My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 137: A Mortifying Predicament

Assistant Thorne glanced at Theo Chambers, who had pricked up his ears. He quietly cupped his hand over the phone’s receiver, scooted another foot or two away, and then spoke respectfully into the phone:

"What can I do for you, Boss?"

The person on the other end said something.

Theo Chambers couldn’t hear a single thing.

But he saw the expression on Assistant Thorne’s face change.

It became a kaleidoscope of expressions, a truly spectacular sight.

After a long moment, Assistant Thorne wiped his face and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, Boss. I’ll head over immediately to take care of it for you!"

He hung up the phone and scrambled frantically out of the private room. Theo Chambers completely forgot about his work and chased after him to the door. "What happened with the—"

"Don’t ask." Assistant Thorne suddenly turned back, made a zipping motion across his lips, and was gone downstairs in a flash.

「Jade Orchid Manor.」

When Assistant Thorne arrived, Silas Norwood was standing in the second-floor hallway wearing a bathrobe. He gazed down coolly at Thorne’s approaching figure. Though he said nothing, his presence felt even colder and more aloof than usual.

Assistant Thorne, carrying a small, exquisite case, lightened his steps as he approached and greeted him respectfully. "Boss."

Silas Norwood let out a barely audible grunt of acknowledgment.

His skin was still faintly damp, as if he had just showered. His bathrobe was loosely tied, yet his entire body radiated an inexplicable tension. His usually pale lips were tinged with a sensual flush, and his cold, amber eyes held a rare, irrepressible heat he couldn’t seem to suppress.

Assistant Thorne recalled the instructions from the phone call and cleared his throat. "Um, the ones I prepared for you on the cruise in Seraphina and for your trip to Rhovan... I never heard you say they weren’t a good fit. The ones in your bedroom are the same model. Did you, uh, try a few of them?"

Silas Norwood didn’t speak.

’Of course he’d tried.’

The first time, he’d attempted it seven or eight times to no avail. He’d even suspected he was doing it wrong and, ignoring Celia Sterling watching the spectacle from the side, had searched for an online tutorial with a completely straight face.

As it turned out, he hadn’t been doing it wrong. The model was genuinely not the right size; it just wouldn’t fit.

But the mood in the room had already become too charged to stop.

He had no choice but to call Assistant Thorne for a new delivery, but he couldn’t bear to wait. He’d gone to the bathroom to cool down and had only just barely managed to get through the most agonizing part of the wait.

But there was no way he could discuss such details with Assistant Thorne.

Seeing Silas Norwood’s silence, Assistant Thorne tried to fill the void. "The model I prepared for you before fits the vast majority of men. I never imagined you’d be the exception. It was an oversight on my part. Please forgive me, Boss."

He quietly handed over the small case. "This is the largest size. If it still doesn’t work, I can arrange for a custom order, but that might take a few days."

Silas Norwood took the small case, still not saying a word.

The atmosphere grew inexplicably awkward.

Assistant Thorne paused. "That drawer in your bedroom... do you need me to take it and dispose of the contents?"

"It’s not convenient today," Silas Norwood finally spoke. "We’ll deal with it in a few days."

"Well then, congratulations on your marriage, Boss and Madam." Assistant Thorne offered his blessing very politely, then turned and quietly went downstairs.

He hadn’t taken two steps before the sound of Silas Norwood’s door closing echoed behind him.

Assistant Thorne casually glanced back at the closed bedroom door, couldn’t help but wipe his face again, and left with a complicated expression.

Inside the bedroom.

Silas Norwood placed the small case on the bedside table, opened it, and took out one of the neatly arranged boxes. He carefully read over the instructions.

Then, he tore one open.

On the bed, Celia Sterling was hiding under the covers with only half her face visible. The corners of her eyes were flushed red, but her lips were curved into a teasing smile.

