Chapter 61: Chapter 55: Serious Business

“What are you three whispering about? Come on, let’s get some pictures of Isabelle and her boyfriend too.” Jade’s boyfriend waved at them.

“Yeah, yeah, Isabelle, go get your picture taken.”

Jade and Mia pushed Isla Prescott back to Shane Sterling’s side.

They stood side by side. Just as the person across from them was about to press the shutter, Shane Sterling wrapped an arm around her shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Please take a few more,” Shane Sterling said.

“You got it.”

After Jade’s boyfriend finished taking the photos, Shane Sterling, wanting to get the pictures as soon as possible, offered to add him on WeChat.

After they added each other on WeChat and exchanged names, Jade’s boyfriend’s voice suddenly shot up. “You said your name is Shane Sterling?”

Young Mr. Shaw of Sterling Group. He’d heard that name from his boss long ago, but this was the first time he’d met the man in person.

This was a man who could decide the fate of his company with a single word.

And now he had Shane Sterling’s WeChat, something his own boss probably didn’t even have.

Jade’s boyfriend was ecstatic.

Shane Sterling put a finger to his lips in a “shush” gesture. He looked at Isla Prescott and said in a level voice, “Today, I’m nobody. I’m just her plus-one.”

For the rest of the evening, Shane Sterling certainly played the part of a devoted partner.

He went along to the class’s final dinner party. While everyone else was chatting animatedly, he sat quietly beside Isla Prescott, peeling shrimp and putting food on her plate, listening to her talk with her classmates without ever stealing the spotlight. Once Isla Prescott had eaten her fill, he used the excuse of going to the restroom to quietly pay the bill.

Jade and Mia couldn’t help but gush in their three-person group chat: “Isabelle, your boyfriend just completely outclasses these two blockheads we’ve got with us.”

“Even our homeroom teacher was just saying it’s no wonder Isabelle never dated anyone in college despite being chased by so many guys. Turns out she was holding out for someone on this level.”

Isla Prescott glanced at the messages on her phone, then at Shane Sterling beside her. ’He’s being overly mature and composed today. Is he doing this to make me look good, or is being mature and composed his true nature?’

“What are you looking at?” Shane Sterling noticed her gaze.

“Just admiring how handsome you are.”

“Thanks, but I’d advise you not to stare too long. I’m not responsible if you pass out from my handsomeness.”

Isla Prescott laughed. ’This is more like it. The unserious Shane Sterling is the one I know.’

After the dinner, Isla Prescott got a ride back in Shane Sterling’s car.

The whole way, she held the bouquet of Freud roses he had given her.

The fragrance of the flowers crept into her nose with the cool air from the AC. She thought of the flower’s meaning: “You wander carelessly through my dreams, awakening the stirrings deep in my soul.”

“Did you pick out this bouquet yourself?” Isla Prescott asked, feigning nonchalance.

Shane Sterling turned the steering wheel slightly, his eyes focused on the road ahead. “My assistant ordered them,” he replied, just as casually.

’Right. How could Shane Sterling possibly have a secret crush on me?’

Isla Prescott quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had experienced having a secret crush before. She knew it was like a bitter pill wrapped in candy paper—the sweetness was just imagination, while the bitterness was the reality. She didn’t want Shane Sterling to have endured that kind of prolonged suffering for her.

—

After they had been driving for half an hour, Isla Prescott realized from the route they were taking that this wasn’t the way to the hospital.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, looking at the familiar streetscape. “I’m not going back to the studio, I need to go to the hospital.”

“I’m not taking you back to the studio.”

“But this is clearly the way to the studio.”

“I have another graduation gift for you.”

Shane Sterling’s car pulled into a high-end residential complex across from Skysea Plaza.

“You’re not going to give me an apartment, are you?” Isla Prescott asked in alarm.

Shane Sterling laughed. “I’d like to, but would you accept it?”

“I wouldn’t,” she replied without hesitation.

“See?” Shane Sterling shrugged, a look on his face that said, ’I know you all too well.’

“Then what are you bringing me here for?”

“I heard you’ve been looking for an apartment to rent recently.”

“You know that too?” ’He’s been abroad, but he doesn’t miss a thing.’ “Did Annie tell you?”

“Mhm.”

“You even bribed her.”

“You didn’t tell me yourself, so I had to recruit more troops.”

“I was busy and forgot.”

