’The person in that car... looks like... his demon of an uncle!’
’Vivian Quinn knows his uncle?’
’How is that possible!’
Ian Sterling quickly pulled out his phone to make a call. "I think I just saw my uncle... I’m serious, go check it out. If he’s back in the country, things in Aethelgard are about to get shaken up!"
...
Once in the car, Vivian Quinn hugged the man’s arm and said excitedly, "Jett Sterling, guess what I just did?"
Jett Sterling looked at her smiling face, and his mood brightened. "What’s got you so happy?"
"First, let ask you, why did you pay the bill for ? I only needed to spend 3,000."
Jett Sterling looked at her. "These social customs are sothing you need to learn too. There’s no need to be reluctant to spend money."
"But my professor didn’t co to dinner tonight. Instead, Austin Grant and Rachel Quinn showed up. I wasn’t planning on treating them, though, so I got the money back. I’m amazing, right?" Vivian Quinn said, her expression clearly fishing for a complint.
"Amazing," the man said, raising a hand to ruffle her hair. "So you’re full now and don’t have room to eat with , is that it?"
"I’ll keep you company while you eat, but I really can’t eat anymore. I’ll just watch you."
"Okay."
"Oh, right," Vivian Quinn suddenly rembered sothing. "I forgot to ask before, you were the one who paid my tuition, right?"
"I had Easton Rivers pay it." Jett Sterling took the black card from his pocket. "Take it. And don’t you dare try to give it back to again."
Vivian Quinn hesitated.
She was willing to open her heart, to give Jett Sterling a chance, to give herself a chance, and even more, to give love a chance. But that didn’t an she was willing to hold her hand out and accept his charity.
Jett Sterling noticed her hesitation, and his fingertips stiffened. "What’s wrong? You don’t want it?"
"Yeah," Vivian Quinn said honestly. "Jett Sterling, like I’ve said, we need to be honest with each other, so I won’t hide how I feel. Living in your house, eating your food, drinking your drinks... it actually makes feel really uncomfortable. I always feel so awkward."
"I keep trying to convince myself that we’re husband and wife, so there’s no need to be so dramatic about it. Plus, I’m really not in a position to contribute right now, so I couldn’t split living expenses with you even if I wanted to."
"But that doesn’t an I feel okay about it. The way I was raised, you can’t take other people’s kindness for granted. That’s why I don’t want your black card. I know you’re very wealthy, but it’s not my money. Spending it would make feel guilty. Do you understand what I an?"
"Vivian, you have very strong principles," Jett Sterling said with a frown. "But who was it that taught you all this?"
’He didn’t think a selfish thief could have taught her these things.’
"It was my master," Vivian Quinn said, the corners of her lips curling up. "After Rachel Quinn’s parents took to the countryside, they didn’t really care if I lived or died. It led to being underdeveloped, weak, and sickly. Luckily, an old traditional Chinese dicine doctor in the village took pity on . He took ho and raised . By the ti I was three, my health had started to improve."
"This old doctor was your master, the one who taught you dicine?"
"Mhm. Later, after Rachel Quinn’s mother gave birth to Joy, she couldn’t take it anymore and ran off. That thief was always out doing petty cris and was rarely ho. Whatever he stole, he’d take to the gambling tables. He’d occasionally co back and take his anger out on by beating . It was my master who protected ti and ti again. Otherwise, I would have been beaten to death long ago."
Jett Sterling stroked her head. "So all these principles, your master taught them to you?"
"Yes, he’s the one who taught to read and write and sent to school. He raised both Joy and ."
"Then where is he now? He raised you. I’m willing to look after him as an elder."
The light in Vivian Quinn’s eyes dimd. "My master is gone."
"What do you an, ’gone’?" Jett Sterling frowned. "Did he pass away?"
"I don’t know. The first year after I was brought back by the Quinn Family, my master ca to Aethelgard to treat a patient and never ca back. My own abilities are limited, so I had no way to find him."
"That’s why when the Quinn Family ca to get later, I ca to Aethelgard without a second thought. On one hand, I longed for a family. On the other, I wanted to find my master."
"And you never found him?"
"No. I’ve been secretly asking around, but there’s been no news."
"Give his information. I’ll look for him."
Vivian Quinn shook her head gently. "There’s no need."
"Why not?"
"Because my master once told that if he ever disappeared, I wasn’t allowed to look for him. He must have had a reason for saying that. My secret inquiries are already going against his wishes. I don’t want to make a big scene of it."
"I understand. I won’t force you." Jett Sterling hugged her. "And Vivian, I’m very happy that you were willing to tell all this."
’It was strange,’ Vivian Quinn thought. ’I’m not the type to confide in others. I haven’t even told Silas Quinn or Yvonne Lawrence these things, yet today, I sohow told Jett Sterling everything.’
"So, Jett Sterling, can you please not give the card? If I beco a canary in a cage that you have to support, I’ll look down on myself. More importantly, it would go against everything my master taught about being independent and self-reliant."
"Just carry the card with you. Whether you use it or not is up to you. But if there’s an ergency, it might co in handy."
"Alright, then."
...
The two of them returned ho, and Vivian Quinn, true to her word, sat at the dining table and watched the man eat.
Jett Sterling’s table manners were impeccable, clearly the result of a good upbringing, yet they didn’t seem forced. That noble elegance seed to be innate.
Vivian Quinn propped her chin on her hands, quietly admiring his devastatingly handso face.
Jett Sterling couldn’t help but glance at her. "Mrs. Sterling, am I that good-looking?"
"Of course you are. I’ve always thought you were handso. There’s no doubt about that."
Jett Sterling took a bite of food and asked casually, "Did anything special happen at school today?"
"Not really, just the usual. Oh, right, I switched my major to dicine. My professor has a dical lab that specializes in researching difficult and complex cases for major hospitals. So I’ll probably be spending most of my ti in the lab from now on and won’t need to go to campus as much."
"As long as you’re happy."
"Huh?" Vivian Quinn asked, puzzled. "Don’t you want to heal my leg and go back to dancing? I was a dance major, after all."
"As long as it’s what you love, you can do whatever you want. I won’t interfere."
"I thought n liked having a beautiful piece of arm candy by their side. According to Austin Grant, a woman is a reflection on the man." Vivian Quinn sighed. "He said that to once, but I didn’t think much of it. Looking back now, wasn’t he just hinting that I’d gotten ugly? Really, when I think about it now, I was just too trusting. I thought he was a man of integrity who would never betray . To put it bluntly, I was blind."
Jett Sterling put down his chopsticks. "Your face and your leg... you were injured because of him?"
"Mhm. About a year and a half ago, he was kidnapped. They demanded I deliver the ransom. But after they got the money, they went back on their word and still tried to kill him. I shielded him with my body. My face was slashed, and my leg was broken. I barely made it out alive..."
The man’s expression turned frigid. "Don’t say any more!"
Vivian Quinn gave a brilliant smile. "But you’re the one who asked."
Jett Sterling stared deeply at her face, a hint of fractured pain in his eyes. "Vivian, Austin Grant wasn’t worth it."
"I know." Vivian Quinn waved her hand dismissively. "Let’s not talk about him anymore. Hurry up and eat before your food gets cold."
Jett Sterling didn’t say anything more, but Vivian Quinn could clearly sense that he was in a terrible mood.
...
That feeling lingered into the night. Not only did it not dissipate, but it grew even stronger.
When the man pressed her down under the covers and started kissing her demandingly, Vivian Quinn’s head felt fuzzy.
"Mmph..." She desperately turned her face away, panting. "Be gentle... you’re hurting ..."
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