Chapter 212: Surprise

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Surprise

Nina Norton handed Lynn Winslow the list from the butler. Lynn glanced down at it, her lips parting slightly.

’Is this even an invitation list anymore...?’

Ian Sterling already knew what it was; he didn’t even need to look. "This is after we’ve already cut it down several times," he said. "It wouldn’t be right to leave out any of the ones who are left."

For a family like theirs, everything had to be handled with meticulous care. If they left anyone out, rumors would spread that the Sterling family had grown arrogant and looked down on others.

Lynn Winslow pursed her lips and handed the list back to the butler. She was finally starting to understand why the Sterling family had such a good reputation in Veridia.

The Winslow family was certainly much simpler in this regard. Back in Morelia, her grandfather couldn’t be bothered with the so-called nobility, which meant that even though the Winslows were powerful, they were often labeled as arrogant.

"Lynn, when would you like to do it?" Nina Norton asked softly.

Ian Sterling was about to chime in, but Nina Norton cut him off with a reprimanding frown. "You, be quiet. Your opinion doesn’t count here."

"..."

Lynn Winslow shot him a grinning glance. Nina Norton continued, "Don’t mind him. He’s being silly. We’ll do it whenever you want. We’re not going to rush you."

"Let’s just do what he wants." It was all the same to her, and it was better to placate Ian Sterling now to keep him from pestering her about it later.

Ian Sterling lifted his chin, shooting his mother a smug look. Nina Norton couldn’t be bothered to bicker with him.

"Fine, you tell us. When do you want it?"

"The sooner the better, of course. Besides the party in Veridia, we have to think about the one in Morelia." Ian Sterling looked down, thinking for a moment before raising his head to look at Nina Norton and Spencer Sterling. "Mom, Dad, Mr. Winslow is returning to Morelia soon."

Spencer Sterling set down his wine glass and nodded seriously. "In that case, your mother and I will visit Elder Winslow tomorrow to discuss the engagement."

Ian Sterling secretly squeezed Lynn’s palm, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

Lynn’s lips curved into a smile. Seeing him this happy, with a rare, boyish excitement, she couldn’t help but get swept up in his mood. She squeezed Ian Sterling’s hand back, giving it a little squeeze of her own.

After dinner, they lingered for a while before Ian Sterling made an excuse to leave Aerie Garden with Lynn. The car drove right past the turnoff for Calyx Hall without even slowing down.

"Where are we going?" Lynn managed to tear her eyes away from her phone and glance out the window.

Ian Sterling sounded rather excited. "To that scenic viewpoint we went to before."

"Huh?" Lynn’s heart gave a little jolt as she remembered everything that had happened there last time. She quickly looked back down at her phone, trying to suppress her racing heartbeat as she asked nonchalantly, "Why are we going there all of a sudden?"

"I’m not telling," Ian Sterling replied in a light, teasing tone, keeping her in suspense.

Lynn pouted, put her phone away, and rested her head against the window. "It’s almost winter," she mused. "I remember when I first came looking for you, it wasn’t even summer yet."

Ian Sterling hummed in agreement. Lynn turned back to face him, a smile on her face. "Isn’t that a little fast? Six months, from getting back together to getting engaged."

"I’m driving. Don’t start with me," Ian Sterling said through gritted teeth, shooting her a glare.

’Fast? He’d wanted to marry her before he was even old enough to get a marriage license. This was just the engagement. Who knew how much longer he’d have to work on her before she’d agree to the real thing.’

Lynn was only teasing him. She reached out to poke Ian Sterling’s slightly pouting cheek before turning back to watch the scenery fly by.

The closer they got to the viewpoint, the more sparse the signs of civilization became. The scenery was more beautiful and the air was fresher than in the city. Lynn rolled down her window, breathing in the cool, crisp breeze. "When we’re old," she said softly, "let’s build an estate in a place like this and retire here."

Ian Sterling tilted his head in thought. "We have one," he said. "I’ll take you there tomorrow. You can see if you like it. If you don’t, we can just build another."

"Okay," Lynn agreed with a smile. Then it hit her, and she frowned. "Why tomorrow? Aren’t we going home this afternoon?"

"Nope. We’re staying there tonight."

"..." A blush instantly crept up Lynn’s cheeks. She shook her head vehemently. "No way. I have to go home tonight."

"Your opinion doesn’t count. It’s not up to you," Ian Sterling said, his lips curling into a wicked smile as he gave Lynn a long, meaningful once-over.

That look gave Lynn a very strange feeling...

She gritted her teeth. ’If he weren’t driving, I’d smack him.’

He parked in the exact same spot. As Lynn got out, she realized the place looked completely different from before. But she didn’t have time to be curious. She turned and started walking down the road toward the mountain base, but she hadn’t taken two steps before Ian Sterling caught up, swooped her into his arms, and carried her toward the glass viewpoint, ignoring her struggles.

Lynn, humiliated and angry, shouted his name. Ian just gave a couple of noncommittal hums and tightened his arms. The physical gap between a man and a woman was on full display; Lynn couldn’t break free no matter how much she struggled.

"I’m getting angry."

Ian Sterling looked down at her with wide-eyed innocence. "I haven’t done anything. What are you angry about?"

He was playing dumb. Lynn gritted her teeth and said, enunciating each word, "If you try to pull anything funny today, I swear I’ll get angry."

"I won’t." Ian bounced her lightly in his arms, which did nothing to convince Lynn he wasn’t up to something.

But she had no proof, and she had no idea what Ian Sterling was planning.

Once inside the viewpoint, Ian Sterling set Lynn down. Before she could react, he turned, pulled the door shut, and locked it.

The lock was a special one that required a code to open from either side. Lynn remembered the code from their last visit. She walked over and tried it, but just as she’d suspected, it didn’t work.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Lynn pursed her lips, staring at Ian Sterling. He just smiled, took a step back, and then another to the side, moving out of her line of sight as her expression grew more and more astonished.

Tiny points of light began to glow, slowly brightening to reveal a small mountain of diamonds piled up before her. The dazzling facets caught the light, creating a nearly blinding sparkle.

"You..."

Ian Sterling wrapped his arms around her from behind and sighed dramatically. "I go to all this trouble to prepare a gift for you, and you still get mad at me," he grumbled.

Lynn murmured, "When did you do all this?"

"Well, I didn’t prepare it all by myself. I’m with you every day; you’d figure out what I was up to before I could even get started. So I had Jasper Jennings and the guys help me source all these diamonds from different countries. There are still more on the way, but I couldn’t wait to show you."

He lowered his head and nibbled the tip of Lynn’s ear. "I’m never quite sure what you like," he whispered, "so I just bought you the raw stones. That way, you can have them designed however you want."

Lynn moistened her lips, but before she could speak, Ian continued, "There’s other stuff besides this, but it doesn’t look as good as a pile of diamonds, not as fitting for a surprise. So I had all that stuff stashed in the villa next to ours."

Their relationship didn’t really need surprises to grow deeper. Surprises were nice, but being direct was even better.