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

Chapter 17: Late-Night Private Chat

Celia Sterling had just gotten out of the shower and settled into bed when the message arrived.

They had added each other on WeChat two days ago, and she never expected the famously aloof Silas Norwood to message her first.

She looked at the timestamp on the message:

2:15 AM.

’So, the ice prince pulls all-nighters too?’

Cece: [Silas, you’re still up this late?]

Silas: [I’m used to it.]

’He really can stay up late.’

Celia Sterling sighed to herself and tentatively replied:

Cece: [Did you need something? It’s pretty late.]

Silas: [No, just wanted to chat.]

Celia Sterling had just finished typing "I’m going to bed" when she silently deleted it.

She got up and poured a cup of cold tea to wake herself up. Knowing he was a man of few words and a cold disposition, she racked her brain for a topic and took the initiative:

Cece: [I saw the new online game your Norwood Group launched at 8 PM last night. The graphics are beautiful.]

Silas: [Mm.]

Cece: [The Norwood Family’s new energy project passed its inspection. Your business empire is expanding again, Silas. Congratulations.]

Silas: [Mm.]

Celia Sterling was silent for a long time. She padded out of her room barefoot, went downstairs, and grabbed a business newspaper from a corner of the dining room. Finding the section on the Norwood Group, she began reading from it like a script:

Cece: [I heard the Norwood Family’s mining operations in Solisia discovered a new non-ferrous metal, which is a huge boost for the semiconductor industry. My brother even said at dinner that you’re a money magnet, Silas. The Norwood Family has developed so well since you took over.]

Cece: [That huge plot of land in the North Suburbs, are you planning to develop it into a high-end commercial street or a residential complex, Silas? The scenery there is amazing. If it’s residential, can I reserve a unit?]

Cece: [Did the Norwood Family also acquire Fairlight Electronics and DK Beauty Group?]

She sent several topics in a row that she’d found in the newspaper, but he didn’t reply again.

Jade Orchid Manor.

Silas Norwood watched the chat window, a faint smile touching his eyes as he saw the girl racking her brain for topics, clearly at a loss for words.

He rarely had time to rest and had no intention of wasting their private chat on trivial, corporate topics.

He dialed her number directly.

Seeing an incoming call from Silas Norwood’s personal number, Celia Sterling paused for a moment before answering. "Silas."

"Cece." It was Silas Norwood’s signature cool voice, aristocratic with a hint of unexpected sexiness. "You and I don’t need to talk about such formalities."

Celia Sterling’s voice grew a little quieter, tinged with slight embarrassment. "...Okay, Silas."

"I’m free tomorrow evening. Would you like to have dinner together?" His elegant tone was questioning, yet very deliberate.

Remembering her agreement to their "daily dating" plan, Celia Sterling hesitated for a second before nodding. "O-Okay. What would you like to eat, Silas?"

Silas Norwood unhurriedly passed the decision to her. "Why don’t you make the arrangements, Cece?"

By the time she hung up, it was already 3:00 AM.

Celia Sterling, who on a normal day would have been sleeping like a log long ago, was unusually wide awake. After tossing and turning for a while, she dialed a number.

The call was rejected three times in a row.

On the fourth try, the other person finally picked up. Her best friend, Quinn Sinclair, sounded completely drained. "Girl, I’ve pulled two all-nighters in a row. I just fell asleep..."

"I just have one question, then you can go back to sleep."

Quinn Sinclair’s voice was feeble. "Shoot."

"Recommend a good restaurant for me." Celia Sterling thought for a moment. "Somewhere suitable for a man who seems to be above worldly desires."

"Above worldly desires? Then why is he even eating? He should just go to a temple and sniff some incense."

"..." Celia Sterling was speechless. "I’m being serious."

"Serious? Who are you taking out? Won’t that dog Declan Nash get jealous?" Quinn Sinclair said reflexively, then jolted awake. "Holy crap! I’ve been trying to reach you for days and you never replied. I was half-asleep and forgot I was still waiting for the follow-up."

