My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 8: Secret Attention

"I’m planning to shift my professional focus to the mainland," Summer Sutton said, not waiting for the person on the other end to speak.

"Are you insane?" her agent screeched from the other end of the line, practically jumping out of his skin. "You’ve built your career in Port Sovereign for years to get to where you are. Why would you go to the mainland? The scene there is even tougher than in Port Sovereign. It’s a tiny pie with a horde of people fighting for a slice. You have no connections. You’ll get eaten alive."

"I’m not asking for your opinion," Summer Sutton said, enunciating each word. "I’m telling you."

"..." Her agent muttered a string of curses for several minutes before hanging up in a huff.

Summer Sutton felt exhausted.

Leaving everything behind to start over in a strange place wasn’t exactly a rational decision.

But when she thought about the fate that awaited her without Kian Sterling’s protection, a chill crept into her heart, cutting through her exhaustion.

Moving to Metropia was perhaps her only way out of this predicament.

Butler Coleman approached, trembling with trepidation.

"Miss, Assistant Rhodes said he’s going to dismiss me. Could you please put in a good word for me with The Ninth Master? I’ve served with utmost dedication all these years..."

Summer Sutton glanced at the extra bodyguards who had appeared at the villa’s entrance.

The bodyguards had already received their orders and were systematically clearing out the villa.

Summer Sutton watched as Kian Sterling’s favorite gilded tea set was tossed into a trash bag. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Put in a good word? I can barely save myself right now..."

Inside a black, extended-wheelbase luxury van, Assistant Evan Rhodes held a fresh bouquet of lilies, respectfully presenting it to Kian Sterling.

Kian Sterling ordered in a low voice, "To the cemetery."

「Stillwater Cemetery.」

Weeds grew thick around the tombstone of Sylvia Lowell, Kenneth Sutton’s first wife. A pile of withered flowers and dead leaves lay before the monument, a clear sign that no one had visited in a long time.

Kian Sterling solemnly placed the lilies before the gravestone.

"Teacher, your student, Kian Sterling, has come to see you."

Sylvia Lowell hailed from a family of master perfumers and was exceptionally skilled at blending fragrances. Years ago, when the Sterlings’ perfume brand faced a crisis, an eleven-year-old Kian Sterling traveled a great distance with his R&D team to seek her help. With her guidance, they spent months breaking through their creative bottleneck. The company went on to dominate the perfume industry, which in turn laid the groundwork for Kian’s later rise to power after being effectively disinherited.

Sylvia Lowell had only mentored Kian for a few months, but to him, her help had been a lifeline.

For her part, Sylvia had grown to deeply admire Kian’s character during those months. When she was later betrayed by her husband, she didn’t turn to a trust or even her own family. Instead, she decisively entrusted her daughter, along with all the company shares in her name, to Kian Sterling.

Over the years, whenever Kian Sterling came to Port Sovereign to see Summer Sutton, he would also stop by the cemetery to pay his respects.

He bent down, clearing away the dead leaves with his own hands, then glanced sideways at Evan Rhodes. "Have someone take care of the weeds."

Evan Rhodes assented.

Kian Sterling fell silent, standing before the gravestone for a good half hour.

Evan Rhodes glanced at the hazy sky and reminded him softly, "Ninth Master, it’s time to head to the airport."

Kian Sterling gave Evan Rhodes a subtle gesture. Evan Rhodes retreated several dozen yards, standing guard silently at the entrance to the path.

Kian Sterling’s gaze rested on the photograph on the tombstone. After a long silence, he spoke with the utmost seriousness.

"Your daughter... is doing very well."

With that, he gave a deep bow, then turned and walked away.

The luxury van disappeared back into the night.

Once they were far from the cemetery, Kian Sterling asked Evan Rhodes quietly, "Summer Sutton, how long has it been since she visited Teacher?"

"Ninth Master, Miss Sutton hasn’t been to visit Ms. Sylvia Lowell in three months," Evan Rhodes reported, relaying the information he had gathered. "The last time she came was with you."

He didn’t dare look at Kian Sterling’s expression after he finished speaking.

The atmosphere in the van grew heavy for a long moment.

Kian Sterling scoffed. "Forget it. Whether she comes or not is unimportant."

「Metropia. 2:00 AM.」

With Kian Sterling not home to keep her in check, Celia Sterling had happily pulled an all-nighter. She brought out the set of perfume ingredients Silas Norwood had given her, admiring them, turning them over and over in her hands. Unable to resist the urge to show them off, she took a photo and posted it to her social media feed.

The caption read: *Got a very precious gift. Too excited to sleep!*

Late at night, the lights were still on in the chairman’s office at Norwood Group.

A large pile of documents awaiting his signature sat on the desk. Silas Norwood, exuding an air of refined elegance, casually picked one up and began to flip through it.

His assistant, Theo Chambers, was nearby to help, occasionally sneaking a glance at his boss out of the corner of his eye, ever-attentive to his needs.

At first, everything was normal, just another busy night.

But the twelfth time Theo Chambers glanced over, he saw that Silas Norwood had opened his phone. His amber eyes were fixed on the screen, which wasn’t displaying some work-related interface, but a social media feed.

