Chapter 227: Making her lie more real.
Eira walked quietly beside Adelyn, her small steps light yet steady, while Dylan followed just a pace behind them in silence.
The three of them reached the door.
Adelyn paused there and quickly keyed in the passcode. A soft beep followed before the lock clicked open. She pushed the door inward and stepped slightly aside.
"Come on ... in," she said gently to the little girl, guiding her forward while casting a brief glance behind her.
It was subtle —almost instinctive.
Yet Dylan caught it without difficulty.
Understanding her silent cue, he stepped in after them without a word.
However—
The moment they crossed the threshold—
They all paused.
Adelyn’s brows furrowed instantly as her gaze swept across the space. Confusion flickered across her face, quickly followed by disbelief.
"How did this happen ...?" she murmured under her breath, already stepping further inside to inspect.
The floor was flooded.
Water spread across the tiles, reflecting light in uneven ripples, as though a tap had been left running unchecked for hours.
But that didn’t make sense.
She never forgot things like that.
She was careful —meticulous even.
There was no way she would leave something like this unattended.
"Mama ...!" Eira called from behind, about to step forward.
But Adelyn reacted immediately.
"Baby, stay there," she said quickly, raising a hand to stop her. "Don’t come in. Let Mama check first."
Eira halted instantly, obedient without question.
Adelyn exhaled softly, then turned her gaze toward Dylan.
"Mr. Warren ... you too," she said. "Please don’t come in. Keep Eira there with you and look after her."
Most people would have suggested switching roles.
But Dylan didn’t.
He simply nodded —accepting her request without objection.
Taking Eira’s hand gently in his, he said in a calm tone, "Be good. Don’t cause trouble for your mother."
Eira nodded obediently.
She wouldn’t have caused trouble anyway —but hearing it from him made her stand even more still, as if determined to follow instructions perfectly.
Meanwhile, Adelyn carefully stepped inside, avoiding the water where she could.
It didn’t take her long to realize—
This wasn’t carelessness.
It was a problem.
The drainage system.
Something had gone wrong.
She took out her phone and quickly dialed the society office.
Not long after, someone arrived to check, and soon enough, a plumber was inspecting the issue.
Adelyn stood nearby, watching quietly until the man finally stepped out from the wash area.
"What’s wrong?" she asked. "Is the pipe broken?"
The plumber nodded slowly. "Yes ma’am," he said, "The drainage pipe seems to have broken. And that’s what have caused the leakage."
Adelyn nodded, taking in the information slowly.
"Then ... please help me fix it soon," she said.
The man hesitated at that.
His expression turned slightly awkward as he glanced back once before looking at her again.
"What is it?" Adelyn asked, immediately catching onto his hesitation.
"Ma’am ... we can fix it," he said slowly, "but it might take time."
"How much time?" she asked.
"A week ... or two, at least."
Her brows drew together instantly.
"A week or two?" she repeated. "How can fixing something like this take that long? You don’t know how to handle it??"
The man shook his head almost immediately. "No, no—I do," he explained hurriedly. "It’s just ... the drainage system in this apartment is quite complicated. Everything here is inter-connected."
He continued, "Even if the issue is only in your place, in your unit, repairing it will affect multiple residents staying here. We’ll have to inspect the entire structure before fixing it properly. And ... the main technician who handles such work is currently on leave."
"So it’ll take time."
That sounded incredibly troublesome.
Adelyn glanced at the flooded floor again.
Staying here like this wasn’t an option.
"Who designs systems like this?" she muttered, frustration slipping into her voice. "A simple problem takes forever. How are residents supposed to live like this?"
If she had known earlier, she might have reconsidered renting this place altogether.
No wonder it had been relatively inexpensive.
"This building was designed years ago with cost-cutting in mind," the plumber said awkwardly. "And when people try too hard to save money ... it often leads to bigger problems later."
Adelyn didn’t respond.
She simply looked at him.
And that was enough to make his awkward smile disappear.
"I—I’ll report this to the office," he said quickly. "I’ll come back tomorrow and start the work."
Adelyn exhaled softly.
Could she insist on starting now?
Even if she did, it wouldn’t be fixed overnight.
So what difference would it make?
In the end, she simply nodded.
"Alright."
Once the man left, she turned back toward the door.
Dylan and Eira were still standing there.
Eira was no longer on her feet —she was resting in Dylan’s arms, her small head leaning lightly against him.
She must have gotten tired from standing.
A hint of guilt surfaced in Adelyn.
She walked over and gently reached out to touch her cheek.
"Did you get tired standing?" she asked softly.
Eira shook her head immediately. "Eira was fine," she said. "Dada wanted to carry, so Eira agreed."
That made Adelyn smile faintly.
Her gaze shifted to Dylan —only to find him already looking at her.
"Mr. Warren, I’m sorry," she said sincerely. "I didn’t expect something like this to happen."
Dylan shook his head slightly.
Then, glancing once around the space, he asked, "Did he find the problem?"
Adelyn nodded.
"Yes. The drainage pipe is broken. It might take almost two weeks to fix it," she explained.
There was a faint helplessness in her tone —subtle, but unmistakable.
Dylan’s expression shifted slightly.
Concern flickered briefly in his gaze.
"Then how will you stay here?" he asked.
Adelyn hesitated for a moment.
"Oh ... I’ll figure something out," she replied. "Don’t worry. I—"
"Come stay at my place."
His words came swiftly.
Naturally.
So naturally that it caught her completely off guard.
"Huh?" she blinked in confusion.
But Dylan didn’t waver.
"Staying here will be troublesome," he said calmly. "Stay at my place until it’s fixed."
Adelyn hesitated.
She couldn’t do that.
Staying with him ... under the same roof ...
Wouldn’t that blur the lines of everything she had been trying to keep separate?
Wouldn’t it make their already complicated situation even more difficult —making her lie more real?
She shook her head internally, already preparing to refuse.
But just then—
A small tug on her sleeve stopped her.
She looked down.
Eira was looking up at her, her eyes shining brightly with excitement.
"Mama ... are you really coming to stay with Eira?"
