Chapter 156: Chapter 156: You’re Such a Double Standard
Walking to the door, Thea Lynch spent a long time before finally finding the key in a flowerbed.
Ever since her parents left, all the servants in the house had been dismissed, and no one had been here for many years.
This key was left by Thea before she went abroad.
The door, weathered by years of wind and rain, automatically opened with a creaking sound.
Thea stood at the entrance, hesitant to make her next move, until Ian Preston spoke next to her, "Let’s go in."
Like waking from a dream, Thea responded and followed in his footsteps.
From the yard to the front door, this path seemed longer than Thea had imagined.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, with two wildflowers barely visible, and the swing chair beside them was rusty.
Her memories of this place remained at the age of sixteen.
When she was younger, she lived more in the large yard. It wasn’t until around middle school that she started living with her parents here, but every now and then, she would secretly sneak back to the yard.
Upon reaching the front door, Thea fished out another key to open the door.
As the door swung open, a layer of dust trembled and fell from the door panel.
"Cough..." Thea stepped closer to Ian Preston’s side.
The house her parents owned here had five floors, including the basement, and it was quite spacious. Thea didn’t plan to tour the whole place; she only wanted to look at her father’s study.
The study was on the second floor.
All the doors were open; Thea went in and touched the tabletop, gathering a hand full of dust.
Since she left, no one had really been here. There were no traces at all.
Unlike others who liked to place valuable items on their desks, her father’s desk had many photo frames, in addition to a pen holder with two brushes hanging.
Thea picked up the photos one by one, carefully wiping them clean.
"Are you going to take them?"
Ian Preston looked at the photos on the desk and asked.
"I’ll just take this one." Thea didn’t want to take them all, only choosing one group photo to place in her apartment.
Today, she was carrying a tote bag, which had plenty of space for one photo frame.
The two didn’t stay for long; before leaving, Thea glanced at the backyard.
In the yard, the roses her father had planted for her mother were surprisingly still blooming, and Thea was taken aback, "After all these years, they’re still alive."
Her mother loved roses very much, so her father had cleared a piece of land in the backyard to plant them all over.
Of course, not many had survived until now; only a few were blooming well.
Ian Preston took a look, "Someone comes to water them regularly."
"Ah?" Thea quickly guessed it was his handiwork but was still curious, "Did you have a key, Third Brother?"
"No."
Ian Preston gestured for her to look at the opposite fence, "I used other methods to lower water over the wall from outside the yard."
"..." Thea was surprised and still managed to thank him.
Finally, Thea took one of the flowers with her and delivered it to her parents’ side.
After leaving the cemetery, it was almost noon.
Thea checked the time, "If Third Brother’s free, how about we grab a meal together?"
Her initiative invitation made Ian Preston, of course, have no reason to refuse.
The two chose a French restaurant; the ambiance was quiet, perfect for conversation.
In the middle, Ian Preston left his seat to take a work call. Thea finished eating and stared blankly at the floor-to-ceiling window.
Suddenly, someone sat in the empty seat beside her, a strong sweet scent overwhelmed her.
It was Sarah Sullivan again.
Thea was sensitive to smells; she didn’t even need to look up to know it was her.
She had gone from speechless to numb.
Seeing her looking over, Sarah waved, "Hi."
"Following Ian Preston?"
Sarah shook her head and replied confidently, "Definitely not. I’m obviously following you!"
Thea glanced at her, leaned back, and resignedly asked, "What do you want? Ian Preston is over there."
She pointed Sarah in his direction.
"I already said I’m not here for him." Sarah smiled at her.
She and Thea were completely different styles. Thea was the cool and aloof type of woman, while Sarah leaned towards sweetness, with a smile that easily softened people’s hearts.
Her charm worked on everyone else, except for Thea.
Thea truly wasn’t swayed by her antics, feeling completely detached inside.
Since acting cute didn’t work, Sarah went straight to the point and said succinctly, "Add me on WeChat, and I’ll leave right after."
"..." Thea furrowed her brow slightly.
Seeing this, Sarah quickly extended her hand, making a vow-like gesture, "Really, I’ll head back to Riverbend after adding. I promise I won’t bother you."
"I don’t have WeChat."
"Sis, that excuse has been overused; who would believe that? At least make up something credible."
Thea’s face remained unchanged, "I’ve given you a clear answer; whether you believe it is up to you and has nothing to do with me."
"..."
Sarah finally understood what Thea meant.
Thea knew this excuse was shallow and fake, and perfunctory to people; nevertheless, her aim was never about whether people believed her words, but rather she had responded out of politeness, which was more than enough.
If the other party continued to pester, then they were just refusing to take a hint.
After all, she was Thea Lynch; she never needed to care whether her words would raise suspicion—ultimately, it was about maintaining appearances. Most people wouldn’t dare to call her bluff.
Sarah clicked her tongue lightly, "You’re really different from what I imagined."
"You must have a phone, right? Give me your number?"
"We are strangers. From my perspective, there’s no need to keep in touch, right?" Thea glanced at her with rare curiosity, "What’s your interest in us if it’s not for Ian Preston? What’s your motive?"
"I find you fascinating, didn’t I say last time? I really like you!"
"..."
Thea couldn’t feel happy at all. She was slowly becoming aware of the seriousness of the situation, "When you say ’like,’ is it the same ’like’ as for Ian Preston?"
This stumped Sarah. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head, "Not exactly. My liking for you is a desire to be friends, of course...if you become my sister-in-law, that would be even perfect!"
Sarah seized the chance to take out her phone, flipping through photos to show Thea, "Look, this is my real brother, only a year older than you, and in the same major too. If my dad hadn’t disagreed, he might have been your colleague by now."
"Look, isn’t he handsome?" Sarah promoted enthusiastically, "Even though he might be slightly lesser than Ian Preston, they’re not the same style; I think my brother suits you better."
"I observed carefully just now; you and Ian Preston have barely communicated the whole time. You don’t talk, he doesn’t talk; if you two are together, life would be so boring."
"Being with my brother would be completely different. You’d experience double the happiness! Because you’d have me too!"
"Thank you." Thea pushed her phone back, "But I don’t have such intentions."
"What about Ian Preston, then? You’re being biased."
