Chapter 73: Chapter 66: Going Public

After dinner at Autumn Crest Villa, the group headed to Nocturne.

Shane Sterling was in low spirits the entire way. He kept flipping his phone in his hand, unlocking it again and again, but Isla Prescott’s profile picture remained stubbornly silent.

On the third floor of Nocturne, several glamorous female celebrities were waiting.

They were all artists from Mason Jacobs’s company.

“Sean,” Mason Jacobs said as he entered, pulling a woman in a sequined dress over to Shane Sterling. “This is Zola Adler, from my company. She’s been an admirer of yours for a long time.”

“Young Mr. Shaw,” Zola Adler said, flashing Shane Sterling a brilliant smile. “I’m not sure if you remember me. We met once at a jewelry gala.”

Shane Sterling didn’t even look up. “I don’t.”

With that, he went straight to the sofa and sat down.

Zola Adler’s expression stiffened. She had just played the second female lead in a blockbuster drama, and the character’s charming personality had won her a massive following. She thought that now, of all times, Shane Sterling might finally see her in a different light. She never expected he wouldn’t even spare her a single glance.

But she wasn’t discouraged. She was confident that with her looks and figure, there wasn’t a man she couldn’t win over. The more Shane Sterling ignored her, the more of a challenge he became.

“Young Mr. Shaw, President Jacobs told me today is your birthday.” Zola Adler poured two glasses of wine and offered one to Shane Sterling. “Let me toast to you. Happy birthday.”

Shane Sterling slowly turned his head, his expression cold. “Do I look happy to you?”

His expression at that moment truly had nothing to do with the word “happy.”

“Then why aren’t you happy, Young Mr. Shaw?” Zola Adler leaned against his arm. “Tell me about it, and let me help you work through it. I’m very good at understanding a man’s heart.”

“Alright,” Shane Sterling said, subtly creating some distance between them. “Since you’re so capable, why don’t you figure this out for me: what time will my girlfriend be done with work and message me?”

Zola Adler froze. “You have a girlfriend, Young Mr. Shaw?”

“What? Do I look like the type who can’t get a girlfriend?”

“Of course not.”

“Then shouldn’t you be keeping your distance?”

His face was blank, but Zola Adler could clearly feel a terrifying pressure emanating from him.

She quickly stood up and fled back to Mason Jacobs’s side.

Mason Jacobs glanced at her. “What’s wrong? Weren’t you so sure you could make Young Mr. Shaw fall for you? Giving up already?”

Zola Adler, unable to hide her embarrassment, asked, “Young Mr. Shaw says he has a girlfriend?”

“Huh?”

Mason Jacobs started to get up, ready to go dig for gossip, but Ivan Fulton, who was beside him, pulled him back down.

“Have you written your will yet? You actually dare to go provoke him right now?”

Mason Jacobs: “…”

“Dude, use your eyes. Can’t you see Sean’s face is so dark it could be a black hole?”

Mason Jacobs took a closer look, and sure enough, it was true.

He turned to Ivan Fulton. “Does Sean really have a girlfriend?”

“If he says he does, then he does. What are you so suspicious about?”

“I always suspected he was gay.”

Ivan Fulton’s eyes widened. He immediately clapped Mason Jacobs on the shoulder. “A kindred spirit! I used to think the exact same thing!”

From the side, Shane Sterling shot them a glare. “Could you two have some boundaries? I’m not deaf!”

Ivan Fulton and Mason Jacobs just laughed, turned their backs, and lowered their voices to continue whispering.

Feeling frustrated, Shane Sterling walked out of the private room.

He was leaning against the third-floor railing and had just lit a cigarette when he saw a familiar figure rush through the entrance of Nocturne.

She was wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans. Her clothes were casual, but her hair and makeup were impeccable. The glitter on her cheeks, in particular, looked like stardust from the Milky Way under the club’s intense lights—sweet and stunning.

It was Isla Prescott.

—

As soon as her plane landed, Isla Prescott headed straight for Nocturne.

She had been to Nocturne several times before, but as luck would have it, the staff member who had previously escorted her to the third floor wasn’t there. The employee on duty today seemed to be new and was extremely cautious.

“It’s Young Mr. Shaw’s birthday today, and a lot of his friends and female celebrities are upstairs. You say you know him, so maybe you could give him a call? Otherwise, I really can’t just let you go up.”

“Okay.”

Just as Isla Prescott was about to pull out her phone to make the call, the first-floor elevator doors opened, and Shane Sterling strolled out with his hands in his pockets.

“What’s the surprise if you call ahead?” He walked briskly to Isla Prescott’s side, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Turning to the staff member, he said, “Remember her face. This is the boss’s wife. In the future, you can stop anyone you want, but never her.”

Before the staff member could even react, Shane Sterling had already taken Isla Prescott’s hand and led her into the elevator.

The moment the elevator doors slid shut, Shane Sterling closed the distance with his long legs, pinning her against the mirrored wall. He kissed her hard, like he was unwrapping a long-awaited gift. His tongue impatiently breached her lips, seeking to tangle with hers.

’He seems a little sentimental today,’ Isla Prescott thought.

’Is it because of his birthday?’

The kiss sent a tremor through her heart. She subconsciously lifted her hands, threading her fingers into Shane Sterling’s hair as she rose onto her toes to kiss him back.

The sounds of their passionate kiss echoed in the empty car.

As passion flared, Shane Sterling’s hand slipped under her shirt. A soft “mmph” escaped Isla’s throat, immediately crushed into a trembling sigh as she quickly pressed his hand still.

“I came to celebrate your birthday.”

He caressed her cheek, feeling the makeup she hadn’t had time to remove, and grinned mischievously. “Coming empty-handed… does that mean you’re the gift?”

“I was rushing to catch my flight and didn’t have time to buy you anything. Can I give you your gift later?”

“You are the gift.”

He lowered his head to kiss her again, but Isla dodged.

“Aren’t there a lot of female celebrities upstairs?” Isla asked, pushing his hand away. “Isn’t there anyone that Young Mr. Shaw fancies?”

“You’re the only one I fancy.”

Isla smiled, but she didn’t seem to believe him.

Shane Sterling held her hand. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“To introduce you to my friends.”

’Meeting his friends meant making their relationship completely public.’

Isla’s feet felt rooted to the spot. “Are you sure?”

When she rushed back, she hadn’t planned on appearing before his friends at all. She just wanted to see him before midnight and wish him a happy birthday in person.

“What’s there to be sure about? Is this something you need to hesitate over?” Shane Sterling shot her a cool glance. “It’s not like our love is forbidden.”

’There he goes again.’

Isla lightly punched Shane on the arm.

But she couldn’t deny it. In the few seconds after Shane said he wanted to make them public, an image of Silas Lockwood, carefully hiding their relationship, had indeed flashed through her mind.

Her last relationship had truly shattered her sense of self-worth when it came to love.

Shane Sterling led Isla into the private room by the hand.

Inside the room, no one besides Ivan Fulton knew the two of them were dating. Everyone looked surprised to see Isla.

“Isn’t that Isla?”

“So after all this time, you finally got your claws into Isla.”

“You’re brave, Isla. Aren’t you afraid of kissing a guy with a tongue that sharp?”

More than half of Shane Sterling’s friends were also friends with Silas Lockwood, so everyone knew Isla. They felt no pressure teasing her and just said whatever came to mind.

Just as the group was teasing them, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.

In walked a fashionably late Silas Lockwood.

“Silas, what took you so long?” Mason Jacobs shouted to Silas Lockwood. “Your prize cabbage just got stolen by a pig!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep