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

Chapter 171: A Storm is Brewing

Silas Norwood now had a much clearer understanding of Kian Sterling’s importance to Celia.

’If they were blood-related, it would be one thing...’

’But they weren’t. And Kian cared for Celia so deeply, which, combined with Celia’s almost blind trust in him... even though Silas generally trusted Kian’s character, he couldn’t shake a hard-to-describe sense of unease.’

But he wasn’t the type to worry unnecessarily.

’Rather than letting his imagination run wild, he should focus on cultivating his relationship with his wife.’

And there was only one truly direct way to cultivate their relationship.

"My dear," he began gently. "The hour is late. Shall we retire to bed?"

Since returning from Silverwood, Celia had noticed that Silas had been advancing by leaps and bounds these past few days. She had no idea where he was learning all these new tricks. She recognized a few from a post she’d seen in her perfumer group, but most of them were things she’d never even heard of.

"Are you sure we’d just be resting?" she asked, not believing him for a second.

A smile touched Silas Norwood’s pale gold eyes. "My dear, why ask a question you already know the answer to?"

「Port Sovereign. The Sutton Estate.」

After the fifty-second call he’d made to Summer Sutton in the last few days was hung up on, Second Young Master Sutton smashed his phone against a vase!

"Bitch! She got the shares, and now she won’t even take my calls? Does she really think she can use me and just toss me aside?" His face was a thundercloud, his voice dripping with venom as he ordered his assistant, "Go to Oakhaven. Find a way to drag her back to Port Sovereign."

"Second Young Master, I’m afraid that’s not possible," the assistant said, looking troubled. "Oakhaven is adjacent to Metropia, which is the Ninth Master’s territory. The moment Miss Sutton arrived in Oakhaven, the Ninth Master had her placed under protection."

Second Young Master Sutton took a few deep, ragged breaths. "Book me a flight to Oakhaven. I’m leaving immediately."

"The hospital said Chairman Sutton only has a few days left..." the assistant hesitated. "Mrs. Sutton gave specific orders: you’re not to go anywhere, Second Young Master. You must remain in Port Sovereign."

Kenneth Sutton’s death would inevitably trigger a power struggle. Mrs. Sutton, who favored her second son, naturally wanted him to gain the upper hand. The only way to seize the advantage was to stay put at the Sutton Group and win the support of the shareholders. Summer Sutton’s shares were important, of course, but sacrificing the greater good for a lesser gain was a risk neither Mrs. Sutton nor Second Young Master Sutton was willing to take.

Second Young Master Sutton seethed for a moment, his breathing heavy. Finally, his expression turned grim as he asked, "And what about Wyatt Sutton?"

"The Eldest Young Master is in Port Sovereign as well. It seems he’s recently fallen in love, though I can’t say if it’s just a ploy to distract you." The assistant was careful with his words. "You and he hold the same number of shares. I’ve heard he’s already been making secret promises of great reward and has pulled two more of the Group’s shareholders into his camp."

At this, Second Young Master Sutton dropped the subject of going to Oakhaven. "The way Summer Sutton took over those shares from Kian Sterling was too sudden. The more I think about it, the more it feels off. Keep an eye on it for me, quietly. The moment I have things handled here, the first thing I’m doing is going after that bitch!"

With that, he picked up a second, private phone and called Mrs. Sutton. "Mother, you’re on good terms with Third Uncle, aren’t you? Could you arrange a dinner? I’d like to win his support."

In the garden, Mrs. Sutton was, as always, indulgent with her favorite son. Her tone was gentle. "Bring your Fourth Uncle along as well. He’s been at odds with your older brother lately, so he’ll likely take your side. But Bri, my dear, Wyatt is your brother. It’s fine to compete, but don’t ruin your relationship over it, understand?"

After hanging up, Mrs. Sutton cradled a cup of beauty-enhancing tea and strolled leisurely out of the garden.

But there, on a bench at the garden’s entrance, she saw Wyatt Sutton, sitting elegantly and reading a newspaper.

Mrs. Sutton’s expression froze for a fraction of a second before she recovered, smiling as if nothing were amiss. "Wyatt, not at the office today?"

Wyatt Sutton responded with a noncommittal hum, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.

Mrs. Sutton paused. "Well, it’s good to take a break. You’re always wound so tightly."

