Chapter 178: Why Did You Also Join the Fight?
Drink tea? Who was in the mood for tea?
The thought of being completely pinned down in Port Sovereign by the man before them made everyone so infuriated they could almost taste bile.
"Chairman Norwood, ah..." The man from Star Sovereign Entertainment was a big shot in his own right, so he wasn’t particularly intimidated by Silas Norwood. They had even worked together several times. He couldn’t help but speak up. "To go to such lengths for a woman like Summer Sutton... it’s really..."
"I’m not doing this because of ’that woman’," Silas Norwood interrupted coolly. "I’m doing this solely for the name Summer Sutton."
Everyone was stunned.
Silas Norwood lowered his gaze, slowly took a sip of tea, and gently tapped his black thumb ring on the table.
"That name cannot be sullied by filth. Understood?"
「Port Sovereign.」
Kian Sterling had just gotten off the plane when Evan Rhodes received the latest news. He reported to Kian Sterling, a hint of confusion in his voice:
"The people you wanted to see have all been notified. It’s just that the dozen or so media outlets all took overnight flights to Metropia to see Chairman Norwood. They’re not in Port Sovereign."
"Silas Norwood?" Kian Sterling raised an eyebrow slightly. "What is he up to?"
Evan Rhodes shook his head. "I don’t know what Chairman Norwood is thinking, either. But I just had a call with Theo Chambers. Chairman Norwood issued a restriction order against that group. They are banned from any development in the domestic entertainment industry for three years."
More than half of those dozen-odd media companies from Port Sovereign were known troublemakers in the industry; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been ’entrusted with this important task’ by Sutton the Second. A restriction order was a powerful tool. If anyone other than Silas Norwood issued it, they likely wouldn’t have been able to make it stick.
In the distance, a convoy of bodyguard vehicles arrived to pick him up.
Kian Sterling got into the car and casually dialed Silas Norwood’s number.
"Kade." Silas Norwood’s gentle and polite voice came through.
"Why did you get involved in this fight, too?" Kian Sterling asked directly, his tone slightly odd. "You’re hitting them harder than I am."
Silas Norwood was silent for two seconds, then said calmly, "I’m just helping you with your troubles, Kade. Cece is waiting for you to barbecue with her in the yard tonight. Finish up early and come back soon."
"Just helping with my troubles?" Kian Sterling was clearly skeptical.
Silas Norwood replied softly, "Otherwise, what did you think it was, Kade? Summer Sutton and I have never crossed paths."
He paused. "Or are you suggesting there’s some secret connection I don’t know about?"
"No, you’re overthinking it." Kian Sterling changed the subject. "The weather’s getting cool. Besides the barbecue, you can also prepare a hot pot. I’ll bring back some specialty ingredients from Port Sovereign to cook in it."
「Metropia, Jade Orchid Manor.」
Silas Norwood had been back for an hour or two, napping with Celia Sterling in his arms. Lying on his chest, her almond-shaped eyes were still sleepy. "Was that my brother on the phone?"
"Yeah, he wants us to prepare a hot pot. He’s bringing back ingredients from Port Sovereign," Silas Norwood explained casually, making no mention of his own involvement in the media storm. He spoke as if he were just an outsider. "It seems he went to Port Sovereign to handle Miss Sutton’s affairs."
Celia Sterling hummed in agreement. Professor Lowell’s reputation was on the line. Regardless of how close or distant Kian Sterling was to Summer Sutton now, he would definitely get involved in a matter of such malicious slander.
She picked up her phone and casually opened the list of trending topics. The overwhelming, malicious rumors about Summer Sutton had completely vanished. In their place were sincere, lengthy apologies—thousands of words long—from those media outlets and Star Sovereign Entertainment’s official website.
The tide of public opinion had turned completely. Summer Sutton was transformed from an unfilial daughter into a victim, with the media now listing the Sutton Family’s past sins: their ingratitude, abandoning a wife and daughter. Some fearless outlets even implicitly exposed some of the Sutton Family’s dirty dealings.
