My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 40: Urging Marriage

The video feed was gone, but the audio remained. The intensely suggestive sounds from the movie, mixed with Silas Norwood’s presence, sent Celia Sterling’s mind into a whirl.

Amidst the disorientation, she had the distinct illusion that Silas Norwood’s gaze was fixed on her the entire time.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

The large hand covering her eyes lifted, and Silas Norwood said softly, "It’s fine now. That scene is over."

Celia Sterling: "..."

She saw the movie had returned to a normal scene. Gunsmoke filled the air, and the male lead boarded a ship amidst the chaos of war, sharing a long, wistful look with the female lead across a vast sea of people.

After the racy ten-plus minutes from before, this life-and-death separation scene felt like a comfort zone to Celia Sterling.

Celia Sterling let out several soft breaths before her composure returned. Her Coke was spilled, so she casually picked up the popcorn and started eating. She glanced at Silas Norwood. He still had that cool, abstinent air about him, watching the movie with a calm expression. He even reached over from time to time to share the popcorn in her lap, as if the debaucherous scene just now had left no impression on him whatsoever.

It was already nine in the evening when they left the theater.

Silas Norwood was still escorting her personally. They were standing extremely close. Silas fiddled with the thumb ring on his hand and spoke, as if offhandedly:

"Didn’t Cece say she wanted to discuss the plot of the movie with me?"

When Celia Sterling thought back on the movie now, her mind was filled with nothing but a pile of R-rated garbage and the memory of Silas Norwood’s all-pervasive, amorous aura when his large hand had covered her eyes.

She made an excuse, "Tsk, I’m a little tired. Silas, maybe next time?"

Silas Norwood’s gaze lingered for a few seconds on the faint blush of her earlobes. "Mm, next time."

Celia Sterling couldn’t help but ask, "The version we watched today... was it the uncut international release?"

Silas Norwood met her gaze. "Cece picked the film. I thought you’d know more about it than I do."

"I only knew about the version released domestically." Her voice grew a little quieter as she mentally cursed Quinn Sinclair to death. ’Next time, I’ll do my homework before picking a movie.’

Silas Norwood was agreeable. "Alright. Should I take Cece for a late-night snack?"

Celia Sterling hadn’t eaten much at the Shepherd Family’s place, and after meeting up with Silas Norwood, food was the last thing on her mind. She thought for a moment now. "Okay, I’ll make the arrangements."

「Jade Orchid Manor.」

It was past midnight when Silas Norwood returned.

Inside the villa’s sunroom, his assistant, Theo Chambers, had been waiting for quite some time. Upon seeing Silas Norwood, he rose and respectfully offered him an exquisite food container:

"The boss asked me to bring this an hour ago. It’s the spicy dry pot this time, extra, extra spicy as always."

Silas Norwood gave the container a cool glance. "Carry it."

Theo Chambers withdrew his hand and followed Silas Norwood upstairs, carrying the container. Thinking about how his boss had never been in a serious relationship and probably didn’t know much about dating, he said, "Boss, weren’t you on a date with Miss Sterling? Usually, on a date, the man should take the initiative to treat her to a big meal."

Not sneakily get takeout to eat alone at home.

Silas Norwood was silent.

’What do you mean, he didn’t treat her? He did.’

Celia Sterling had found a high-end restaurant specializing in southern cuisine on the way. The two went in, and she very extravagantly ordered a whole table full of food: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Nanputuo vegetarian cakes, and a Chaoshan-style rice porridge set that was the equivalent of a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

It was slightly more palatable than the traditional-style pastries from last time, but for him, who found anything not searingly spicy to be flavorless, it was still far too bland. The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was rich and savory, but it had the fishy smell of seafood that made him uncomfortable even to be near.

But with his upbringing, he could never bring himself to say something so rude as telling his host that the food was terrible.

