You're not leaving this time.

He didn’t have to say more. Nina Norton and Spencer Sterling already understood.

They exchanged a glance and rose, walking out of the visiting room. Just as they reached the door, Jared Sterling’s voice called out from behind them.

“Uncle, Aunt, I was wrong. I apologize. Now that Finn and Lynn have gone back, things here will soon return to normal. If we ever get the chance to meet again, I’ll be sure to make it up to them.”

Nina Norton lowered her head and scoffed. ‘Is an apology going to do any good? We’ve tasted the pain of loss. Elder Winslow, who was rushed back to Morelia for treatment, died of overwhelming grief. Mr. Powell is still in the ICU. And we… every single second, we’re enduring an agony beyond words.’

Jared Sterling watched their retreating figures, a smirk playing on his lips. As he was being pulled out of the visiting room by his arm, he suddenly said, “Time to start over—”

——

“BANG!”

Ian Sterling struggled to open his eyes, turning his head toward the sound.

Nina Norton strode in on her high heels, bent down, and yanked Ian Sterling’s ear. “Do I owe you something?” she seethed. “Weren’t you all better? Why did you run out of the hospital? And turn off your phone so you couldn’t take my calls!”

Ian Sterling stared at her, dazed and slow to react.

Nina Norton frowned. “What kind of reaction is that?”

Ian Sterling turned his head to stare at the ceiling—a blank, white expanse. The faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air.

His lips parted slightly, and he asked in a hoarse voice, “Where is this?”

“The hospital!” Nina Norton snapped.

‘The hospital? Why am I in the hospital? Didn’t I die? I’m alive… so what about Lynn? Where’s Lynn?’

Ian Sterling’s eyes filled with disbelief. He raised a hand to touch his chest, which still seemed to ache, only to find his wrist tightly wrapped in white gauze. ℴ

He was completely stunned. He looked at Nina Norton and asked in shock, “Lynn? Where did Lynn go?”

Nina Norton wanted to strangle her youngest son. She ground the words out through clenched teeth. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t think about her anymore? So why are you asking where she is now?”

“Mom, just tell me! Where is Lynn?” Ian Sterling said, growing agitated. He tried to sit up, grabbing Nina Norton’s hand and demanding an answer.

Nina Norton sighed and relented. “You two broke up. She went back to Morelia, of course. Where else would she be? You, on the other hand… going drinking before you’ve even recovered. I’m going to have a word with that boy from the Jennings family. Taking you out drinking when you’re in this state.”

“Broke up?” Ian Sterling stared down at his wrist, his vacant expression making Nina Norton worry that the breakup had addled his brain.

Her mind raced. She took a deep breath, about to offer some heartfelt advice. “Son, you…”

“Mom, wait. Just… let me think for a second.”

“…All right.” Nina Norton had no choice but to swallow her words. She walked over to the sofa by the window, sat down, and watched Ian Sterling with concern.

Ian Sterling sat quietly on the hospital bed, head bowed, his mind racing with thoughts.

‘Why did I come back? Could what Jared said be true?’

‘So why come back to *this* moment? According to Jared, shouldn’t it have been three years later?’

‘Did something go wrong? This feels off. But that’s not what’s important right now. The most important thing is to find Lynn. Could she have these memories too?’

‘No, wait. First, I should go and destroy Jared’s company.’

A cold, sharp light flashed in his eyes. He threw back the covers, slipped on his shoes, and headed for the door.

Nina Norton hurried after him and pulled him back.

Having just been drinking while ill, Ian Sterling was no match for Nina Norton’s strength and was easily dragged back.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m going to settle a score. Mom, stay out of this. Let me go.”

Nina Norton asked, confused, “Settle a score with who? With Jasper Jennings? I was only joking earlier. You ran out on your own; it’s not his fault. You can’t go starting trouble for no reason.”

Ian Sterling sighed in frustration. Prying his mother’s hand off his arm, he said, enunciating each word, “I’m not going after Jasper Jennings. I’m going after Jared Sterling.”

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened. Spencer Sterling walked in slowly, happening to overhear the last sentence. He frowned. “Why are you looking for your cousin?”

“I can’t explain it to you. If you won’t let me go alone, then can you just take me there?”

Nina Norton and Spencer Sterling shared a look. Seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes, they decided to go with Ian Sterling to their nephew’s company.

Ian Sterling didn’t even have time to change, following his parents downstairs and into the car still in his hospital gown.

Jared Sterling’s company wasn’t far. When they arrived, a surprised receptionist came forward. After greeting the three of them, she was about to call Jared’s secretary when Ian Sterling stopped her with a cold command.

They went straight to the elevator, which shot up to the top floor. The moment the doors opened, Ian Sterling stormed out.

At that moment, Jared Sterling was in the lab next to his office. Tearing off an eye mask, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His secretary rushed to support him. “Mr. Sterling, was it a success?” she asked with concern.

“Success, my ass. Finn Sterling is too damn sharp. By the end, I’d lost complete control.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the door was kicked open with tremendous force. Jared Sterling and his secretary whipped their heads around in shock. They saw a man in a hospital gown striding toward them, who then drove a powerful kick right into Jared’s chest.

“You bastard,” Ian Sterling roared. Casting aside all semblance of his usual composure, he began to viciously kick Jared on the ground. The secretary snapped out of her shock and rushed to intervene but was stopped by a sharp command from Spencer Sterling, who stood in the doorway with a grim expression.

Only when Ian Sterling’s movements began to slow did Spencer Sterling slowly walk forward and restrain him.

As Ian Sterling stood up, he coldly spat out four words: “You deserve to die.”

Jared Sterling lay on the ground, clutching his bruised torso. He spat out a mouthful of blood and asked through the pain, “Finn, why did you hit me?”

“Don’t you know?” Ian Sterling demanded, pointing to the massive machine nearby. “Then why don’t you explain what this thing is.”

Jared Sterling had already realized what was happening the moment Ian burst in. He wanted to argue, but as he lifted his gaze, his eyes met Spencer Sterling’s.

Those eyes, so much like his own father’s, were now looking at him with cold indifference. Jared Sterling pressed his lips together. Still sitting on the floor, he said sullenly, “Since you already know, what’s the point in asking?”

“I want you to admit, in front of my parents, what a despicable thing you’ve done. I also want my father to see just what kind of son his ‘good’ brother raised.”

After speaking, Ian Sterling was suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness. Nina Norton quickly helped him to a nearby sofa, her own eyes fixed coldly on Jared Sterling.

Spencer Sterling bent down slightly, looking at his only nephew’s face. His eyes and the corners of his mouth were already red and swollen from Ian’s beating.

“Jared,” he said. “What Finn was talking about… tell me, seriously.”

His son, Finn, while rebellious, wasn’t the type to start a fight for no reason. For him to attack the cousin he’d been close to since childhood, something terrible must have happened.