take it." Brian Sutton’s tone was exceedingly pleasant. "I genuinely want to be on good terms with you, unlike that heartless bastard Wyatt Sutton. Just so you know where I stand."

Summer Sutton was in no mood to play along with his charade.

Her mind was a complete mess the moment she saw the document. Delusional hopes began to bubble to the surface, but the thought of Kian Sterling’s resolute, dismissive attitude toward her sent a chill down her spine. She put her hat and mask back on properly and, without another glance at Brian Sutton, walked away, her back straight, her expression dazed.

Brian Sutton watched her retreating back until it vanished. He leisurely picked up his tea, took a sip, and then pulled out his phone to make a call.

"Find out which hotel Kian Sterling is staying at."

The person on the other end said something.

He gave a cold laugh. "It’s precisely because that dog Wyatt Sutton has been contacting him so frequently that I need to make my presence known. I can’t let Wyatt have all the opportunities to get close to him. You’ve also been investigating him privately in Metropia for so long. How’s it going? Have you figured out Kian Sterling’s preferences yet?"

The person on the other end sent a photo.

Along with a single line of text:

"His Achilles’ heel: Celia Sterling."