Chapter 174: Domestic Violence Tendencies

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Domestic Violence Tendencies

He dragged Lynn Winslow into the room, not even letting her go take a shower.

He pushed Lynn Winslow onto the bed, then bent over and grabbed a few small packets from the nightstand, tossing them onto the mattress. "It’s two o’clock now," he said to her. "Let’s try to finish by five. That’ll leave you half an hour to shower, and we can leave for dinner at five-thirty."

"..." Lynn Winslow struggled for a moment before snapping, "What do you think I’m made of? You think I can take all that and still have the energy to go out for dinner?"

"No?" Ian Sterling tilted his head. He sounded disappointed as he leaned in to kiss her, sighing. "Fine, four o’clock then. I’ll give you an hour and a half to rest and shower."

Lynn Winslow didn’t understand why he was in such a hurry. Seeing his look that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer, she softened her tone and tried to negotiate. "Can we wait until tonight? I’m worried Mr. Winslow and Mr. Powell will notice something’s off at dinner."

Ian Sterling froze. ’She has a point. If they find out, all my efforts these past few days will have been for nothing. Besides, no one wants to see their precious girl getting ’bullied’.’

"Alright," Ian Sterling relented. "Twice, then."

"No way!" Lynn Winslow shook her head vehemently. She knew all too well what Ian Sterling was like in this department. If they really went twice, the first time might be quick, but the second would last until nearly four o’clock anyway.

She was like a lamb to the slaughter now. She had no choice but to soften her voice, wrap her arms around Ian Sterling’s neck, and start showering him with earnest praise.

"Baby, you know how amazing you are. We really can’t do that. Just once, okay?"

The tips of Ian Sterling’s ears turned red from her compliments. He lowered his gaze, his shimmering eyes quietly watching Lynn Winslow. After a long moment, he hummed in agreement.

Lynn Winslow let out a sigh of relief and let all the tension drain from her body, yielding to him completely.

’I’ve missed him, too. Especially on certain late nights.’

It had been a long time since they’d been together, and with the old gentlemen in the villa next door on her mind, they finished things up quickly.

Afterward, as Ian Sterling was leading Lynn Winslow to the shower, he said with grave seriousness, "Tonight, I don’t care what you say. I’m not letting you go."

Lynn Winslow squinted. ’Tonight is tonight’s problem. I don’t have the brainpower to think about how to handle him then. Right now, I just want to catch up on sleep, and hopefully, no one will bother me.’

After her shower, Lynn Winslow returned to the room and snuggled under the covers, her thoughts already fading as she drifted off to sleep.

But Ian Sterling, who had just lain down behind her, wouldn’t keep still. His roaming hands made it impossible for Lynn Winslow to sleep.

"Stop messing around. If you keep this up, you can forget about tonight." Lynn Winslow grabbed his wrist and gave it a light bite, warning, "I’m serious. I’m not kidding."

Ian Sterling let out a disappointed "Oh," then pulled Lynn Winslow into his arms and took a nap as well.

When they woke up, Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell were playing chess in the yard. Ian Sterling had combined the yards of the two adjacent houses, making the space much larger. For the two old gentlemen, not only had Ian Sterling had a stone chess table installed under the pavilion, but he had also rushed workers to build a fish pond. It was stocked with plenty of edible fish, giving the two something to do while also providing a sense of satisfaction.

When the two of them first returned that morning, Lynn Winslow had been praising him nonstop. After seeing it, Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow had also been remarking on how thoughtful Ian Sterling was.

Lynn Winslow could only think, ’Ian Sterling is so calculating. He has my grandfather’s and Mr. Powell’s hobbies figured out completely. If he keeps sucking up to them like this, will he run to them for backup whenever I bully him in the future?’

Seeing the two come downstairs, Man Winslow spoke without even looking up. "What took you two so long to come down?"

Lynn Winslow yawned and changed the subject. "Let’s go, let’s go. We were supposed to leave at five-thirty. It’ll definitely be past that by the time we arrive."

Only then did Elder Winslow and Mr. Powell look up at the pair. Feeling a pang of guilt, Lynn Winslow subconsciously tugged at the silk scarf hiding her neck, her gaze darting around.

"Why is there a red mark on your chin?"

Lynn Winslow explained offhandedly, "I haven’t stayed here in a while. There must be mosquitoes in the room."

This time, the two old gentlemen were in perfect sync. They both snorted lightly before getting up and walking together toward the car parked outside the villa.

Lynn Winslow waited until they were in the car before reaching out and viciously pinching Ian Sterling. "This is all your fault, all your fault," she grumbled as she twisted.

Ian Sterling yelped from the pinch, whining pitifully, "I lost my head back there! How was I supposed to think about that?"

"It’s still your fault!" Lynn Winslow wasn’t listening. She gave the flesh she was pinching another hard twist before letting go and stalking outside without a backward glance.

Ian Sterling rubbed the sore spot. He lifted his arm to look and saw a faint purple mark already forming.

He complained as he chased after Lynn Winslow, "Are you sure you don’t have a tendency for domestic violence?"

Lynn Winslow glanced back with a grin as she got into the car. "Yep. Scared now?"

"Scared of what? ’Hitting is affection, scolding is love.’" Ian Sterling followed her into the car, saying something that the two old gentlemen didn’t quite understand.

Mr. Powell was the first to ask, "What’s this about ’hitting is affection, scolding is love’?"

The moment he heard that, Ian Sterling was ready to tattle. He rolled up his sleeve and had just started to raise his arm when Lynn Winslow slapped the back of his hand and shot him a glare.

"What’s all this? Having a fight?" Elder Winslow chuckled teasingly. "You two were fine just a moment ago. You’re still kids, I see, your moods changing on a dime."

Lynn Winslow shook her head and explained, "Not at all, we’re just playing around. We wouldn’t fight over something so small."

After speaking, she poked Ian Sterling. "Right?"

Ian Sterling heard the warning in her tone. He was genuinely afraid that if he pushed his luck now, he’d get nothing good tonight. So he also explained, "Right, just playing around."

Mr. Powell and Elder Winslow snorted with amusement and stopped paying attention to them.

Lynn Winslow started a one-sided staring contest with Ian Sterling. She shot him glares and rolled her eyes at him, while he just maintained a look of pure innocence.

’For the sake of his prize tonight, he sure can be patient.’

Lynn Winslow gave up on the staring contest. He only had one expression, while she had to make all sorts of faces. Not only was it tiring, but it also made her feel a bit foolish.

They arrived at the restaurant, and the four of them entered the private room Ian Sterling had booked in advance. They got there at 5:40 PM. Ian Sterling had guessed they might be a little late, so he’d simply told the restaurant to be ready to serve the food at six. As a result, not long after they sat down, the manager came in with the servers and began bringing out the dishes.

"Mr. Powell, you’ve probably eaten here before. Mr. Winslow, please have a taste and see if it’s to your liking." Ian Sterling stood up, picked up the serving chopsticks to place food on Elder Winslow’s and Mr. Powell’s plates, and then served Lynn Winslow as well. He was being incredibly considerate.

The four of them chatted casually as they ate. Suddenly, the manager knocked on the door and shot Ian Sterling a meaningful look. Ian Sterling frowned but still stepped out of the private room.

"What is it?"

The manager said respectfully, "Finn, Mr. Jennings and Mr. Keller are in that other private room. They asked if you would go over."

Ian Sterling glanced in the direction the manager had indicated and nodded. "Got it."

He returned to his room to let the others know he was stepping out for a moment, then walked over to the private room where Jasper Jennings and Kenneth Keller were.

"What’s wrong?"

The two of them had solemn expressions.