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Chapter 48: Chapter 48: A Childhood Friend Is No Match for a Heavenly Arrival

Ian Sterling looked at her innocently. ”What’s wrong? Weren’t you the one who wanted a farewell kiss?”

”That’s not— You...” Lynn Winslow was about to tell him off when Ian Sterling’s lips curved into a smile. ”I’m heading to the office. See you tonight.”

He turned and bolted, disappearing before Lynn Winslow could even react.

Zane Lancaster scoffed from the other end of the line, his tone casual. ”So you two made up and you weren’t going to tell me?”

Lynn Winslow pressed her lips together. ”We didn’t make up.”

”Didn’t make up? Then what’s with the ’farewell kiss’ and ’see you tonight’? Who do you think you’re kidding?” Zane Lancaster wasn’t buying it.

”He’s doing it on purpose,” Lynn Winslow explained. ”He heard I was on the phone with you and said it deliberately for you to hear.”

Zane Lancaster snorted again, and Lynn Winslow giggled. ”Got a toothache?”

”When are you planning to come back?”

Lynn Winslow thought for a moment. ”In a little while. There are still some things I need to take care of here.”

”You’re dragging out something that could be handled all at once, splitting it into pieces. You must have too much time on your hands.” Zane Lancaster’s voice was laced with sarcasm. ”I bet you just can’t bear to part with Ian Sterling, right?”

The smile in Lynn Winslow’s eyes gradually faded. She blinked slowly. ”That’s not it. I just find the process... interesting.”

”Let’s hope so.”

Zane Lancaster threw out those three words and promptly hung up.

He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the dense forest of skyscrapers below.

His assistant knocked and entered. ”Sir,” he said softly, ”I’ve finished with the documents. I’ll be heading home now.”

”Go on home. Double pay for tonight’s overtime.” Zane Lancaster turned to look at him, then asked suddenly, ”Leo, do you ever want to go back to Veridia?”

Leo Sawyer paused, then replied with a helpless sigh, ”Of course. My parents are still in our hometown. They won’t even move into the house I bought for them, insisting they’ll wait for me to come back.”

”I’ve been thinking about opening a branch in Veridia,” Zane Lancaster said, his gaze dropping. ”But then again, I feel like even going to Veridia wouldn’t change anything.”

’They always say the childhood friend never stands a chance against the guy who sweeps in out of nowhere. Besides, in Lynn Winslow’s eyes, he was no different from Joel Winslow.’

”But sir,” Leo Sawyer took a deep breath, mustering his courage to continue, ”why can’t you at least try? Whether you succeed or not, at least you won’t have any regrets.”

Zane Lancaster was taken aback for a second, then let out a low chuckle. ”You have a point. Go on home. Get some rest, and don’t worry about rushing in tomorrow morning.”

”Thank you, sir.” Leo Sawyer smiled and turned to leave.

Zane Lancaster stretched, lay back in the lounge chair by the window for a while, and then finally got up to leave the office.

Lynn Winslow curled up on the sofa, her slender fingers flying across the screen as she typed out an angry message, giving Ian Sterling a piece of her mind.

Ian Sterling, committed to playing dumb, replied: ”Lynn, I just got to the office. Have to get busy now. See you tonight.”

He even had the gall to add a kissing emoji.

Lynn Winslow pursed her lips, her expression stern, but the corners of her mouth twitched and then, against her will, curled into a smile.

’How can his personality change so drastically?’

’From an aloof, arrogant young master to a shameless, lovesick fool... Well, he’s still a young master. A young master who gets whatever he wants.’

Pushing Ian Sterling to the back of her mind, Lynn Winslow sprawled on the sofa to watch a rerun of a reality dating show. She’d tossed her phone aside and didn’t hear the constant stream of notifications.

There was an elegant, beautiful female celebrity on the show. She had the classic face of an ’ice queen,’ and every word she used to criticize the arrogant male lead was more vicious than the last.

