Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Have Her Plead with Third Brother
"I originally just wanted to check on Sean and leave, I didn’t mean to wake you up." Thea Lynch felt a bit guilty, apologized to him, then got up. "Sean, have a good rest, I’ll come see you again during the day."
Ian Preston stared at her back for a second, his voice low and cold, "No need to come over."
Thea Lynch: "..."
She nodded, complying, "Then when will you be discharged, Sean?"
"Tomorrow."
As if knowing what she meant, Ian Preston dismissed her idea, "No need to come tomorrow either. I’m not sick enough to need you to pick me up."
"Do what you need to do, take care of yourself. You don’t need to worry about me here."
Thea Lynch faced away from him, remaining silent for a long time.
After carefully digesting his words from beginning to end, she nodded, "Okay."
"Wait here for Silas Cheney to pick you up," he called after her.
Thea Lynch wanted to take a cab back, but Ian Preston’s attitude was firm. She had no choice but to sit back down.
Ian Preston made a call to Silas Cheney, asking him to come over.
Silas Cheney was already on his way; he’d gotten up from bed the moment Thea Lynch texted him.
During the wait, the hospital room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Thea Lynch sat in a chair, head down, scrolling through group chat messages, the faint glow of the phone casting light on her delicate face.
Her hair slid off her shoulders, obscuring her facial expression.
She thought they would maintain an unspoken understanding, staying silent until Silas Cheney arrived.
Unexpectedly, Ian Preston started a topic, "You heard about the house, right?"
"Yeah," Thea Lynch replied.
"If it’s convenient, stay there for now. Moving suddenly would worry Auntie," Ian Preston, true to form, could guess her thoughts immediately.
Thea Lynch indeed had thoughts of moving.
"It’s currently in Silas Cheney’s name, if you want to buy it, just talk to him. You two can sort it out, no need to go through me."
"Got it."
"These days, make sure to arrange your work well. Come back early for Grandpa Lynch’s birthday feast. I’ll have someone pick you up the night before. The venue is booked, during the day if Silas Cheney is free, he’ll take you to do a food tasting."
He still, as before, considered everything for her, leaving no stone unturned.
Thea Lynch didn’t say much, just nodded to show she understood.
Grandpa’s birthday feast was a big event in the courtyard. Among the younger generation, Aaron Lynch, the eldest brother, was gone, and the second brother hadn’t returned from abroad. Naturally, all the preparations fell to Ian Preston.
Although it was her grandfather, she, as the youngest, never had to worry about such things.
When Silas Cheney arrived, he lingered outside the door for two minutes.
Through the glass window of the door, he peered in, sensing the atmosphere might be worse than he had imagined.
Ian Preston leaned against the bed, gazing outside the window.
Thea Lynch sat on a chair to the side, head down, looking at her phone.
There was no communication whatsoever!!!
It seemed the issues between them were much more severe than he had thought.
——
On the way back, Thea Lynch leaned against the passenger seat, eyes closed as if asleep.
Silas Cheney couldn’t bear to disturb her, staying silent the whole way.
When they got downstairs, he gently called her name.
Her eyes opened, clear and awake, with no trace of sleepiness.
She lowered her head and unbuckled her seatbelt, "Sean mentioned that the venue for Grandpa’s birthday feast is set. Are you free during the day, Silas? I might need your help to sample some dishes."
"I’m free, no problem," Silas Cheney smiled at her, "I’m always free. It depends on your schedule."
"Maybe take a day off tomorrow?"
Thea Lynch shook her head, "Let’s do it at noon."
"All right, come to my office straight after you finish up."
Before getting out of the car, Thea reclined back in, asking Silas Cheney, "Really, is Sean okay?"
"Nothing major," Silas Cheney replied, "Were you frightened by what I said earlier? You know how my mouth works, always speaks before thinking. It’s nothing, really, don’t worry."
Silas waved her off, signaling her to get upstairs, "Go on now."
"Okay, drive safe, Silas."
In the following two days, Ian Preston seemed to fade from Thea Lynch’s life; they didn’t meet or communicate.
Thea Lynch appeared unchanged, shuttling between home and work, focusing all her energy on her job.
She had to work overtime until midnight every night these days.
The vice president informed Silas Cheney immediately, and after a few seconds of silence, surprisingly, he didn’t stop her: "Let her be. Just have security keep an extra eye out at the entrance."
The night before Grandpa’s birthday feast, Thea Lynch went back to stay at the courtyard. Sean Bell came looking for her right away.
"Sean!" Aunt Lynch opened the door for him, inviting him in. "Auntie, where’s Thea? She couldn’t have gone to bed already, right?"
"No, no," Aunt Lynch pointed to the balcony, "She’s handling emails. Hey, why is there still so much work when she’s come home? She’s been sitting there for an hour without moving."
"Those scientists, they get busy, and that’s a good thing," Sean Bell chuckled, "Contributing to the country. Once she finishes this project, our Thea will really have made something of herself."
Aunt Lynch smiled too, "Exactly. Thea really brings honor to us Lynches. I might not understand all this, but your brother Silas says it’s quite impressive."
Sean Bell wholeheartedly agreed.
"Alright, you go find her. I’ll go iron clothes for Grandpa to wear tomorrow."
After seeing Aunt Lynch off, Sean Bell went to find Thea Lynch.
He pushed open the slightly ajar balcony door without announcing himself and sat down directly opposite her.
Thea Lynch had heard the commotion outside early on, so she wasn’t startled by him.
Her eyes remained fixed on her computer screen, not shifting in the slightest, "What do you want?"
Her tone was businesslike and detached.
"Of course, it’s something important," Sean Bell said mysteriously, raising a hand to close her laptop lid.
"..." Thea Lynch hadn’t finished replying to her emails and furiously smacked the back of his hand with the nearby fruit fork. "How many times have I told you, say what you need to without touching my stuff!"
Sean Bell raised an eyebrow, "Were you listening?"
"I’m not deaf."
With those words, both of their expressions changed slightly.
Thea Lynch pursed her lips, losing the heart to work because of his interruption. "Hurry up and say it. I need to finish these emails tonight."
Sean Bell surprisingly complied, "Nina Sinclair is inquiring about your contact information everywhere."
"...Mine?" Thea Lynch frowned, "She’s looking for me?"
"Probably about her father,"
Sean Bell snatched some of her fruit with the fork.
Thea Lynch couldn’t help but sneer, "Does she think I can solve that? She’s overestimating me."
That’s embezzlement and bribery; let alone her, even Silas and Sean Bell couldn’t do anything about it.
"Of course, she’s not actually looking for you," Sean Bell emphasized, seeing her playing dumb, he tutted and clarified, "She wants you to ask Sean for help."