Celia Sterling felt a pang of guilt. "I haven’t really been checking my messages lately."

"I don’t have the energy for your excuses." Quinn Sinclair was mostly awake now. "About Declan Nash cheating—you think our overbearingly cool Kade would let that slide? Did you break up with that dog or not?"

Celia Sterling hummed in affirmation. "The engagement is off."

"Nice!" Quinn Sinclair exclaimed. "That clingy bastard Declan Nash, he didn’t try to pester you? I was just gossiping about this with my dad at the dinner table a couple of days ago, and he was so sure you guys couldn’t break it off because too much was at stake."

Celia Sterling paused for a few seconds. "I didn’t back out of the marriage alliance. I just swapped for someone else from the Norwood Family—the ’above worldly desires’ one I just mentioned."

A loud THUD came from Quinn Sinclair’s end, as if she’d rolled off the bed. A moment later, she continued to pry, completely incredulous. "Swapping fiancés? Celia, you Sterlings and Norwoods really know how to play..."

Celia Sterling didn’t want to get sidetracked. "So, can you help me pick a restaurant or not? Your family is in the hotel and restaurant business. You know the high-end places in Metropia better than I do."

"What’s the rush?" Quinn Sinclair dug for more details. "To be honest, of all the prominent families in Metropia, the Norwood Family produces the most handsome men. No other family can compare. So who’s the swap?"

Celia Sterling and Silas Norwood’s situation hadn’t been officially announced. With the trending scandal of Declan Nash’s cheating having just died down, neither family wanted to hit the trending topics again so soon and become public entertainment.

Kian Sterling and Silas Norwood had mutually agreed to postpone the official announcement of the marriage until the Qixi Festival next month.

"It’ll be announced on the official website next month. you’ll find out then." Quinn Sinclair was known for being unable to keep a secret among the ’princesses’ of Metropia’s high society, and nearly every one of those princesses coveted Silas Norwood, their ’white moonlight’. Celia Sterling decided to keep it under wraps for as long as possible. "Just don’t go spreading it around in your circles yet."

"Come on, what’s our relationship? At least give me a hint!"

Celia Sterling dodged the question, tossing out the truth to her best friend in a joking manner. "The cold, ascetic type. A total knockout."

The other end went silent for a long moment.

Then, she let out a long, sharp hiss.

"Celia, I still suggest you swap for a different model. A cold, ascetic, beautiful guy... that’s the same style as Silas Norwood. Your guy will be crushed into dust by that man’s radiance. It’s like picking up a glass marble. It might look pretty at first, but when it’s right next to a flawless piece of mutton-fat jade, can you really stand the difference every single day?"

Celia Sterling perfunctorily avoided the topic. "So, the restaurant?"

"A cold, ascetic immortal, huh..." Quinn Sinclair said with an "Oh." "There actually is a restaurant that would be absolutely perfect for him."

The next afternoon, Silas Norwood received a location pin for the restaurant from Celia Sterling on his phone.

The location pin was for The Dynasty Restaurant. It was a niche but very famous spot within their circle, known for its uniquely shaped desserts and vegetarian dishes. The style was fresh and elegant, and it was also extremely private.

Along with the location pin, she had sent an introduction to the restaurant.

Silas Norwood opened it. Inside were photos of exquisitely crafted dishes: a ’Jade Rabbit’ made of tofu, Glazed Cups made from lychees, lotus-shaped momoyama manju, and cherry blossom-shaped ’blessing bags’...

Cece: [Is this okay, Silas?]

Silas: [It’s fine.]

Cece: [After work, I can wait for you downstairs at your office?]

Silas: [Mm.]

The Sterling’s Design and R&D Department. After getting Silas Norwood’s affirmative reply, Celia Sterling let out a soft breath of relief.