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

Chapter 181: Private Collection

The suggestion that he be a best man made Justin Norwood’s heart seize in shock.

Declan Norwood might look like a rogue, but he was a lovesick fool at heart. It had been nearly three months since the marriage swap, and he still hadn’t recovered, spending his days drowning his sorrows. When the news Justin Norwood had tried so hard to hide—that Silas Norwood had registered his marriage—finally reached Declan, an executive over in Solisia said his eyes had been red for days.

He was his only son. Justin Norwood was furious at his lack of resolve, but his heart ached for him all the same. Making him return for Silas Norwood and Celia Sterling’s wedding was already torture. But to be a best man, to follow Silas Norwood in the grand procession to welcome the bride—a bride he would be helping his own uncle marry... ’Just the thought of it was utterly gut-wrenching.’

"Silas, Declan is from a younger generation, after all. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be a best man." Justin Norwood stammered, "The Norwood Family has always valued tradition. This goes against custom, it really does!"

"I am the one in charge of The Norwood Family now." Silas Norwood’s cool, aloof tone carried the unyielding authority of a man in power. "My word is the rule."

Justin Norwood: "..."

After Justin Norwood and Mrs. Norwood left with worried frowns, Silas Norwood instructed a nearby bodyguard, "Jade Orchid Manor is closed to all visitors."

The bodyguard acknowledged the order and departed.

They had seen more than a dozen groups of guests that morning, shattering any chance of leisure for Silas Norwood and Celia Sterling. That afternoon, they still had to discuss the wedding arrangements with Kian Sterling. Silas Norwood had lost his patience for entertaining the heads of other prominent families and invited Kian:

"Shall we talk in my study?"

"Call in the legal teams," Kian Sterling said leisurely. "There are quite a few things that need to be notarized."

There were indeed.

All of Kian Sterling’s various real estate holdings, funds, equity, and several highly profitable major-ecosystem companies were being transferred to Celia Sterling’s name as her dowry. The total value was comparable to the betrothal gifts Silas Norwood had offered during the marriage swap. On top of that, over the years, Kian had bought anything valuable that caught his eye, steadily amassing a collection of appreciating assets for Celia. These included, but were not limited to, collector’s edition jewelry and diamonds, antiques, and jade artifacts.

"Brother, you’re giving me so much..." Celia Sterling felt a slight headache coming on. She looked at the legal teams, the actuaries, the Appraiser, and the assistants from both sides—dozens of people in total. They made the several-hundred-square-meter study feel cramped. Everyone was gathered around the large desk, notarizing and filing the documents Kian’s side had produced, one by one. And then came Celia’s endless signing...

After they finished with the asset transfer documents, there were still the various treasures Celia had brought from the Sterling Family home—gifts from both Silas and Kian. There were also the hundreds of collectibles from Kian’s private vault. All had certificates, but they still needed to be appraised and cataloged. Celia had been sitting in the study for nearly three hours and simply couldn’t take it anymore.

She stood up and looked at Silas Norwood and Kian Sterling, who were earnestly discussing the details. "Kian, Silas, you two carry on. I’m going to step out for some fresh air."

Silas Norwood’s gaze was gentle as he watched her disappear through the doorway. He then lowered his voice to speak privately with Kian Sterling. "I heard that ’someone’ from your family entered the country this morning?"

"Franklin Sterling?" Kian Sterling sneered. "The Sterling Family is no longer his domain. Let him come back. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to root out all those old traitors in the group."

Silas Norwood grunted in acknowledgment. Since Kian Sterling had it handled, he said no more.

Celia Sterling sat on a bench in the garden, watching the servants unwrap, register, and move the wedding gifts from their guests into the storage vault.

"Ma’am, would you like to see how they are being arranged?" the butler asked. "Chairman Norwood gave instructions long ago that the arrangement of everything in the house is to be based on your preferences."

"Alright. I’ve been here for so long but haven’t taken a look around the vault yet." She nodded and followed the butler toward it.

The vault was on the second basement level of the Jade Orchid Manor villa.

It was enormous and opulently decorated. Display shelves were everywhere, filled with a bizarre assortment of collectibles that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Kian Sterling had a similar private vault, and Celia had often wandered through it as a child, so she had long since grown accustomed to such sights. She now gave it only a cursory glance before looking away and pointing to a certain area.

"Let’s put them against this wall."

The butler immediately directed the servants to arrange the items. Knowing it was Celia’s first time here, he casually explained, "This is just a small portion of Chairman Norwood’s collection. He also has two private museums. The larger one is five stories tall, about the same size as the Metropia Museum, and holds most of his collection. It has regular public viewing days each week and draws even larger crowds than the Metropia Museum. The smaller one is three stories and isn’t open to the public, but it’s currently being renovated. He said it’s to be reserved for you to store your things, Ma’am."

"Where would I even find enough things to fill it..." Celia was a little speechless at Silas Norwood’s gesture.

"Oh, you will," the butler said with a smile. "In addition to the treasures you’ve brought from the Sterling Family, Chairman Norwood has been arranging for people to collect things you like. From small items like jewelry and antiques to large ones like ancient cultural relics and jade artifacts, he personally inspects every single piece. He is very dedicated."

"Your Chairman Norwood certainly knows how to please a woman..." Celia was genuinely curious and couldn’t help but ask, "How has he not managed to get a girlfriend all these years?"

"We would never dare to inquire about Chairman Norwood’s private affairs," the butler answered cautiously. "But he has strict rules. Other women are not easily allowed near him."

Celia didn’t press the issue and glanced around the dazzling vault again. "This has to be at least five hundred square meters, right?"

"Far more than that," the butler said respectfully. "What you’re seeing is only the outermost section. Inside, there’s a high-security vault with a sophisticated high-end design and a top-tier security system. It contains dozens of safes. Besides Chairman Norwood, only Chief Assistant Chambers knows the passwords. However, Chairman Norwood had your fingerprint data registered in advance, so you may open them as you please."

Her curiosity was piqued. "In that case, I really have to see it."

She walked forward for quite some time and arrived at an inner chamber. It was slightly smaller than the outer area and lined with a long row of safes, all protected by the highest level of security systems. She could faintly make out what seemed to be a Feng Shui layout in the arrangement.

She casually opened two or three of them. Inside were fairly standard items: various important corporate contracts, gold bars, asset documents...

She quickly lost interest, and her gaze fell upon a special glass door. "Is that also a vault?"

"I’m not sure. None of us have ever been in there; only Chief Assistant Chambers is allowed inside." The butler paused. "You could try your fingerprint, Ma’am. Chairman Norwood should have granted you access."

Celia hesitated. But if Silas Norwood had really given her access, that must mean he was fine with her looking. After a few seconds of internal debate, she walked up to the special glass door and placed her finger on the scanner of the keypad lock.

The glass door slid open with a soft WHOOSH, revealing a vast, even colder space within.

The butler and the servants tactfully turned away to give her privacy.

But Celia was frozen in place, stunned by the dazzling, iridescent scene inside.