My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Brother Instead

Chapter 15: Time to Get a Girlfriend

Through the crowd and past a half-hidden, ornate screen, in the dim light of the corner, Celia Sterling couldn’t quite make out Silas Norwood’s face.

But some people only needed to be seen from a distance; their unique aura was enough for anyone to recognize them.

Kian Sterling followed her gaze and teased, "What? Have you taken a liking to that flower on a high peak?"

"No." Celia Sterling’s gaze fell on Silas Norwood’s minimalist white shirt. He was clearly in the middle of a bustling crowd, yet he exuded a cool detachment, a certain ascetic air that seemed completely otherworldly.

But the man she was looking for was wearing a dark purple, almost black, shirt.

Or perhaps it was a vibrant, starry purple like the one Kian Sterling was wearing. The lighting in the hallway outside the dressing room had been dim, so it was only natural for her perception of the color to be off.

’But no matter how off my perception was, there’s no way purple could look like white, right?’

Celia Sterling quickly averted her gaze, her bright eyes scanning the room as she continued her search.

Silas Norwood left again just as the lavish banquet was drawing to a close.

In the hotel’s garden parking lot, his assistant, Theo Chambers, personally opened the rear car door for Silas Norwood. He carefully folded the dark purple shirt Silas had changed out of and asked in a low voice,

"Boss, should I hand this shirt over to Assistant Thorne?"

Silas Norwood had an almost pathological obsession with cleanliness when it came to his personal belongings. Assistant Thorne was one of his personal assistants, specializing in the disposal of items he no longer used. This was to prevent them from getting out into the world, where they might be hoarded or profaned by some of his more fanatical admirers.

Normally, if something belonging to the Boss got stained with red wine, tea, or anything else, he would never use it again, no matter how thoroughly it was cleaned. A man of his status simply wouldn’t.

But this shirt was different.

His aunt, a fashion designer in Valenza, had personally designed it for her nephew. They hadn’t seen each other in years. Silas Norwood, who exclusively wore black, white, and other cool tones, couldn’t bring himself to slight his elder. And since it coincided with the coming-of-age ceremony for the Sterling family’s young lady, he had conveniently worn it for the occasion.

He just never expected it to get stained on its very first outing.

"That won’t be necessary. I’ll take care of it myself," Silas replied nonchalantly.

’It was a gift from an elder, after all; throwing it out would be disrespectful,’ Theo Chambers thought. "Shall I have it professionally cleaned and returned to you, then?"

Silas’s mind flashed to the girl’s soft hand, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into the dressing room without a second thought. Even through the fabric, the memory of her feather-light grip was surprisingly vivid.

He then recalled the view beneath that diamond-studded zipper, the scenery from her waist upward...

Silas Norwood abruptly reined in his thoughts. "Don’t clean it," he said coolly. "Just give it to me as is."

After that, Theo Chambers never saw the shirt again.

However, Silas Norwood was a man of high standing, accustomed to all manner of worldly temptations; he wasn’t the sort to be so easily seduced by a simple zipper.

Six months after the coming-of-age party, the two of them ran into each other again by a strange twist of fate.

By then, Declan Nash was pursuing Celia Sterling relentlessly. He had bought out her favorite coffee shop, filled it with a sea of roses, put on his sexiest outfit, and coaxed Celia over, intending to make their relationship official.

Word of this somehow reached Kian Sterling’s ears.

The fiercely protective Kian Sterling immediately made a grand move, calling over several top-tier male models from a nearby exclusive club. He had his bodyguards toss Declan Nash out, and then, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, he gave a dazzling smile.

"Cece, come over here," he said. "Let me show you what real quality is, so you don’t get snatched away by any random piece of trash."

There were seven or eight of them, all with eight-pack abs and long legs. Some were smooth-talkers, some were overflowing with raw sex appeal, and some had that perfect "husband material" vibe...

Celia Sterling sat in the center of them all, like the moon surrounded by stars. She basked in the attention of these top-tier models with a mixture of novelty and embarrassment. The flirtatious atmosphere, combined with a strange sense of nervous excitement, made her dizzy, and before she knew it, she had downed several glasses of fruit wine.

