Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Second Brother Returns to China
Thea Lynch suddenly recalled her high school days when class had run late one day, the originally scheduled evening study session extended longer.
Sitting by the window, she kept looking outside, her urgency and unease apparent even to the teacher.
Finally, when class was over, she quickly packed her things and was the first to leave the classroom.
It was completely different from now. Those days, every night she went to see Ian Preston, she would run. She couldn’t wait to see him as soon as she left the classroom.
Unlike now, avoiding him at all costs...
Leaving the school gate, she looked around but didn’t see his car in their usual spot.
She thought he had left because he hadn’t waited for her.
Her heart felt suddenly hollow, indescribably sad.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly saw the hazard lights flashing on a car to her right.
She paused for a moment, and, in the next second, the driver’s side door was pushed open by someone.
When she saw that familiar figure, her heart skipped a beat, and she ran toward him like crazy.
He didn’t have time to close the car door before she threw herself into his arms.
"What’s going on?" The man looked a bit surprised, stepping back half a step from the impact, instinctively enclosing her shoulders with his arms.
She shook her head, unable to say anything.
Her heart thudded loudly in her ears.
After a few seconds, he reacted: "Did you think I didn’t come?"
He explained: "I asked around and knew you had a late dismissal today. I was worried you’d be hungry, so I went nearby to get you a late-night snack. When I came over, the spot was occupied, so I parked here."
"Don’t worry. Since I promised to pick you up, I will definitely come."
——
Taking a deep breath, Thea tried hard to suppress her emotions and quietly stepped forward.
Standing by his side, she only then noticed the untouched coffee beside Ian Preston and touched the cup, finding it cold indeed.
The man was actually asleep, his breathing steady.
"Three..." She reached out her hand, about to touch his shoulder, when he suddenly opened his eyes.
"..." Taken by surprise by his deep gaze, Thea’s heart skipped a beat.
The man’s brows still carried a hint of fatigue, and the next second he came to his senses first, "Done with work?"
He was just waking up, his voice hoarse yet sensual, a bit seductive.
Thea hesitated, slowly straightening up, "Mm."
"I was working overtime and forgot." This excuse seemed somewhat lame.
Fortunately, Ian didn’t expose her.
Along with her, he got up, glanced at the time, and asked with concern, "Hungry?"
Thea wanted to shake her head, but her stomach disagreed.
After hesitating for a second, she stubbornly said, "Not hungry."
Ian gave her a deep look and directly ignored her words, "What to eat, hotpot?"
"..."
Without him mentioning it, Thea was indeed a bit tempted.
Her expression was hard to describe, and Ian immediately understood what she was thinking, decided for her, "It should still be open. Let’s go."
Leaving the company, the wind hit Thea, making her sway slightly.
Ian noticed this, silently positioning himself ahead of her.
Thea purely thought he walked fast because of his long legs, not waiting for her.
In the car, Thea took out her phone, responding to messages.
Today, Ian came by himself, not bringing a driver or assistant. The car was silent with just the two of them.
After ten minutes, she had long finished replying but kept holding the phone, her fingers wandering through various apps, not knowing what to look at.
Suddenly, a message popped up on top of the phone, from Silas Cheney.
Silas Cheney: [Did Donovan Ryan move in with you?]
Thea Lynch: [...]
Seeing this message, Thea incredulously turned to the man who was driving. He, noticing her small movement out of the corner of his eye, asked, "Want to say something?"
Thea choked, "Did Donovan really move in here?"
Given that Silas asked like that, it was probably almost certain.
"Mm."
Ian replied casually.
Thea didn’t understand: "Donovan doesn’t really need to do this, it’s not on the way to the company from here at all."
It would be more convenient to stay in the compound than here.
But Ian turned his head slightly, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, then said, "I don’t have fixed working hours."
Thea: "..."
I almost forgot, he is the boss. Doesn’t have to worry about trivial worker issues like she does.
So Thea simply stopped talking.
Silas Cheney: [? Is it true?]
Glancing at the message, Thea replied with a smiling emoji.
Silas quickly understood, [That’s good, with Donovan taking you to and from work, we can be at ease.]
Reading this, Thea was genuinely unseated, replying: [I’ll be twenty-five soon, I’m not a child.]
[It’s a special time.] Silas sent a chuckling emoji.
Thea exhaled helplessly, [It’s a law-abiding society now.]
Ian and Sean Bell had both warned Nina Sinclair before, and they had placed people around here, don’t think she didn’t know.
So what else could happen?
Silas: [Safety first, you’re our priority protection target, if anything happened to you, we’d truly have to atone with our lives.]
Half-joking, half-serious were his words.
In truth, things weren’t as severe as he said, but, Thea was indeed the only descendant of The Lynch Family. Anything beyond minor bumps or scrapes would be hard to explain.
[Besides, wasn’t Donovan previously escorting you after school just like this? No difference at all.]
Silas’s words made Thea slightly dazed.
Halfway through typing a rebuttal, Thea stared at the screen for a long time, eventually silently turning off her phone.
From that night onwards, Ian indeed moved to the apartment next to hers, punctually ferrying her to and from work, rain or shine.
Initially, Thea didn’t know how to interact with him. Luckily, Ian didn’t overstep boundaries, and there was not much interaction between them.
He seemed to understand what she was thinking, giving her enough space to gradually accept and adjust to his presence.
This continued until the end of the month, when Julian Zimmerman returned to the country.
Thea had already taken leave in advance.
The Lynch Family wasn’t residing in the compound now, as The Zimmermans had unique work situations and Julian’s parents weren’t currently in Coronet.
In the group chat, Julian mentioned his expected landing time at three in the afternoon at Coronet International Airport and would leave with a company car, no need for a special pickup.
Julian: "I need to head to the office first, probably finish around six."
Silas: "No rush, then see you at Donovan’s place."
In the afternoon, Thea prepared to head out by five.
She had just opened the door when she ran into Ian.
"Heading over so early?" His tone had a slightly sour note at first, "You look very beautiful today."
Thea had deliberately dressed up today, and when he complimented her, she inexplicably felt a bit guilty.
