My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 70: Who Can’t Hit a Sore Spot?

So, he was still holding a grudge about Declan calling him an "old man."

"I don’t want to marry someone else!" Declan shot back instinctively, then immediately wilted under Silas Norwood’s overpowering presence. "I mean, I want to have fun for a few more years. I’m not ready to get married yet."

Silas Norwood said nothing.

Justin Norwood smacked Declan hard on the back of the head. "If you don’t want to marry someone else, who do you want to marry, you little bastard! When are you going to learn to stop running your mouth?"

The second branch of the family was still unaware that Declan had made snide remarks to Silas over the phone. Jude Norwood tried to play peacemaker. "I actually think Declan has a fine temperament. He’s much easier to get along with than those troublemakers of mine."

Jude had two sons and two daughters. Besides the one studying abroad, two were present today: his son, Ian Norwood, and his daughter, Phoebe Norwood. Both were cautious by nature and masters of keeping up appearances, but they kept their true feelings bottled up inside. Not even Jude could get a word out of them, and over time, their personalities had grown somewhat sullen. At the family banquet, aside from greeting Silas Norwood, the two had tacitly chosen to stay on the sidelines. They just ate their food and didn’t interject. One couldn’t say it was wrong, but for a family gathering, it created an undeniable sense of distance.

Justin Norwood first offered some absentminded praise for his niece and nephew before turning to Silas Norwood to make his intentions clear.

"I was going to send Declan to Solisia a few days ago, but since the boy was so disrespectful, I thought it best we resolve this conflict with you face to face, Silas. I’ve already scheduled a private flight for tomorrow morning. I’ll have the guards over there keep him in line. We’ll let him come back once he’s learned some discipline."

Silas Norwood glanced up at Declan. "A private jet?"

"Yes, that’s right. The one you gave him a few months ago," Mrs. Norwood said quickly. "The boy absolutely loves that jet. He flies it everywhere and tells anyone who will listen that his dear uncle gave it to him. He treasures it."

Silas Norwood mused, "The one I gave him?"

"Back when Declan and... and Miss Sterling set their wedding date, you gave it to him as an early wedding present." Realizing her blunder, Mrs. Norwood’s voice dwindled to a whisper. "That’s all in the past now. It’s good that Miss Sterling is with you now, Silas. Very good."

"If it was a wedding gift, and there was no wedding, then the jet should be returned." Silas Norwood’s gaze grew cold as he lowered his eyes, fiddling with the thumb ring on his finger. His tone was commanding, leaving no room for debate. "Theo Chambers will handle the transfer with you after dinner."

Declan finally burst out, "But Uncle, you have so many private jets..."

"A wedding gift is symbolic," Silas said coolly. "As for the other aircraft registered to the first branch, I will be issuing a travel restriction. On this trip to Solisia, Declan, don’t even think about coming back anytime soon. As my eldest brother’s only child, it’s high time you learned to stand on your own two feet."

Justin Norwood couldn’t agree more. "That’s what I was thinking. We’ll extend Declan’s ’vacation’ from two weeks to two months. Hopefully, he can spend the next few years in Solisia and finally make something of himself."

"Two months," Silas Norwood nodded, his tone nonchalant. "When you return, it should be just in time for my wedding with Cece. How fitting."

The words were a dagger to the heart, and the color drained from Declan’s face once more.

Silas Norwood said no more. After a few perfunctory bites of his meal, he rose to leave. Justin and Jude Norwood, along with their families, followed him out. In the villa’s front courtyard, Theo Chambers was waiting respectfully.

Silas Norwood gave a low-voiced command, "You’ll stay behind at the estate and handle the ownership transfer for the N23 private jet."

"Yes, sir," Theo Chambers replied respectfully, his mind flashing back to the day his boss had given the jet away. At the time, the Eldest Young Master Norwood had just set his wedding date and was flaunting it everywhere. He’d pestered the boss endlessly, saying that since his boss was so worldly, he should recommend some honeymoon destinations. He’d also hinted that everyone else had already given their wedding gifts, hoping his dear uncle might offer a token of his blessing as well...

