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Ian Sterling banged on the door a few times without holding back, startling Zachary Quincy, who had been sleeping soundly, into a shiver.

Zachary Quincy scrambled out of bed and shouted irritably, “What do you want?”

“Get me a driver to take me home.” Ian Sterling leaned against the door, his voice muffled. “Hurry up.”

Fuming, Zachary Quincy stood up and yanked the door open. Caught off guard, Ian Sterling stumbled back, nearly losing his balance.

“Don’t you have your own driver? Have him come pick you up.”

Ian Sterling frowned and said listlessly, “I haven’t used my drivers in a long time. If I call them now, they won’t be ready. Who knows how long it’ll take them to get here.”

Zachary Quincy laughed in exasperation at his sheer entitlement. “And you think my driver is?”

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Ian Sterling retorted, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you go out partying in the middle of the night all the time? You have two or three drivers working in shifts. One of them has to be able to come right away.”

“Can’t you just go back tomorrow? Why go back now? Lynn Winslow is already asleep,” Zachary Quincy asked, sighing in resignation.

Ian Sterling pressed his lips together, his voice tinged with grievance. “She’s not with me. It hurts, and I can’t sleep…”

“…You’re impossible.” Zachary Quincy raked a hand through his hair in frustration, then turned to grab his phone and call his driver, glaring at Ian Sterling the entire time.

The call didn’t connect. Zachary Quincy shoved the phone in Ian Sterling’s face. “He’s not picking up. He must have seen how drunk we were when he dropped us off and decided to call it a night.”

“…”

“Just go get some rest. If you go back now, you’ll only wake Lynn Winslow. Wait until morning, then go back and give her a proper apology, alright?” Zachary Quincy patted Ian Sterling’s shoulder, gave him a shove out the door, and shut it with a BANG.

Ian Sterling parted his lips as if to speak, but just sighed and went back downstairs to the living room, flicking on a wall sconce.

He leaned back on the sofa and held up his phone. The screen showed a photo of him and Lynn Winslow, their cheeks pressed together. They looked like a perfect match.

The longer he stared, the more wronged he felt. He couldn’t stand staying in Zachary Quincy’s house a moment longer. He stood, grabbed his jacket, and walked out the door.

Upstairs, Zachary Quincy yawned, sent a message in the group chat, then flopped back into bed and fell asleep.

Couldn’t stop him. He already left.

Little did Ian Sterling know that Zachary Quincy’s call to the driver had been a complete act. He rushed downstairs but couldn’t hail a taxi on the street, so he ended up using a ride-sharing app on his phone.

The driver arrived surprisingly fast, pulling up in front of him a few moments later. Seeing his handsome face and distinguished air, the driver asked with a smile, “Are you a celebrity?”

“No.”

“Well, you’re so handsome and coming from such a fancy neighborhood, I just figured you had to be a star.”

The driver seemed to be a talker, but Ian Sterling wasn’t in the mood to chat. He just stared silently out the window at the passing scenery.

Perhaps sensing his passenger’s reluctance to talk, the driver fell silent and focused on the road.

When they reached Calyx Hall, the car couldn’t go any further, as outside vehicles weren’t permitted. Ian Sterling had to walk the rest of the way. He reached his front door and stood there in a daze for a moment before quietly letting himself in.

The villa was silent. An indescribable, sour feeling welled up in Ian Sterling’s heart. He looked down, changing his shoes, and let out a silent sigh.

Suddenly, small lights began to glow in the living room, extending slowly from the foyer. Ian Sterling’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before him.

He stood frozen, staring blankly toward the end of the trail of lights. There stood Lynn Winslow in a white, strapless tulle gown, her long, wavy hair draped over her shoulders as she gazed at him with a gentle expression.

Ian Sterling took a few steps forward, finally getting a clear look at the living room’s decorations—and the mountain of boxes.

Lynn Winslow said softly, “You have no idea how hard it is to get a gift for you. You don’t need anything, so I had to search online and ask your friends.”

She walked slowly to his side and raised a hand to touch his cool cheek, a gentle smile on her face. “Feeling sorry for yourself? Did you cry?”

Ian Sterling nodded, then shook his head. His voice was hoarse. “I felt sorry for myself, but I didn’t cry.”

“Liar.” Lynn Winslow’s lips curved into a smile as she tapped his lips with a slender finger. “I saw you crying in the video they sent.”

Ian Sterling rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “So you knew.”

“Yep. I don’t just know that you cried when you were drunk, I also know you said I was being unreasonable.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But it meant basically the same thing, didn’t it?” Lynn Winslow rose onto her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Let me make it up to you, okay?”

Ian Sterling turned his head away, his voice full of grievance. “So you deliberately kicked me out just to prepare all of this.”

“I did.” Lynn Winslow took his hand and led him to the mountain of gifts, gesturing for him to start unwrapping.

“I searched high and low for all of these. Why don’t you open one?”

Ian Sterling had no desire to open gifts. ‘I just want to hold her,’ he thought. ‘I want her to be a little more gentle, a little more affectionate.’

He pulled Lynn Winslow into an embrace, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Lynn Winslow sighed in fond exasperation and ruffled his hair.

“I went to so much trouble to prepare all this for you. Don’t you want to even look?”

“I don’t want any of it. I only want you.” Ian Sterling blinked, his eyes welling with moisture. “Don’t ever do this to me again,” he complained. “You have no idea how awful I felt.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll apologize, how about that?”

“Not good enough.” Ian Sterling began kissing the side of her neck, his lips trailing relentlessly, pestering her.

Lynn Winslow asked, “You don’t want your presents?”

Ian Sterling shook his head. “No.”

He scooped Lynn Winslow up into his arms and carried her upstairs. “How did you know I’d be back right now?” he asked as he walked.

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t stay at Zachary Quincy’s for long, but I didn’t know when you’d be back. Zachary was the one who told me.” Lynn Winslow swung her legs, grinning. “I’ve won over all your good friends. You’ll have to be careful when you go out with them from now on.”

“It’s not like I do anything I shouldn’t. Let them be on your side.” Ian Sterling nudged the bedroom door open with his knee, then kicked it shut with his foot. The entire sequence was flawlessly smooth.

He set Lynn Winslow down on the edge of the bed. Now that his bout of pouting was over, he stood over her, finally taking a proper look at the gown she was wearing.

“You…”

Lynn Winslow gave him a light kick, motioning for him to move aside. She stood up, producing a small box as if from thin air.

The box looked familiar. It was the same kind he had used for her engagement ring when he proposed.

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t bother with those other gifts,” Lynn Winslow said, twirling the box with her slender fingertips. Noticing his gaze fixed on it, she moved her hands behind her back, hiding the box from view.

“I originally wanted to find a more romantic spot somewhere, but I figured you know Quartos so well that if I took you anywhere, you’d guess my plan before I could even get started.”

“So I decided to do it here at home instead. Create a little emotional whiplash. I thought it might leave a deeper impression that way.”

“And of course, most importantly,” she added, “I figured you’d prefer a place where you could more conveniently have your way with me.”