My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 76: No Need to Bow

Evan Rhodes saw Celia Sterling standing still. He didn’t understand what she was doing, but he didn’t disturb her.

Less than five minutes later, a door on the Lowell Family’s private car, which had been waiting quietly, finally opened. A middle-aged man who looked like a butler got out and walked purposefully in a specific direction.

Celia Sterling’s gaze followed him, and she spotted a familiar face.

Amid the crowd, Summer Sutton—wearing a mask and sunglasses, flanked by her assistant and agent—emerged from a VIP exit under the escort of security guards. The middle-aged man approached her and said something politely. Summer Sutton gave a slight nod and got into the car emblazoned with the family crest.

’They were here to pick up Summer Sutton?’

Celia Sterling watched curiously as the car drove off. Several seconds passed before she snapped out of it and turned to Evan Rhodes. "It’s nothing. Let’s go."

Kian Sterling was staying in the presidential suite of the Port Sovereign International Grand Hotel.

Evan Rhodes chatted about Kian Sterling’s daily routine in Port Sovereign as he led Celia Sterling to the suite.

"Most people here in Port Sovereign call the Boss ’The Ninth Master.’ Even..." Evan Rhodes had seen Summer Sutton at the airport just now, so he added casually, "that Miss Sutton has been calling him that for years."

"Has my brother been busy these last few days?"

"He’s been fine. Several senior executives from Sterling Group came with him, and most of the time, the Boss has them handle things." Evan Rhodes paused. "As for the Boss himself, ever since he learned you were coming to Port Sovereign, he’s been using his free time to collect all sorts of novelties. I’m sure you’ll love them, Miss."

Celia Sterling felt a flicker of anticipation. "My brother has always had excellent taste. He hasn’t been staying up late, has he?"

"When the Boss is away, he can’t help but worry about you, Miss."

Evan Rhodes recalled one time he had brought coffee over in the middle of the night. The coolly handsome man had been sitting languidly on the sofa by the window, his phone screen open to his conversation with Celia Sterling. Yet he hesitated to start a video call, exiting the chat, re-entering, and exiting again several times. Finally, he’d casually tossed his phone aside, lowered his head to light a cigarette, his face unreadable through the smoke. His voice, however, carried a trace of frustration:

"The temperature has dropped in Metropia recently. Call the butler and have him check if Cece has kicked off her blankets."

’Unbelievable. It was three or four in the morning. He couldn’t bear to disturb Miss Sterling while she slept, but he had no problem with me waking up the elderly butler...’

But it wasn’t Evan Rhodes’s place to gossip about such details. He just said cheerfully, "Now that you’re here in Port Sovereign, Miss, under the Boss’s watchful eye, he should be able to sleep soundly every night."

Celia Sterling replied, "Yes, I’ll make sure he doesn’t stay up late."

Evan Rhodes escorted her into the presidential suite.

"Please get some rest, Miss Sterling. The Boss should be back soon. Feel free to call me if you need anything."

It was late, so Evan Rhodes politely excused himself, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

The suite had two enormous bedrooms. While the decor was minimalist, it exuded ultimate luxury. Celia Sterling surveyed the room; it had clearly been redecorated to Kian Sterling’s tastes. The furnishings were all in a vibrant style—even the curtains had been replaced with new ones in a fiery purple. The wine glasses, tea set, and everything else one might drink from were sparkling and translucent, with vivid colors. They must have been from his private collection, brought over from Metropia by Evan Rhodes; Celia Sterling had seen them in Kian Sterling’s study before.

The two bedrooms shared a similar style, with bold color palettes, but the details flaunted an opulence that only money could buy. One bedroom was clearly designed with a more feminine touch; there was even a giant stuffed rabbit on the bed. Celia Sterling walked in without hesitation and opened the wardrobe. It was filled with all sorts of clothes, mostly in the local Port Sovereign style. The tags were still on, and everything was in her size.

Clearly, Kian Sterling had gone to great lengths to prepare for Celia’s arrival.