Lynn Winslow’s eyes sparkled as she watched, and she was still craving more when the show ended. She grabbed her phone, intending to look up the actress, but that’s when she saw that Chloe Clayton had sent her a location.

”Lynn, it’s my birthday today! The party’s at my house, and I’d love for you to come.”

”You have to come! And don’t worry, I didn’t invite Mia Rhodes.”

...

”Do you not want to come? Why aren’t you answering me?”

Lynn Winslow raised an eyebrow and replied.

”I’ll be there on time.”

Chloe Clayton replied almost immediately with a cute sticker. A smile touched Lynn Winslow’s lips. Forgetting all about the actress, she called Aaron over to style her hair and makeup.

By the time she was ready, night was falling. Ian Sterling called, but Lynn Winslow just glanced at her phone after getting into the car as a frantic mantra scrolled through her mind.

’Don’t go soft on him. Don’t be too nice.’

’Don’t go soft!! Don’t be too nice!!’

She simply turned off her phone, ignoring him completely.

The driver pulled up outside the main gate of the Clayton Estate. ”Miss,” he said quietly, ”I can’t drive onto the grounds. I’ll have to stop here.”

Lynn Winslow glanced out the window. ”Go get something to eat and take a break nearby,” she told the driver. ”Come back when I message you. Mrs. Sterling will reimburse you for your expenses.”

The driver nodded.

After getting out of the car, Lynn Winslow gave a gentle tug to the large bow on the back of her dress. Her high heels clicked crisply on the smooth pavement.

Chloe Clayton was already waiting outside the main gate. She jogged over as soon as she saw Lynn, her eyes crinkling with a wide, happy smile.

”You’re here! I’ve been waiting forever.”

Lynn Winslow chuckled. ”I promised you I’d come, didn’t I? Why are you out here?”

”I was worried they might give you a hard time. They’ve all heard those nasty rumors about you, and what if they tried to bully you?” Chloe Clayton huffed. ”They’re all just a bunch of opportunists who follow the crowd. Just ignore them.”

She took Lynn Winslow’s hand and led her toward the estate, ignoring the curious stares from the other young heiresses. They walked down a long garden path and entered the main villa.

Most of the guests were in the garden, so it was quiet inside the villa.

Lynn Winslow didn’t ask why Chloe was bringing her inside, allowing herself to be led along. Just as they stepped into the villa, they came face-to-face with Liam Clayton, who was coming down the stairs.

”Miss Winslow.” Liam Clayton glanced at her coolly by way of greeting.

Lynn Winslow smiled. ”Mr. Clayton.”

”Thank you for your help last time, Miss Winslow. I’ve already identified the person behind the scenes.” Liam Clayton still wore his usual poker face, but his tone was a world of difference from before.

Chloe Clayton cut off their small talk. ”Brother, you should go back outside. I want to show Lynn something in my room.”

Liam Clayton glanced down at his sister with a resigned look and had no choice but to walk past them.

”Don’t mind my brother. He’s had that same frosty expression since he was a kid,” Chloe Clayton explained to Lynn. ”He doesn’t have a problem with you or anything.”

Lynn Winslow smiled at her. ”I know. So, what did you want to show me?”

Chloe Clayton’s eyes brightened. ”I have a gift for you!” she said excitedly.

She and Lynn started up the spiral staircase, their voices fading with distance. Liam, who had reached the main door, suddenly turned back. His gaze fell directly on Lynn, whose face was only visible in profile from his vantage point.

Lynn was completely oblivious to his stare. She had just reached the door to Chloe’s room, where she stopped dead in her tracks.

The room was an explosion of pink and lace. Just looking at it made Lynn’s eyes hurt. She tore her gaze away and looked at Chloe, who was watching her with a curious expression, wondering why she had stopped.

”This room... you designed it based on your own preferences?”

Chloe Clayton nodded. ”I did! I love this style. You don’t think it’s pretty?”

Lynn Winslow bit her lip, forcing back the sarcastic comment that was about to slip out.