Chapter 1: Rainy Night at the Manor - First Encounter

In the winter of 2025, Seattle was already chilled to the bone.

It was Catherine's first time here. She was helping her mentor, Professor Evans, deliver a newly restored antique porcelain piece.

The winter night in Seattle was bitingly cold, with moisture seeping into every pore. The wind whipped the rain like countless icy needles, tapping densely against the car window. Soft jazz played inside the car, but it couldn't soothe the anxiety in Catherine's heart.

She held the heavy rosewood box tightly in her arms, her knuckles turning white from the grip. This was not only a priceless Song Dynasty porcelain but also her key to the future—her mentor had promised that if this trip went smoothly, he would write her a recommendation letter for Stanford.

It got dark very early; it was only five in the afternoon, but the entire city was already shrouded in a hazy twilight.

The road to The Highlands was long and quiet. Large trees on both sides of the road flashed by like shadows. Catherine couldn't help shrinking her neck, trying to find some sense of security in her thick scarf. She was a girl from the seaside, accustomed to waves and beaches; this damp, cold mountain forest instinctively made her a little afraid.

"Is this your first time here, Miss Catherine? This weather is indeed quite grueling," Old Chen, the driver, broke the silence.

"Yes, I'm a student at Seattle University," Catherine answered softly, her voice carrying the clear brightness unique to seaside girls. "But my home is in Port Townsend."

The car slowly drove into a heavy iron gate.

Before her eyes was a beautiful English-style manor. The huge main building was hidden behind dense fir trees and neat shrubs, exuding a quiet majesty settled by time.

Catherine took a deep breath, trying to suppress the timidity in her heart. This was the territory of the Sterling family, a world she usually only saw in magazines.

After the car stopped steadily, Martha, the housekeeper, led her through a long corridor.

"Sir is waiting for you in the study."

Martha stopped in front of a carved rosewood door, knocked gently, and then signaled for Catherine to enter.

Catherine pushed the door open.

The main lights weren't on in the room; only the fire in the fireplace was dancing, making soft crackling sounds. There was a faint scent of cedarwood in the air, mixed with the smell of old books, which felt reassuring but also carried a hint of oppression.

By the dim firelight, she saw a person sitting on the large sofa by the window.

The person had his back to her, seeming to be watching the rain outside, radiating a cold aloofness that kept people a thousand miles away.

"Mr. Sterling?" Catherine called out tentatively, her voice as small as a mosquito's hum.

No movement.

The room was frighteningly quiet, with only the sound of rain beating against the window.

Catherine's heartbeat involuntarily sped up, and her palms were sweaty. Her mentor had said that William Sterling had an eccentric temper and was moody. Was she late? Or had she done something wrong?

She hesitated for a while, but still plucked up the courage to walk a few steps forward and gently placed the box on the coffee table nearby.

"Mr. Sterling, I am Professor Evans' student, Catherine. This porcelain piece has been restored, and I brought it specifically for you to see."

Still silence.

Just as Catherine thought he had fallen asleep and planned to slip away quietly, the person moved.

"Put it there."

His voice was deep, carrying the laziness and huskiness of someone just waking up, like fine sand grinding over the tip of the heart.

Immediately after, the sofa turned around.

By the firelight of the fireplace, Catherine finally saw his face clearly.

It was an excessively young and handsome face. His features were deep, his contours defined, and there was a natural nobility between his brows. He was wearing a loose dark grey cardigan with a white T-shirt underneath, looking quite homey and casual.

Only those dark brown eyes, although carrying a bit of grogginess from sleep, were bottomless, as if they could see through the secrets in one's heart at a glance.

Catherine was stunned, her breathing skipping a beat.

She had expected to see a serious, old-fashioned old man, not expecting such an... aggressively young man.

William rubbed the center of his brows, lazily swept a glance at the box on the coffee table, and then his gaze settled on Catherine, who was standing aside, at a loss for what to do.

The little girl in front of him was dressed warmly, looking like a round sticky rice ball, except for those eyes—clear and bright, examining him cautiously, looking exactly like a startled little deer.

Interesting.

The bit of grumpiness William felt from being woken up vanished instantly. Usually accustomed to those socially adept socialites with exquisite makeup, this plain-faced, panic-eyed little girl before him actually gave rise to a bit of teasing interest in him.

The man was very tall, visually approaching 1.8 meters, but he didn't give off an excessive sense of oppression. He wore a dark grey cashmere cardigan with a white shirt underneath, the collar slightly open, revealing a slender neck and distinct collarbones.

He walked up to Catherine, his line of sight just level with hers, carrying a gentle inquiry.

"Is this that Song Dynasty Meiping vase?"

His tone was unexpectedly gentle, completely lacking the rumored airs, yet carrying a calmness of being in control of the overall situation.

"It's very cold outside, isn't it?"

Catherine nodded subconsciously, then shook her head immediately. "It's okay, it was quite warm in the car."

She was lying.

In fact, her toes had long been numb from the cold, and the tip of her nose was blown red by the cold wind.

William chuckled lightly, seeming to see through her bravado.

He glanced at the dark night outside the window, then looked at the box that hadn't been opened yet.

"The light here is too dim to see the details of the porcelain clearly. And..."

He paused, his gaze falling on Catherine's slightly pale face, a trace of imperceptible playfulness flashing in his eyes.

"You haven't had dinner yet, have you?"

Catherine just wanted to decline, but her stomach let out a disappointing sound.

"Growl—"

In this quiet room, this sound seemed particularly loud, simply deafening.

Catherine's face turned red instantly, burning all the way to the roots of her ears. She wished she could immediately find a crack in the ground to crawl into and vanish from this awkward air.

The smile in William's eyes deepened, and the corners of his mouth hooked up into a good-looking arc.

He didn't expose her embarrassment but naturally turned and walked towards the door, as if this was just a common occurrence.

"Let's go, to the dining room next door first."

He looked back at her, his tone carrying a gentleness that allowed no refusal, and a trace of elusive indulgence.

"I happen to be hungry too, join me for a meal."

Catherine stood frozen in place, looking at his upright back, having mixed feelings in her heart.

Shame, nervousness, confusion, and a trace of... inexplicable expectation.

She bit her lip, hugged the box in her arms tightly, and quickly followed.