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Chapter 211: Chapter 211: But I Like It

”I had these custom-made a while ago. The designer has great taste, but they tend to procrastinate,” Lynn Winslow said to Samuel Shaw, who was sitting beside her. ”I also had something custom-made for the baby, but I’m not sure if it will fit.”

Samuel Shaw gently patted her belly and said with a smile, ”If it’s from you, it’ll definitely fit. And even if it doesn’t, we’ll just have to make him wear it.”

Lynn Winslow beamed and leaned in, squatting beside Samuel Shaw to gently touch her belly.

”You like this?” Samuel Shaw asked softly, seeing the joy in her eyes.

Lynn Winslow shook her head. ”It’s fine, I guess. Other people’s kids are always cuter. But if it were my own child, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle the crying.”

Samuel Shaw couldn’t help but laugh at that. She whispered to Lynn Winslow, ”It’s okay. If you don’t want to have kids, Mom won’t pressure you. But if you have one and don’t know how to raise it, just leave it to Finn.”

’She had seen how patient Ian Sterling could be with his cats.’

Lynn Winslow stood up and sat beside Samuel Shaw, retorting, ”He’s only patient with cats. If you really made him take care of a baby, he’d probably get so annoyed.”

Samuel Shaw glanced over at Ian Sterling, who was sitting not far away. Seeing him staring intently at Lynn Winslow, she smiled to herself.

’If it was a child with Lynn, how could he possibly be impatient? But it wasn’t her place to say such things; it would sound like she was pressuring them. This kind of decision was up to the two of them, and no one else should get too involved. All she could do was tell Lynn not to be afraid.’

Lynn Winslow understood what they meant. The Sterling family wasn’t just close-knit; they were also incredibly open-minded. Spencer Sterling and Nina Norton were prime examples. They would never force their children to do something they didn’t want to do—with a few exceptions, of course.

For instance, those times when Ian Sterling insisted on doing the complete opposite of what his family wanted.

Lady Sterling arrived a bit later. She had just returned from her parents’ home and was delighted to see Lynn Winslow was there.

”Lynn, you’re here too! I was just thinking of looking for you.”

Lynn Winslow greeted her first, then asked quizzically, ”Aunt, if there’s something you need, please just tell me.”

”Well, I have a young niece on my side of the family, you see. A while ago, she somehow saw Zane Lancaster and has been wanting to get to know him ever since. Do you think it would be convenient for you to give me his contact information?” After she finished speaking with a smile, she quickly added, ”But it’s no problem if you can’t. I know this kind of thing can put you in a tough spot.”

Lynn Winslow hesitated for a moment before saying, ”Aunt, I’ll need to ask Zane Lancaster first. If he agrees, I’ll give you his contact information. But if he doesn’t, I don’t want to force him.”

Lady Sterling said, ”Of course, of course. We can’t put him on the spot.”

So, Lynn Winslow took out her phone and sent Zane Lancaster a message.

[The niece of Ian Sterling’s aunt wants to get to know you. Are you interested? No pressure.]

Zane Lancaster’s phone might as well have been glued to his hand, as he replied almost instantly. He didn’t bother with pleasantries, just sent back a single, terse word: [No.]

Lynn Winslow sent back an ”OK” sticker, then turned to Lady Sterling apologetically. ”Aunt, I’m sorry, but he said no.”

Lady Sterling wasn’t the type to make a fuss over something like this. Besides, she knew these requests always put the person in the middle in an awkward position. As the girl’s aunt, she had done her part. And there was no need for Lynn Winslow, her future niece-in-law, to pressure such a close childhood friend for the sake of her niece.

She said with a smile, ”Oh, it’s nothing. I knew I was putting you in a difficult position to begin with.”

Nina Norton chimed in, ”Lynn, don’t take it to heart. You know your aunt is very easygoing.”

Lynn Winslow’s eyes curved into a smile.

Her bodyguards were quick and efficient, soon returning with the jewelry. Each piece was housed in a red sandalwood box, exuding an air of extraordinary luxury.

Lynn Winslow stood and opened the boxes one by one. After handing pieces to Nina Norton and Samuel Shaw, she took out another and presented it to Lady Sterling.

Lady Sterling accepted it in surprise. Before she could even ask, Lynn Winslow said, ”I know how close everyone in the Sterling family is, so I couldn’t possibly leave you out, Aunt. I wasn’t sure what you like, so I just picked something based on my own taste. I hope you like it.”

Lady Sterling opened the box and was captivated for a long moment before finally saying, ”I love it. Oh, Lynn, you dear child...”

She was at a loss for words of praise, looking up at Nina Norton with an expression full of envy.

Nina Norton lifted her chin proudly. ”I won’t brag about anything else, but my two daughters-in-law? They’re both absolutely top-notch.”

Lady Sterling’s gaze flickered to Jared Sterling for a second before she rolled her eyes in disgust and looked away.

The women’s conversation topic shifted from jewelry, clothes, and bags to skincare brands, and they were soon deep in a lively discussion.

Seeing that it was about time, the butler approached with a smile. ”Sir, Madam, lunch is ready.”

Only then did Nina Norton remember and ask the butler, ”Aren’t Connor and Zoe coming back for lunch?”

”The Second Young Master said he’s busy today and has to go abroad on a business trip this afternoon, so he won’t be back. The Eldest Young Miss is currently not in Quartos.”

Nina Norton let out a snort, saying to Lady Sterling as she stood up, ”Those two from our family... they’re just afraid I’ll nag them, so they decided not to come back at all.”

Lady Sterling laughed. ”At least you still have the eldest and Finn.”

Lynn Winslow let the others go ahead while she helped Samuel Shaw walk slowly toward the dining room. Ian Sterling finally escaped the barrage of questions from his father and second uncle, sidling up to Lynn and wanting a hug. Seeing that Samuel Shaw was there, however, he forced himself to hold back.

Samuel Shaw saw his pitiful expression and said to Lynn Winslow with a laugh, ”You two go on ahead. I’m just going back to my room for a moment.”

The caregiver attending to her quickly stepped forward to take Samuel Shaw’s arm.

Once she was gone, Ian Sterling held onto Lynn Winslow, not letting her leave. He pulled her into his arms and sighed, ”I still prefer being alone with you.”

Lynn Winslow stroked his hair and asked softly, ”Don’t you think this is nice and lively? Everyone gathered together... it’s wonderful.”

Ian Sterling shook his head and said sullenly, ”I don’t like it.”

’But Lynn Winslow loved it. Her parents hadn’t been around when she was a child, leaving only her grandfather, Mrs. Sterling, and a group of female bodyguards to look after her. Aside from occasionally playing with a few close childhood friends, she spent most of her time with her grandfather and Mrs. Sterling. Later, when Joel Winslow came to the Winslow family, he was constantly busy. Due to the hardships he’d endured as a child and being behind in his studies, he always had to be with tutors. He also followed her grandfather to learn how to take over the businesses that weren’t suitable for Lynn to be involved in, as well as how to publicly help her manage the Winslow family. That’s why she loved the lively, bustling atmosphere of the Sterling family.’

”But I like it. So what should we do?”

What could be done? Could Ian Sterling really stop her from interacting with his family just because he wanted to be clingy?

They lingered in the living room for a while longer, and only when Samuel Shaw came downstairs again did they go to the dining room and take their seats together.

Inevitably, the topic of the engagement came up again.

”We’ve made a list for the engagement party. There are some people we haven’t invited yet; we’ll send them a formal invitation for the wedding.”