His boss had been in a foul mood back then, his expression grim all day long. The atmosphere in the office was cold enough to freeze a man solid.

So, he’d just tossed a private jet at him, telling him to use it for his honeymoon. Declan had accepted it gleefully. After all, anything from Silas Norwood was top-of-the-line. Even though the first branch of the family had their own private aircraft, they were in a completely different league from Silas’s.

’But the one giving the gift wasn’t happy in the slightest. I handled the transfer paperwork myself,’ Theo recalled. ’The boss didn’t say a word the entire time. He just sat there in the shadows, silent for hours. It was as if he wasn’t giving away a long-neglected, dust-collecting jet, but the very love of his life...’

’Several months later, to be getting the jet back... the boss must be feeling quite satisfied now.’

「Sterling Villa.」

Celia Sterling noted Kian Sterling’s pale complexion and ladled a bowl of soup for him. "Pulling another all-nighter? What’s gotten into you and Silas? You two used to barely say a word to each other all year, and now you’re addicted to these all-night chats. You need to take better care of yourself."

Kian Sterling gently rubbed his temples. "No all-nighter tonight."

He paused for a moment. "I’m heading to Port Sovereign in a few days to look into a project. You be good while I’m gone. Going on dates with Silas Norwood is fine, but you must come home at night. Men don’t treasure what they get too easily."

"Brother, what are you talking about?" Celia Sterling flushed, a little embarrassed. "Anyone can see that Silas is a perfect gentleman."

’A perfect gentleman? Would a perfect gentleman lose his composure and call me to talk about a project in the middle of the night?’

Kian Sterling didn’t bother debating a topic where the cognitive gap between men and women was so vast. Instead, he tossed a stack of documents toward her. "While you were off on your little trip, everything related to Delia Caine got dumped on my desk. Take it back and deal with it yourself."

"I’ll deal with it at the office tomorrow." Celia Sterling hated dealing with work at night. She pulled out her phone, opened the photo gallery, and sat down next to Kian Sterling. "Hey, Brother, want to see my pictures from the cruise?"

"Is there any kind of photo of you I haven’t seen before?" Despite his words, Kian’s eyes scanned one picture after another. He obligingly pointed to several beautiful solo shots of her. "These are nice. Send them to me."

As Celia Sterling transferred the photos, she asked casually, "So when are you leaving for Port Sovereign?"

"In three days," Kian Sterling said, giving her a look. "And don’t think about going out and messing around with those flaky friends of yours. I’ll be checking up on you."

"Of course not. With this huge pile of work for Delia Caine, I’ll be busy too."

And Celia Sterling really was busy.

The moment she arrived at the office the next day, a mountain of pending tasks was dumped on her. Combined with the files Kian had given her the night before, it was enough to give her a headache for days. The directors under her command worked overtime alongside her, but by the day Kian left for Port Sovereign, nearly half of the backlog remained.

Celia Sterling was growing restless and irritable at her desk. Director Linden personally brought her a coffee, teasing with a smile, "Delia Caine’s new product is launching next week, so things are bound to be hectic. This all involves several new market lines for the brand, and you’re the only one with the authority to make decisions on these strategic documents, President Sterling. Please just bear with it for a little longer. Once the product is launched, we’ll give you two weeks off. We promise not to bother you with a single thing."

Celia Sterling chewed on her coffee straw, flipped open the next document, and began signing, resigned to her fate.

「Sterling Group Headquarters.」

The door to the office of Director Churchill, head of marketing for the Delia Caine brand, was pushed open. An assistant entered, holding an invitation bearing a postmark from Port Sovereign.

"It’s from the Lowell Perfumer Family of Port Sovereign. They’re inviting us to send a representative to attend The Fragrance Gala."