He forced down a few bites. Celia Sterling didn’t think much of it and was happily slurping down a bowl of hot and sour noodles by herself. Just as he was looking at the noodles with a flicker of interest, she even added:

"Silas, this is street food. You should stay away; I’m afraid the smell will bother you."

And so, Silas Norwood swallowed the words, ’Can I have a taste?’

「Sterling Villa.」

The city lights sparkled brilliantly.

Celia Sterling had just finished her shower and was in the study, reading a book on perfumery.

The sound of a car engine echoed from outside the villa. A moment later, Kian Sterling’s familiar footsteps grew closer, and his tall figure soon strode into the study.

"It’s midnight, and you’re not asleep yet?" He took the book from her hands and sat down lazily in a backlit corner of the sofa. In the dim light, his bewitching face held a faint, enchanting allure.

"I can’t sleep. I ate too much tonight, and then I had coffee when I got back." Celia Sterling sat down next to him. "Besides, the new perfume isn’t finished yet. It just needs a few finishing touches. I’ll just pull a bit of an all-nighter."

She was wearing a slip dress after her shower. Though the silky, scarlet nightgown was loose-fitting, its thin fabric revealed the graceful curves of her body. Kian Sterling casually grabbed one of his own jackets and draped it over her before speaking slowly.

"Did you have fun at the movies with Silas Norwood today?"

"It was alright." Celia Sterling was too embarrassed to tell her own brother about the intensely amorous scenes at the theater, so she changed the subject. "But I didn’t have a good time at the Shepherd Family’s."

Kian Sterling raised an eyebrow. "Tell me."

"It’s just the usual stuff." Celia Sterling scoffed. "She says how much she misses me, but every time she prepares food I don’t like. She’s always so gentle when she talks to me, but she makes it painfully clear who she loves and who she doesn’t..."

Kian Sterling chuckled softly. He kicked open a nearby drawer, took out a cigarette, and held it between his fingers without lighting it. His voice was also detached when he mentioned his mother. "Mm, she loves to use soft knives. I told you not to go. Now you come back all upset, and I have to go to the trouble of cheering you up."

"She also reminded me not to cling to you all the time and affect your career." Celia Sterling stared intently at Kian Sterling. "Brother, you’ve spent all your time and energy on me over the years. Have I... really held you back?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Kian Sterling’s expression turned cold, a hint of anger in his eyes. "We won’t visit her for the New Year. I’ll take you on vacation instead."

"She told me to rush you into getting married today."

Kian Sterling: "..."

"Brother." Celia Sterling leaned closer to him, her tone a little tentative. "You have someone you like, don’t you?"

Kian Sterling glanced at her. "Nonsense."

"That actually reminds me of something." Celia Sterling sighed, propping her head on her hand while watching his expression. "It was about three years ago, I think. For over a month, you didn’t come home. You weren’t in Port Sovereign either. You only came back two or three times, and you were in a terrible mood. Later, you even started drinking alone like you’d had your heart broken. It scared me so much I dragged Lowell the Third out of a blind date to come look for you with me."

Kian Sterling: "Work wasn’t going well."

"Somehow, it looked more like you’d been dumped. A case of unrequited love..." Celia Sterling didn’t believe him.

"Unrequited love?" Kian Sterling’s eyes met hers, so dark they were unreadable. Even the beauty mark near his eye seemed to dim a little.

"With my looks? With my family’s fortune?" he asked coolly. "How could there be any unrequited love?"

Celia Sterling: "..."

"Finish up your work and get to sleep." Kian Sterling looked away from her, put the cigarette between his lips, and lowered his head to flick on a lighter.

Celia Sterling said, "Oh," and obediently got up and left the study.

Only when she reached the doorway, out of range of the secondhand smoke, did Kian Sterling light the cigarette. Celia Sterling had walked quite a distance away when she happened to glance back. Inside the wide-open study, Kian sat with one hand draped over the side of the sofa, his entire form swallowed by darkness, save for the crimson glow of the cigarette held between his long fingers.