My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 140: Honeymoon
The only blessing heaven ever bestowed upon Daisy York was that her motel room was in an attic just two meters off the ground, with a broken window.
In the ghoulish, gloomy night, the old drunkard pushed open the door, his smile more terrifying than a demon’s. She was no longer at an age where she understood nothing. Faced with a hell worse than death, she chose to jump from the splintered wooden window. The broken wood scraped her arm, and the two-meter drop sent a piercing pain through her leg bones. In the endless night, she ran barefoot with no destination, faintly hearing the savage curses of the old drunkard and her father behind her. The two men pursued her like devils, but thankfully, their bodies were ravaged by drink and debauchery, and they were unfamiliar with the city streets. Like a fish slipping into a sea of people, she ran and ran.
She didn’t know how long she had been running when she saw the large cargo ship.
The cargo ship was docked at a port on the Greywater River. Workers were loading containers one by one, and it was about to set sail.
The port was nearly deserted, the surroundings vast and empty.
In the distance, she could just make out the two devils closing in.
She had used up all her strength. The bleeding from her arm hadn’t stopped, and her feet were covered in countless cuts. She was on the verge of collapse. But the two devils were getting closer and closer. The sky began to brighten, and with no maze of streets to hide in, it seemed a foregone conclusion that she would be caught.
She refused to accept it.
"There she is!" A familiar voice, laced with anger and malice, cut through the morning mist. Her father, who had been searching everywhere, suddenly locked onto her position. The two men charged toward her like madmen.
She shrank back, and just as the cargo ship began to move, she leaped into the river.
It was like sinking and floating in an abyss. All her strength was gone, but somehow, she managed to grab onto something. Dazed, she followed her instincts, climbing into a narrow gap in the ship’s hold.
Her body was burning up, completely exhausted. The last thing she saw was the furious, savage expressions of the two devils standing on the riverbank.
She closed her eyes and fell unconscious.
When she awoke again, the cargo ship had arrived at the port in Metropia, and she was discovered by workers during unloading.
As it happened, the Crown Prince of the Sterling Group, which owned the cargo ship, was inspecting company properties nearby. After receiving a report, the dignified and handsome young man came to the port and calmly gazed at the bedraggled girl who looked as if she had just been fished out of the water.
"She’s about to die..." someone muttered.
Then came the young man’s voice—as clear and celestial as heaven’s music. It was cold, yet it sounded like an immortal’s decree. "Try to save her."
She finally emerged from the haze.
Her past, like a nightmare, was wiped clean from her memory during a high fever that lasted for days.
The bewitching young man said, "You are Summer Sutton."
That name pulled her out of the mire of being Daisy York and into a life she never dared to dream of. She went from a wretched ant approaching her thirteenth birthday to the ten-year-old heiress of a prominent Port Sovereign family. Due to long-term malnutrition and the naturally uneven growth spurts of adolescence, the three-year age difference wasn’t obvious. As Summer Sutton, she navigated the dazzling, decadent world of The High Society of Port Sovereign. With Kian Sterling’s blatant protection, no one had ever questioned her identity all these years.
She had thought that was her life. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
She had even asked Kian Sterling more than once why she had no photos from before she was ten, but he had never answered her.
She had also mourned her fate as the displaced heiress of the Sutton Family countless times, but only today did she realize that this so-called displaced life was a paradise the former Daisy York could never have even dreamed of.
...
Summer Sutton woke up from the nightmare in her hotel room, drenched in sweat.
She stared out the hotel window at the pitch-black night, her face pale, not uttering a single word.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that she received a call from Second Young Master Sutton.
"Summer, Assistant Rhodes just sent word. The appraisal results are in. Remember to go to the law firm tomorrow for the equity transfer. I’ll be waiting for your good news."
Summer Sutton hung up the phone in silence.
She got up and, expressionless, went to the bathroom to wash away the chill with a hot shower.
Then she went to the airport and calmly boarded a flight back to Port Sovereign.
「Metropia.」
A grand "Scent-Seeker Cup" awards ceremony was underway.
As one of the most prestigious awards in the fragrance industry, many brands’ Chief Perfumers had gathered for the event. Celia Sterling wasn’t particularly interested, and with Director Linden on a business trip in Caspia, she had sent an administrative assistant to attend in her place.
Inside Jade Orchid Manor, Silas Norwood was flipping through a financial magazine on a lounge chair by the lake. Celia Sterling was sprawled comfortably on top of him, chatting with her administrative assistant.
The administrative assistant was sending one real-time photo after another, dutifully reporting on the grand occasion:
"President Sterling, several of our rival brands in the industry won both team and individual awards. Our brand, Delia Caine, also won three team awards. As for individual awards, because you were absent, the two perfumes that won you the gold prize, along with the medals themselves, are being held by the organizers."
Celia Sterling grunted in acknowledgment. "Got it."
"Someone from our arch-rival, the Hale Group, also came. You’ll never guess who—it was the Hale Group’s Crown Prince himself." The assistant’s tone was a little strange. "That Crown Prince wasn’t what I expected. He was surprisingly warm toward our Delia Caine team and even specifically asked me about you."
Celia Sterling thought of Eldest Young Master Warren, whom she’d met a few times but was by no means friends with. "What did he ask about me?"
"He asked what you like to eat, what you do for fun, your hobbies... He also gave me his business card to give to you, asking you to add him as a friend privately and saying he wants to ask you out." The assistant thought for a moment. "His tone... it was like he was addressing a revered ancestor. Very strange."
"Ignore him."
"With his intentions unclear, how could I dare engage? I just gave him a few perfunctory replies and stayed away." The assistant quickly changed the subject. "A lot of Perfumers are privately trying to find out Brightmoon’s identity. Also, the two perfumes you won awards for this time have caught the attention of The House of Aurelian. I hear they’re privately discussing trying to poach you to work abroad."
"Don’t worry about it." Celia Sterling calmly shifted, snuggling more intimately into Silas Norwood’s arms, and ended the chat. "Send me more photos from the event. That’s all for now."
She put her phone aside and closed her eyes, ready to rest. Silas Norwood reached out and pinched her cheek, his voice gentle and sexy. "Darling, let’s go back to the bedroom."
Celia Sterling refused, her voice faint. "I admit, it’s addictive, but doing... *that* too often could be the death of me."
"I bought a garden estate in Jorvik for a vacation. I want to take you there for a few days. Let’s go to the bedroom now to pack. We’ll leave in an hour." Silas Norwood’s cool gaze was clear and pure as he looked at her. "Darling, what are you thinking about?"
The tips of Celia Sterling’s ears turned slightly red. She refused to admit it. "I didn’t say anything just now. You misheard me."
"Mm, I must have misheard." Silas Norwood readily agreed, a hint of laughter in his eyes. "Well then, darling, would you be willing to go to Jorvik with me? The crabs are rich with roe, and the autumn colors are at their peak. I even specially borrowed a prized disciple of Elder Gable’s, one who has mastered his techniques. He can take you to personally catch a few baskets of mitten crabs, and we can make a big pot of spicy crab to try."
His words filled Celia Sterling with a sudden longing. She proactively grabbed his hand and started back toward the villa. "Let’s go."
