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Chapter 32: Chapter 32: You Really Have No Heart

Lynn Winslow crushed the cigarette under her heel and chuckled. ”What are you doing here?”

Seeing her complete lack of guilt, Ian Sterling said coldly, ”What about you?”

He couldn’t stop himself from wanting to confront her. Lynn had told him before that she hated the smell of smoke. That was why, even after they broke up, he had only tried it once during all those unbearable nights.

Now, seeing Lynn Winslow smoking so openly right in front of him, Ian felt a fire raging inside him.

”Oh, I was just hanging out at the lounge bar for a bit. Just got out.” As if oblivious to Ian’s anger, Lynn Winslow said calmly, ”What about you? Want to come have some fun?”

Ian Sterling’s lips thinned, his expression dark. Seeing this, Lynn Winslow just shrugged. She still hadn’t gotten over Ian leaving her the other day, and she wasn’t ready to start chasing him again. She turned to get in her car, but just as she reached for the door handle, Ian grabbed her hand and pinned her against the door.

Lynn Winslow’s patience ran out. The expression on her face faded as she stared blankly at Ian, who was just inches away.

A fuse lit on Ian Sterling’s anger. The hand gripping Lynn’s wrist trembled slightly as he said sharply, ”All that vulnerability and misery from the past few days was all an act to fool me, wasn’t it?”

Lynn Winslow tilted her head, asking in feigned confusion, ”Didn’t you already know?”

’People from the Sterling Family, even the spoiled ones, don’t trust anyone that easily. Besides, Ian knows me. How could he have really believed my act?’

She couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. The cautious, soft-spoken demeanor she had maintained toward Ian over the past few days now felt like giving up on a lost cause.

Ian Sterling gradually calmed down. He released Lynn’s hand, took a step back, and said through gritted teeth, ”Lynn Winslow, you’re truly heartless.”

Lynn Winslow flexed her wrist, saying nonchalantly, ”When I was clinging to you, you found me annoying. Now that I’m not, you think I’m heartless. I really don’t know what I have to do to make you happy.”

”Do you need to make me happy? You do whatever you want with everything, including me. You were like this three years ago, and you still are.”

”I was wrong about what happened three years ago, and I wanted to explain why, but you wouldn’t listen.” Lynn Winslow’s eyes curved into a smile as she looked at him. ”I’ve really missed you. That’s the truth, I’m not lying.”

Ian Sterling’s lips twitched into a faint sneer, assuming Lynn was just sweet-talking him again.

Lynn Winslow felt a wave of exhaustion. ”I was actually planning to come find you in a few days,” she said softly. ”I didn’t expect to run into you today.”

”You didn’t expect to run into me, or you didn’t expect me to catch you smoking?”

”Is smoking such a big deal?” Lynn Winslow sighed. She knew he wasn’t really hung up on the smoking itself, but that he thought her past self had been a lie, too. She explained patiently, ”I really did hate the smell of smoke before. I only started smoking within the last year. I wasn’t lying to you.”

She looked at Ian Sterling and, for some reason, could have sworn she saw a hint of hurt in his expression.

Lynn Winslow had no choice but to smile, take a step forward, and coax him. ”I won’t lie to you anymore. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Ian Sterling averted his gaze. Not wanting to keep arguing about it, Lynn Winslow said, ”I’m heading home. Are you going to hang out with Zachary Quincy and the others?”

Ian Sterling gave a sullen grunt of affirmation. Lynn Winslow’s lips curved. ”Then how about I come find you tomorrow? For lunch.”

Ian Sterling neither agreed nor refused, so Lynn Winslow took it as a yes. Seeing a few people approaching in the distance, she said her goodbyes to him.

”They’re here, so I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at your company tomorrow.” Lynn Winslow got into the car, but then suddenly remembered something and looked back. ”You know, you looked really, really good with red hair.”

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together, a little embarrassed. Lynn Winslow took it as him being shy, gave him a wave, and told the driver to go.

Zachary Quincy and Jasper Jennings walked up to Ian Sterling. Seeing him staring at the car that was already far down the road, Jasper Jennings frowned. ”Was that Lynn Winslow just now?”

Ian Sterling grunted in response and turned to walk toward the lounge bar.

Zachary Quincy said with displeasure, ”Isn’t she supposed to be going back to Morelia? What is she still doing in Quartos?”

Ian Sterling walked on as if he hadn’t heard, his gaze lowered, lost in thought.

Zachary Quincy wanted to say more, but he fell silent when Jasper Jennings shot him a look.

Mia Rhodes was chatting quietly with Chloe Clayton when she looked up and saw the three men heading toward a private room. After a quick word with Chloe, she stood up and walked over to them.

”Senior, Mr. Jennings, Mr. Quincy.”

Ian Sterling glanced at her before lazily looking away. Jasper Jennings knew what had happened at The Lumina Gala and knew Ian disliked Mia Rhodes, so he merely gave her a nod.

Mia Rhodes bit her lip and said aggrievedly, ”Senior, did you believe that recording from the other day? Is that why you hate me now?”

Only then did Ian Sterling deign to speak, his tone careless. ”Mia Rhodes, don’t take everyone for a fool.”

His gaze turned cold as he stated bluntly, ”You know damn well why I gave you those resources in the first place. I let it slide when you spun lies to the media, for the sake of your cousin and the Powell family. But you need to know that everything has its limits.”

Ian Sterling was usually a man of few words with outsiders, so for him to say so much now surprised both Jasper Jennings and Zachary Quincy.

But every word was a warning. Jasper Jennings and Zachary Quincy understood, and so did Mia Rhodes.

Her eyes reddened as she explained, ”Senior, I know you won’t believe me no matter how I explain it. You only believe my cousin. But I really never said those things.”

Ian Sterling couldn’t be bothered to say another word to her.

Once inside the private room, he collapsed onto the sofa as if his bones had been removed. Jasper Jennings surveyed the room and asked, ”Why did we have to come to a lounge bar? What’s wrong with Nys?”

Ian Sterling said languidly, ”It’s quiet here. Nys is too loud.”

Jasper Jennings snorted and picked up the menu, glancing over it.

”I don’t know who owns this place, but they’ve got good taste,” Zachary Quincy said, his tone appreciative.

Jasper Jennings handed the menu to Zachary Quincy and raised an eyebrow. ”The names of the drinks are pretty good, too.”

Lynn Winslow’s words were still echoing in Ian Sterling’s mind, leaving him conflicted.

Zachary Quincy gently kicked his leg. ”You’re the one who dragged us here, and now you’re just spacing out.”

Ian Sterling sat up with a glare, annoyed. Jasper Jennings sat down beside him. ”What are you thinking about so intensely?”

”Nothing.” Ian Sterling didn’t want to tell them.

He didn’t have to say it; they already knew. It was definitely about Lynn Winslow again. They rolled their eyes and decided to ignore him.

Jasper Jennings suddenly remembered something. ”Shawn Wyatt was discharged from the hospital today,” he said. ”Hasn’t Frank Wyatt come looking for you?”

Ian Sterling scoffed. ”No. He’s probably trying to figure out how to explain his son’s actions when he finally sees me.”

Jasper Jennings rested his forehead on his hand. The thought of Frank Wyatt’s old face plastered with an apologetic smile made him chuckle.

「Sure enough, the next day, Frank Wyatt showed up at the Sterling family’s door with Shawn Wyatt in tow.」