With that, she walked past him and headed into the villa.

After taking a few steps, she seemed to remember something and turned back to face him. "I hear you’re dating a legal intern? Given the Sutton family’s current situation, it’s fine to have some fun. But when you’re looking for a life partner, you should find someone from a family of equal standing. Someone who can be an asset to you in the future."

Wyatt Sutton replied with his usual refined politeness, "Thank you for your concern, Mother. I know what I’m doing."

The moment Mrs. Sutton was out of sight, his gentle mask vanished, replaced by a look of cold mockery.

His phone rang.

The voice of his assistant came through the line. "Eldest Young Master, I’ve found it. The DNA that matched the Chairman wasn’t from Summer Sutton’s sample. It was the mysterious specimen labeled ’Sample 2.’"

A strange glint flashed in Wyatt Sutton’s eyes.

’Kian Sterling had been so adamant about not returning the shares. It made no sense for him to suddenly hand them over so generously. And he’d even coordinated with legal teams in Metropia and Port Sovereign well in advance, getting Summer Sutton to sign the papers half a month ago. Furthermore, judging by Summer’s micro-expressions at the time, she didn’t seem to know what was going on.’

’All of it forced him to dig deeper.’

’He wasn’t a pig-headed fool like Sutton the Second. After years of being coddled by Mrs. Sutton, all Brian knew how to do was throw impotent tantrums. If he wanted something, he’d try to snatch it. If he couldn’t, he’d go crying to Mrs. Sutton or the Chairman. He’d grown into a stupid, short-sighted man. Even if he sensed something was off, he would just flail about aimlessly, never thinking to dig deeper.’

’If Sutton the Second wouldn’t dig deeper, he would.’

’On the surface, Brian had Mrs. Sutton’s backing, which made every step difficult for Wyatt. But this business with Summer Sutton’s shares... it was like a deceptively calm surface of water. It could be hiding a fatal weakness. If he could find it and seize it, it might be the key to taking control of the Sutton Group.’

Over the phone, the assistant’s voice was hesitant. "I tried to look into Sample 2. It’s been moved to a top-secret vault. The files are inaccessible."

"Book a table at a romantic restaurant," Wyatt said languidly. "I’m taking my lawyer girlfriend out for a candlelight dinner."

’His girlfriend of just a few days was a new intern at Lawyer Hollis’s firm. She came from a poor family and was clawing her way up the social ladder, desperate to make a name for herself. The promise of becoming the wife of the man in charge of the Sutton family would be enough to turn her into the sharpest of nails—one capable of piercing the iron-clad defenses of the law firm.’

’Kenneth Sutton had been declared critically ill; the doctors had tactfully informed them he only had a few days. He needed to send his new girlfriend an urgent signal. He had to uncover the secret of that potential share transfer before Kenneth Sutton died.’

「Metropia.」

Kian Sterling had mercilessly sent Natalie Shepherd back to the Shepherd family. Meanwhile, the Second Young Master of the Shepherd family had a run of bad luck. He was ambushed and had his leg broken, but he stubbornly refused to call the police, leaving the Shepherd estate to recover at his private villa.

Once Natalie Shepherd was confirmed to be safe, Kian Sterling proactively cut off all contact with her.

In the morning, as Celia left for work with Kian and Silas, she couldn’t help but sigh. "I’ve only been looking after that girl for two days, and I barely did anything, but I’m already sick of it. Brother, raising me must have been so difficult for you."

"Looking after you now isn’t exactly easy, either."

Kian Sterling gave her a cool glance, but his eyes accidentally fell on a faint bite mark on her neck. He quickly looked away, the rest of his sentence dying on his lips.

The Metropia air had turned cool. Silas draped a coat over Celia, bundling her up securely, before casually jumping into the conversation. "Don’t worry, Kade. I’ll take it from here."

Kian didn’t look back at them. He just gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

They soon reached the villa’s garage. A line of luxury cars stood waiting, their respective security details already in position.

"I have an urgent meeting this morning. You and Cece take a car and drop her at her company. Don’t let her security detail out of her sight these days. Since Old Man Sterling has set his sights on the wedding, I’m afraid he’s about to make his move."

He tossed the car keys to Silas and drove off without a backward glance.