"Think this is funny?" Silas Norwood leaned over, threw back the covers, and undid the tie of his bathrobe with his long fingers. He nibbled lightly on her earlobe. "Just see that you don’t cry later."

「Later that night, the lights were still on in the Norwood Group’s executive conference room.」

They didn’t usually work overtime.

But things had been unusual lately. The chairman was constantly changing his schedule and hadn’t been involved in group affairs for a long time. According to Chief Assistant Chambers, he was about to leave for another week. Tonight at eight, a strategic planning meeting was scheduled, to be presided over by the chairman himself. All the department heads and members of the board of directors were already seated in the conference room, waiting for the one missing person: Chairman Silas Norwood.

Theo Chambers, as the Chief Assistant to the Chairman and a nominal vice president of the group, was reviewing the meeting materials with staff from the secretarial office.

At 7:58 PM, the people in the conference room had lost count of how many times they’d checked the time, but there was still no sign of Silas Norwood.

"Chief Assistant Chambers," CEO Julian Langdon, seated to one side of the head chair, reminded him tactfully, "Shouldn’t you call and ask where the Chairman is?"

Julian Langdon was still in a cast from his recent car accident. Because of that unexpected disaster, Silas Norwood had transferred some of his responsibilities to a newly appointed acting CEO. For someone of his standing, being distanced from the center of power was a terrifying prospect. He hadn’t had a chance to see the chairman and reaffirm his loyalty lately, so he was more anxious than anyone for this rare opportunity to see Silas Norwood.

Theo Chambers paused for a moment. "Please wait a little longer, everyone. The Boss and Eldest Miss Sterling registered their marriage today, so he’s been quite busy with personal matters and may be running late."

At the mention of the marriage, the one with the most complicated feelings was Silas Norwood’s older brother, Justin Norwood. He had only heard about Silas registering his marriage from Assistant Chambers this morning. His first reaction was to give a heads-up to the executives who worked with the teams in Solisia, warning them to prevent his rebellious son from becoming despondent and causing a scene if he found out. It was imperative that the news not reach him.

He had also seen the official announcement about Silas Norwood and Kian Sterling a few days ago. He’d heard that on that night, his son had gotten blind drunk again in Solisia. Justin Norwood felt both heartache for him and anger at his lack of resolve. Originally, it was his branch of the family that was supposed to form an alliance with the Sterlings. His branch had never held much sway in the group, and they had finally found a powerful in-law, but a strange twist of fate had ended up benefiting Silas Norwood instead. It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel a trace of resentment.

But despite his resentment, he had still sent an exquisite wedding gift at noon, fulfilling his duty as the elder brother.

He hadn’t been able to see Silas in person. The gift was accepted by the butler, who had respectfully informed him, "Chairman Norwood is busy. He gave specific instructions that all of today’s visitors should be rescheduled for another day."

’Busy? What could he possibly be so busy with at home?’

Then, at that exact moment, he saw Assistant Chambers delivering a crystal-clear statue of the child-bestowing Guanyin Bodhisattva. How could Justin Norwood not understand what was going on?

He just hadn’t expected his cold and distant younger brother to have developed such a deep relationship with Miss Sterling after knowing her for only a little over a month.

But reflections were one thing. With CEO Julian Langdon and his own second brother both recovering from car accidents, and the new acting CEO still finding his footing, Justin Norwood still hoped Silas Norwood would take a more active role for the sake of the group’s interests.

Others might not dare to ask, but as Silas Norwood’s own brother, he spoke with fewer reservations. "Chief Assistant Chambers, you should still give him a call. See if something is holding Silas up. As his older brother, I’m worried."

Theo Chambers thought for a moment, picked up his phone, and dialed Silas Norwood’s number.

After a long pause, the call connected. Silas Norwood’s voice was much deeper than usual, and if one listened closely, slightly hoarse. "What is it?"

Theo Chambers knew instantly. ’My boss has completely forgotten about the strategy meeting.’