Looking at the one-sided new trending topics, Celia Sterling muttered, "These media outlets really are just chasing clout and shifting with the wind. They’ve gone crazy for traffic..."
Little did she know, those companies weren’t driven by a desire for traffic; they were driven mad by the man sleeping beside her.
"Don’t worry about other people’s business, darling." Silas Norwood reached out, took her phone, placed it on the nightstand, and then drew the curtains over the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows.
Celia Sterling knew what he wanted. She quietly pulled the blanket up over herself. "The morning’s already half over, and I still have to get to the office. Not now."
"Really not?" Silas Norwood wrapped his arms around her from behind, nibbling her neck. His voice was deep, husky, and seductive. "But you’re wound so tight."
「Sterling Group R&D Building.」
Celia Sterling didn’t arrive until noon.
"The Perfumer training meeting from this morning has been moved to 2:30 this afternoon." Director Linden glanced behind her. "Is your husband not coming today?"
"Yeah, he’s not coming," Celia Sterling said nonchalantly. "He has a pile of things to catch up on, too."
Director Linden brought her a cup of coffee and added casually, "Assistant Lowell and a few of us are planning to go to the gym upstairs. Would you like to join us, Ms. Sterling?"
"No thanks, you guys go ahead." ’Two hours in bed is more exhausting than two hours at the gym.’ Celia just wanted to rest. "Close the door for me on your way out. I’m taking a nap."
However, just as she closed her eyes and started to drift off, an insistent call rang out.
Celia Sterling glanced at the caller ID—"Director Jude"—and couldn’t immediately recall who it was.
She answered tentatively, "This is Celia Sterling. Who is this?"
"Hello, Miss Sterling. This is Preston Jude, your asset manager." A polite voice sounded from the other end.
Celia Sterling let out a sound of understanding. Both her and Kian Sterling’s financial portfolios were enormous and incredibly complex. Kian Sterling had arranged for a professional team to handle their wealth management, including asset allocation, investment planning, tax planning, and family trusts. This Director Jude was primarily responsible for her side of the finances. However, this team rarely contacted Kian or Celia Sterling directly; Evan Rhodes was usually their point of contact.
"What’s this about?" Celia Sterling asked.
Director Jude said, "Miss Sterling, several large sums have recently appeared in your accounts. The memo says they are stock dividends from the Port Sovereign Sutton Group. The amount is quite substantial, and I wanted to confirm with you what type of investments you’d prefer for these funds so we can tailor a relevant proposal for you."
"The Port Sovereign Sutton Group?" Celia Sterling was stunned. "You must have made a mistake, right?"
"We’ve verified it. There’s no mistake. It has the official seals of a legitimate Port Sovereign legal team and tax firm, as well as Kian Sterling’s personal signature," Director Jude replied.
Celia Sterling still didn’t quite believe it, assuming there had been a mix-up with Kian Sterling’s account. She asked nonchalantly, "A substantial amount? How substantial?"
"Six point three billion."
Celia Sterling paused. "...Spirit money?"
"Hong Kong dollars. Though it has already been converted to RMB and deposited into the account." Director Jude’s tone was very serious. "You have a good sense of humor, Miss Sterling."
Celia Sterling was completely baffled. Over six billion was indeed a huge amount of money. Kian Sterling gave her all sorts of good things and was very generous with shares, so it wasn’t that she wasn’t a rich woman herself. But her funds were all tied up in various places. This was the first time she had ever encountered such a massive cash flow.
"Are you sure it has my brother’s signature?" She was still a bit dazed.
"Yes. We don’t have sufficient clearance, so we only saw the signature on the last page. We heard from our superiors that the entire document set is several dozen pages long, and all of them have Mr. Sterling’s signature and yours." Director Jude thought for a moment. "When the funds were deposited, there was a memo. It said it’s a summary of twenty years of managed stock dividends. Oh, right, the last page also mentioned that the actual total dividends were five billion. The additional 1.3 billion is from the appreciation it gained while being managed and reinvested by Mr. Sterling over the years."