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

Chapter 29: Fireworks and Moonlight

Celia Sterling hadn’t dared to look at the "Princess Circle" group chat for a whole week.

But in the end, she was cornered at her company’s main entrance by Quinn Sinclair, a representative sent by the Princess Circle.

"Security here is so tight. I’ve come several times, and they wouldn’t let me in." Quinn Sinclair grabbed her arm. "Now that I’ve finally got you, I don’t care what you say. You owe me two hours, at least. Let’s go grab some coffee."

"This is the core R&D department for the company’s products. It has to be strict. Too many rivals are targeting The Sterlings." Celia Sterling resignedly let herself be led toward a nearby coffee shop. "Next time you’re looking for me, just come to the Sterling estate. It’s not like you don’t know the way."

"I’m the one who just talked you into going to that club..." Quinn Sinclair said sheepishly. "I’m afraid I’ll run into your brother, and he’ll come after me."

Celia Sterling, still shaken from the scolding Kian Sterling had given her, said, "My brother is, admittedly, a little terrifying when he’s angry."

"Growing up, I’ve never seen a brother as protective as him," Quinn Sinclair couldn’t help but say. "He was like that when we were kids, and he’s even more so now. You’re twenty-two years old, but he’s still so strict and keeps you on such a tight leash."

A shadow passed over Celia Sterling’s eyes. "We only have each other, so of course our bond is closer than most siblings’."

She hadn’t seen her father in over a decade. Only from overhearing private conversations between Kian Sterling and his assistant, Evan Rhodes, did she know the man had remarried several times abroad and had a brood of other children. As for her mother, while she was still in Metropia, Celia only saw her once or twice a year. Their meetings were always perfunctory. They would exchange fewer than ten sentences before her mother’s thoughts would drift to the younger daughter from her second marriage, and she would politely bid Celia farewell.

There was only Kian Sterling.

A father’s strictness, a mother’s gentle care, and an older brother’s doting affection—he had given her all of it. Outsiders only saw Kian Sterling as autocratic and domineering. Only she knew that he truly regarded her as his entire world. The sense of salvation and dependence, forged in the absence of a complete family, was fused into their very bones.

The coffee shop was nearly empty. The two of them found a quiet private room and ordered coffee and desserts.

Quinn Sinclair sighed, her mind still on Kian Sterling. "You know, back in the day, my second brother, like all the other rich scions in our circle, was quite keen on marrying you. But I heard he had a disastrous run-in with your brother. After that, he never brought up the subject of proposing to you ever again."

Celia Sterling had never heard this juicy piece of gossip. "How disastrous? Do tell."

Quinn Sinclair cleared her throat a few times. "I have no idea how Kian Sterling did it, but he managed to dig up my brother’s dozen-odd ex-girlfriends, as well as the five current girlfriends he was secretly dating. None of the five knew the others existed, and three of them were from prominent, wealthy families. It caused a massive scandal. My grandfather made my brother kneel in the ancestral hall for three whole days."

"Your second brother seems so upstanding, but he’s such a scumbag in private..."

"If it hadn’t been for that whole fiasco exposing him as a massive player, I would have never known. He usually acts so innocent." Quinn Sinclair stirred her coffee and shook her head in dismay.

Celia knew that Kian Sterling was always extremely cautious when it came to matters involving her. He was especially critical when it came to potential suitors—impossibly so. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to ask Declan Nash back then if he was still a virgin.

She glanced at the time. "Did you hunt me down today just to gossip about your brother?"

"That just came up." Quinn Sinclair sat up straight, her eyes fixed on Celia. "My main reason for coming is to find out what happened next with you and Silas Norwood."

Celia: "...Did those crazy women put you up to this?"

"I’m curious myself," Quinn Sinclair said, drawing in a sharp breath. "You have no idea. The moment you bit the button off Silas Norwood’s shirt... it left everyone completely floored."

Celia cut her off. "What button? Don’t be ridiculous. I was drunk. I don’t remember a thing."

"You can forget something like that?" Quinn Sinclair was incredulous. "He’s the ’white moonlight’ of the entire Capital Circle! If he so much as glanced my way with those bewitching eyes of his, I’d remember it for the rest of my life, let alone biting off one of his buttons."

"I really don’t remember." Celia had no desire for this private incident to become the talk of their circle, so she resolutely played dumb. "I don’t even remember how I got home. All I know is that I woke up in my brother’s car."

"He did say at the time that he was there at your brother’s request," Quinn Sinclair said, lowering her voice. "Why don’t you try to remember? Sometimes memories from a blackout come back later. Let me put it this way: after you made your move, a few of the bolder girls, the ones who like to play wild, are getting ready to change their tactics. The second he’s away from his bodyguards, they plan on copying you—just go for it and get a taste. But the one thing they’re unsure about is his reaction after you bit his button..."

"I really forgot," Celia said evasively. "But he was probably furious. This past week, my brother and him have had business dealings involving billions in funds, supposedly as some kind of compensation."

’It might be even more than that.’

Just last night, Kian Sterling had brought home a large case of jewelry and antiques, saying it was ’stuff’ from Silas Norwood. It wouldn’t fit in the existing cupboards, so they had to empty an entire display cabinet in the study for it.

"The gifts from Declan Nash were sent back. These are from Silas Norwood to make it up to you; their total value is at least triple what Declan sent," Kian Sterling had said leisurely. "I also went ahead and bought you a bunch of things. You can sort through it all when you have a free moment."

Celia had glanced at the inventory list for the "stuff" Kian Sterling had so casually mentioned. Several individual items on it were worth more than the "Star of the Blue Sea" ring from Declan Nash, which had been valued at 180 million Hong Kong Dollars.

Quinn Sinclair, however, didn’t know this compensation wasn’t the one she was thinking of.

"That much money for one bite? It didn’t even touch his skin, just his shirt?" Quinn Sinclair winced at the thought of the cost. "None of those other girls could afford that. Your brother is amazing, willing to spend that much just to clean up your mess."

Celia lowered her head and hummed softly.

"So, have you seen Silas Norwood again?" Quinn was purely curious. "What about your other one, the ethereal beauty? They’re both Norwoods. Compared to a ’white moonlight’ like Silas Norwood, was your wisp of smoke instantly eclipsed?"

’See Silas Norwood? I have a date with him tonight.’

"I’ve been going on a lot of dates with that ’wisp of smoke’ recently," Celia said, telling only half the story.

Quinn immediately filled in the blanks. "That makes sense. An idol on a pedestal isn’t easy to reach. A more down-to-earth guy is pretty good, too."

Celia hugged her coffee mug, not wanting to continue the topic.

"About Declan Nash..." Quinn’s gossip network was extensive. "I heard he went to Solisia. But before he left, he pulled some stunt involving your future sister-in-law, forcing her to move to Oakhaven to open a studio. Your brother is so protective of his own, how is it that he hasn’t done anything?"

Regarding Summer Sutton, Celia’s attitude was perfectly clear. "Oakhaven is nice, too," she said. "The skyline is even better than Metropia’s, and it’s not far."

Quinn Sinclair took a sip of coffee, clearly unconvinced. "Oh, please. Knowing your brother’s personality, his indifference can only mean one thing: he’s not in love. Do you remember what he did when you went to Oakhaven for a vacation that one time?"