My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 41: First of All, I Didn’t Peek

When Owen Rhodes came out of the bathroom drying his hair, Stella Sterling was staring at the two rings on the cabinet.

A dark gray towel embroidered with a "Q" was casually draped around his neck, the embroidered letter landing right over his heart.

He walked over to Stella’s side and followed her gaze. "What is it?"

Stella looked up at the sound of his voice. His freshly washed hair was still dripping, hanging obediently over his forehead. He looked much more harmless.

Owen Rhodes naturally picked up one of the rings, then gently took Stella’s hand and slipped it onto her ring finger.

After putting it on, he looked at Stella for a few seconds without a word.

It was unclear what she was thinking; she simply stared back at him in a daze.

Seeing no reaction from her, Owen Rhodes had to gesture with his eyes toward the other ring still lying on the cabinet.

This time, Stella understood.

She obediently picked up the lone ring and, copying him, slid it onto his ring finger.

Her heart inexplicably softened, and she curved her lips into a delighted smile. "I just suddenly feel like... you’re a little bit cute."

’Cute?’

Owen Rhodes froze at her words. His deep-set eyes blinked, a trace of imperceptible confusion in them.

Stella stared into his eyes, finding the emotion in them novel, and leaned a little closer.

"Has no one ever described you that way before?"

’Indeed.’

’How do other people describe me?’

’Onlookers who don’t care about me say I wield immense power and have incredible methods. People who don’t know me say I’m ruthless and deeply calculating. The employees at Kyros say I’m impersonal and put work above all else. As for people who know me well... there aren’t many.’

’What was it that Silas Jacobs used to say about me?’

’Oh, right. A pool of stagnant water, completely devoid of life. He said I should become a monk.’

’Cute?’

’What a novel adjective.’

"Hm? Why do you think so?"

Stella pointed to where the rings had been. "Someone who isn’t cute wouldn’t have placed the rings like that."

The explanation was a bit of a stretch, but Owen Rhodes still raised an eyebrow in acceptance.

’If she says I’m cute, then I’m cute.’

’Judging by the way her eyes crinkled with laughter, she must enjoy these little pleasures in life.’

Just as Owen Rhodes was secretly pondering this, Stella suddenly asked, "Owen, do you like Santa Claus?"

"What?"

Stella’s train of thought was sometimes too erratic, with no connection between one idea and the next. Even Owen Rhodes had trouble keeping up.

For instance, one moment she’d be asking him about their marriage, and the next she’d suddenly ask if she should call him "little uncle."

Another time, he’d be worried that she was upset over her family’s baseless accusations, only for her to blurt out in the next second and ask if he was frigid.

And now, for example, one second they were clearly discussing his personality, and the next, her follow-up was "Santa Claus"?

’What kind of logic is that?’

’This girl’s mind jumps around so much, it’s impossible to keep up!’

Owen Rhodes was exasperated.

Owen Rhodes was speechless.

Owen Rhodes frowned.

Stella looked at him with an expression that said, "Nothing gets past me," and asked, "Do you like Santa Claus a lot? Is that why you like to grant people’s wishes, just like him?"

Owen Rhodes understood. He knew what she was getting at.

He said, "But I’m not selfless enough to want to grant everyone’s wishes."

So he had only fulfilled hers.

He certainly admitted it readily.

Stella narrowed her eyes and asked, "When did you peek at my diary?"

’No wonder I’ve felt like my "life checklist" is being completed at an astonishingly fast pace recently. It turns out someone has been secretly giving me an assist from behind the scenes.’

Owen Rhodes gently took her by the shoulders and nudged her toward the bed.

"Miss Sterling, first of all, I didn’t peek. Your diary was just lying wide open on the desk. I saw it by accident."

"So you deliberately saved the third floor for me to use as an art studio? Wait, that’s not right—"

Stella, who was being nudged forward, abruptly stopped. Her voice died away.

Until a second ago, she had naively thought that Owen Rhodes had only given her an assist with the art studio.

But that wasn’t right. The very night she returned to the country, Owen had Tate tell her the third floor was being set aside for her art studio. That meant Owen must have seen her diary even earlier.

’So when was "earlier"?’

It could only have been in Lumina, the first time Owen Rhodes came to her apartment to pose as her life model.

’If that’s the case...’

Stella turned back, her voice tinged with disbelief. "So, where did you start?"

If it was really as she suspected, then Owen Rhodes had been helping her complete her "life checklist" from the very beginning—starting with the proposal.

The proposal at the seaside bonfire party, the "escape" accomplished through their marriage, the art studio and matching rings made possible because they were living together...

Owen Rhodes’s deep-set eyes gazed at her. His expression held the surprise of being found out, which morphed into resignation and compromise after a few seconds.

Owen Rhodes had her sit on the bed, then took the towel from his neck and haphazardly dried his still-damp hair.

"You’re so smart, you’ve already figured it out, haven’t you? Do you really need me to say it?"

The shock on Stella’s face was unconcealable. "So it really did start with the proposal?!"

Owen Rhodes put down the towel, braced his hands on his knees, and leaned down in front of Stella.

The towel dangled, and his movement sent a whiff of pine and bamboo scent her way.

"Mhm. Don’t you also want to go to Cryonia to see the aurora? As it happens, we haven’t had our honeymoon yet. When the second half of the year comes, during the best season for viewing the aurora, let’s go to Cryonia and see it, okay?"

Before meeting Owen Rhodes, Stella Sterling had never imagined her life checklist would be completed in this way.

She probably would have followed the list, item by item, sticking to the plan.

But Owen Rhodes had strung them all together, each one intricately linked to the next, catching her on the other end of the thread.

It all started with that proposal at the seaside bonfire party.

Stella was stunned, but beyond the shock, there was an indescribable feeling.

It was as if something was toying with her heartbeat, making it pause one moment and race the next. It felt like being on a roller coaster, that floating sensation of a sudden drop, defying gravity.

Her mind was suddenly blown wide open.

’But thinking about it carefully, it’s still strange.’

’Even if I’m not wrong and Owen planned it from the beginning, why would he?’

She could roughly guess when Owen Rhodes had seen her diary, but only a few hours had passed between him seeing her "life checklist" and his proposal.

Even if the bonfire party could be arranged at the last minute, that pink diamond ring couldn’t have appeared out of thin air.

That pink diamond ring had been sold at auction half a month before Owen Rhodes even arrived in Lumina, so it certainly hadn’t been prepared for her.

The issue circled around and around, ultimately returning to the original starting point.

Why had Owen Rhodes chosen her?

She reined in her scattered thoughts and just looked up at Owen Rhodes. "Owen, thank you."

She was a little curious.

But she didn’t want to be curious anymore.

She had no intention of prying into Owen Rhodes’s story.

Since Owen Rhodes was intent on helping her complete her "life checklist," she would accept without ceremony.

’Once the checklist is complete, everything should be over...’