“Were you really so busy you forgot, or do you just not take me seriously?” Shane Sterling glanced at her. “Isla Prescott, I’ll say it again: boyfriends are meant to be used.”

Isla Prescott fell silent.

Ever since graduation approached, she had been stressing over finding an apartment. She had been desperately squeezing in time to view places, but finding an apartment with reasonable rent, a convenient commute, and that she actually liked was harder than winning the lottery.

She had, in fact, intentionally not mentioned it to Shane Sterling. He was on a business trip abroad, and his time was precious. She felt such a small matter wasn’t worth bringing up, and she never thought to ask him to solve this problem for her.

Shane Sterling led her up to the sixth floor. The building had a two-apartments-per-elevator-lobby layout. Shane Sterling opened the doors to two adjacent apartments.

Both apartments had a similar modern, minimalist design. They weren’t just spacious with good privacy; the natural lighting was also exceptional.

“Take a look. See if you like these apartments,” Shane Sterling said.

“Liking it and being able to afford it are two different things. I can’t afford a place this expensive.”

“The landlord hasn’t even quoted a price yet, and you already know you can’t afford it?”

Isla Prescott knew he was probably going to offer her a cheap rent again. She quickly shook her head. “No, I’m already taking advantage of you with the studio rent. I should find a place to live on my own.”

With that, she turned to leave, but Shane Sterling grabbed her arm.

“Hear me out first.”

Isla Prescott looked at him. “Go on.”

“First, this apartment is just sitting empty anyway. If I rent it to you, at least I can make a little money.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you, the great Young Mr. Shaw, really need this chump change?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m desperate for this chump change.”

“Then what’s the second reason?”

“Second, helping you solve your housing problem is my graduation gift to you, and you can’t refuse it. If you do, I’ll have someone transfer the deed directly into your name.”

“Why are you being so forceful?”

“What can I say? I’m a domineering CEO. This is how we get things done.”

Isla Prescott was speechless. “Is there a third reason?”

“The third is that I’ll be moving in next door to be your neighbor.”

“Why? This place is far from your company.” ’Besides, even though this is a high-end complex, it can’t be as comfortable as his private villa.’

“Because we’re both too busy. We have to find ways to create opportunities to see each other. If we don’t meet, how am I supposed to unleash my charm and make you fall in love with me in six months? Through an online relationship?”

Isla Prescott was in the middle of starting her business and couldn’t accommodate his schedule, so he would have to be the one to accommodate hers.

“But your commute will waste so much time, and you’ll be exhausted.”

“As long as you rent the apartment and I get to see you every day, I won’t be tired.”

Isla Prescott was touched. It felt like unexpectedly drinking a cup of warm, sweet wine on a winter’s night; a warmth spread from her throat down into her chest, warming her entire body.

“Fine, but tell me the rent first.”

Shane Sterling named a figure. It wasn’t ridiculously low; he had thoughtfully taken her pride into account, yet it was still within a range she could afford.

“So when do we sign the lease agreement?”

“Right now.”

“You have it ready?”

“Of course.”

He knew her too well. He knew she would insist on handling things by the book and would never move in ambiguously just because of their relationship.

Shane Sterling walked to the entryway, opened a drawer, and took out a rental contract.

“Sign it,” he said, thoughtfully handing her a pen.

Isla Prescott flipped through a few pages. The contract was clearly drafted by a professional legal advisor. She signed it and immediately transferred the security deposit and first month’s rent to him on WeChat.

“You should accept it,” she said to Shane Sterling.

“Okay.”

It was Shane Sterling’s first time being a landlord. Afraid his new tenant would change her mind, he quickly accepted the deposit and rent.

“Can I look around the apartment now?”

“Of course. This is your home now.”

Isla Prescott first took a tour of the balcony. It was so big she wouldn’t have dared to dream of it. The key thing was, she could see the sign for her dance studio from there.

She then wandered through the bedroom and kitchen. The bedroom was cozy, and the kitchen island made her itch to use it. Unfortunately, she probably wouldn’t have time to cook at home in the near future.

“Finished with your tour?” Shane Sterling asked, walking up behind her.

“Pretty much.”

“Then isn’t it time to take care of some real business?”

“What real business?”

Shane Sterling wrapped his arms around her from behind and reminded her, “You still owe me a passionate kiss.”

Isla Prescott tried to squirm away. “I just remembered, I haven’t seen where the bathroom is yet…”

Shane Sterling didn’t fall for her trick at all. He pulled her back, held the nape of her neck, and captured her lips with his.

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