Chapter 653 - 649: The First Time

That evening, Ethan Sterling found a restaurant near Solara Tower and treated his friends to dinner.

As soon as they met up, Golden Blade and the others told Ethan about seeing Owen Griffin earlier that day.

"I know. He’s forming a school team, too."

Ethan Sterling replied, his expression calm.

"You knew?"

Golden Blade frowned, speculating, "That punk can’t be targeting you, can he? Is he just trying to piss you off?"

Ethan Sterling had already figured it out. He was sure Owen Griffin was targeting him. The look on his face when they ran into each other at the Esports Club said it all.

But this time, he wasn’t going to take Owen Griffin seriously in the slightest.

"Is that guy mental?" Jameson Stone cursed angrily. "Fuck, going after the girl you like is one thing, but now he has to compete with you over the school team, too? Is he some kind of brat that’s just latched onto you?"

"Let him."

Ethan Sterling continued eating, his expression completely unfazed.

The others looked at him, and Jameson Stone said urgently, "Ethan, we can’t just let this son of a bitch walk all over you!"

The vulgar remark made everyone at the table grimace in disgust.

Ethan Sterling put down his chopsticks and looked at Jameson Stone seriously. "I’m not letting him. Quite the opposite. What I’m really thinking is, ’Let him bring it on.’"

"I might not be as experienced as him when it comes to chasing girls, but there’s absolutely no way I’ll lose to him in a game."

"He’s forming a school team too, right? Then we’ll let our results do the talking."

Hearing Ethan say that, Jameson Stone’s eyes lit up. "Exactly! If we get the chance to face him, we’ll beat him so badly he’ll have no choice but to accept it."

Ethan Sterling scoffed.

’Face him?’

’Once my team is formed, we can enter the Youth Training Competition directly with a recommendation from Chad Hector.’

’That starting line alone is a finish line Owen Griffin will likely never cross.’

Just then, a familiar figure passed by the door. Ethan Sterling recognized him at once, quickly getting up and hurrying outside.

"Senior!"

Chandler Wright turned at the sound of the voice. When he saw it was Ethan Sterling, he turned back around. "Ethan Sterling."

"Haven’t seen you in a few days." Ethan Sterling sized him up before speaking. "Didn’t you say a while back that you wanted to come try out? Why didn’t you look for me?"

A pained and awkward expression suddenly crossed Chandler Wright’s face, and he lowered his head slightly.

"What’s wrong, senior?"

"Ethan, I..."

He trailed off, looking as if he had something to say but found the words difficult.

Ethan Sterling watched him, confused. "It’s okay, you can just say it," he said in a low voice. "Did you run into some trouble?"

Chandler Wright took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and looked Ethan Sterling straight in the eye. "Ethan, I won’t be joining you. Owen Lawson quit, so the captain put me straight onto the school team. I’m an official member now."

Ethan Sterling stared at him, momentarily speechless.

After mustering the courage to say his piece, Chandler Wright immediately looked guilty and awkward. "I’m sorry for not telling you sooner."

"It’s not too late," Ethan Sterling finally said, offering a smile. "I respect your decision, senior. The chance to become an official member right away is definitely more tempting than what I can offer."

Chandler Wright opened his mouth, but all he could manage to say in the end was, "Thank you."

Back at the table, Jameson Stone noticed Ethan Sterling’s expression was off. He couldn’t help but lean in and ask, "What’s wrong?"

Ethan Sterling told him what happened.

Jameson Stone frowned as he listened. "He backed out just like that?"

"I get it." Ethan Sterling sighed. "Compared to our team, which doesn’t even have a definite start date, becoming an official member on their team right away is certainly more practical."

"So not only have we made zero progress on the team, but we’ve actually taken a huge step back?"

Ethan Sterling gave a wry laugh, but it was true.

But he wouldn’t let this discourage him. He was still full of hope.

’Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ At a school as huge as Lorcain U, he refused to believe he couldn’t put together a seven-person team!

That night, heavy gray clouds hung low and a cold wind howled. The temperature in Lorcain plummeted as silvery-white flakes began to drift down from the sky.

It had started to snow.

Inside the room, two sets of heavy breaths rose and fell in alternation. Only the dim, yellow glow of a single bedside lamp remained, casting hazy shadows of the snowflakes falling outside the window.

"Stop, stop a minute."

Drenched in sweat and pliant, Cecilia Sterling pressed her hands against Emeric Grant’s solid chest, her face flushed. She tried to push him away, but found she had no strength left.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s... it’s too much..." Cecilia Sterling looked up at him, her gaze soft and seductive. For the first time, she started to doubt his words. "Didn’t you say it was your first time?"

Emeric Grant’s lips curved into a smile. His large hand gently cupped her head as he leaned in and whispered, "Exceeding your expectations?"

Cecilia Sterling gave him another annoyed push. "Get off me first!"

"Giving up? Weren’t you the one who asked for a third round?"

"No more, no more, I really can’t," Cecilia Sterling begged for mercy.

She had suppressed her desires for a long time, and her body was thirsty for it.

But she never expected that Emeric Grant, who had been holding back for over twenty years, would have such outstanding stamina and... assets!

Emeric Grant rolled over, sweeping Cecilia Sterling’s soft body into his arms. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, his tone filled with satisfaction. "My first time... It felt... amazing."

Cecilia Sterling looked up at him, her lashes fluttering as she blinked. She spoke with great seriousness, "This was consensual. I’m not taking responsibility for it."

"Then do you need me to take responsibility for you?" Emeric Grant asked, a smile in his eyes.

Cecilia Sterling gently shook her head.

’She didn’t need anyone to be responsible for her. She just had to be responsible for her own actions and choices.’

"My dad has already arranged everything for your aunt’s hospitalization. He knows she’s your aunt, so he’s handling it all personally. Don’t worry."

"Thank you so much for this," Cecilia Sterling said sincerely. "But I have to be the one to pay for the hospitalization and treatment. You need to make that clear to your father."

"I know." Emeric Grant stroked her hair. He knew her personality; if it weren’t for her aunt’s illness, she would never have troubled him or his family.

"So, when are you coming over for dinner? My dad has already asked a few times."

Cecilia Sterling pursed her lips in thought. ’To be honest, she was still a little resistant to the idea, just not as strongly as before.’

’Because this time was different. She had already interacted with his family before she and Emeric had even made their relationship official. And with her aunt’s hospitalization, future interactions were inevitable.’

"By the end of the year," Cecilia Sterling finally relented. "Once everything has settled down, I’ll go."

Emeric Grant gently captured her lips, the soft kiss reigniting Cecilia’s desire.

She wrapped an arm around Emeric Grant’s waist, her hand sliding up to his chest where her fingertip began to lightly tease one of his nipples.

Emeric Grant’s brow twitched in reaction, and he grabbed her mischievous hand. "Still trying to start something? Didn’t you say no more?"

Cecilia Sterling laughed, her smile seductive and bewitching. She pressed down on top of him. "There’s no such thing as a field plowed too well, only an ox worked to death!"