Kian Sterling sat off to the side with a languid expression, neither interrupting nor leaving. He was all too familiar with the baser nature of men. ’Any one of these charming models might be harboring ambitions of social climbing,’ he thought. ’Cece is too naive. I have to keep an eye on things.’

After nearly two hours of this decadent display, even the worldly-inexperienced Celia Sterling was getting sick of it. Her ears were practically numb from all the sweet talk, and a look of weary annoyance started to creep onto her face.

Kian Sterling’s bewitching face seemed to curve into a faint smile behind his red, glazed wine glass. His voice was indulgent as he asked,

"So, Cece? Are you disenchanted with Declan Nash’s face now?"

"Kian, I want to go home," Celia pleaded.

A smile played on Kian Sterling’s lips as he casually tossed his car keys to the bodyguard waiting at the door.

The bodyguard left to get the car. Celia stood up as well. "Kian, wait for me here. I’m just going to the restroom."

But it was at that moment that the aftereffects of the fruit wine decided to kick in.

After leaving the restroom, she started walking back in a daze. Her vision was starting to blur, so she relied on memory, pushed open a door, and staggered right into someone’s arms.

Silas Norwood rarely drank coffee.

This shop in Metropia was said to serve very authentic, freshly ground coffee. His workload had been intense lately, and after a round of golf with several other executives, he happened to be passing by and decided on a whim to stop in for a short break.

He hadn’t even finished his coffee before a girl fell into his lap and started taking advantage of him.

He signaled for his approaching bodyguards to stand down.

Then, his amber eyes gazed inscrutably at the girl burrowed into his chest. "Miss Sterling."

Celia lifted her head. Her dazed eyes fixed on Silas Norwood’s face for a moment before she asked blankly, "Did my brother get me a new model?"

Silas Norwood: "..."

Celia was already reaching out, brazenly attempting to cup his face, but her hand was intercepted by Silas’s large, well-defined one.

"Celia Sterling." He enunciated each syllable, his voice as crisp and cool as striking jade. "Look closely. See who I am."

Celia stared at him for a long moment, her almond-shaped eyes glazed over. "This one’s good. Better than all the others combined... His voice is nice, and he’s... not tiresome to look at at all."

’Not tiresome at all.’ ’He’s clean and cool, like her favorite Glazed Cup,’ she thought, ’the kind that makes you want to take a bite.’

And on some strange impulse, she actually did it.

Silas Norwood was still holding her slender wrist to keep her from getting into more trouble, but he wasn’t prepared for her to suddenly lunge forward. Her cherry-red lips clamped down wantonly on his lower lip. It was painful, yet it sent a strange, tingling numbness through him.

Silas Norwood didn’t push her away.

He sat perfectly still on the sofa, his amber eyes fixed on the girl in his arms, his expression unreadable.

After several seconds, Celia groggily pulled back. Still half-sprawled across his lap, she murmured softly, "Cold... and sweet."

A commotion started in the room next door.

Kian Sterling had been waiting for some time. Growing worried, he was already ordering his bodyguards to check the restroom for her.

Silas Norwood reached out, lifted Celia into his arms, and handed her to his bodyguard at the door. "Take her to the room next door."

The door to the private room closed once more. Silas Norwood stared at the fragrant coffee. The strange sensation still lingered on his lips, and it sent an indescribable tingle through his cold, hard heart.

He suddenly lost all inclination to stay.

Once Kian Sterling’s boisterous entourage had left the adjacent room, Silas Norwood calmly gazed at the large, brilliant bouquets of roses outside the coffee shop and made a call to Theo Chambers.

"Compile a list of all the age-appropriate socialites in Metropia. Pick out the suitable candidates and arrange for me to meet them."

Theo Chambers was so stunned that his voice cracked. "Boss?"

Silas Norwood lowered his gaze, toying with the thumb ring on his finger. His voice was elegant and serene.

"It’s about time I had a girlfriend."