’A man of the Boss’s caliber scrolls through social media?’

Theo Chambers was stunned for a moment. He then saw Silas Norwood’s long, elegant fingers—like cool jade—begin to type.

’He doesn’t just scroll, he comments, too?’

Theo Chambers couldn’t contain his curiosity and discreetly peeked at his boss’s phone screen.

He immediately recognized the twelve familiar crystal vials. He himself had retrieved those very vials from his boss’s villa storeroom just that morning, before his boss had given them to the Eldest Miss Sterling.

’So, the Boss is looking at Miss Sterling’s feed?’

Theo couldn’t resist taking a second look.

This time, his eyes landed on the profile picture of the account his boss was using to comment—it wasn’t Silas Norwood’s usual ID. ’The Boss is using a burner account? A man as seemingly detached from worldly affairs as him actually has a burner account?’

’And he’s already connected with Miss Sterling on it?’

Silas Norwood was oblivious to his assistant’s complex turmoil.

He typed a few words in the comment section below her post: "I’m glad you like it."

But he immediately felt it was inappropriate. Less than three seconds after posting, he deleted it. In the end, he settled for a simple, noncommittal "like."

He put his phone away and said coolly to Theo Chambers, "What are you gawking at? Got nothing better to do?"

Theo Chambers sat up straight, cleared his mind of stray thoughts, and buried himself in his work once more.

At nine in the morning, Celia Sterling ambled downstairs in her loose-fitting pajamas to find Kian Sterling sitting at the dining table, waiting for her to have breakfast.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief.

"Bro, you really rushed back?"

Kian Sterling looked up from his financial magazine. "Yeah. The breakfast in Port Sovereign doesn’t agree with me."

"Is this really about breakfast?" Celia picked up a glass of warm milk and sat beside him, her tone teasing. "Miss Sutton is caught in a media firestorm and needs comforting. Besides, what’s more important: a night of passion or breakfast?"

"..." Kian paused. "So interested in my love life?"

"Just curious," Celia said, clearing her throat. "After your relationship with Miss Sutton went public, a lot of heiresses from prominent families started asking me if they still had a chance with you."

"Don’t spread rumors," Kian Sterling warned. "I have no plans to get married in the next five years."

"But isn’t Evan Rhodes already compiling a list of suitable candidates to be the matriarch of the Sterling family?"

"That’s just to appease the stubborn old guard in the clan." Kian Sterling reached out and adjusted her pajamas. "You’re about to get married. You shouldn’t be wearing such slovenly clothes. Be more dignified."

"Slovenly?" Celia looked down at the button Kian had just fastened at her collar. "I’m only showing my neck. How is that undignified?"

"The neckline’s too low," Kian Sterling said slowly. "Silas Norwood is nothing like Declan Norwood. He’s extremely conservative. You’d better watch yourself."

This only piqued Celia’s interest. "How conservative are we talking?"

"We’re not close friends, but we’ve known each other for years, so I have some idea." Kian Sterling placed a crystal shrimp dumpling in her bowl as he shared his impression of Silas. "He never goes to places like bars or nightclubs. Even at business galas he’s forced to attend, he has bodyguards specifically to keep scantily clad women at a distance."

Celia sighed. "So stuffy. Being with him is going to be so dull..."

"If you get bored, just come home more often. Your big brother will find ways for you to have fun." Kian Sterling changed the subject, placing a pan-fried beef dumpling in her bowl. "Eat up. I heard you’ve been secretly trying to lose weight. Why would you copy those bony wraiths in Metropia instead of learning something useful?"

"If those words got out, you’d make all the skinny beauties in the city cry," Celia said, pointing to her face. "Besides, don’t you think I’d be more photogenic if I were a little slimmer?"

Kian Sterling studied her dazzling face intently. "No dieting. You’re beautiful enough as it is."

From a young age, Celia Sterling had always been more exquisite than the other girls in the Capital Circle. With her porcelain skin, perfect cherry-red lips, and a soft, delicate way of speaking, she was often mistaken for one of the famed beauties from the south. As she grew older, her features became even more radiant and captivating. Add to that the proud, pampered air that came from Kian’s doting, and the number of young scions in their circle who wanted to marry her was endless.

It was just that ninety-nine percent of them failed to get past the ’big brother-in-law’ hurdle, Kian Sterling.

Only Declan Norwood had ever made it to the final round.

Speaking of Declan...

Celia couldn’t help but check her phone. Ever since their video call had abruptly disconnected yesterday at noon, the man had vanished without a trace, making no further contact.

Biting into her dumpling, Celia couldn’t help but muse, "You know, after three years together, I always thought Declan was clingy and prone to throwing tantrums. I never expected him to know when to back off."

Kian Sterling raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He hasn’t messaged me at all since our call yesterday. He’s showing some restraint, for once."

Kian Sterling looked at his sister. "From what I hear, after the marriage switch was finalized, Justin Norwood was afraid Declan would cause a scene, so he had his phone service cut off. Declan probably couldn’t message you even if he wanted to, at least not until the new marriage agreement is signed."

Celia was speechless.

So that was the real reason the video call had suddenly disconnected.