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Chapter 115: Chapter 115: What’s That Smell on You?

Mr. Powell fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Lynn Winslow. Her expression was neutral, but Ian Sterling’s face had gone cold.

”Go tell her I’m not here. When I’m back, I’ll have her over.”

The butler acknowledged the order and went out. Just as he did, Mia Rhodes was getting out of her car. She saw him and spoke softly, ”Butler, is my grandfather in?”

”Miss Mia, the master has gone out. He asked me to tell you that he’ll have you over once he’s back.”

Mia Rhodes froze for a second, then smiled. ”That’s fine. I see my cousin’s car is here, and I actually need to talk to him about something.”

’Her problem still wasn’t solved. The director had blacklisted her number, and she had a good idea who was pulling the strings. She’d come back hoping to beg her grandfather for help. Since he wasn’t here, she could ask her cousin instead. After all, her cousin and Ian Sterling were fairly well-acquainted.’

The butler gave an apologetic smile. ”Miss Mia, the Young Master dropped his car off and left immediately. Perhaps you could give him a call?”

Mia Rhodes felt something was very wrong. She frowned and glanced toward the parking area. That black supercar looked familiar...

’Now I remember. It’s Ian Sterling’s car.’

’If Grandfather and my cousin are both out, then why is Ian’s car here?’

She took a step, intending to go inside, but the butler unexpectedly moved to the side, blocking her path.

”Miss Mia, please head back for now.” The butler regarded her with a placid smile. ”It’s truly not a convenient time.”

Mia Rhodes bit her lip, glaring at him. ”So I can’t even enter my own grandfather’s house now?”

The butler remained silent, his expression unchanged.

”Fine. The next time I see Grandfather, I’ll be sure to ask him when a butler started calling the shots in the Powell family.” Mia Rhodes sneered. The combination of her desperation and the butler’s treatment made it impossible to maintain the facade she had always kept up at the Powell residence. She shot the butler a glare and stormed off.

The butler stood at the door, quietly watching Mia Rhodes depart. When he turned and stepped back into the foyer, he saw Mr. Powell looking down with a self-deprecating smile.

”For the past few years, she put on such a convincing act of being obedient and sensible in front of me. Now I see she really takes after her mother.”

The butler sighed, stepped forward, and said softly, ”Please don’t be angry, sir.”

Mr. Powell turned and glanced toward the dining room. Ian Sterling had already scurried into his seat and was gazing at Lynn Winslow.

”I’m not angry. My two daughters had completely opposite tempers when they were young, and so do the granddaughters they raised.” Mr. Powell smiled and shook his head. He walked back to the dining room, stood beside Ian Sterling, and cleared his throat, a reminder for him to get up.

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together and reluctantly stood up. After taking a different seat, he shot Lynn Winslow a resentful look.

”Grandfather, please eat. He just peeled these shrimp.”

Lynn Winslow glanced at Ian Sterling, then moved the shrimp he had just peeled for her from her own bowl to the one in front of Mr. Powell.

Mr. Powell nodded in satisfaction.

After dinner, Lynn Winslow prepared to leave with Ian Sterling. Mr. Powell was a little unhappy about it at first, but Lynn quickly coaxed him into a better mood.

The moment Ian Sterling got into the car, he took Lynn Winslow’s chin in his hand and gave her a fierce kiss.

”Your grandpa bullies me, and your grandfather bullies me, too.”

Lynn Winslow wrapped her arms around his neck, looking at him with amusement. ”Isn’t that normal? That’s what you get for dating someone’s precious treasure.”

”You’re my precious treasure, too.” Ian Sterling lowered his head and deepened the kiss.

The kiss ignited something in Ian Sterling. He pulled away, started the car, and sped off, in a desperate hurry to get home.

They had just reached an intersection near Calyx Hall when a large passenger van stopped right in the middle of it, blocking their way.

Ian Sterling cursed under his breath, then opened his door and got out.

Mia Rhodes emerged from the passenger van. When she saw Ian Sterling, she ran toward him, her eyes red.

”Ian, can you please stop targeting me? It’s not like what they’re saying online. My cousin... she’s probably just mad that I didn’t stick up for her before, so she’s treating me this way. I’ve already explained it to everyone, but no one will believe me.”

Lynn Winslow lowered her window, watching Mia Rhodes as if she were enjoying a good show.

Mia Rhodes was so focused on putting on her damsel-in-distress act for Ian Sterling that she didn’t even notice Lynn Winslow was also there.

”Ian, I know you like my cousin, but you can’t just indiscriminately—”

Ian Sterling took a step back, covering his nose with his hand. He cut her off with a frown. ”Hold on. What’s that smell?”

’Mia Rhodes froze. Before getting out of the car, she’d asked her assistant for her usual perfume. It was a rather sweet, feminine scent that her fans had always said suited her perfectly.’

”I...”

Ian Sterling backed away another few steps in disgust. ”It’s suffocating.”

He turned and got back into his car. At the same time, bodyguards emerged from a car that had been following them and walked over.

”Move their car,” he ordered. ”This is so annoying. The hot weather really brings out the pests.”

With that said, Ian Sterling raised his window, but Lynn Winslow was still leaning against the frame, enjoying the spectacle.

The bodyguard strode up to the passenger van’s driver-side door, yanked it open, and dragged the driver right out of his seat. He then got in, drove the van off with aggressive skill, and parked it on the side of the road. He got out, leaving Mia Rhodes’s assistant trembling in fear in the back seat.

”You!” Mia Rhodes pointed at the bodyguard, her cheeks flushing red with anger.

She turned to confront Ian Sterling again, but then she saw Lynn Winslow, and she froze in shock.

Lynn Winslow gave her a little wave, a malicious smile playing on her lips. ”Good evening, cousin. Want to come over to our place?”

Mia Rhodes opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Lynn Winslow added with a look of mock regret, ”Actually, on second thought, never mind. Ian doesn’t like your perfume. I’ll invite you next time—after you’ve changed it.”

The van was out of the way. Ian Sterling started the engine and drove forward, his car brushing right past Mia Rhodes. Startled by the car lurching toward her as if to hit her, she stumbled back. Her high heel twisted, and she fell to the ground.

Her assistant got out of the car, ran over, and helped her up. Just as she was about to offer a word of comfort, she heard Mia’s voice, seething with hatred through gritted teeth.

”Smug little upstarts.”

The assistant sighed and helped Mia Rhodes into the car.

Mia Rhodes thought for a moment, then instructed the driver, ”Go to the Clayton estate.”

The driver was still trying to recover from the shock of being dragged out and thrown to the ground. He heard her order and asked cautiously, ”Miss Rhodes, we’ve already been to the Claytons’.”

Mia Rhodes was so furious she’d become muddled. She paused, then continued, ”Then go back to the Rhodes residence. I need to see my mother.”

’She’d have her mother go to the Powell family and beg them to handle this for her. She refused to believe her grandfather could turn away his own daughter and granddaughter when they were begging him. And even if he could, she didn’t believe Ethan Powell, as a member of the younger generation, could just stand by and watch his elders suffer like that.’

The driver nodded and quickly started the car.

The Rhodes family had fallen from their former glory, and now only a single villa remained to their name. When Mia Rhodes arrived, her parents were in the middle of a fight, their voices so loud she could hear every word from the courtyard.