Celia Sterling selected a retro-style, lace-up nightgown and headed into the bathroom.

When she emerged from the bathroom after her shower, dressed in the nightgown and a pair of slippers, Kian Sterling was back.

He was still dressed in business casual clothes. He wore a V-neck shirt with a cinched waist, embroidered with a subtle silver-and-purple pattern. Instead of his usual snake-chain necklace, he wore a dazzling purple star-ring necklace that was a perfect match for his shirt. He was sitting on the sofa with his head slightly bowed, flipping through a report, exuding an aura that was both languid and domineering.

"Brother," Celia called out.

Kian Sterling glanced up at her. "Cece, come here."

Celia Sterling obediently went and sat down beside him.

Kian Sterling casually tapped a delicate box on the sapphire-blue coffee table with a bent finger. "For you."

"What amazing gift are you giving me now, Brother?" Celia Sterling opened the box curiously and was immediately blinded by a dazzling array of colors.

Inside the box lay a collection of enormous colored diamonds—red, pink, purple, yellow, blue...

Celia Sterling knew a bit about diamonds. She could tell at a glance that most of these were famous gems that circulated through major auction houses. A single one might not be as valuable as the "Star of the Blue Sea" that Declan Norwood had once given her, but each was still worth tens of millions. The red diamond, in particular, was the famous "Blood Rose," which had sold at auction for over eighty million.

The crucial part was that there wasn’t just one. There were eighteen of them... bringing the total value to around 1.2 billion.

"Brother, do you think the display cabinets at home aren’t full enough?" The diamonds shimmered with iridescent light, and Celia couldn’t bear to close the lid. "Between your gifts and Silas’s, I already have more than enough!"

"Diamonds of this grade are appreciating assets. Besides, you like shiny things," Kian Sterling said nonchalantly. "There was a special diamond auction in Port Sovereign a couple of days ago, so I just bought them on a whim."

"Brother, you can’t just throw money around like this." Celia Sterling sighed softly. "If you don’t feel bad about the cost, I do! Plenty of big, glamorous companies don’t even have this much in liquid capital..."

Kian Sterling made a noncommittal sound, his gaze returning to the report in his hands. From Celia’s angle, she couldn’t make out his expression.

"Since we don’t have a father who dotes on us or a mother who loves us, just consider it your brother building up your dowry."

Celia’s nose tingled, and her eyes stung. It was true the siblings didn’t have parents they could count on. But even if you took all the second and third-generation heirs from rich families, the ones with doting fathers and loving mothers, not a single one of them received as much affection as she had from Kian Sterling over the years.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he gave her everything he had.

Celia wrapped her arms around Kian Sterling’s neck from behind, affectionately nuzzling her head against his shoulder. "Having you is enough, Brother," she said, her voice muffled.

Kian Sterling stiffened for a moment, then reached up to stroke her hair. "You’re a grown woman now, stop acting like a baby," he said in a low voice. "You have to visit the Lowells tomorrow, so get some sleep."

The Lowell Family’s Fragrance Gala was the main reason for the trip, so she had to be well-rested. Celia hummed in agreement. "Okay, then I’ll spend some quality time with you after the Fragrance Gala."

She let go of Kian Sterling and headed for her bedroom. But just as she reached the door, she remembered something and turned back around.

"Brother."

Kian Sterling looked up. "What is it?"

"I saw Summer Sutton at the airport today. The Lowell Family sent someone to pick her up personally," Celia said. "Does she have some connection to them?"

Kian Sterling’s voice turned a few degrees cooler. "Why do you ask, Cece?"

"Just curious," Celia said breezily. "I just never would have thought she had ties to the Lowell Family."

"Whether she has ties to them or not is unimportant."

Kian Sterling’s gaze was intense, fixed on Celia’s face. His sharp, dangerously alluring features were cast in shadow, and his tone held its customary dominance and authority:

"My Cece doesn’t have to bow her head to anyone."